ICO Comments by Kristan Reed

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

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

CTW - now that's really taking us back!

"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.

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.

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.

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 :)

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

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*

"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!

Ali: Ico wont be loved by everyone, its just a shame but maybe in a couple of years they'll go back to and love it?

With Ico and Shadow of the Colossus it's more an attitude of "Oh, so you dont love the game? What a shame."

"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?

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.

No.

Halo takes a classical gameplay approach and refine it until they reach what some call perfection. A balanced and impressive game.

Ico takes another classical approach and strips it down and then refine it. Ico doesnt stop there, Ico takes the environment and makes the entire castle into a long puzzle, not trying to segment it into levels and give the girl you are trying to lead a sense of helplessness.

It's just not the same school of thought.

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.

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

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.

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!'

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?

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!

@ Artemus

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

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.

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.

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

"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.

"eye-co". Clearly.

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.

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

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

Shows how little attention I pay.

"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.

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

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

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

Since when did violence = a great game?

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

That's boring too.

/is dead inside.

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]

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. ;)

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.

>> 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...

I felt that too, I always walked slowly (Not pushing the analogue stick all the way over) when holding her hand.. weird eh? I guess, if you're the sensitive type, ICO has a way of pushing your buttons?

>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!'

Me too. I actually sold my copy on eBay about a year ago and I have this strange urge to re-purchase.

This game is worthy of 100 posts!

Come on guys! Almost there!

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 ;)

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

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

"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.

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

@ riz23

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

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

"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."

Oh I dunno.. is there much else just released worth buying at the moment? These two certainly seem to be getting a "push" at retail.

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

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

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

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.

/looks like a twat