Shadow of the Colossus/ Ico bundle, possible release

[CRTGAMER]

If this is true, I hope they add the extra content the EUR version of ICO got.
I own both ICO and SotC and will not sell even if the PS3 version comes out.
I will be pre-ordering 4 copies

A good point. For anyone that does not know, PS2 PAL ICO also supports NTSC 60hz.

Maybe Yorda might be smarter? (See link above)

Wait a minute, why four copies?

[RokstaEnSweden]

I am so ecstatic right now I can barely contain myself.

[Bradtemple87]

Ico I could care less about,

WHAT? Ico IMO is the better story. These games are extremely different from each other and both masterpieces. However, after multiple playthroughs of both games SOTC has not jerked my heart the way Ico did.

[Veno]

If walmart started taking pre-orders, that means it's gotta be true. And for 40 bucks, there's no reason I shouldn't have this.

[Snickerd00dle]

Ico I could care less about,

WHAT? Ico IMO is the better story. These games are extremely different from each other and both masterpieces. However, after multiple playthroughs of both games SOTC has not jerked my heart the way Ico did.

Ico was a lackluster game, with mediocre controls, and an awful camera, the combat was an afterthought and the story was uninspired, i talk more about this issue here

viewtopic.php?f=15&t=22116

SOTC is by far the better game in my opinion

[GSZX1337]

Meh, good to keep PS2 versions anyways for game's charm and the PS2 convenience of HDAdvance-HDLoader.

Well, if the PSJailBreak ever comes through, you have that convenience with the PS3 versions.

EDIT: After reading the article, I just have to say this:

That better not be the fucking cover.

[Veno]

I'm sure it's a placeholder. But if it's not, I'll still buy it.

[Gamerforlife]

Ico I could care less about,

WHAT? Ico IMO is the better story. These games are extremely different from each other and both masterpieces. However, after multiple playthroughs of both games SOTC has not jerked my heart the way Ico did.

Ico was a lackluster game, with mediocre controls, and an awful camera, the combat was an afterthought and the story was uninspired, i talk more about this issue here

viewtopic.php?f=15&t=22116

SOTC is by far the better game in my opinion

What game were you playing? The controls were excellent, the camera was never an issue and the combat was PERFECTLY implemented. The story is what gave the game its heart. Ico is a masterpiece of the medium

It's easily on par with SOTC, better in my opinion because it had more heart due to the relationship between Yorda and Ico(and by extension, the player) while SOTC was much more about the epic, cinematic encounters. I'm happy to see that the next game looks like it will focus on the relationship between the main character and that dragon creature as SOTC didn't have a strong relationship driving its story like Ico did. We know the protaganist had a relationship with that girl, but its a background thing while Ico/Yorda's relationship is front and center in Ico

[dsheinem]

Ico was a lackluster game, with mediocre controls, and an awful camera, the combat was an afterthought and the story was uninspired, i talk more about this issue here
viewtopic.php?f=15&t=22116

SOTC is by far the better game in my opinion

WHAT? Ico IMO is the better story. These games are extremely different from each other and both masterpieces. However, after multiple playthroughs of both games SOTC has not jerked my heart the way Ico did.




What game were you playing? The controls were excellent, the camera was never an issue and the combat was PERFECTLY implemented. The story is what gave the game its heart. Ico is a masterpiece of the medium

It's easily on par with SOTC, better in my opinion because it had more heart due to the relationship between Yorda and Ico(and by extension, the player) while SOTC was much more about the epic, cinematic encounters. I'm happy to see that the next game looks like it will focus on the relationship between the main character and that dragon creature as SOTC didn't have a strong relationship driving its story like Ico did. We know the protaganist had a relationship with that girl, but its a background thing while Ico/Yorda's relationship is front and center in Ico

Every time I hear about the relationship in this game or how it is art or a masterpiece of the medium i want to puke. The game is not very good, I agree with Snickerdoodle. Here's my thoughts from that thread he posted:

While playing:

So I picked up Ico again. And you know what - fuck Ico. Fuck him and that moron Yorda.

Look, the game is absolutely goddamn gorgeous, atmospheric, has wonderful art, etc, - but the core mechanics ARE NOT FUCKING FUN. Seriously, Ico is about the most worthless asshole of a character I've ever controlled in a game as he always flails about in vain to hit the demons, the puzzles often require you to hope that the extremely finicky controls register your presses correctly OR that Yorda somehow manages to not be a complete and total cunt when it comes to knowing where to go. The margin for error when pressing the use button in something so simple as lighting a torch is fucking maddening, let alone anything more complex like jumping, pushing, or pulling. I do understand why people think the game is great - the story is somewhat novel and the aesthetics of the game are all there - but the gameplay is NOT good.

I know GTA gets shat on for the hooker beatings, but I seriously have never enjoyed hitting a female character in a game quite like I do walloping Yor-duh. Based on what you all have said about length, I'm probably 1/3 of the way through so I'll persevere in that hopes that the story and setting eventually do enough to distract me from the shit-horrible mechanics....

(LATER)

One of the core mechanics of the game is built around you trying to feebly slap around demons while trying to Keep Yorda's dumb ass from leaping into their arms. You have to spend a lot of time dealing with idiot A.I.

It's true that I've played many games with worse controls, but I have played many - including Team Ico's SotC - with far far superior controls. It just seems to me like the game gets a pass on some of its fundamentals because of its artistic merit. And because those fundamentals aren't there, the game has not been fun for me so far.

After playing:

I beat it just a few minutes ago. My initial impressions from a few pages ago are largely unchanged. The combat gets quicker as your weapons get better, but it is just as buggy and annoying (if shorter). There are some real hum-dingers for horrible platforming to look forward to, and plenty more "JESUS CHRIST Yorda!" moments to follow. But the game is pretty.

***SPOILER TALK***

Also, I know that it is a popular sentiment that this game has some kind of touching ending, emotional resonance, etc. Where? I am not a jaded heartless slob, but there is nothing here that even begins to "explore relationships" or "tug at the heart," etc. I know I've read folks on this very board say that the ending will leave you thinking/teary/ect. - WHY?!

Anyway, maybe this is the wrong thread to rehash this but I felt like I needed to defend my man Snickerdoodle. Game is shit.

[Gamerforlife]

This sounds insulting, and I'm going to apalogize beforehand because I'm not looking to make any enemies in this great community we have here, but truthfully, Snickerdoodle just sucks at the game, which is fine. There are some games I suck at to. Reading what he said in his posts, he clearly had difficulty playing the game and that weighed heavily on his opinion of it, but I had no issues with beating the game

Combat was easy, sure Ico got knocked down a few times when I played, but he's a kid fighting off shadow demons. It's not suppossed to seem easy. That's the whole point. It adds to the drama. And Snickerdoodle said that the game shouldn't have combat. Well, where is the sense of peril then? The sense that Ico needs to save her from something? Without the shadow demons the game would just be Ico and Yorda hanging out in some weird castle

The puzzles, easy. I never needed a walkthrough and had no difficulty with them at all. Same goes for the platforming. Yorda always did whatever I needed her to do. In fact, Ico does "escort mission" better than any game I've ever played. And the controls? They were no worse than the ones in SOTC. Interacting with the enivronment? Gave me no issues at all. Frankly, Ico is one of the easiest games I've ever played personally. That's not to brag, that's just how I honestly felt after playing it. I did lose Yorda once or twice due to carelessness and some puzzles took me a little while to figure out, but the game never gave me too much trouble in any way whatsoever

Honestly, it's like he's describing a completely different game than the one I played.

And one thing I have to disagree with, you ARE jaded if the game had no emotional effect on you, at least in my opinion. Whatever emotional response a game gets from a player is purely subjective and relative though, so there's really nothing else I can say about that

That being said, I know everyone's entitled to their opinion and I respect both of you guys. I just feel pretty strongly about this particular game and have no idea how people can not see its brilliance, but to each his own as they say