ICO

The arrival of Shadow of the Colossus saw a welcome re-release of this cult game. Before that it was almost impossible to find. Shops didn't have it, and pre-owned copies on eBay were selling for ridiculous prices. I had read about the game and figured that if people were paying that much for it, it had to be worth having.

They were right! With Ico you are not so much playing a game as playing an experience. A beautiful, peaceful, immersive experience. Be warned - it is both original and different, but persevere and it is very rewarding.

This is one of those games that didn't set the world alight, it doesn't go off with a bang, nobody dies horribly, there are no big guns, nothing drives fast, there are no scary monsters or gore, and I guess by some modern standards graphically this won't set the world alight either (although I love it!) but what this game does is magical.

It gives you an unknown world of fantasy and a few simple talents to get by in it with, a girl who seems to need your help, and some weird shadowy creatures that seem to want to stop you and her getting out of there alive!

But the cleverest thing this game makes you do is care.

Truly, an experience!

Ico is an imersive puzzle adventure game the likes of which have never been seen (until the release of SotC). Take one boy with horns on his head, one girl who needs to get some sun and a wooden pole. Now as the boy you need to rescue the damsel bt solving elaborate puzzles incorporated in the world around you. Sounds easy, well, stay away from the chick too long and the shadow monsters come and take her away, so you have to keep her close.
ICO is a very difficult game to review because unless you have played it it is hard to appreciate the appeal of this game.

Ico is a game that a cult hit but people dont seem to know why unless they played it.

You take the role of Ico, an exiled child, imprisoned on an island who is trying to find his way out.
Not long after you start, you find a glowing girl trapped who you have to release from the cell she's in.

After releasing her, you'll notice she has an ability to open the selaed doors around the castle, allowing you to try and escape, but she isnt as active as active as you, so you will need to help her by lifting her up ledges, catching her after a big jump, and taking her hand to take her from place to place.

This type of gameplay seems to build a connection between you and this girl as you try to protect her from the shadow creatures and rush around looking for her if she ever dissapears.

The only downside I had with this game was how short it was, but despite that it was a great game and quite groundbreaking in my opinion, definately worth looking at.

This game is a work of art, the story I have to say is emotional but brilliant. The guys from Team ICO made a true modern classic with this game and it's little brother Shadow of the Colossus as well. The gameplay is great as well as the controls and of course the graphics are out of this world. I still can't believe this game was released in 2001 and on a PS2. Seriously like SOTC it's so detailed and huge for a PS2 but it paid off as this was a great game. Recommended for Action-adventure fans but if your not into escort missions then your experience may differ. But this shouldn't be avoided, it's too good to be missed.