Product Description
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Ico for PS2
.com
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Ico weaves the tale of a young boy trying to escape his
imprisonment in a large, vacant castle. Along the way, he
discovers another captive--a beautiful princess named Yorda.
Players control Ico with the goal of escaping the castle with the
princess safely in hand.
Although it looks like an adventure game and has some
rudimentary action sequences, Ico is mostly about solving
puzzles. Players will run, jump, and climb their way through the
gargantuan castle as well as figure out which objects and
environments are interactive. Yorda is very much a damsel in
distress, and isn't nearly as capable as Ico. A great deal of the
puzzles require the player to create a safe path for Yorda, who
isn't physically able to get to the places Ico can. The puzzles
are quite brilliant, although a few are so tough that players
will feel like d the princess.
Graphics, particularly the lighting effects and animations, are
fantastic. The developers did a superb job of conveying the
enormity and beauty of the castle. When Ico and Yorda move and
interact, their actions seem totally lifelike. The ambient
soundtrack and simple controls let the player focus on the tasks
at hand. Sony has crafted a very unique game that anyone can
play. Few games are as elegant in their simplicity as this
puzzler from Sony. --Raymond M. Padilla
Pros:
* Excellent puzzle design
* Aesthetically and stylistically brilliant
* Appropriately understated sound Cons:* Most players will finish
it in fewer than 10 hours
* Battles are too easy
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Review
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Considering all the talk about the PlayStation 2's DVD
capabilities, movielike graphics, and exorbitant game development
costs, it's refreshing when a game like ICO comes along to show
us that Sony hasn't let all its PR speak go to its head. Sony
Computer Entertainment's ICO is the antithesis of its PS2 hype.
Part action, part adventure, and part puzzler, ICO ignores
gratuitous but nonfunctional camera angles and cans full motion
video in favor of straightforward, old-school gaming action.
ICO's puzzler-adventure gameplay centers on the quest of a young
boy to rescue a princess who is trapped in a fantastic castle.
The castle is filled with challenging puzzles and hidden dangers.
Standard stuff, so far. Rescuing the princess is just the start
of your adventure, though. You must then lead the near-blind
princess out of the castle and to safety. This will prove to be
the most difficult aspect of ICO and the crux of the adventure.
The severely impaired princess will often become lost and
unwittingly imperil herself. You'll need to closely tend to the
princess if you expect to survive the trials of the game's many
levels unscathed.
Gameplay generally follows the basic platform standards, but
that isn't to say there won't be innovation in ICO. Besides the
prerequisite capabilities of the main character to run, jump,
duck, dodge, and perform multiple attacks, perhaps the most
striking element is what's not in the game - any text or dialogue
whatsoever. In a unique move - especially when you consider its
puzzler nature - SCE is attempting to use a dynamic camera system
to narrate the story of the game. This means that the camera will
zoom in on important details and focus itself on certain items to
give visual clues. This more subtle approach to the storytelling
will be a refreshing change if it is accomplished with the grace
the developers promise. Of course, it could also lead to gameplay
headaches and a distant feel to the story if the style comes off
as vague or dispassionate. Early indications, however, show that
- despite the Tomb Raider feel of the standard camera angle -
there are plenty of instances where the camera, coupled with
visual signs, succeeds at providing the silent narrator Sony
envisions.
Graphically, the game is currently in a state of limbo. Pictures
at E3 were discouraged because the title was still undergoing a
massive conversion from the original PlayStation format to the
PlayStation 2. Textures still appeared fuzzy because they were
shown in a low resolution, and no anti-aliasing was apparent.
Despite these shortcomings, though, many graphical effects stood
out. In particular, a recurring villain, a dark mass, would
appear out of the shadows with foreboding menace. Thanks to some
PS2 lighting techniques, and movements that were humanlike in
their grace and purpose, the shadowy figure looked eerily real
and contrasted well with the rest of the environment. Also of
interest was the architecture of the castle - windows would cast
amazingly realistic light patterns across the floor, and several
of the rooms shown featured intricate detail that appeared to be
due more to some detailed polygon work rather than texture
application.
Sony promises that the game's textures have since been redone in
high resolution and that the title is well on its way to being
fully converted for the PS2. Whether ICO makes it to the crowded
PS2 launch, though, is another matter altogether. Though ICO is
still listed by many retailers as a launch title, this
information may be incorrect. Sony has confirmed that there is no
available timetable for when ICO will be finished.
With a provocative combination of action, adventure, and puzzle
elements, ICO's throwback appeal could easily make it one of the
hidden surprises in the PS2 launch lineup - if Sony can indeed
ready the title in time. Unless we hear confirmation from Sony
saying otherwise, look for ICO at the PS2 launch on October
26.--Chris Kirchler--Copyright © 1998 GameSpot Inc. All rights
reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part in any form or medium
without express written permission of GameSpot is prohibited. --
GameSpot Review
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