Fatal Frame

RETRO NEWS

Please, hide the Twix! No more. Halloween is dangerous for getting healthy.

Hope you’re all doing well! Today's retro news brings us more Mario multiplayer madness, a familiar green crocodile, and a controller missing something rather important.

Better Super Mario Sunshine Online has received a massive 2.0 update, adding support for Super Mario Eclipse, new characters, stages, and multiplayer modes like Tag and Manhunt.

Meanwhile, Croc: Legend of the Gobbos and Croc 2 are getting new physical editions in spring 2027, with PM Studios handling the releases for PlayStation and Nintendo consoles.

And 8BitDo has unveiled its $120 Arcade Controller Pro, a compact controller for PC and Nintendo Switch that replaces the traditional joystick with buttons. It even has a built-in display, customizable lighting, and a removable wrist rest.

PRESS START

An Introduction To Today’s Game

Released in 2001 for the PlayStation 2 in Japan, Tecmo's Fatal Frame follows Miku Hinasaki as she searches for her missing brother inside a mansion with a rather serious ghost problem. Her only defense is the Camera Obscura, a mysterious camera capable of capturing spirits on film.

The camera is the main tool of the game? So it’s like Pokemon Snap!

Not quite. It sounds a little ridiculous until you're standing in a dark hallway, staring through the viewfinder at something that really doesn't want its picture taken.

Selling only 42,000 copies in Japan, the series would then blow up overseas thanks in part to the recent film, The Ring. It would then spawn a new franchise that is still ongoing today.

The first game, while flawed, is still considered by many to be the scariest in the series. The atmosphere and sound design (minus the voice acting) are fantastic, and it's something every horror fan should experience at least once. Is it scarier than Pokémon Snap? I'll leave that up to you. Maybe Pokémon terrify you. Who am I to judge?

BEHIND THE PIXELS

Let’s Dive Into The Game

If you've never played Fatal Frame, it's a survival horror game set in 1986, inside the supposedly abandoned Himuro Mansion in Japan.

You play as Miku Hinasaki, a young woman with a sixth sense for the supernatural. Her brother Mafuyu disappeared while investigating the mansion, and Miku has decided to go looking for him.

As you might expect, staying home in bed watching reruns of Cheers would have been the safer option. The game opens with a short prologue before moving into four chapters.

You'll spend most of your time exploring the mansion, searching for clues, solving puzzles, and piecing together what happened to its former residents. Documents and cassette recordings gradually reveal the mansion's history, and none of it suggests this was ever a particularly happy household.

Then there are the ghosts. Unlike Resident Evil or Silent Hill, you won't be carrying a gun or swinging a pipe. Your only weapon is the Camera Obscura, which switches the game into a first person view whenever you raise it.

Here's the catch. The closer a ghost gets, the more damage your photograph can inflict. You can snap a picture from a safe distance, but the really powerful shots require you to wait until a spirit is practically breathing down your neck.

Some disappear and reappear without warning, so keeping one in your viewfinder is easier said than done.

Photographing ghosts earns points you can spend upgrading the camera, improving things like its power and recharge speed.

You'll also find different types of film, with the more powerful varieties being harder to come by. Save those for the nastier encounters. You'll thank yourself later.

Even harmless spirits are worth photographing, although some only appear for a moment before vanishing. It gives you another reason to keep your camera ready, even when you're just exploring.

What really makes Fatal Frame work is its atmosphere. The mansion feels oppressive, the sound design keeps you listening for things you can't see, and the story slowly uncovers a gruesome ritual responsible for the haunting.

Even Miku begins showing signs of the mansion's curse, with mysterious rope marks appearing on her body. And somehow, the scariest part is still having to stand perfectly still and wait for a ghost to get closer.

Blu Dot surpasses 2,000% ROAS with self-serve CTV ads

Home furniture brand Blu Dot blew up on CTV with help from Roku Ads Manager. Here’s how:

After a test campaign reached 211,000 households and achieved 1,010% ROAS, the brand went all in to promote its annual sales event. It removed age and income constraints to expand reach and shifted budget to custom audiences and retargeting, where intent was strongest.

The results speak for themselves. As Blu Dot increased their investment by 10x, ROAS jumped to 2,308% and more page-view conversions surpassed 50,000.

“For CTV campaigns, Roku has been a top performer,” said Claire Folkestad, Paid Media Strategist, Blu Dot. “Comping to our other platforms, we have seen really strong ROAS… and highly efficient CPMs, lower than any other CTV partner we've worked with.”

Using Roku Ads Manager, the campaign moved from a pilot to a permanent performance engine for the brand.

Learn More

GAME INFORMATION

WHERE TO PLAY

• The original physical version will be your best bet in playing this one.

• Original Copies of the Game (All prices in USD)

  • Loose: $80

  • Complete: $140

  • New/Sealed: $165

COVER ART

Analytics on Live Data Without Leaving Postgres

When analytics on Postgres slows down, most teams add a second database. Then they manage pipelines, sync lag, and drift forever. TimescaleDB extends Postgres instead. Analytics run on live data, in the database you already have. No pipeline. No migration. No new query language.

Get $1000 Credit

GAME OVER

Why You Should Play This

Fatal Frame trades the usual horror toolkit for a camera, and the idea still works. The scares come from waiting, listening, and deciding when to press the shutter.

It is also a useful piece of PS2 history, since its success led Tecmo to turn the idea into a series.

The first game is not on modern consoles, so you will need to hunt a little. The PlayStation 2 and Xbox versions are the original routes, and the PlayStation 3 got a PS2 Classics release in 2013. The Xbox version adds upgraded visuals, new ghosts, bonus costumes, and a harder difficulty mode.

If you finish it and want more, the series kept going. Fatal Frame II: Crimson Butterfly got a full remake in March 2026, and Fatal Frame: Maiden of Black Water reached current consoles in 2021.

SUPPORT

This is a passion project made with love, and every open or read means the world.
If you’d like to show extra support, you can use the button below.

RETRO HARDWARE

The Miyoo Flip V2 is a tiny clamshell retro handheld that lets you carry a whole library of classic games in your pocket. With a bright screen, solid controls, and the nostalgic flip design we all remember, it’s perfect for quick gaming sessions anywhere. Click the picture to check it out. My readers can use the following code for a 12% discount: NY12