Recently I had the chance to purchase Ju-On: The Grudge. Even at $30, though, I feel that this game is just a "rental", at best.
Which is a shame, because Ju-On DOES provide for an interesting change of pace in terms of "horror" games. I liked the concept of using a flashlight and getting lots of jumps, but there were two major problems I had with this game which made it fall short.
1) The controls. It requires an EXTREME amount of patience to master the flashlight controls; the worst offense is when we have to turn the character around, resulting in lots of moments where I found myself flailing more often than not. A little running move might also be welcome.
2) The length. As many reviews have mentioned, this game is too damn short. There are only four levels (five if you collect the "hidden items" in the four stages), each of which are completed in about 20-30 minutes.
That Ju-On suffers from these drawbacks is a shame, because the game really could have been a solid Halloween shocker. The graphics are finely detailed, and the atmosphere is impeccably captured through the use of dark shadows and rotting corpses, and the soundtrack is very effective; employing silence for its stages, using only loud, dissonant chords to accentuate a jump scare is a very nice touch.
Apparently this game is made for fans of the popular film series it is based on. Aside from the presentation, the other positive about this game is that it got me interested in seeing the films to see how they compare to this game. Having said that, I think Ju-On is better off as a rental, even if it is cheaper than most Wii games.
Other alternatives for scary Wii games: Cursed Mountain and the upcoming Silent Hill: Shattered Memories.
