Late to the party as usual...Ico

[Dache]

I'm so glad I bought your Ico, Dave. YOU DON'T DESERVE IT.

Anyone who doesn't like Ico should be shot. There is no reason to hate the game. None. It's one of the few videogames ever made that come close to perfection.

NOW WHERE IS NICO

[Concept]

Quietly being worked on in development. Presumably.

[Vaipon]

ICO is constantly finding new fans, and despite weak initial sales it's definitely finding it's audience now. It's a pain getting people to play it though, and frustrating because you *know* they'll be helplessley in love with it as soon as they do.

I actually bought the PAL version for my younger brother as a Birthday present for his UK PS2. He wouldn't of gone near it in a million years, but I found it on offer for the right price and knew he'd be obligated to play it if it was a gift. When I gave it him, I just mentioned that it was a game I enjoyed immensely on the PS2 (couldn't be bothered raving about it and watching my words sail over his head). Aaanyway... I get a phone call 3 days later from him raving about it, and how his girlfriend loved it too, and whether there are any other games like it etc etc. LOL.

[hoathenfold]

Must...
Get...
Round...
To...
Playing...
This...


Must..
Stop...
Buying..
New..
Titles..
Every...
Week.........

H E L P

[Ady]

I've never understood people who whinge about the combat.

Ico is a 12-year old boy using a stick to defend himself for lack of a better weapon (initially at least).

He's not a warrior, he's not a ninja, so he's not exactly going to have lots of sophisticated attacks. In his situation, you'd be exactly the same - making do with what you have and getting by. And that's the beauty of it.

Z-targetting and special moves would be mssing the point.

Oh, and Sony, please don't do Ico 2. The last thing the game needs is such a disingenuous exhumation.

[Concept]

Oh, and Sony, please don't do Ico 2. The last thing the game needs is such a disingenuous exhumation.

I was initially in the same frame of mind as I wanted ICO to stand on it's own for what the game is worth on solitary merit. I would have liked to have seen Ueda tackle a different concept altogether just to see what might happen.

However, Nico is almost certainly in development, unless screens leaked from a short movie on a supposed internal SCEI DVD were fake. Which I very much doubt. Look at it this way... At least the same team is essentially building on what went before. At least the project is being handled carefully without being thrust into the spotlight too soon for people to rip apart.

Sorry. Let's get this thread back on topic. I agree with ady, the combat in ICO is there primarily to be used for specific purposes, such as reconfirming the psychological consistency with which a player expects to interact with a relatively defenseless 12 year old. It also adds to the sense of care and protection the player has in protecting Yorda, so the focus of the combat isn't really on the fighting itself, but on that of the girl. Then there's the fact the combat emphasises the expansive and isolated nature of the environment... That sense you can be attacked any time and at any place is always bubbling away under the surface, much like the shadow creatures themselves. A continual threat if you will.

And the fact you don't have choice over weapons (or the abilty to perform super-cool-funky moves) shows that the primary aim of combat in ICO ends up being mere survival. That sheer lack of physicality present in the smoke monsters means their immaterial frames simply clash with the harsh abrasive structure of the castle itself... So the whole concept behind the fighting in ICO, for me, is there to highlight the difference between that which is actually present and that which is not.

[dataDave]

I don't hate the game, I said it was worth the ?45 for the artistic value alone.

As for the gameplay I just found it terribly simple and easy. If that's the 'point' then this must be just another one of those games I don't 'get'.

Ico 2? What can be said that hasn't already been said with Ico 1? I suppose they could use a different castle and make it a bit harder and longer like.

[Dache]

I wasn't referring to you. I was merely saying that no one should have reason to hate the game whatsoever.

[Concept]

Ico 2? What can be said that hasn't already been said with Ico 1? I suppose they could use a different castle and make it a bit harder and longer like.

Rumour suggests that Nico is to take place in a wide-open spaced canyon environment. It'd be interesting to see how this (possible) change of landscape may impact on the gameplay.

[Manta Ray vs Guitar]

Ico is an excellent game. Criticising it for length/replay value/challenge is missing the point so ****ing badly that I think you may be stupid. It is stupid to criticise Apocalypse Now for not being Evil Dead.
It tried something new, it did it well, it's beautiful, stop being Mr. Bringdown. Save that kind of **** for mediocre efforts like Perfect Dark. Wait, you liked Perfect Dark? Then maybe you shouldn't be criticising anything else, ever.

[Ady]

Ico is an excellent game. Criticising it for length/replay value/challenge is missing the point so ****ing badly.... It is stupid to criticise Apocalypse Now for not being Evil Dead.

Amen to that. In terms of game length, its as if no game is long enough these days.

If it doesn't weigh in at a Final Fantasy-style 70hours then a game is 'too short'.

The truth is, if Ico was any longer than it was, it would get boring. Not all games need to be lengthy.

[dataDave]

Ico is an excellent game. Criticising it for length/replay value/challenge is missing the point so ****ing badly that I think you may be stupid. It is stupid to criticise Apocalypse Now for not being Evil Dead.
It tried something new, it did it well, it's beautiful, stop being Mr. Bringdown. Save that kind of **** for mediocre efforts like Perfect Dark. Wait, you liked Perfect Dark? Then maybe you shouldn't be criticising anything else, ever.

I don't hate the game, I said it was worth the ?45 for the artistic value alone.

As for the gameplay I just found it terribly simple and easy. If that's the 'point' then this must be just another one of those games I don't 'get'.

[johnjwaters]

Is the nice version with the pretty cardboard still available new?

I have a nice demo set from sony with similar artistic niceness... but I've been meaning to get the game for ages and would appreciate the er, cardboard.

[Moodmon]

I've never understood people who whinge about the combat.

Ico is a 12-year old boy using a stick to defend himself for lack of a better weapon (initially at least).

He's not a warrior, he's not a ninja, so he's not exactly going to have lots of sophisticated attacks. In his situation, you'd be exactly the same - making do with what you have and getting by. And that's the beauty of it.

The graveyard is simply one of the best against-all-odds fighting experiences in gaming. And satisfyingly tough too. The combat falls away when you got the sword. I wanna beat shadow things with a plank of wood!

[Magnakai]

Is the nice version with the pretty cardboard still available new?

If you're very lucky...
I have seen it around, but not recently.
Try ebay or the sales forums here...