PS2 Haunting Ground review:5 stars (Better than Silent Hill and Clock Tower 3!) - A very well-designed game! I bought this game because I loved Clock Tower 3, which share a similar mechanism with this game. When I tried Haunting Ground, I found that it is even better than its precedessor.

Pros:
1. The idea of hiding place. Instead of carrying shotguns in the Silent Hill series, you are nearly ripped of any attacking power. Therefore, when you meet enemies, you either run away or hide. The seek-and-hide mechanism results in constant tensions in the game.

2. Very, very clever AI design. You cannot hide in a place too many times because enemies will eventually find you. Later, I found that enemies become smarter and more careful, and may find you out even though you hide some place the first time!

3. Very clever dog. You are not completely alone. You are accompanied by a white dog called Hewie in the game. Throughout the game, you have to constantly train the dog in attacking enemies and discovering secret objects. If you don't, sooner or later the dog will constantly disobey you, and leave you in danger when being attacked by enemies.

4. Short loading time. Short loading time is very important in this game since you have to escape from enemies from room to room. Long loading time will result in the lose of tension while being chased by enemies.

5. Creepy enemies. The enemies in this game are all psychotic! The first enemy is a giant killer with only a 5-year-old mentality. His constant shout "My Darling" when chasing me. Looking at the behaviours of the second enemy, you will find that he (or she) is even more abnormal.

6. Long gameplay. I have spent around 10 hours in this game (with some aid of walkthrough), and I have only found myself in the middle of the whole game.

Cons:
1. Moderate Learning Curve. It takes some time to familarize yourself with the hiding places in the game. It is slightly harder than Clock Tower 3.

2. The same enemies. I do not give the game a 5 in the fun factor because you encontered the same enemy every time in a phrase. Fortunately, their appearance is augmented by crappy cutscenes constantly in the game.

3. Puzzles. The puzzles are somewhat difficult, although some will like them more challenging. They are usually partially explained, and occasionally, not explained.

Rent or buy? Buy it! You won't regret! 5 stars (A twisted game of hide and seek) - I really enjoy this game. I love having Hewie around he really helps alot. The game has good music and a great storyline, But the best thing is panic mode I like panic mode even if it does almost always get you killed. It gives the game a life-like sense Fiona will stumble and fall and it makes you really want to help get her up and moving. The enemies are creepy and psychotic (especially the maid) but not that scary, Im not that creeped out by them as in compairison to the zombies in Resident evil where the enimies and gameplay made it really scary and I would not reallly want to go on playing. I guess thats a good thing though because I can play all the way through this game. All in all if you like survival horror games then you HAVE to give this a try.5 stars (It's good!) - Oh, my. What an emotionally exhausting but brilliant game. It has a heart, albeit twisted, that is sorely lacking from most survival horror titles coming out these days. In a gaming world filled with tired knockoffs, "Haunting Ground" works sort of as an amalgamation of the best elements from "Resident Evil", the "Clocktower" series, and "Silent Hill", all put against the backdrop of an eerie, gothic European castle with about a million rooms, but surprisingly few places to hide.

While I absolutely love the "Fatal Frame" series and greatly enjoyed the fight-or-flight nature of "Clocktower 3", I wasn't prepared for the serious test of my brainpower that "Haunting Ground" was going to administer. The former titles had a tendency to give you at least somewhat discernible clues about what to do next, whereas "Haunting Ground" plays out much more like real life would (i.e. "figure it out, stupid"). I'm ashamed to say that I had to consult a couple of internet walkthroughs to even be able to conceive of what to do next. The clues you're given in this game are going to be very cryptic and you will get lost on quite a few occasions in an attempt to find a new door, a new item, ANYTHING. If you're looking for a game to spoon-feed you answers, this is NOT THE ONE!

Some players might prefer this approach, however, so if you're a great puzzle-solver and even a little bit of a poet, you should have great fun with this title.

The enemies held my attention more and were certainly more imposing than those in "Clocktower 3", the release that "Haunting Ground" comes closest to mimicking. You go through four enemies in this game, and each one is faster and smarter than the last. First, you're going to be pursued by Debilitas, a strangely-lovable, Quasimodo-esque groundskeeper. Then you're stuck with the the emotionless, calculating maid, Daniella, followed by a hooded clone with a revolver (luckily, he's not a terribly good shot). Finally, you must face an alchemist attempting to come across the formula for eternal life. The final boss starts out as an empty husk of a man, withering with age in his antique wheelchair, and then somehow ends up being about 24 years old...and a real looker, at that. I had to pause and seriously think about it for a moment once he tried to tempt Fiona into giving birth to his child. If only he weren't such a malicious, psychotic, self-centered beast of a human being, he might have made for a fun evening.

If I recall correctly, in "Clocktower 3", your last four enemies were an anime-looking freak wielding two swords, two murderous mime twins who were more funny than scary, and a British nobleman.

...

So...basically, if you enjoyed the first two levels of "Clocktower 3", bathed in their somber palette of grays and browns, with enemies that actually seemed as if they were--gasp!--designed to SCARE you, check this title out. If you were more impressed by the goofy villains and colorful landscapes that took place after those first two levels, well, maybe you should steer clear of this one.

But what review of "Haunting Ground" would be complete without me mentioning that Hewie is the star of the show! His animation is detailed and true to life, and his artificial intelligence is perfect. I'm used to the incredibly stupid A.I. of the guards in games like "Tenchu", so when I met Hewie, I was pleasantly surprised that he acted like a real, breathing organism instead of a computer. He's certainly a smart little pup, but of course he's cursed with that infamous doggy A.D.D. that will have dog owners everywhere nodding their heads in familiarity. When you tell him to do something, you've got a 50/50 chance of him obeying and doing what you say instead of sniffing around or lying down on the ground and looking sweetly up at you while wagging his big, shaggy tail. It's both charming and annoying all at once. You know, sort of like owning an actual dog.

As has been mentioned by other reviewers, if you foster a good relationship with your canine companion, it will affect the outcome of the game. So if you haven't given him some attention in a while and there's no imminent danger present, it's not a bad idea to crouch and play a nice game of "shake" with him, or just rub behind his ears and tell him he's a good boy. He'll appreciate it, and believe me, you will also appreciate it when he returns the favors by attacking your pursuers while you're panicking and crashing into everything like a spaz. And though I don't like using it, it's also a good idea to scold him when he doesn't listen to you, otherwise he will get lax and start to ignore you. Oh, and if you possibly can, avoid kicking the poor guy if you're trying to help him beat up on an assailant. I slipped and accidentally got him in the ribs once or twice while aiming for the attacker, and hearing his yelp of confusion felt awful... I know, I know! He's not a real dog, but augh... you know.

So, in short (after an incredibly long review, anyway), "Haunting Ground" is a very proud addition to the survival horror genre. It's effectively creepy, and with an unsettling sexual obsessiveness that I feel female players in particular will find incredibly unnerving. Most games these days try desperately to shock only to fall flat on their proverbial faces--*cough*Manhunt*cough*--but I don't believe this to be the case here. This is a genuinely gross and weird game. Had it not been for Hewie's spirited and lighthearted presence, it would have been much harder to tolerate on an emotional level.

When I bought my copy, the guy at EBGames told me that this title has actually already been discontinued, so it's rare to find an unused one nowadays. In stores, anyway. Here at Amazon, I doubt the tide of willing sellers will ebb. But still, who knows, within another year or a few more months even, it might get difficult to find a used copy. So if you're thinking of checking this title out, you might want to do it relatively soon!
PS2 Haunting Ground Features:
Video Games
PS2 (PSX2)
Sony Playstation (Play station) 2
Playstation2 (Play station2)
Action
Adventure
PlayStation 2
ESRB Rating: M (Mature)
Action/Adventure/Survival/Horror

PS2 Haunting Ground is the CD-ROM version. The full version can be purchased by clicking on the "CLICK HERE TO ORDER" button below for around 39.99USD.