PixlBit

You know I really liked The Grudge. It was a crazy and at the time scary japanese horror movie. Even the american version wasn't too bad. Although to be honest. It did lead us down the rabbit hole of similar movies such as "One Missed Call" and "The Ring" So it's been over 15 years since the movie, and 6 since the game. So let's simulate a horrifyng haunted house experience in Ju-on the Grudge.

Plot:

The game claims that when a person dies with a deep and burning grudge, a curse is born. When an average housewife in Nerima, Japan, was murdered in a grisly fashion, it gave rise to a curse so powerful that it threatens to kill at a pace thought unimaginable before. The curse manifests on those who encounter the curse by any means, such as entering Saeki House or being in contact with somebody who is already cursed. Once Erika Yamada is exposed to the curse, while searching for her dog in an abandoned warehouse, the entire Yamada family is put in grave danger when she returns home. Each family member must face his or her individual challenge alone, and only by overcoming the curse together will the family become free again. Exceptr and this is a spoiler...

They all die.

There are five areas in the game and only one is a haunted house.The other haunted areas consist of these cliches- Run down factory, abandoned hospital, apartment complex,  and mannequin factory. All we're mising is a Forest and Chuck E Cheese inspired area.

I see ya there!

Now comes the gameplay. You use the Wii remote like a flashlight Instead of using the pointer, you use the actual motion to control the flashlight. Kind of like the tilting torch in Fatal Frame 4 only crappier. Movement is executed by the Wii Remote's control pad and B Button, and the character is steered in the direction their flashlight is being held. The player is pressured not to remain in the same place for too long or move too slowly, as this will cause Kayako, the grudge filled ghost who haunts you to appear and kill you. If there is a second Wii Remote synced to the console the game's "courage test" will appear and each of the buttons on that controller can be used to trigger a unique scenario for the player to experience.

mannequins...the scariest thing this game has

In most cases, the flashlight provides the only means of visibility for the player, so it is necessary to replenish the power of the tool using batteries found throughout the level. If the flashlight runs out of batteries, ghosts will appear and attack the player which will result in a game-over. This battery power is displayed in the form of a meter on the lower-left corner of the heads-updisplay and acts like a health bar. If the game's lead specter Kayako Saeki takes hold of the player, the Wii Remote can be shaken to break her grip and you'll hear her through the wii remote speaker.

Who's at the door!? Not secretariat!

So you want to know the problem I have? It's bad in every single aspect. First off the game is far too short. It takes less than 10 hours to complete. Also it's impossible to stand around for too long and essentially you'll flail around the remote like a jackass. It's an odd decision I've often proclaimed cripples games like this. You have a nunchuk....use the nunchuk. IT'S SIMPLE! The only reason this game takes as long as it does is because your character moves at a snail's pace!

A better and even more awesome cover.

Another damper to this experience is quick time events. Miss a prompt and it's game over. However, I was almost always ready for the games deliberate and shockingly unfrightening jump scares that it didn't really matter. And that's a big problem with this game. It's not scary. I mean you'll expect it so much you'll cry from boredom.

There's a lack of checkpoints by the way so if you die prepare to start the level over...repeated...from the beginning. So prepare to speand ten minutes of your time slowly going through a factory because you missed an arrow prompt or your remote didn't register your movement.

The game doesn't look very good either. Environments are bland and empty, the sound and music laughable, and as for the story...well let's just say I'm glad the family dies, because there is no development whatsoever and it's hard to feel bad when you have no character in a character.

Score: Inflicting a grudge curse upon yourself/10. To somewhat steal from the Lego movie "Everything is AWFUL!" The presentation is bad, the graphics bland (even for a wii game), the sound and music are garbage, the gameplay is so slow and painful to play, and there is just no reason to submit yourself to this torture.

God...what the hell is next?

Anything but that! Please...God no.... *