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The Last Guardian approaches. Industry veterans look back on the legacy of Team Ico

L

Loudninja

Member
Vid
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jueRALJJ1CY

More in the link
As the actual, highly anticipated release of The Last Guardian finally nears (Yes, it’s a real game and you’re a mere few weeks away from playing it!), we’re hearing more and more from the community about how designer Fumito Ueda’s work has touched them.
Ico and Shadow of the Colossus seem to hold a special place in the hearts of their fans, though the reasons why vary depending on who you talk to. We thought it a fitting nod to a decade-long wait near its end to celebrate the legacy that precedes The Last Guardian, as shared in thoughts and memories from people in the industry (AKA gamers, like you). It’s also a nifty excuse for us to formally release this tribute video that Tokyo Game Show goers saw last month:
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“Ico was the first videogame ever for me to care about an AI character, Yorda. There were no conversations that I could understand between the characters, just the behavior of Yorda in relation to what I did, or the situation presented, that made me feel like Yorda was a living person — thinking and feeling as an individual. This made playing through Ico a very special experience — like I lived through the adventure with her.
“I believe, as a fan of Ueda-san’s games, that people feel like his work is special because you clearly feel the game was — from beginning to end — a singular vision, without any influence of popular genres or styles at the time.”
– Shuhei Yoshida (President of SIE Worldwide Studios)
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“Years after first playing it, the emotional impact of Ico tugging at Yorda’s arm still resonates with me. The hand-holding mechanic appears deceptively simple but was clearly constructed and with intense care and attention to detail. Through interactivity a deep bond is created between the two characters in a way that is wholly unique to games. It is one of many visionary choices that make Ico a classic and a master class in elegant storytelling and design.”
-Neil Druckman (Naughty Dog)
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“Team Ico creates timeless masterpieces that remind me of a long-loved picture book or a fairytale. I’m especially a big fan of their fantastic animations.
“We at Team Ninja have also put great effort into creating smooth action for a long time. I feel real and warm emotion from Ueda-san’s sophisticated animations.”
-Fumihiko Yasuda (Director, Team Ninja)
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http://blog.us.playstation.com/2016...id=784061408061251588&adbpl=tw&adbpr=10671602
 
I

I-hate-u

Member
I hope to GOD TLG can at least be of the quality of ICO and SOTC. I know right now some of the media and players are going to trash this game because it's not what they think it is, but if it's good as its predecessors than it's a success to me.

Oh, and I hope the OST is of the same caliber as the past games as well.
 
B

black070

Member
Really interested to see how a game like this fares critically and commercially in today's market. I respect how unflinching the team at Team ICO are at delivering their vision, outside of the expected norms of gaming in this day and age.
 
W

wispsmoke

Neo Member
I-hate-u said:
I hope to GOD TLG can at least be of the quality of ICO and SOTC. I know right now some of the media and players are going to trash this game because it's not what they think it is, but if it's good as its predecessors than it's a success to me.

Oh, and I hope the OST is of the same caliber as the past games as well.
Click to expand...

That's all I want as well- I'm just looking for smart, intriguing design. I've been replaying SoTC and it's struck me as a really confusing experience.

The travel to a Colossus still amazes me- the way Agro is a really separate being from Wander is astounding. Compared to the smooth driving horses of most games, I really get a sense of a four legged creature with its own mind from Agro. And the way the camera zooms out and the UI falls away, while the environmental sounds change appropriately as you travel... just fantastic.

But fighting the actual Colossi is a seesaw for me. On the one hand, there are always elements to the battle that I find extremely clever and that lend great verisimilitude to the world. On the other hand, there are sometimes elements of battles that simply drag them out- they aren't there to promote the riddle behind the battle, but rather to make the task more difficult even once you figure out the secret to a fight. The 11th colossus is the best example I can think of for this-
on the one hand, the way it responds to a lit torch, the acquisition of which is itself a puzzle, gives the colossus character and really makes it inhabit its space. On the other hand, the length of Wander's recovery time after a knockdown, and the fact that, if you're unlucky, you're simply on a 10-minute infinite combo ride to death, strikes me as bad design.

All that is making me think that what I want most out of the Last Guardian is more of a focus on thoughtful design that, in turn, makes me as the player thoughtful. Music and graphics are undoubtedly part of it, but what counts the most is gameplay that makes it seem as though the characters in the game inhabit their world.
 
C

Cess007

Member
I can't believe the feels that the video brings. When the TLG music section starts and the music starts playing, it always gets me ;_;
 
Jigolo

Jigolo

Member
no doubt a legendary studio. both games that i know of that they've developed are constantly in the discussion for top 10 all time. not many can say that
 
F

firelogic

Member
I absolutely adore Ico but not a fan of SotC. Yes, blasphemous I know. I played the original release so it wasn't technically that great from a framerate standpoint and I got nauseous every time I tried to play it for more than 15mins.
 
S

sora87

Member
Ico and Shadow of the Colossus really are two of the most special and unique games I've played. Especially SotC, even listening to the soundtrack gets me all emotional.
 
A

A-V-B

Member
BadWolf said:
They are pretty much the Studio Ghibli of gaming, no one else makes games like them.
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Nah, more like the Da Vinci. Spends ages on a painting, never truly satisfied, but when they give it up and release it people go fucking nuts.
 
Handy Fake

Handy Fake

Member
Loudninja said:
Not my words :p


https://twitter.com/PlayStation/status/784061408061251588
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S02E01-sqCcGxQG-subtitled.jpg
 
D

DrunkShogun

Member
Team ico influenced a lot of people and I hope last guardian delivers on that area at least. Ico especially because I'm sure I've heard hidetaka Miyazaki and kojima both mention ico as a influence on them. Hope tlg delivers on giving a trilogy of games that are great to play.
 
S

SolidSnakex

Member
DrunkShogun said:
Team ico influenced a lot of people and I hope last guardian delivers on that area at least. Ico especially because I'm sure I've heard hidetaka Miyazaki and kojima both mention ico as a influence on them. Hope tlg delivers on giving a trilogy of games that are great to play.
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I'm not sure about Kojima, but Miyazaki has said that ICO was the reason he wanted to start making games

Several years later, he started thinking about video games again. He met up with some former college friends who suggested new titles to play. One was Ico, a mystical fairytale in which players assume the role of a boy who must lead a waif-like girl by the hand along a castle’s craggy ramparts, pursued by their ghoulish captors. “That game awoke me to the possibilities of the medium,” says Miyazaki. “I wanted to make one myself.”
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E

Endo Punk

Member
BadWolf said:
It's a good game but doesn't come close to Team Ico's games.
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Right. Well Team Ico games are some of my favourite games ever. And journey I feel reaches that greatness. The elegant way it added coop, the music and ending is awe-inspiring. Definitely made the wait for TLG slightly easier... Before the delays.
 
P

Pai Pai Master

Banned
wapplew said:
Didn't Ueda's studio finished TLG design long time ago and work on something new?
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Team ICO isn't really a studio itself, it's just the nickname affectionately given to the group within Japan Studio that has worked on these games. They've been working on plenty of other SCE products throughout TLG's development. But if I'm not mistaken, Ueda himself is no longer an SCE emoloyee and has been working on the game in a freelance capacity for some time. I'm sure at this point hes moved towards other projects.
 
E

Endo Punk

Member
Pai Pai Master said:
Team ICO isn't really a studio itself, it's just the nickname affectionately given to the group within Japan Studio that has worked on these games. They've been working on plenty of other SCE products throughout TLG's development. But if I'm not mistaken, Ueda himself is no longer an SCE emoloyee and has been working on the game in a freelance capacity for some time. I'm sure at this point hes moved towards other projects.
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I wonder if Ueda will do a kickstarter for his next game.
 
B

BadWolf

Member
Wouldn't be surprised if his next game is with Sony again.

Shu said that they would love to work with him again and TLG didn't cost nearly as much as people think.
 
S

Sakujou

Banned
if this game is at least ok, iam fine. after no mans sky, you cant disappoint me anymore this year, sony.

as for ueda, i really hope, there is a chance he can realize games at another studio. there needs to be a person who overwatches him, otherwise. it will be another 5-7 years until his next game will be released....

i also would love to know how much team ICO cost while doing TLG. working on a game for more than a decade...

shenmue killed off sega at the end of the 90s...
 
H

HStallion

Now what's the next step in your master plan?
Sakujou said:
if this game is at least ok, iam fine. after no mans sky, you cant disappoint me anymore this year, sony.

as for ueda, i really hope, there is a chance he can realize games at another studio. there needs to be a person who overwatches him, otherwise. it will be another 5-7 years until his next game will be released....

i also would love to know how much team ICO cost while doing TLG. working on a game for more than a decade...

shenmue killed off sega at the end of the 90s...
Click to expand...

The game wasn't in constant development, that's a myth. It was basically shelved when they realized they couldn't achieve what they wanted to at a workable frame rate on the PS3. Fan interest basically kept the game "alive" and Sony probably loves it as its a prestige title that no one else can boast as well as Ico and SotC were back in the day. That and I'm sure Shu and others higher up appreciate the game both from a marketing standpoint as well as an artistic one.

Ueda was basically contracted out to finish the game with him and his new studio Gen Design working on the artistic and overall design of the game while Studio Japan took on the more tech heavy parts of actually getting the game to run and run well. Shu has come out and said the game didn't cost a fortune or anything near to it and "Team Ico" was never a huge AAA production house type of team. Ueda has also said he liked the new working arrangement with Sony as it allowed him to focus on the game design while Sony did the more tech heavy work.
 
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