ICO - Im not sure I can handle it...

[Olympichero]

Something which I don't like, and I know it's me. Is kind of the isolation, and also the worry of the girl. I really don't like to leave her side, and when some of those shadow people come, I get really stressed out, and when they've grabbed her. (3 times so far!) I stress.

I know exactly how you feel, everytime I leave her alone (when I need to for puzzles etc) I always worry about the Shadow people coming to get her and survey the whole area just to make sure. When they do get her I have a heart attack and just panic like crazy, at times I wish the shadow people weren't in the game.
To me it hinders the relaxing nature of the game, I want to just explore and work out the puzzles without having to worry about us being attacked Shadow people.

[Ady]

IMO, without the ever-present threat of danger, Ico would be a very dull game.

Similarly, one of the things I like about Ico the most is one of the things it was maligned for: the combat.

You really do feel as though you're a helpless child with nothing but a stick for defence. Ico is not some kind of ninja or warrior, so a sophisticated combat system would've ruined the effect.

[Tom Salter]

Again, this may sound weird but you're treating it like a game

o_O

It is a game :P

IMO, without the ever-present threat of danger, Ico would be a very dull game.

Look back through this thread, and people are always commenting on how gorgeous the game looks. With this ever-present danger, you can't just wander off, jump around the castle turrets, or take in that scenry for yourself. There's always that dizzy bird with you. I can't really feel attached to her, she's showing no emotion but for the occasional moan from a Japanese porn film.

I love the puzzles with her, don't get me wrong on that. Most of them are ingenious, innovative and require a little grey matter to get it right. Far, far better than anything say, Wind Waker threw up. I'd just rather have some independence, or at least, the choice to be independent for a while.

I also love the lighting, did anyone else notice they sort of fake the shadows

I prefer the silhouettes more than the shadows. In a courtyard, look up at the silhouette of the castle, it's not sharp, it has volume, and doesn't feel like a game.

[Len]

IMO, without the ever-present threat of danger, Ico would be a very dull game.

Maybe not very dull but I agree with your sentiments. It's an integral part of the gameplay mechanic and so story.

The whole point is your meant to panic when your off on the other side of the room/area/whatever and the shadows come out to play. It's meant to keep you guessing and unnerve you.

By using this you gain a real emotional bond with Yorda (epsecailly towards the latter parts of the game) and that then feeds back into the context of the story.

Stop moaning and njoy it for what it is...

[Ady]

Look back through this thread, and people are always commenting on how gorgeous the game looks. With this ever-present danger, you can't just wander off, jump around the castle turrets, or take in that scenry for yourself. There's always that dizzy bird with you. I can't really feel attached to her, she's showing no emotion but for the occasional moan from a Japanese porn film.

Not necessarily so. If you have her nearby (ie in the same room or thereabouts), you can admire the scenery all you want.

That's what I did when I played it...

[martTM]

o_O

It is a game

Bah. See this?

.

That's the point I was trying to make. See this?

_________________

That's you over there, totally missing it. Again.

Yes, I know it's a game, but that's not what I was trying to get across. What I meant was that you're treating Ico like every other adventure-style game, using the same ideals that you apply to all of them on what's going on here - in Mario Sunshine, for instance, I very much wanted to run around every part of a level that I could reach and see all I could, before turning around and approaching a problem. You can't do that with Ico - you just can't. Leave Yorda behind for the shadows, just so you can look around, and you totally disregard the very thing that Ico is trying to teach you; even though you're no hero (armed just with a stick as you are), it's still your job to protect her. If that means sacrificing your own freedom to explore every inch of the castle freely, rather than taking her everywhere with you, then tough - you're just going to lose. It's a matter of patience - if you want to go somewhere, you more often than not have to take her with you. And if you're saying that you can't get attached to her, even though without you, she's going to die then... well, you're obviously dead inside. If that's the case, then no amount of convincing is going to change your opinion - nor mine, in regards to me saying that this game really isn't for you. Put it down and go play something else. Please. For all our sakes.

Honestly, I'm getting the impression you're deliberately trying to antagonise, rather than being honest and admitting that this game isn't for you.

[Treble]

RE: shadows attacking Yorda. Shadows attack at pre-set times in pre-set areas, or when you leave Yorda too far from yourself. If you get to an area and defeat the shadows, you should be fine exploring as long as she isn't too distant from you. It's also lenient when she's separated deliberately from you and there's obviously nothing you can do until the puzzle is solved (again, apart from when it's pre-scripted that shadows appear).

After a while, you can work out what sort of distance you can leave Yorda before she's attacked. Calling her from time to time, so she knows she isn't alone, also helps, even if she can't reach you. Concept should be able to explain the...er...concept better, when he shows up. Prepare yourself for a dissertation from him though, you nay-sayers

[Tom Salter]

Yes, I know it's a game, but that's not what I was trying to get across. What I meant was that you're treating Ico like every other adventure-style game, using the same ideals that you apply to all of them on what's going on here - in Mario Sunshine, for instance, I very much wanted to run around every part of a level that I could reach and see all I could, before turning around and approaching a problem. You can't do that with Ico - you just can't. Leave Yorda behind for the shadows, just so you can look around, and you totally disregard the very thing that Ico is trying to teach you; even though you're no hero (armed just with a stick as you are), it's still your job to protect her. If that means sacrificing your own freedom to explore every inch of the castle freely, rather than taking her everywhere with you, then tough - you're just going to lose. It's a matter of patience - if you want to go somewhere, you more often than not have to take her with you. And if you're saying that you can't get attached to her, even though without you, she's going to die then... well, you're obviously dead inside. If that's the case, then no amount of convincing is going to change your opinion - nor mine, in regards to me saying that this game really isn't for you. Put it down and go play something else. Please. For all our sakes.

No, I aren't trying to antagonise, can't other people appreciate that I don't care for fify lines of "I MUST LOVE TEH YORDA" about playing this game? I alreayd siad I like this game, I just don't give a **** about yorda, I'd rather save the power rangers than yorda. ****ing hell, that dudeused to say "AI AI AI AI AI!" which used to be ace.

And onto that, power rangers shaped our lives. They used to be superheroes, **** off bananaman, he was silly. Power rangers used to get the girls, and used to be aces. Tommy was dark, yet still scary. He was safe too, hen used tp save the day. I love toimmy from power rangers.

And the enemies in power rangers. Iused to **** my self when they came on screen. ****ing huge scary things with many arms. Maaaaaaaan, im getting shivers now. And who was that king fag enemy? wwooooow.

Honestly, I'm getting the impression you're deliberately trying to antagonise, rather than being honest and admitting that this game isn't for you

But whoa dude, I already said it's good. I ****ING HATE THE INTERNET. That whole saying makes me feel "MartTM thinks he's better as he appreciates the art and who thing of Ico better than meh". Makes me feel like how sillyart collectors taslk about art in front of me, like I really give a ****. It's like "OMFG I can see the light but you arent, come to our amazing level and sit with teh l33t!!!" I hate being told that "You JUST DONT GET IT THEREFORE YOU ARE STUPID". No dude, just differing opinions. Wish I could talk face to face to someone about ico :\

[jassi singh]

i just thought i post... LOL at Boogs Power Ranger's rant...and thats all i have to contribute. :\

Carry on... :P

[007]

It's been said here already, but if you are genuinely getting pissed off by the shadows attacking her when you're not there, rather than a) panicking and rushing to her aid and b) feeling guilty for leaving her in the first place, then Ico really isn't for you.

That's exact;y what i'm feeling. I'm panicking as soon as the shadows appear, my heart starts racing when they get close. And I think tactically on how to defeat them without Yorda getting touched.

And yeah, I feel guilty too.

So is ICO for me? Has it sucked me in?

[Alf-Life]

The shadows do get annoying, but they do give a certain pace and urgency to some areas... it's especially noticeable when you kill the last one and the music fades away and the darkness goes, like a sigh of relief.
Re: Yorda, since it's a pretty linear game, without her it wouldn't be as unique I reckon, if you think about the pure game mechanics, it's her that pushes you along through areas and keeps the pace of a linear game going, without forcing it like, say exploding turrets or a flooding castle would.

[Len]

That's exact;y what i'm feeling. I'm panicking as soon as the shadows appear, my heart starts racing when they get close. And I think tactically on how to defeat them without Yorda getting touched.

And yeah, I feel guilty too.

So is ICO for me? Has it sucked me in?

Yes, now get on with it.

[Spatial]

Can't find a copy of ICO on the cheap for love nor money

[Len]

Get in quick:

http://ntsc-uk.domino.org/showthread.php?t=27050

[lostn]

I found ICO to be pretty overrated actually.

The combat was such a chore. Since you have no health all you really need to do is mash the buttons. That's not good. Sometimes the way they grab Yorda just isn't fair... like the church room with a hole in the ground. They grab her from up above and fly right down, then you need to scramble down, but they can cover such a distance really quickly since they can fly over obstacles while you have to run the long way. Your path is really narrow and you have to go around, plus things will be in your way and you have no time to fight them.

Some of the jumping puzzles are just harsh. That trampoline thingy added into the PAL version of the game really drove me nuts. You need to jump off it at the right time to get out of the window. I really wished I was playing the US version. Plus there was another puzzle near that area which many people complained were very frustrating and took 50 attempts. I happen to have gotten it quite quickly, thankfully (luck perhaps). Luck was also how I managed to get past the trampoline jump. Any timing game that depends on luck is a bad game in my book.

And the way the camera moves when you hold the right stick really sucks. Plus it scrolls very slowly. Once you return the stick to neutral, it takes some time to scroll back to Ico (you can actually lose him from your view, so perspective is not as good).

And with Sony hyping up the power of their PS2 so much they really were underachievers as far as ICO's graphics go. Low res? What the heck? This was a next gen console, it should have better than PS1 graphics.

The brevity of the game seals it as being one of the most overrated games I've played.