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LTTP: ICO

JRPereira

Member
Uh, wow.

I'm not sure how to explain my reaction properly really.

I played shadow of the colossus first - and was thrilled at the amazingly epic battles and fantastic art style and music.

Ico looks great and has some nice puzzles, but that's not the part that's drawing me in.

Ico has me positively spooked, but I can't look away. The urge to keep Yorda out of the portals is leading me to blind bouts of courage and frenzied swinging. The way the shadow creatures move is amazing and also frightening. They really look and feel alive.

Also, not only is the music/ambient noise great, but the music during the fights against the shadow creatures fits the mood so well.

Speaking of looking quite lively - Ico and Yorda's animations suit them amazingly well - they look as loose and alive as wanda did.

The puzzles are indeed great though, and I'm finding myself deep in thought, exploring around while keeping an eye on Yorda in case a portal opens up. So far the puzzles are somewhat intuitive, but I'm sure that's about to change.

You really get the feeling that Yorda isn't quite there, and it kinds of adds to the sense of both fear and wonder, knowing that you're desparate for a way out of the castle and Yorda doesn't seem willing or able to help out.
 
Still the best trees I've ever seen in a game.

I haven't beaten the game yet, got a few hours in and then stopped playing. SotC then came out so I beat that, and when I go back to Ico I think I'll just start over.
 

BocoDragon

or, How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Realize This Assgrab is Delicious
Welcome to life as an Ico fan.

Be prepared to defend your treasured game against left-brained gamers who don't get it.
 
D

Deleted member 8095

Unconfirmed Member
Would I get banned for saying this game is highly overrated? The graphics are nice, but I found the gameplay to be cumbersome and really just terrible. But hey, it is soooooooooooo "artistic!"
 

BocoDragon

or, How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Realize This Assgrab is Delicious
Favre4435 said:
Would I get banned for saying this game is highly overrated? The graphics are nice, but I found the gameplay to be cumbersome and really just terrible. But hey, it is soooooooooooo "artistic!"

Case in point.
 

thetrin

Hail, peons, for I have come as ambassador from the great and bountiful Blueberry Butt Explosion
Favre4435 said:
Would I get banned for saying this game is highly overrated?

Probably not, but shut up anyway.

Ico owns, fool.
 
I've always been a fan of "less is more", and it's nice to see when a developer gets when to load up on extras and lengthened content, and when to trim it down and pay attention to detail on what is there. This team went for the latter and did very, very well for it.
 
Favre4435 said:
Would I get banned for saying this game is highly overrated? The graphics are nice, but I found the gameplay to be cumbersome and really just terrible. But hey, it is soooooooooooo "artistic!"

'OMG this particular game did not appeal to ME and it is, therefore, highly overrated!'

Brilliant egocentric reasoning you've got going on there.
 
D

Deleted member 8095

Unconfirmed Member
echoshifting said:
'OMG this particular game did not appeal to ME and it is, therefore, highly overrated!'

Brilliant egocentric reasoning you've got going on there.


Thank you. And of course it being overrated is just MY opinion and I am not trying to force it on anyone and therefore it is not egocentric. But hey, congrats on trying to act like an intellectual on an online forum!


The strange thing is, I really enjoy SotC. As for "not getting" ICO, it isnt like it is something that only certain people get, like it is more than just a videogame. It wasnt fun to me and I didnt want to play it anymore. That happens with lots of other games, so I must not "get" them either. I should have clarified that it is just my opinion that the game is overrated. What it all comes down to is different strokes for different folks.
 

thetrin

Hail, peons, for I have come as ambassador from the great and bountiful Blueberry Butt Explosion
I think of Ico and SotC as two halves of the same whole. Ico being the adventuring and puzzle solving half, and SotC being the badass boss cleaving half.
 
Yup, I've always said the two games should have been combined.

ICO = adventure with no boss battles

SotC = boss battles with not much adventure
 

thetrin

Hail, peons, for I have come as ambassador from the great and bountiful Blueberry Butt Explosion
teruterubozu said:
Yup, I've always said the two games should have been combined.

ICO = adventure with no boss battles

SotC = boss battles with not much adventure

Yet both games were excellent separate. Strange stuff, indeed. :)
 

Amir0x

Banned
teruterubozu said:
Yup, I've always said the two games should have been combined.

ICO = adventure with no boss battles

SotC = boss battles with not much adventure

ICO had a boss battle at the end.
SotC's 'adventure' was in the journey/travel.
 

TTP

Have a fun! Enjoy!
teruterubozu said:
Yup, I've always said the two games should have been combined.

ICO = adventure with no boss battles

SotC = boss battles with not much adventure


Indeed. The best part of SOTC exploration is when u get closer to some colossi and you have to go through some Ico-ish sections. Also using Yorda as a bait would have been cool. Those colossi are well suited for some King Kong style situations indeed.
 
Still need to play SoTC which releases today!

But the 8 hours of ICO I spent is one of the most memorable all gen, it's hard to describe the experience itself, and you can't really objectively praise its gameplay, but ICO has the atmospheric beauty and emotional pull that very few games manage to incorporate. Quality stuff, but I can understand if others don't like it, sadly, it isn't for everybody.
 

Galactic Fork

A little fluff between the ears never did any harm...
I just beat ICO a couple weeks ago. It was too short, which was sad. But it was a brilliant game. Very few of the puzzles seemed contrived. The game just had a feel that the castle really was like this rather than made like this to give you puzzles. And I rather enjoyed the interaction between Ico and Yorda... when they're running hand in hand is really cute. The game just seemed very natural. I personally think this game deserves every bit of praise it gets. Lots of multiple paths would have been nice though.
 

LaiN85

Member
Finished SOTC before i finished ICO. I still love SOTC more. Ico was sometimes frustrating with those shadows, and at one point i could not beat them...so i stopped playing...Still i have the urge to one day finish the game.
 

thetrin

Hail, peons, for I have come as ambassador from the great and bountiful Blueberry Butt Explosion
TTP said:
Indeed. The best part of SOTC exploration is when u get closer to some colossi and you have to go through some Ico-ish sections. Also using Yorda as a bait would have been cool. Those colossi are well suited for some King Kong style situations indeed.

True enough. The games definitely share some connection besides the development team to me, even if the team refuses to admit it. :p
 

Setanta

Member
I bought ICO here in Ireland yesterday.
The game is great, but in a ''weird" sort of way, like sort of a weird dream as such, hard to describe. Anyone else feel that way? Great game!
SOTC is next on the list if I can get through ICO first.
 

thetrin

Hail, peons, for I have come as ambassador from the great and bountiful Blueberry Butt Explosion
Setanta said:
I bought ICO here in Ireland yesterday.
The game is great, but in a ''weird" sort of way, like sort of a weird dream as such, hard to describe. Anyone else feel that way? Great game!
SOTC is next on the list if I can get through ICO first.

When I first played ICO way back when it first came out, it definitely like I was playing a day dream of some sort. Most of the time, there's a strange calm about the world, as if time is passing slower than normal. I don't really know how to describe it, so I'll just say "yes, I agree."
 

RegularMK

Member
Ico is the first game in a while to make me cry.

Your love will only grow.

I remember I bought it, played it for about an hour, and then put it away for awhile. I totally thought the gameplay was prehistoric and had seen nothing of a story to admire so far.

But man, when I put that sucker back in my PS2, was I in for a treat. Seriously, some of the most amazing storytelling ever.

Gamplay = simple.

Puzzles = original and involving.

Characters = absolutely endearing.

Ending = Like I said, your love will only grow. :)

Fuck the naysayers.
 

Tain

Member
I liked it. The combat didn't bother me, the puzzles were clever without being frustrating, I didn't want to bash Yorda's face in... And, most importantly (in this case), it was beautiful with some great music. Some cool extras (lolco-op) in the NTSCJ re-release. Supposedly in the PAL release, too.

Saying anybody that doesn't like it doesn't "get it" is probably the stupidest thing I've ever heard, though. There are plenty of valid reasons to not like the game.
 

thetrin

Hail, peons, for I have come as ambassador from the great and bountiful Blueberry Butt Explosion
One thing I always loved was the realistic weight of the boy's wooden 2x4. The way he swung it, and the way it bounced back when he hit a wall, it really gave it an amazing sense of weight.
 

mrklaw

MrArseFace
great description, pretty much how I felt about it.

JRPereira said:
Uh, wow.

I'm not sure how to explain my reaction properly really.

I played shadow of the colossus first - and was thrilled at the amazingly epic battles and fantastic art style and music.

Ico looks great and has some nice puzzles, but that's not the part that's drawing me in.

Ico has me positively spooked, but I can't look away. The urge to keep Yorda out of the portals is leading me to blind bouts of courage and frenzied swinging. The way the shadow creatures move is amazing and also frightening. They really look and feel alive.

Also, not only is the music/ambient noise great, but the music during the fights against the shadow creatures fits the mood so well.

Speaking of looking quite lively - Ico and Yorda's animations suit them amazingly well - they look as loose and alive as wanda did.

The puzzles are indeed great though, and I'm finding myself deep in thought, exploring around while keeping an eye on Yorda in case a portal opens up. So far the puzzles are somewhat intuitive, but I'm sure that's about to change.

You really get the feeling that Yorda isn't quite there, and it kinds of adds to the sense of both fear and wonder, knowing that you're desparate for a way out of the castle and Yorda doesn't seem willing or able to help out.
 

Temujin

Member
Oh yes. It's my favourite PS2 game.

I just love the dreamy atmosphere, and the minimalism in practically everything (only 3 characters, 3 variations of one enemy, 2 weapons, no health bar or anything). And there are a million little things that add to the greatness of this game.

I'm getting SOTC this weekend, but I doubt I'll like it as much as ICO.
 

Lord Error

Insane For Sony
Yeah, as much as I loved SotC, Ico resonated a bit more, perhaps because I played it first and there was nothing quite like it. Such a damn amazing game. After Ico and SotC, I can't help but think that Ueda's team does something better than anyone else. Can't wait to see what they do with PS3.
 

Ranger X

Member
I really did like ICO. I realised at the end that i was attached to the characters...
the fear of losing Yorda at the bridge and then the rage i got when the sorceress broke one of my horns... and then the other one! Damn, i was angry for real LOL
 

Dr_Cogent

Banned
Wyzdom said:
I really did like ICO. I realised at the end that i was attached to the characters...
the fear of losing Yorda at the bridge and then the rage i got when the sorceress broke one of my horns... and then the other one! Damn, i was angry for real LOL

This is what makes ICO special. You really do become emotionally attached to the characters and their well being is important to you.

This is always a mark of an excellent story in general whether it be a book, movie or videogame.
 
ICO is truly one of the greatest and most beautiful games released EVER. I'd go that far.

I almost left it behind though. I played it for a few hours and then just quit for some reason. But one of my friends kept talking about how great the ending was so I eventually went back and beat. I'm glad that I did because the last hour or two was simply amazing.
 

thetrin

Hail, peons, for I have come as ambassador from the great and bountiful Blueberry Butt Explosion
Great Rumbler said:
ICO is truly one of the greatest and most beautiful games released EVER. I'd go that far.

I almost left it behind though. I played it for a few hours and then just quit for some reason. But one of my friends kept talking about how great the ending was so I eventually went back and beat. I'm glad that I did because the last hour or two was simply amazing.

I still think the last boss battle was one of the most aew inspiring battles of this generation. For some reason, it reminded me of Neverending Story.
 
Great Rumbler said:
ICO is truly one of the greatest and most beautiful games released EVER. I'd go that far.

I almost left it behind though. I played it for a few hours and then just quit for some reason. But one of my friends kept talking about how great the ending was so I eventually went back and beat. I'm glad that I did because the last hour or two was simply amazing.

That's a smart friend, you should tell him how smart he is.
 
Ah. So what, he brags about being right all of the time or something? I hate it when people are like that. Especially the ones that are right all of the time. Annoying.
 
Seriously. More than that though, he's incredibly oppionated all the time and if you ever try to tell him that he's wrong, he just gets mad and refuses to listen to you. I swear, he's so annoying. But, I suppose I'm going too far off topic here.

Anyway, I'd have to say that my favorite part of ICO was the waterworks level right near the end. It's after you fall off the big bridge. The detail in that part and just the overall atmostphere was great. Plus, the whole time you're wondering what's going to happen to Yorda, so that definitely adds a sense of urgency that part.
 
Seriously. More than that though, he's incredibly oppionated all the time and if you ever try to tell him that he's wrong, he just gets mad and refuses to listen to you. I swear, he's so annoying. But, I suppose I'm going too far off topic here.

That sure sounds annoying! Although, I suppose things change if he actually is right all of the time. Hmm...

Anyway, I'd have to say that my favorite part of ICO was the waterworks level right near the end. It's after you fall off the big bridge. The detail in that part and just the overall atmostphere was great. Plus, the whole time you're wondering what's going to happen to Yorda, so that definitely adds a sense of urgency that part.

One of my favorite bits as well.
 
Great Rumbler said:
Anyway, I'd have to say that my favorite part of ICO was the waterworks level right near the end. It's after you fall off the big bridge. The detail in that part and just the overall atmostphere was great. Plus, the whole time you're wondering what's going to happen to Yorda, so that definitely adds a sense of urgency that part.
My favorite part as well. The feeling I got from it was some strange mix of fear and dread. Fighting off those spirits was one of the most haunting and memorable experiences I've ever had in gaming. The final boss fight? Pure awesome.
 
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