ICO Review

By Kristan Reed Published 17 February, 2006

Out of the Shadow.

Version tested: PlayStation 2

Tom's not ready to break up

Here's a truism about games: very little is ever as good as you remember. I really believe that. In fact, I believe it so much, I'm going to make you sit there while I brutally shatter several of my own dreams just to prove a point. Let's see. I regularly describe Super Mario Kart as one of my all-time favourite games. I will now play it.

Oh god. Oh GOD. GOD. I was just being bolshy! I thought this was going to be another abandoned intro cast into the depths of the .doc, destined to sit there until I rubber-stamp its backspaced doom! I'M ACTUALLY RIGHT! SUPER MARIO KART IS AWFUL! This is what I remember: fluent, brilliantly fast and controllable racing. This is what I just experienced: stop-start, horribly unforgiving drift-drenched nostalgicide.

Right, okay, I'm going to pick something a bit more recent, like, er, Jak & Daxter.

This is a joke right? Someone's hiding in my PS2 frame buffer with some crayons? Please be? Awful, awful movement, awful graphics, stupid objectives.

This is horrible and I can't go on. I want to scrap this and undo the last 20 minutes. This isn't even horrible like when I bought Star Wars DVDs and discovered George Lucas had changed things; he could've made Jar-Jar Binks the emperor and had Greedo get up, walk around the table and cock-slap Han Solo in the face before he shot back and I'd still prefer that version of life to the one I'm in now where all I can think of is how my ENTIRE CHILDHOOD WAS A LIE.

'ICO' Screenshot sun

The only game to convince me of a winter sun.

Still, it does at least help me with one thing: ICO is unlike the vast majority of games in this sense too; I played through it again this week and it's still every bit as brilliant.

The temptation I get when trying to kneejerk some explanation of why ICO is so compelling is to fixate on its simplicity. All you do is run around a castle trying to open doors so that you and your new friend Yorda can escape to the next section. That's really it. She is capable of opening doors that you cannot, but she is too weak and the language barrier between you too great for her to know to clamber over things and undertake all the strenuous chain-swinging, box-shifting, ledge-climbing and so on that you'll be doing. Even though you can get where she needs to be easily, getting her there is more important.

Let's say you have a pair of switches, a door that opens when they're both depressed, and one wooden box. You coax the girl to stand on the second switch so that you can walk through the door, before navigating your way up a system of interconnecting broken shelves and climbing through a window onto a ledge, where you discover you can push a second wooden box down to the ground below and position it to take her place. As a result you can both walk through and attack the next obstacle. Solving simple, logical problems is the bedrock of many a great pastime - much of what you do in ICO is analogous to solving a Sudoku problem, for example. The satisfaction of watching everything dovetail together is worth striving for. And it feels so fluid to play - one of the only platform games other than Prince of Persia to react so perfectly to your input, catching ledges and ladders from awkward angles, and letting you do what you need to do as elegantly as possible.

But it's not just a question of simplicity, and ICO is hardly a match for the Times crossword. Some of the game's problems are taxing, but while it deserves credit for walking the line between straightforwardness and frustration more or less expertly, in truth it's the way that it never muddles you up that belies its true strength: ICO is special because it's in no rush to impress you. The premise is introduced with one of the game's only narrative cinematics, which sees you deposited in a stone casket in a vast castle, from which fortune has it that you'll escape and discover an elflike girl suspended in a cage high above a vast hall. You are in a castle, you have met a girl, and you have decided to free her - there's virtually no complicated exposition, seldom any dialogue. Likewise, when you flick the analogue stick the opposite direction to the one you're facing, you instantly turn on the spot, with one frame of animation. It's not rough-hewn; it's the way it needs to be.

'ICO' Screenshot garden

The garden is surreally bright, with meaning.

Each situation you face demands that you keep a watchful eye on this fragile girl you've become bound to, Yorda, because the forces of the castle do not wish her to escape. Like much of what occurs, their presence, and their origin, is never fully explained; you're given enough to decide a version of events, but ultimately you're left wondering. When they attack, through black holes in the ground to the sound of, well, it's hard to think of the sound as anything other than the darkness reaching for you; when they attack, you must repel them before they can pull Yorda into whatever world it is they occupy. So the balance is struck - you must explore the castle, uncovering safe passage for Yorda, but never letting her too far out of your sight.

In this way you quietly, logically, willingly proceed, and the illusion is perfect: the game never tells you what to do, even though the game is always telling you what to do. And as the music quietly blows through the castle and you and Yorda make your way around, occasionally flopping silently into the incongruous, but somehow acceptable stone couch that allows you to save your progress, your mind free from the usual burdens of health bars, inventory management, dead ends, quests and overly elaborate narrative, you can focus on what's left: the beautiful castle, and the beautiful way you explore it.

Easily the most amazing thing about ICO in 2006 is that it hasn't aged, graphically, and the key to that is not in its resolution, technology or imagination - though its landscapes and architecture are vast and picturesque, and the distribution of light and darkness perfectly judged - but in the way that the characters of Ico and Yorda exist almost entirely within the movements of their in-game models. Ico speaks sometimes, but never says what he's feeling. Yet he is strong, determined, caring, bold and full of belief that he must do what is right no matter how unlikely his chances of success. Nothing Yorda says is explained in English until you have completed the game. And yet she is nimble, childlike, dainty, lost, afraid, at times impish and at others cautious, and often confused. I've seen grown men overwhelmed by the enormity of her incarceration - its unfairness articulated by little other than way her feet patter on the ground as she runs and her hand flaps behind her as Ico pulls her along. It's not FAIR. Me - I actually had to turn the pad vibration off because, when I ran and held her hand tightly, jerking her along stride by stride, I felt like I was hurting her.

Holding hands is the game's second most amazing trick. By holding R1 you call Yorda to follow and join you, but by holding it when you're in close contact, you grab her hand and yank her around. (Perhaps the best example of its subtly brilliant graphics, incidentally, is that this is never a comical sight.) When you call her from across a small gap or atop a small ledge, you can haul her up or catch her as she leaps. The speed of Yorda's reactions increases perceptibly as she comes to trust you more. Perhaps the best summary of its effect is the way that, as you catch her and she dangles from your grasp above a vast drop, and you're holding R1, you have to remember to pull her up using the analogue stick. There's no need for it to be a two-function response; it just gives you a second to catch your breath together.

'ICO' Screenshot cry

I think I'm going to cry.

ICO is certainly not without fault. Fighting the castle's shadowy demons is as often a nuisance as it is frantic, although to its credit the game seldom attacks Yorda when you're right in the middle of something. There will be times when you run off a ledge without meaning to, or fall a distance you can't survive without realising, or suffer at the hands of some perspective problem. The camera, which positions itself as a chosen point in an area and lets you twist it from side to side to see more, can frustrate you and confuse angles. And puzzle solutions can, on very rare occasions, seem peculiar or even slightly obtuse.

But I'm reminded of something Kieron said in our end-of-2005 testament to the virtues of Psychonauts: he said that right now Psychonauts isn't his game of the year, but that if you asked him about it in twenty years time, it very well might be. Perhaps the most warming thing I can say about ICO is that for its faults it didn't need twenty years for me to forgive what upset me a few hours ago; it just needed for me to picture myself on the beach, so to speak. For that to be the case, and for me to enjoy ICO every bit as much as I did four years ago, it has to be worth owning.

I don't even want to stop typing. I don't want this to be the last time I'm writing about ICO. I want to keep going on about everything I love about it. I want to tell you how I've whistled the save screen music at least once a month for nearly half a decade; I want to talk about the noises Yorda makes when you're hitting call repeatedly and she can't do anything; the little moments of levity; I want to tell you about the mace I found; I want to tell you what you can do once you've completed it. I really don't want it to end.

I'm listening to the last song on the soundtrack now - the music that you hear over the final scenes and the credits. It's called "You were there".

This time, please do be.

10 / 10

Kristan's thoughts on a classic

Conspiracy is a word people regularly used to discuss ICO. Furrowed brows knit in troubled unison at how such an obviously beautiful game could have failed so spectacularly. Surely something this good would sell regardless? No one really knows precisely why it flopped; some blame the lack of concerted press hype, some blame retail indifference, others put the blame firmly at Sony's door for not realising what it had or how to position it. Does it even matter anyway? Great things fail to sell all the time; movies, books, music, you name it. Four years after ICO's release, you'd think we'd have gotten over it by now.

But four years is a long time in gaming, and this is a unique scenario. ICO is too important to be brushed under the carpet and fondly recalled whenever we dig out those cult classic lists. We talk of cult classics, but this is much more than an interesting curio. Most games worth a damn get a budget release within a year or so at the very least. Many games get released straight to budget and remain available for years, but not this one.

ICO is a game that, up until now, has been incredibly elusive; official sales figures place the total at around the 25,000 mark in the UK alone. That's bad enough, but the game's scarcity gives the distinct impression that few copies of the game were produced in the first place, which, if that's true, is a disgraceful, eye-rolling state of affairs. As a result of Sony's initial baffling indifference to one of its best ever games, it became one of the few genuine collector's items, and regularly fetched over £50 on eBay. But does it really live up to the unreasonable hype generated by four years of frenzied word of mouth? Definitely. No amount of gushing accounts could distil what this game means to people.

'ICO' Screenshot toilet

The things you have to do to flush the toilet in this game are ridiculous.

But four years is a long time, and the years are never kind to videogames. A lot of things have happened since that may conspire against its success all over again. Sure, Sony Europe wants to have another crack at making the game a success; that's great news, but things have moved on, haven't they? Technology is a notoriously harsh mistress when it comes to reassessing old favourites, as Tom has already pointed out. The invention of SUPER LARGE televisions, for a start, often ruin the vision you have in your head about how games look. You never think for a second that when you shell out a big screen display of justice that it could ever make your games look worse, but in most cases PS2 games on a super sharp big screen telly are a match made in hell. But not ICO. Oh, ho, no.

Somehow, ICO fully stands the test of time in technology terms - and given that we're already onto the next generation, that's a huge surprise. It's by no means the sort of game that'll have you cringing at blocky textures, unwieldy animations, pop-up or slowdown. If anything, ICO looks every bit as good as any current game. The architecture is still a sight to behold; the castle and its grounds are places you'll want to revisit. Somehow, the various buildings and the endless stunning views that stretch out to sea look even more panoramic and awe-inspiring on a decent display than they did back in late 2001 on my (still functional) 18 year-old 4:3 Sony TV, and there are few games from that era, if any, that you could say that about.

'ICO' Screenshot arnie

Just as well ICO has the upper body strength of Arnie.

It's not purely about smart use of the technology, either. The artistic vision involved in creating such a breathtaking game world transcends conventional videogame thinking. Few games could ever tempt you into standing on a precarious precipice just so you can get a better view, but that's the way ICO's built from the ground up. Just as Shadow of the Colossus makes you part adventurer, part gaming tourist, it's seemingly as much of a priority to make what you see as integral part of the experience as the puzzling and combat. It's all in the detail; the ethereal background noise generates an expectant ambience that shallows your breathing, and the way the camera angle shifts subtly and elegantly pans out to try and second guess your need to see the bigger picture is an effect we'll never tire of. Playing it through a second time only reinforces your admiration. It's the only game ever made that makes you want to go out and make a scale model of it; in fact someone probably already has. It�s no co-incidence that the original limited edition version came with four postcards.

But enough about the technical and artistic merit, what about the game? As has long been noted, it's actually an incredibly simple affair that is far greater than the sum of its parts. Describing it could make it sound dull, in as much that dragging a girl hither and thither while whacking inky shadowy monsters with a stick probably doesn�t sound especially revolutionary. At worst you could say the combat is basic, unnecessary and repetitive; at best it's eerie, other worldly, menacing and heart-breaking. Losing Yorda to a cloud of black is one of the most distressing consequences of neglect you'll ever experience in a game. You won't want to let it happen more than once, and as such you become ever more intent on avoiding the dereliction of duty.

'ICO' Screenshot gasp

Remember when we used to gasp when point and click adventures had static locations that looked like this?

The puzzle-adventuring is, again, simple, tried and trusted. Block shifting, lever pulling, chain swinging, platform negotiating... hello, is Lara Croft in the building? How, exactly, could experienced critics get so repeatedly foamed-up about this brand of adventure-by-numbers simplicity? Isn�t this just a bit like a logical 3D extension of Another World or the original Prince of Persia games? Certainly, the influences are plain to see, but its freshness is all in the design, both in technical terms and the structure and pacing of the game's challenges. So exquisite is the sense of isolation and lack of hand-holding that working out how to progress never seems that simple when you're actually wandering around. Once you have the solution, it's very much a head-smacking case of 'of course you have to do that', but literally the only help you'll get is Yorda yelling incoherently and occasionally pointing at something you probably already realised was significant anyway.

Being of unyieldingly linear stock, yes, there are moments of abject frustration when the solution eludes you, but such moments of minor annoyance soon give way to impish satisfaction when you suss it and reach the next stunning section. By the time you finish the game, you'll want to hug people. Then you'll talk about it with a semi-religious zeal to your mates, imploring they play it too, or you'll meet people who have and share the emotion of the experience. It seems improbable, but that's been the story of the last four years for those of us who played it first time around. Playing it again seems even more special, because it's one of the very few games that hasn't dated at all. If anything, ICO's status merely keeps on growing, and its place in the pantheon of greats is assured. Revisiting it puts the merits of some of the best games over the years into full perspective, and not necessarily in a good way. It's astonishing to realise just how ahead of its time it was, and still is.

If you want a game to make you feel again, then buying ICO is the cheapest medicine on the shelf. We don't throw around superlatives like this lightly, but it really is one of the best games ever made; missing out on it a second time is not an option.

10 / 10

Read the Eurogamer.net scoring policy
Picture of Kristan.

About Kristan Reed

Kristan is a former editor of Eurogamer, dad, Stone Roses bore and Norwich City supporter who sometimes mutters optimistically about Team Silent getting back together.

Read more articles from Kristan by visiting the Kristan Reed archive page.

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Comments (148) Latest comment 1 year ago

Comments threads automatically close after 30 days, but please feel free to continue chatting on the forum!

  • drumbaby #1 6 years ago

    I agree with the 10/10 thing for once. When I first started playing Ico though I thought it was merely 'okay'. But something clicked about a 1/4 of the way through, and I was totally bowled over.

    Amazing game.

  • nomaad #2 6 years ago

    Why not just go for broke and give it 11/10?

  • TheEnd #3 6 years ago

    Easily one of the biggest highs of the current generation of consoles.

  • freedumb #4 6 years ago

    Interesting, but this just makes the 10/10 for colussus seem overblown. It shouldn't get maximum marks for art direction and emotion primarily. An 8 or a 9, but not a 10.
    Edited by 5 at 17/02/06 @ 15:26

  • Gurgeh #5 6 years ago

    Has this been re-released? /puzzled

  • krudster #6 6 years ago

    Naw, SotC is a 10 for many different reasons than raw emotion and art direction, hopefully fully explained in my lengthy review ;)

  • Huntcjna #7 6 years ago

    After playing both and from a retrospective viewpoint

    Colosuss 10/10

    Ico 9/10

  • krudster #8 6 years ago

    Yes, it's re-issued today at a tempting low price. Go buy!

  • Psi #9 6 years ago

    need to play this game....

  • TechnoHippy #10 6 years ago

    Considering some of the AI and control issues in this game, a 10/10 seems mighty generous.
    Edited by 1 at 17/02/06 @ 12:10

  • bloke #11 6 years ago

    Guess I *really* should play it this time around then.................

  • gaijin #12 6 years ago

    gah. how much is a PS2 these days? mussttt... plaayyyy... ICOOOO

  • ZeTimbo #13 6 years ago

    Must dig this back out again and delete my savegames.

    This has to be one of the most memorable games I've played in years.

  • neon #14 6 years ago

    Lucky me has the original. I'm still playing it on and off from time to time, although stuck at the moment.

  • bunglebonce #15 6 years ago

    I heart ICO

  • itamae #16 6 years ago

    I've completed it for the third time last weekend. I agree with everything Tom said, especially that... it really isn't fair.

    /sobs

  • Blerk #17 6 years ago

    It's one of the best games ever made. That is all you need to know.

  • Anna #18 6 years ago

    Awesome game.
    Glad it's been re-released

  • Vin #19 6 years ago

    You bunch of sobby swishes.

  • kangarootoo #20 6 years ago

    "Colosuss 10/10

    Ico 9/10"

    I would switch those around and maaaaybe cut a point from both (cetainly from SotC). Played SotC for the first time yesterday and although it is very good, it didn't push all my buttons. Artistically it is awsome, but I wonder if the GFX and character design hadn't been so impressive, whether the rest would have seemed quite as good.

  • krudster #21 6 years ago

    /waves at Anna

  • ecureuil #22 6 years ago

    Play.com are selling it for £16.99

    There really is no excuse not to buy it now..
    Edited by 1 at 17/02/06 @ 12:20

  • Stickman #23 6 years ago

    Me - I actually had to turn the pad vibration off because, when I ran and held her hand tightly, jerking her along stride by stride, I felt like I was hurting her.

    Wierdo.


  • El_MUERkO #24 6 years ago

    Excuse me I havent finished reading the review yet but what the fuck are you on!?!

    Mario Kart is as good today as it was when I first played it, newer versions maybe shiney and easier but Mario Kart is gameplay encapsulated in a grey cartridge.

    EA got to you didnt they, you went on a press junket and they crammed you full of mind control drugs and played whale music at you while forcing you to recite 'new is good, old is bad' over and over again :|

  • bionutz #25 6 years ago

    Yeah. Don't forget, once you complete it once, you can understand what the girl is saying! I have an all time favourite game in my heart, <a href=htt p://www.geocities.com/TimesSquare/Hangar/7858/>Relent less or LBA (Little big adventure)</a>, and ICO is sharing now the place with it.

  • Bradders #26 6 years ago

    This is a game that was supposedly underrated on its original release and as result has been retrospectively overrated since. It's all very pretty and atmospheric, but once the novelty has worn off you're left with a one-track experience that borders on tedious - pulling levers, pressing switches, headbutting spirits... and then doing it all again until, as I did, you give up and do something more interesting (like staring at the wall).

  • trevd72 #27 6 years ago

    when it was first out i recommended it to a mate who was not really into games.....it changed his gaming life.

    ONE OF THE BEST GAMES EVA.....

    @El_MUERkO - you are dead right. still prefer the snes to the others although the ds and gba ones are v good

  • pjmaybe #28 6 years ago

    Best thing about Ico's re-release.

    Greedy Ebay bastards get royally shafted :)

    Peej

  • kangarootoo #29 6 years ago

    "Yeah. Don't forget, once you complete it once, you can understand what the girl is saying!"

    I only found that out last night during SotC inspired ICO chit chat (never quite finished ICO first time around). I'm going to have to play this again aren't I, but I have so little time and I've started Psychonauts now.

    With a bit of luck, the fly type sickness that is doing the rounds will lay me out and I'll have to stay at home for a few days. Probably not though. I am always just ill enough to feel rough without ever actually being off work.

  • tomdominer #30 6 years ago

    "when you flick the analogue stick the opposite direction to the one you're facing, you instantly turn on the spot, with one frame of animation. It's not rough-hewn; it's the way it needs to be"

    Love is blind isn't it?

  • Rambaldi #31 6 years ago

    I hate to be a stick in the mud: ICO is a memorable and enjoyable experience, but I didn't find it to a be quite the Zen of gaming that it's touted to be.

    It's kind of like a waking dream (which is nice) and the graphics are lovely, but at the end of the day, it's a relatively simple platform/puzzle game that's kind of like looking across a beatiful valley as the sun rises, thinking "hmmm..nice" with a relaxed smile on your face. But then, if that's what I wanted out of gaming, I could actually go out into a beatiful valley, wait for the sun rise and do it for real:). I didn't feel compelled to play it again once it was finished either. Sorry chaps.

    7/10

    Having said that, if you haven't played it before you really do owe it to yourself to give it a go 2nd time round.

  • Ciaran #32 6 years ago

    OK, that's it then.

    /goes to store
    I'll have one PS2, a copy of ICO, SotC, and Psychonauts please. Oh and a mem card.

  • El_MUERkO #33 6 years ago

    On the subject of Ico:

    "This time, please do be."

    It looks like they have on play.com, its number 3 in the sales chart and they've run out of stock.

  • kalel #34 6 years ago

    @ Arbiter

    You said:

    "It's just sad that we're unlikely to see its like again, and certainly not from a western developer. Not because of a lack of talent or appreciation for its many virtues, simply because it doesn't fit into the franchise and demographic driven cookie-cutter that is slowly killing the industry."

    The thing is, the fact that ICO did so badly in sales and yet Sony still developed SotC is hugely encouraging. It show that they are prepared to put time and money into games that are not guaranteed to sell, and I believe Team Ico have already announced they are working on a PS3 game. So it's not all doom and gloom, especially if the ICO re-release and SotC do well.

    As for the ICO naysayers, meh to you. Meh all over your faces. Meh. ICO is the best game of the last generation, and one of the best games ever. If one or two dodgy cameras or dull enemy AI mean that you can't see that then I think that's a shame.

  • Daikon #35 6 years ago

    Although I love them both dearly, I have to say I prefer Ico to Shadow of the Colossus.

    But 10/10 scores? You know, one of my teachers in high school had a motto when giving out grades: "Only God gets a 10/10".

    No game is perfect, and what about HL2? Or Halo? Or...

  • urban #36 6 years ago

    could this be one of those of thousands attempts to make everybody buy shadow of collossus, great it is, but i dont know how to get on that guy!

  • Stickman #37 6 years ago

    one of my teachers in high school had a motto when giving out grades: "Only God gets a 10/10"

    I hope you beat the living snot out of him. Have you seen the middle of Africa? Just a huge bloody desert! Shoddy work. Those Ice caps aren't holding up too well either. 6/10

  • Menaged #38 6 years ago

    I bought ICO about 2 years ago in a promo edition for 7 pounds, beacuse I couldnt find the regular version.
    I've decided to purchase it after finding my demo disc that came with the PS2 and was amazed by it.
    This is truly one of the best games that was ever made, and deserves that 10/10.
    Now all I have to do is to buy SotC

  • Chtulie #39 6 years ago

    Is it still really such a surprise that graphics based on good design and art direction age much, much better then graphics purely based on technology?
    (the visuals of WoW vs. EQ2 for instance)
    Someone needs to dig out the dreamcast and put on Jet Set Radio, twice the ago of Ico and still good. Or recall Doom 3, already looking oldfashioned when it was released (thanks to HL2).

  • Artemus #40 6 years ago

    Still waiting for my copy to turn up. How's the boxart?

  • Carlo #41 6 years ago

    The REAL this gen!

  • UncleLou #42 6 years ago

    To those people who claim Ico has been overrated in hindsight: it's not true. Many people, including me, bought it on the release day, and said it is an istant classic, and probably the best game this generation has to offer. We didn't wait 3 years and suddenly said it's great.

    As for the ICO naysayers, meh to you. Meh all over your faces. Meh. ICO is the best game of the last generation, and one of the best games ever. If one or two dodgy cameras or dull enemy AI mean that you can't see that then I think that's a shame.

    Couldn't agree more. :)

  • space_ace #43 6 years ago

    happy new 2002!

  • gaijin #44 6 years ago

    @kangarootoo

    "the fly type sickness that is doing the rounds"

    oh no - kangarootoo in Cronenbergesque black-hairs-extruding-themselves-from -his-shoulders-type-infection-nightmare. Can you hold a controller with articulated chitinous appendages? or indeed suck up partially digested parsnip crisps through a proboscis? Hope it passes mate.

    /pedant hat off

  • space_ace #45 6 years ago

    it's not overrated because every time i show it to some friends we reach maybe 1/3 of the game in one sitting

  • megastar #46 6 years ago

    So, is it a good game then?

  • alimokrane #47 6 years ago

    just got the game to day and playing ever since ... I skipped work to do it ... ONE WORD: WOW!

  • krudster #48 6 years ago

    I'm pretty sure I rated this Game of the Week in CTW back in the old days!

  • tiddles #49 6 years ago

    CTW - now that's really taking us back!

  • Sarge #50 6 years ago

    "Greedo get up, walk around the table and cock-slap Han Solo in the face"

    How this hasn't been picked up on yet defies believe. I've had to create an account and login just to commend that piece of journalistic artistry.

    Thank you for making me laugh a small bit of the sandwiche I was eating out of my nose. A fascinating experience everyone should try once in their lives.

  • Triggerhappytel #51 6 years ago

    I played through this again at the end of last year. It really is one of the greatest games ever. Despite some very obvious flaws (camera issues, awkward combat) it has enough charm, personality and beauty to outshine a hundred of it's imitators.

    No-one should outlive this generation (or next!) without playing Ico. It's just... wonderful. And it also has one of the most touching endings ever.

  • Xerx3s #52 6 years ago

    Sorry, but when a reviewer says that a game is 10/10, he kinda loses credibility imo. I.E., RE4 is one of the best games i've ever played, but still i wouldnt give it higher than a 9 because i know that it isnt perfect. No game ever is. Especially after the sotc review. :\

    Whats with these 10 out of 10's anyway? You give them away to titles with notes on them, while far superior games like Civ4 'only' get a 9.

    Mind you, i havent played this game yet and ill give it a go as soon as i can find one, but throwing around 10's like they are nothing kinda upsets the balance of things.

    Oh well, guess ive to wait for balanced reader reviews then.
    Edited by 1 at 17/02/06 @ 13:36

  • Wobbler #53 6 years ago

    Gah! 10/10 isn't perfect! It means it's great! Think about it, if a score of 10 means 'perfect' then a score 10 is impossible (as nothing - nothing is ever perfect) then you are only rating on a score of 1-9, really aren't you.

    If it makes you happy, think of all the Eurogamer scores being marked out of 11 :)

  • eviltobz  #54 6 years ago

    this is ico. 10/10 is a balanced reader review. look at the user voting on this page.

  • ali-uk #55 6 years ago

    I personally don't get what's so good about the game, thought it was pretty boring and played plenty of better games. But I guess, to each his own and if EG loves it, then so be it.

    *waits for fanboy backlash*
    Edited by 1 at 17/02/06 @ 13:43

  • Stickman #56 6 years ago

    "Whats with these 10 out of 10's anyway? You give them away to titles with notes on them, while far superior games like Civ4 'only' get a 9.

    Mind you, i havent played this game yet..."

    Genius!

  • El_MUERkO #57 6 years ago

    "Thank you for making me laugh a small bit of the sandwiche I was eating out of my nose. A fascinating experience everyone should try once in their lives."

    did it go to waste?

  • vane101 #58 6 years ago

    I only ever played the demo. Wasn't enough to make me want to buy the full game to be honest. Still, it had a nice feel to it. 10/10 score is almost as bad as Edge's infamous 10/10 for Halo.

  • yegon #59 6 years ago

    Found it difficult to read past the second paragraph.

    Snes MK is still as good as it ever was and, in racing terms, completely eclipses every one of it's sequels.

  • Kain_Cross #60 6 years ago

    "There are two types of gamers in the world, those who love ICO, and those who are dead inside."

  • thefilthandthefury #61 6 years ago

    Never liked ICO at all. Attempted to get on with it many times, and each time it felt lifeless, dull, boring and pointless. I can even understand why some strange people might like the 50 Cent game (god help them), but I'll never understand why anyone can stomach ICO.
    Edited by 1 at 17/02/06 @ 13:53

  • boo #62 6 years ago

    Me - I actually had to turn the pad vibration off because, when I ran and held her hand tightly, jerking her along stride by stride, I felt like I was hurting her.

    I thought that was just me...

    It was really odd seeing ICO on the shelf in HMV today. Lots of them.
    I felt like grabbing them all and just running up to people saying 'Buy this!'

  • The Storm #63 6 years ago

    is there a difference betwen the original standard ico and the
    ico just released? are there any extras bonuses or even extra levels? has the actual game been tweaked in any way?

  • moggsy #64 6 years ago

    I'm in the non-believer camp. I had a good go at it but in the end it joined my pile of unfinished games. That was until I got £50 for it on Ebay a few months ago - result!

  • alimokrane #65 6 years ago

    @ Artemus

    the box art is really nice, very artistic .... THIS GAME WOW!!!!

  • Rev.StuartCampbell #66 6 years ago

    The reason the game failed before at retail, and will do so again, is simple:

    Nobody knows whether to call it "Eye-ko" or "Eeko", and is afraid of looking like a twat by choosing the wrong one.

  • riz23 #67 6 years ago

    ICO is one of the best games ever made. I have no doubt about it. So strange to see some people here not 'get' it. The peace, the simplicity and the emotional attachment it creates is almost unique in gaming. It's like opening an oyster and seeing a pearl inside. How could something so beautiful be made in such a simple way? If you take your games seriously you owe it to yourself to experience this.If afterwards you don't see what the fuss is, well as someone said earlier, you're dead inside.

  • Anna #68 6 years ago

    Everyone should play Ico.
    And Beyond Good and Evil.
    :)

  • Triggerhappytel #69 6 years ago

    "Sorry, but when a reviewer says that a game is 10/10, he kinda loses credibility imo. I.E., RE4 is one of the best games i've ever played, but still i wouldnt give it higher than a 9 because i know that it isnt perfect. No game ever is."

    Don't think of 10/10 as 'perfect'; think of it as 'you must own this game'. As Wobbler says, if it really did mean perfect then no game could have 10/10, but then that would render it entirely pointless.

    "Mind you, i havent played this game yet and ill give it a go as soon as i can find one"

    Buy it from Game so you can take it back if you don't like it. Stick with it over the first few hours, as it actually gets better the futher in you get. If you still don't like it (and if dogs yelp at you when you get too close) go see a preist.

    "Nobody knows whether to call it "Eye-ko" or "Eeko", and is afraid of looking like a twat by choosing the wrong one. "

    I say 'Eye-ko'. My friends do too; but I think they might have picked that up from me.
    Edited by 2 at 17/02/06 @ 14:10

  • gaijin #70 6 years ago

    "eye-co". Clearly.

  • thefilthandthefury #71 6 years ago

    I've tried playing it for hours, multiple times, and still don't 'get' it. I guess I'm dead inside then :p

    Give me almost anything over ICO please.

    However, SotC does look fantastic, will be giving that a go.

  • riz23 #72 6 years ago

    Yes well, you do get shoot stuff in SoTC, so that's alright then. :)

  • thefilthandthefury #73 6 years ago

    You SHOOT things in SotC? I assumed you just used your sword.

    Shows how little attention I pay.

  • Rambaldi #74 6 years ago

    "Edge's infamous 10/10 for Halo"

    Why is it infamous? I personally agree. And why is it such a bad thing giving a game 10 anyway? It doesn't have to be perfect to get 10. How can a work of art be perfect anyway? One person's idea of perfect differs largely from the next. I guess this throws open the whole review reliability debate again, but I would be more inclined to say that those who have a problem with a game getting a 10 simply reflect the dire part of British culture that is only happy when things are being dragged down.
    Edited by 2 at 17/02/06 @ 14:17

  • Artemus #75 6 years ago

    the box art is really nice, very artistic ....

    So it hasn't got any Platinum branding plastered all over it then?

  • riz23 #76 6 years ago

    It's stuffed full of violence man, you'll love it!

  • thefilthandthefury #77 6 years ago

    Since when did violence = a great game?

  • Stickman #78 6 years ago

    "It's like opening an oyster and seeing a pearl inside"

    That's boring too.

    /is dead inside.

  • gaijin #79 6 years ago

    agree. Now, if it were like opening an oyster and finding a troupe of performing monkeys on /V\070r81k3z that would be something. Pearl shmerl.

    [edited because I'm stupid and can't type]
    Edited by 2 at 17/02/06 @ 14:20

  • MrAtheist #80 6 years ago

    Havent played the game and almost certainly never will.

    Can we give the "you dont get it...dead inside" etc. etc. Amway-cult-mechanism bullshit a rest please. Its the stoopid. ;)

  • DaMonkey #81 6 years ago

    I played this again late last year for the second time through, and that ending is still the best, most emotional ending in any game ever! Also loved the fact that you get a lightsabre in place of the secret mace on the second time through! Just Awesome.

  • Carlo #82 6 years ago

    This game is worthy of 100 posts!

    Come on guys! Almost there!

  • kangarootoo #83 6 years ago

    I'm a bit late with this but,

    "you instantly turn on the spot, with one frame of animation"

    I'm not sure you can actually have one frame of animation ;)

  • riz23 #84 6 years ago

    @thefilthandthefury I'm only pulling your leg mate. violence does not equate to great gaming as I'm sure both agree. :)

  • krudster #85 6 years ago

    What's the betting of a SotC anc ICO 1 and 2 in the charts next week?

  • Triggerhappytel #86 6 years ago

    "What's the betting of a SotC anc ICO 1 and 2 in the charts next week?"

    Honestly? Not very high. Both in the top 10, quite possibly. Top 5, maybe. But no's 1 & 2? Unless Sony has a mammoth TV advertising campaign in the next week I still don't think these games will reach enough casual gamers.
    Edited by 1 at 17/02/06 @ 14:49

  • RabidMonkey #87 6 years ago

    What the hell is the point in reviewing it twice if you both more or less agree with each other?

  • thefilthandthefury #88 6 years ago

    @ riz23

    Ah yes, yes. But lack of violence can be equally rubbish as well. It's all down to how well it's implemented.

  • space_ace #89 6 years ago

    playing it with the tune "move bitch, get outta way" is another ticket to enjoyment :)

  • ecureuil #90 6 years ago

    Nobody knows whether to call it "Eye-ko" or "Eeko", and is afraid of looking like a twat by choosing the wrong one.

    It's pronounced ee-ko. Fumito Ueda has confirmed this personally.

  • gaijin #91 6 years ago


    /looks like a twat

  • sibom #92 6 years ago

    so, simple question.

    i know i'll love both ico, sotc and katamari, but are they worth buying a ps2 for? (cos i don't have one)

    the alternative is buying them with a view to playing them on ps3. is backwards compatibility with the breadbin going to be an issue (cos i'd like me one of them!)

    Edited by 1 at 17/02/06 @ 15:09

  • krudster #93 6 years ago

    Yorda even calls out "Eee-ko" in the game, if you're in any doubt.

  • smoison #94 6 years ago

    I can totoally understand everyone who dosen't want to give this game a go.

    I've seen enough to know its NOT my kind of game, and will bore the hell out of me.

    Much Like REZ and other "Indie" titles, juste not what I came to VideoGames for.

    Counter-Strike (1.6) is the ONLY 10/10

  • kalel #95 6 years ago

    Since when where Sega and Sony indie devs?

  • ecureuil #96 6 years ago

    Much Like REZ and other "Indie" titles, juste not what I came to VideoGames for.

    A good game is a good game, don't just label it an "indie" title and dismiss it based on your preconceptions.

  • krudster #97 6 years ago

    I think the description he was scrabbling around for was "alternative".

    If ICO, Rez and SotC are the alternative to most of the drivel I have to play every week, I'm happy with that moniker.

  • smoison #98 6 years ago

    "Wow, you fail at understanding videogames. Real ones."

    LOL, thanks for you holly opinion SATAN.

    But if you consider one person on vote, CS 1.6 will be considered a better game.

  • GitSomE_UK #99 6 years ago

    ICO a joy to play and I have to agree with the 11/10 mark.

    One of my desert island games this, beautiful to look at and very very atmospheric... superb!

    I'm glad you reviewed this again... I say ICO for game of the year 2006.

  • gaijin #100 6 years ago

    surely a "holly opinion" would be from SANTA?

  • GitSomE_UK #101 6 years ago

    Oh yeah forgot to mention... ICO showed what could be done with the PS2... IMO it blows apart any games I've seen so far on the X Kack 360.

    So neh!

  • neon #102 6 years ago

    Looked in game today, Shaow OTC was not on the shelves, there were only display boxes, sold out maybe. Did the game come in a special box like RE4 did? and didn't i read somewhere that europe is have extra stuff on the disc over the japs.
    Edited by 1 at 17/02/06 @ 15:35

  • cyacomini #103 6 years ago

    I have the official ICO soundtrack (imported from Japan) here - forgot it was in my desk drawer at work... now on IPod for the journey home !

    Anyone want a copy ? Offers ?

  • ecureuil #104 6 years ago

    Do you want to know why? I'll tell you: mainstream. It's like music. Mainstream crap sells and is better known. Alternative is quite often better and superior yet nobody knows or cares about it.

    Don't ask me why, I don't know.

    The reason is marketing. It's easier to push say, Westlife on the idiot public, than is it a bad such as Tool. Most people are generally really stupid, and they are just sheep. They listen to whatever they are told by the government, and marketers as if it was the gospel. People just cannot form their own opinions on anything these days, they don't know any better than what Radio 1 play, or what they read in Smash Hits. Alternative music isn't better because it's alternative, and neither is ICO. ICO is just a wonderful game, love went in to making it, and it shows. It deserves success, and I hope it gets it this time.

  • RabidMonkey #105 6 years ago

    They thought it was worth reviewing twice, and two-out-of-two think it's great! Where's the problem?

    No problem, just think it's silly to review the game twice when both writers are of the same opinion.

  • Kain_Cross #106 6 years ago

    No problem, just think it's silly to review the game twice when both writers are of the same opinion.

    They didn't say exactly the same, did they? They only gave it the same score.

  • bink #107 6 years ago

    "I'M ACTUALLY RIGHT! SUPER MARIO KART IS AWFUL!"

    Heretic!!! I played it last weekend 2-player with a friend and it was amazing. Just how I remember it from school.

    Steering, elephant gunning, power-sliding...it's just a perfectly balanced game.
    Edited by 1 at 17/02/06 @ 16:23

  • GrayFox #108 6 years ago

    Was I the only one who tried to bump Yorda? Tall, inocent girls FTW!

    I must be a cold man, best thing I liked about ico were the cutscenes.
    I don't belive anyone who played ico for few hours and didn't yawn at least 9 times.

  • Rodafowa #109 6 years ago

    ...than is it a bad such as Tool.

    Well, you said it.

    "The reason is marketing. It's easier to push say, Westlife on the idiot public, than is it a bad such as Tool. Most people are generally really stupid, and they are just sheep. They listen to whatever they are told by the government, and marketers as if it was the gospel. People just cannot form their own opinions on anything these days, they don't know any better than what Radio 1 play, or what they read in Smash Hits."

    It's not that most people are stupid or aren't capable of forming an opinon, it's just they don't really care about music. They certainly don't care enough to spend chunks of their free time wading through the quadrillion different bands and styles of music out there to discover new, underpromoted or otherwise obscure stuff that they'd otherwise quite enjoy. For this reason, the big sellers tend to be stuff that's played on mainstream radio stations and is easy to listen to (and stuff for idiot teenagers, but that's another issue). The charts are, basically, full of music for people who don't like music.

    In a special two-for-the-price-of-one clarification, this is one of the reasons EA dominates the games charts, too.
    Edited by 1 at 17/02/06 @ 16:45

  • ecureuil #110 6 years ago

    ...than is it a bad such as Tool.

    Well, you said it.

    Haha, that was quite the unfortunate typo, and I won't bother with changing it. Besides, Tool are great, no doubt. They were the first obscure band that came to mind and it pretty much works..

    I still think that generally, people are stupid. You only have to look at any blog or forum on the internet for proof of that - people who have no understanding of even basic grammar.

    The charts are, basically, full of music for people who don't like music.

    This is one of the most logical things I've heard in a while, though. I completely agree.

  • kangarootoo #111 6 years ago

    @ecureuil

    "The reason is marketing. It's easier to push say, Westlife on the idiot public, than is it a bad such as Tool."

    Thats over simplifying things, and making some big assumptions about the general public. For the record, I much prefer Tool to Westlife. But the reason it is easier to market Westlife is because the majority of the public honestly, gennuinely prefers them to Tool.

    Its all very well saying that the public are sheep, being led by marketing people. But we ARE the general public. We can assume some lofty elitist status of "the informed few", but we buy the marketing just the same as everyone else. We simply have different tastes. Do you think that bands like Tool aren't marketed using exactly the same methods? We buy into it just the same as the Westlife fans, the only real difference being that Westlife are liked by more people and sell more records, hence being classed as "mainstream".

    There are plenty of shit underground metal acts out there balancing things out, just as there are a fair few talented pop acts (even if the music they make isn't to my or your own tastes).
    Edited by 1 at 17/02/06 @ 17:34

  • gaijin #112 6 years ago

    hey, leave the kids alone man. They have plenty of time to realise that their existences are just as humdrum and meaningless as everybody else's and descend into cynicism like us old gits. let them think tool are special for a bit, there's a chap.

  • dudefella #113 6 years ago

    Bleh, Ico is the definition of mediocrity imo, gameplay-wise. I don't feel I have to explain myself here, that's just my opinion.

    And don't rag on a guy because he likes CS. My oh my we're all impressed how sensitive you are, liking ICO and whatnot, but don't get all holier-than-thou on people for not liking an 'arthouse' game. Games are about having fun, something I had very little in ICO.

    And yeah, CS is probably the best and most balanced online shooter I've ever played. 10/10 from me there too :)

  • patchbox360 #114 6 years ago

    love is Ico , Ico is love

  • J.C #115 6 years ago

    Not a 10, but a better game than SOTC.

  • HunterKiller #116 6 years ago

    May well have to buy this, 18 squids for a game that the majority seems to think is a classic? Count me in.

    Do have to finish Burnout Revenge and Spartan Total Warrior first though..and Vagrant Story. Oh, and Project Zero.

    May have to wait a while..

  • Chtulie #117 6 years ago

    When 'mediocre gameplay' is mentioned, do they mean 'simple gameplay'?
    'cause a simple game is definatly a lot more preferable then a complex game.

  • squeakyg #118 6 years ago

    Sorry, but when a reviewer says that a game is 10/10, he kinda loses credibility

    Oh look - score criticism on Eurogamer! How unique.

    Alright. Several points:

    What's the point of having a 10/10 system if the reviewer is unable to use all 10 values on the scale?

    A 10/10 scale is not supposed to be a precise "score", it is more of a "category". The reviewer is not trying to hone his opinion into a precise value from 1 to 100, like games mags always used to and some websites continue to do (which to me is silly... all those games mags that somehow judged a difference between an 82% game and an 83% game... ridiculous).

    10/10 is a "category" - ten notches that a game can be placed into. The very best games go into the tenth notch. They don't have to be perfect to achieve this - they just have to be the best.

    Perfect. Best. Perfect. Best. Not the same at all. No game can ever be "perfect", because if only from a technological standpoint, games get better graphics every few years. So just accept that the tenth notch on the scale means "best".

    The reason Ico gets 10? I think it's because it's a masterpiece, when most other games are just games. No other game in history has made me feel the things I felt playing Ico. No game has ever made me feel like a big brother to a vulnerable girl. No other game has made me so angry when the enemies appear, because of what the enemies are trying to do - take her away.
    Edited by 1 at 17/02/06 @ 21:24

  • the creeper #119 6 years ago

    CS sucks. BF FTW!!!

    /runs away

    /then runs back wondering how people got so easily distracted when this thread is supposed to be about ICO.

    Sands of Time was clearly influenced by ICO and is in itself a good game. I think the characterisations and atmosphere are what makes ICO special. I loved the game, although I only played it through the once (and have no immediate plans to play it again). But, as with any game (or film or book etc), it isn't going to appeal to everyone.

    10/10? Yeah definitely. It did things no other game at the time was doing anywhere near as well, and it still stands head and shoulders above anything similar that's come since. However, I do think part of the reason people tend to be so passionate about this game is the scarcity. Until now, I think playing ICO probably had a certain cache attached to it, which will now no longer be the case (since the number of copies in circulation probably just quadrupled.

    Anyway, spare a thought for all those poor souls trying to sell their copies on eBay, expecting to make £40+ from it. The bottom just fell out of the market. Guess they're really going to have to push those art cards... :o)

    http://vi deo-games.search.ebay.co.uk/ico_Sony-PS2_W0QQcatrefZC11QQfro mZR40QQfsooZ1QQfsopZ1QQsacatZ11320

  • the creeper #120 6 years ago

    @squeakyg

    Perhaps EGs score system should go up to 11...

  • admir #121 6 years ago

    Ico and SotC if you see it buy it. We need more games like this

  • Bates #122 6 years ago

    I loved every second of this game. A few of my mates weren't so 'down' with it because it wasn't as 'fast' as Sands of Time, but this, for me, represents the very pinnacle of engaging video games that just trap you in their wonderful little world until the end. It is a marvellous piece of work, simply marvellous, and yes, it is better than Colossus imo.

  • erp #123 6 years ago

    is it just me or were there a number of "the"s missing in kristan's review text?

    /takes annoying pedant hat off

  • dc-uk #124 6 years ago

    Mario Kart is simply superb, no other game has surpassed it for multiplayer racing.

  • Rambaldi #125 6 years ago

    Gush gush gush gush gush.

    Gush....gush gush gush gush.

    Guuuuush.

    /Soooooo wants (although never posted before) to be aligned with the common view
    Edited by 1 at 18/02/06 @ 00:46

  • Rambaldi #126 6 years ago

    /hits self in scrote (this time) for being cynical (again:)

  • Daikon #127 6 years ago

    You say Eeko, and I say Eye-ko, let's call the whole thing off...

  • Zero_ #128 6 years ago

    "Mario Kart is simply superb, no other game has surpassed it for multiplayer racing."

    What about Halo 2?

  • mustardkid #129 6 years ago

    despite not being pushed enough this game did have one of sony's best ever promotional items on original release - that postcard encased in bubble wrap was perfect.

    What makes Ico great? Purity of vision and soul.

  • Kavvy #130 6 years ago

    "Nobody knows whether to call it "Eye-ko" or "Eeko", and is afraid of looking like a twat by choosing the wrong one."

    It's pronounced ee-co according to an interview with the developer ages ago, forget where soz.

  • Daikon #131 6 years ago

    I have the Japanese version right here, and the title is both written in Roman alphabet and the Japanese katakana writing system.

    The katakana says I-KO which is pronounced as EEKO in English. Which is great, but if you write "Ico" then there is only one proper pronounciating for it in English: EYEKO.

    If they wanted it pronounced as EEKO then the developers should have written the title as Eeko, Eacko, Eekoh, Aeko, etc... Anything but "Ico".

    Anyway, great game.

  • UncleLou #132 6 years ago

    If they wanted it pronounced as EEKO then the developers should have written the title as Eeko, Eacko, Eekoh, Aeko, etc... Anything but "Ico".

    And the English pronounciation is relevant why? ;)

    In German, "Ico" is pronounced "Eeko", so there.

  • zErOb_cOOl #133 6 years ago

    So which is best, SOC or ICO? From what I've read on here and various sources, ICO has the upper hand, although I can't herlp but think

    1. Killing massive Collosi in a vast land surely has to be better than escorting a dainty girl through....doors? (seems just like POP:SOT to me.)
    2. SOC will have better controlls and graphics, being a lot newer game and all.

    Now, I know SOC isn't everybody's cup of tea, but it reminds me of Zelda OOT in many ways, and I love that game.

    Just spent money on a new PC (£500 not inc monitor) so not got much spare cash this month, as well as ICO being sold out on Play.com at the moment (I spotted that ages ago for £17.99 damn it!) I am tempted to just start getting into some new RTS games, as I haven't played PC games for years. But ICO and SOC are sooo tempting! Been waiting for SOC for ages too, but I didn't know about the re-release of ICO...for £18! Haven't completes Res Evil 4 yet though, so maybe just stick with that and PC games for a while, at least 'till ICO is back in stock at Play.

  • Zero_ #134 6 years ago

    Zerob_Cool: I'd say, Shadow of the Colossus has more "Wow... holy shit, did you just see that? Phwoooar" moments than ICO, which has only "Wow... that's beautiful", I'd recommend SotC since it is the prequel to it. Yes, that's been 'confirmed' on the official site.

  • Dabs #135 6 years ago

    It has to be said: You Were There is such a bloody beautiful song.

  • locky2003 #136 6 years ago

    This game can be the reason of PS2's existence.

    I had to mod my PS2 'cause it was absolutly impossible to buy legal copy of it at Russia. It worth it. It worth it twice. Plaing US version, then Euro with its nice additional features and small differences - what a pleasure! I think I can enjoy every single moment of this game.

    May be it has some flaws but who cares?! Because it IS the game you'll remember after 5 years with nice warmth in your heart. I'm absolutly sure about it. It's like a first love transfered to gaming experience.

    As a conclusion: I wish I were you if you are not still played ICO. I wish I can play it for first time once again.
    * Excuse my english :) *

  • Daikon #137 6 years ago

    @UncleLou

    In German, "Ico" is pronounced "Eeko", so there.

    That's very interesting! I've been told it is also pronounced as "Eeko" in one of the lesser known dialects of the Ankole kingdom in Uganda.

  • brainbird #138 6 years ago

    "That's very interesting! I've been told it is also pronounced as "Eeko" in one of the lesser known dialects of the Ankole kingdom in Uganda."

    I really hope you just tried to be funny.

  • alexg #139 6 years ago

    SNES MarioKart IS still great too.

  • Kami #140 6 years ago

    Quote by Zero:
    "Mario Kart is simply superb, no other game has surpassed it for multiplayer racing."

    What about Halo 2?

    I'm going to pretend I didn't read that... it will be difficult, but I will try...

    But Ico 10/10? Absolutely. 10/10 goes to the best games out there, titles which are inspired, or perhaps genius, maybe revolutionary to the industry or may be titles which are the pinnacle of their genre. Ico is a lot of this. It's simple but deceptively complex, it's beautiful with a belying darkness to it, it's rewarding and yet at times challenging.

    Above all though, the game just feels right. It has a charm that hooks you, and it is rare to find games like this. Iko (I say "Eeko" but that's just me) is genius. For less than £20, it's an absolute steal...

  • NegativeZero #141 6 years ago

    When the PS2 launched, I couldn't afford to buy one, primarily because as a high-schooler at the time, I could only afford to support one console, and that was my Dreamcast, and then later the Xbox (long-time Bungie fanboy). One of the games that convinced me to purchase a PS2 was Ico. However, by the time I scraped together the cash to buy the console, Ico had become rarer than tits on a bull. I hunted around for it a bit at the time, but eventually gave up because I was informed that the Australian release had been discontinued. This wasn't an unknown experience for me, having suffered through the same thing with just about every Dreamcast game I ever got, as well as several of the more obscure PS2 RPGs such as Disgaea. Usually if you didn't move on it in time, you'd never see a new copy of it again, and I don't buy used games any more owing to some bad experiences during the Playstation era.

    I thought I'd never have a chance to play Ico, so when I heard that Ico was getting a re-release alongside its quasi-sequel, I was extremely excited. Both games are excellent, and as a first-time player (I had only previously seen it in action for about ten minutes) I have to say that Ico feels fresh even four years after its initial release.

    One thing is certain: February 2006 has been an incredible month for PAL PS2 gaming. Within the space of a week we've seen the re-release of Ico along with the releases of We Love Katamari and Shadow of the Colossus (I'm not sure if it was a week for the UK - the Australian release of Katamari seems to have been a little later, and Shadow / Ico was a couple of days earlier). I've been a gamer for 20 years, and I don't think I can recall there ever being three games of this caliber made available on the same platform within a week of each other before now. Certainly not in the last ten or so years.

  • krudster #142 6 years ago

    Re-issue went in at No.23. Not bad for a game that hasn't been promoted.

  • JayScott #143 6 years ago

    @NegativeZero
    As a fellow Aus gamer I totally agree with you - I hadn't bought a PS2 game for ages and then two on the same day (SotC and Katamari). It almost feels bizarre to have the dual shock back in the hands!

  • Triggerhappytel #144 6 years ago

    "Do have to finish Burnout Revenge and Spartan Total Warrior first though..and Vagrant Story."

    Vagrant Story. What a game; my third favourite on PS1 (and possibly of all time..) After FFVII and Metal Gear Solid. Beautiful game, superb designs, excellent characters and an astounding story. Infact, I thought the gameplay was probably the weakest aspect, but even that was much better than most Jap RPGs.

  • Virgil #145 6 years ago

    ico...i will buy it this time but i bought colossus first. Big monsters win in the appeal stakes

  • Duckers #146 6 years ago

    What'dya mean, re-released? This is the first time I've heard of this thing.

  • gamecubeisbest #147 3 years ago

    Best game ever made

  • FiOth #148 3 years ago

    This is one of the best, most sincere accurate and emotional reviews I have ever read.The way this reviewer experienced ICO is the one, true path to follow if you really want to feel all that it has to offer...and that surely is a lot.

    Rarely has any artform (and I am a friend of many, including literature, music and cinema among others) produced the ammount of emotional ecstasy in me that this glorious masterpiece has.Hope, happiness, despair and anxiety are just some examples.

    I finished this title about two months ago and this review made me want to play it all over again.A message to all of you who have never done so - give yourselves the chance to live a truly glorious experience.
    Edited by 1 at 18/01/09 @ 19:12

  • smithdown #149 1 year ago

    This is a FANTASTIC review of one of the best games ever made. Kristan really captures the incredible emotion of playing this game. A+ good sir.
    And now the HD remakes are coming, hopefully this will get a bigger audience...
    Though I'm still annoyed that it's going to de-value my pristine limited editions of this and Colossus...

  • Bremenacht #150 1 year ago

    Perhaps Kristan could be asked to contribute a third page once this is remade for PS3. Given that the game loses nothing on SUPER LARGE televisions, surely it will look even more wonderful!