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Definitive proof that innovation exists in gaming.

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 64 / 66
Date: February 19, 2002
Author: Amazon User

Every once in a while, a game comes along that redefines innovation and sets a standard for all others to follow. "Legend of Zelda" for the NES defined adventure-style gaming, "Final Fantasy VII" for the PSX brought RPGs to the mainstream, and "Super Mario 64" for the N64 is what all 3D platformers are compared to to this day. Joining this list of games is "ICO" for the PS2. So what does "ICO" redefine in terms of innovation? The experience.

"ICO" at its core is a platformer and puzzle-solver with some basic combat elements, but its deeper aspects make it far more than that. The title character, Ico, must lead a young girl called Yorda out of a rundown castle and protect her from shadow creatures that try to reclaim her. The gameplay is very simplistic and yet contains one of the richest experiences ever found in gaming. The way Ico leads Yorda around is so beautiful, so powerful than it makes the player forget that he's playing a game and is instead living a dream. The dual-shock controller adds to the experience by causing the player to "feel" Ico leading Yorda by the hand. Add in realistic body physics, and the feeling is one that remains etched in a player's memory.

Adding to the unforgettable experience are superb graphics, some of the best the PS2 has seen. While the characters can look a little hazy sometimes, they always look, act, and seem real. The environment itself is a work of art. Unlike games like "Myst", where puzzles are just put there with no purpose other than to be solved, the castle is a living and breathing puzzle that is there for a purpose. Textures, lighting effects, and water effects all add to the magic the gameplay already casts.

Soundwise, there isn't a lot of music in the game except during cutscenes, pause menu, and the ending. But had there been music duing gameplay, it might've actually ruined the experience. A whistling castle with dripping water, crackling fire, and the footsteps of Ico and Yorda is all that's needed here. It simply adds to the experience. Also, the original voices were left in the game, and subtitles have been provided.

With all the good that "ICO" has, is there bad? Unfortunately, yes. The game is sadly quite short. Seasoned players can finish this game in 7-10 hours or even less, and replay value isn't very high for some players. The battles in "ICO" are very easys, usually requiring hack-slash-and-retreat tactics (although, personally, I feel a grandiose fighting system would've been ridiculous). Also, there is a small bug in which the pause menu sometimes pops up and freezes the game. I've only come across this once, but it is there.

But in the end, "ICO" outshines all its faults. From beginning to end (the ending was one of the most satisfying endings I've ever seen in gaming, far more satisfying than the ending of "Final Fantasy VII"), "ICO" is a masterpiece, albeit sadly a short one. Some players will want to buy this game and relive the experience again and again. Others will only want to live it once through a rental. Either way, this game deserves to be played by anyone and everyone.

a great game that holds up over time

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 36 / 36
Date: May 05, 2003
Author: Amazon User

I bought ICO over a year ago, but never completed it. That is, until recently. This weekend I popped it back in to my PS2 and finished it off...and boy, am I glad I did.

ICO is an absolutely wonderful game. It has impeccable art direction, superb gameplay, and a very charming story. I was blown away by the scope and design of the environment. Even today.

The story is simple. ICO is a small boy out to rescue a fair princess in a huge, daunting castle. Finding your way out of the fortress is just half the battle, as you are able to do things and go places the fragile princess is not. You must figure how to get her out, too, while fending off the dark spirits out to steal her back. The game is a moderately-paced fairy tale in the absolute best sense. From opening to closing credits, this game is top notch.

If you like puzzle adventure games, you have to play ICO. It's vast, cinematic, and wonderfully played out. At it's current retail price it's a bargain. The used prices are just too good to pass up.

Really. Do yourself a favor and play this game if you never have. It's an early PS2 title, but it's still one of the best, and probably one of the most genuine games you will ever play.

The best demo I've played

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 26 / 26
Date: July 24, 2001
Author: Amazon User

The demo is amazing.. if you look for the "summer jampack" disk which is only 7.99 - then you can experience this (if it sounds like your kind of game). What follows has no spoilers.

It starts with a good setup movie, which explains how the horned boy got locked in the castle (inside an urn).. the movie is rendered with the game engine! (it is not silicon graphics pre-rendered footage).

After the movie setup leaves the camera alone in this huge prison room in the castle, the floor crumbles and your urn spills open tossing you (the boy) onto the ground.

The initial room is *huge* with 36 of these mysterious urns lining the wall. Since one assumes each urn has a (presumably dead) person in it, this is a spooky setup indeed.

The sound of ICO is very striking.. there is no music while playing, but with brilliant footfalls, torches and other sound effects who needs music?

Movement of the boy is almost flawless.. beautifully animated he walks, trots, runs, trips, jumps and a dozen other things with high realism.

The resolution of the view inside the castle is high (unlike the comment left by another poster), although the rough hewn stones that form the walls and floor, slightly shifting camera, and misty corners to the rooms can give a negative impression to some.. but if you take time with the 2nd analog stick to move the view up and around, looking at the high roof and the detail you will be amazed.. having a quality TV with S-video or better connections helps a lot as well.

Moving through the demo you are required to solve some very simple puzzles and bring down the cage holding the mysterious girl, who is animated with a soft glowing quality that is quite wonderful..

It is only when one reaches the outside of the castle (with girl in hand) that the power and resolution of the ICO graphics engine reveal itself.. the view distance is astounding, with moving clouds in a bright super-white sky, and shifting sea far below.. the grass is almost floro green in the sun, but dark in shadow. A spectacular windmill rotates (with creaking sounds) over a pool of clear water .. the water reflects the windmill and also bounces wavering suns rays onto the wall above it..

If you leap into the pool, the waves spread from your impact, changing the reflections correctly and in real time .. its quite quite stunning, and the best in-game water possibly ever seen.

Shifting the view around one can appreciate the vastness of the castle surrounds, and get an idea of the adventure that awaits the boy and his strange friend in the full game.. there remains only one more puzzle to solve (how to help the girl across the bridge).

Ending the demo reveals an amazing cinema (once again, all in-game clips) that shows night, rain, waterfalls, explosions, trees with leaves waving in the wind, more switches and puzzles and demons. The 1 minute music track that goes with this cinema is also spot on.

Playing the ICO demo (which can be done in little over 10 minutes) over and over again I've spotted more things each time and cannot wait for the full game..

Some (kids) will undoubtably think ICO is "boring" or does not involve blood or guns and so is not for them.. but I'm convinced ICO is going to be one of the top 5 games on all platforms for the year 2001, and will be a game for adults who still have a child inside, and can still lose themselves in a fairytale world.. especially one as beautifully rendered as this.

A Mysterious Masterpiece

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 18 / 18
Date: August 20, 2005
Author: Amazon User

The mysterious game called Ico never made a splash upon release, nor did it really try to. Just like its quiet and shadowy approach within the game, its marketing was just as ambiguous. While I think this game was definitely underrated by audiences, it was just a TAD overrated by critics. You control a boy born with horns called Ico, who's been banished away to an immense castle as we're told "for the good of the village." There you escape and find a white glowing princess, and you must lead her and yourself out of there while trying to avoid the princess being captured by her dark lordess mother and her ghouls, while solving puzzles along the way to get out.

Eyes and Ears: 4/5: On a simply artisitc level, Ico is brilliant and beautiful. It's apparent with both graphics and sound the designers were trying to go for a more artsy approach rather than a straight-out bar-none eye-popping design. The graphics in this game are gorgeous, but not to the casual observer, as most of its inspired level design, attention to detail, and polished glitz are greatly overshadowed by a misty fog, or a layer of light calming "fuzz." This effect gives the mysterious world at some mysterious time a sense of surrealistic ambience, almost as if we were dreaming this whole adventurous ordeal.
Sound I can summerize in one word: quiet. The ONLY music that ever plays during the game is when you're loading your game, if you die, and during the ending. The other 95% of the time there is no sound but various doves flying around, footsteps, clanks during battle, the main character's mystery language, and other sound effects. At first I felt the game could've only benefited from some beautiful fantasy type music, but later swallowed my words, as doing so would make this dreamlike experience, well, far less dreamlike.

Hands: 3/5: While everything else in this game was beautiful, I have to give an 'eh' to the controls. See, the camera is self moving, which means you can't control it and you must move the analog stick in the appropriate direction depending on what angle the camera is pointing (always annoying). Also, I've fallen more times than I needed to thanks to Ico's running being too loose to what degree I'm holding the analog stick. On top of that, during battles it's basically mashing the same button towards whatever enemy you're fighting... but keep in mind, battle is simply an icing on the cake in this game (an easy icing), the fundamental thing here is puzzle solving. Decent controls, but would have appreciated a tighter feel.

Brains: 4/5: While many complain that the puzzle aspect in this game isn't anywhere near the challenge they thought it would be, it's for good reason: this isn't Myst. There are no collecting items for later strategic use, or reading riddles and trying to figure out how to solve a puzzle from them, or connecting jigsaw pieces together. The "puzzle" aspect in this game are from trying to find a way out of what specific area you're in, and not only that, but trying to get the princess a way out as well (because she's not as nimble as you and can't do as much). Getting from point A to B is the only point. Also, I think the concentration on this is only greater emphasized by the fact that there are no health meters, no power-ups, no hidden treasures, no timers. The only ways to die or lose is if the princess gets captured and pulled into the ghoul's black hole, or if you fall from a far distance. (hint: if you find yourself straying too far away from the princess, you're not doing the puzzle right and she WILL be captured - always keep her as close as possible)

Hormones: 4.5/5: While in the beginning most gamers may find this to be too slow, the more patient and sensitive gamer will fall in love with this one. Though you may think this game has no point, play it long enough (well, not too long, I beat it in 8 hours) and the characters will grow on you, leading to one of the sweetest and most heart-touching endings I've seen in a game in a very long while.
See, the most beautiful thing about this game lies in its mystery. The fact that you don't know what time you're in, or what world (or universe) you're in, or who EXACTLY these characters are, where they came from and where they go afterwards. Nor do you know what language they're speaking in (everything's subtitled). Still, you fall in love with this brave boy and beautiful princess because you become one with their adventure, and you learn more about their character based on this rather than just having 20 pages of backstory written by the game designer.

The purest ones who don't care for meglomania in games will see this one through and appreciate it greatly in the end. There most likely will be no sequal, or prequal, or spin-off. This is just a random but uniquely gorgeous little bird in a huge forest of birds who'll only be noticed and appreciated by a few. And just like a dream, this one comes to an end short, but the ride is great while it lasts.
If you're into castles, heroism, fantasy and lovable characters and need a break from blowing people's heads off (I did for a little bit) pick this one up now. Considering most people have it for less than $20, you've got nothing to lose.

Get lost!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 17 / 18
Date: June 21, 2001
Author: Amazon User

No honestly, you will get lost in this game. Not the kind of lost because you don't have a map, but lost in Ico's amazing world. I played this game at the 2001 E3 and was blown away. I found myself returning to the game every day of the show just to play the demo over and over again. The game is almost like a dream that is open for exploration....there is no time limit, no health bar, no maps...it's quite peaceful. Granted there are puzzles and some monsters but your character can easily destroy them with his wooden stick, your mission, however, consists of escorting a captured princess out of an abandoned castle. While this may sound like some classic video game plot (and it does) it is done in such a fresh new way that you don't really care. The area in the demo was amazingly detailed, from water that ripples when your character jumps in to the sounds of a slowly turning windmill (I can't wait to see all the locations in the final game). Character control and animation is also astounding, just the way your character tugs at the arm of the princess to guide her around is sweet. Heck, this game is so detailed and emersive that characters speak their own language -created just for this game! Word has it that Ico was originaly planned as a PSone game...so this game has been in the works for a loooooong time. Trust me, when this game comes out in August the wait will have been worth it. If you own a PS2, you owe it to yourself to get lost in ICO!!

The Computer Game Art Masterpiece.

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 14 / 14
Date: April 29, 2006
Author: Amazon User

Once upon a time.... there was boy with horns on his head called Ico and because he was different, everybody in the local village had him sent away to be locked up in a castle by the mysterious shadow queen and her minions. Cue a sudden earthquake that shatters the jar Ico was bound inside letting him loose inside a castle maze full of cages, swinging chains (press O when you are on one), staircases, levers, openings, windows, pipes, elevators, rock faces, tunnels, sewers, blocks, trains, cranes, bombs, fires, gates, graveyards, vents, ropes, windmills, cogs, waterways, towers and of course the shadow demons who are trying to kidnap the little glowing white girl you have found who can mysterious open special doors by standing before them if you grab her by the hand and manage to lead her through the maze after you have worked out the various brainteasers that allow you both to navigate it (she can't climb chains, crawl across walls or manage large drops). This is the kind of game that puzzle-lovers and those who like a good challenge should immediately pick up and insert as quickly as possible into that PS2 DVD drive. It requires your thinking cap to be on... for all of it.

Apart from the fact that is one of the best 3rd person puzzle games ever made, the quality of the 3D art on display is beyond belief. Most of the game is jaw dropping awe inspiring. When it was released as a demo in late 2001 (a year after the PS2 came out) it made quite an impact on those who played it with its bleached out overexposed Manga cartoon look and the stunning free camera mode which is used by moving the right thumb pad with zooming ability, left everyone flabbergasted. The problem was that the game was in Japanese with subtitles and so distribution was sadly poor in the West with very few shops bothering to stock the game when it came out. It is even hard to track down on the internet. Thus if getting Ico is difficult then sadly most of the PS2 owning world is never going to play one of the best games of all time. For those who got it, you will remember how gorgeous every single moment of this game was, from the opening sequence being led into the castle to the golden beach ending. Take any still shot of any section of the game and you can easily hang it as a painting on your wall. Imagine a game that looks totally stunning with a fun game play element that requires a bit of an IQ level. The only drawback was the girl you need to drag about the place. Sometimes her AI is bit like a very low IQ... but we are only cribbing compared to the utter experience of playing a marvel like Ico. It is four years old and still has the ability to put things like the XBOX 360 to shame. It is not surprising that in 2005 the makers of Ico brought out the breathtaking "Shadow of the Colossus" that looks like you are playing it on a PS4 or an XBOX 1080. In short, PLAY IT and then get "Shadow of the Colossus" right away after it. What are you waiting for? DO IT!

ICO - Very Creative and Fresh

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 12 / 12
Date: October 15, 2001
Author: Amazon User

I finished the game a week ago and have to say, I miss playing it. I even got a little misty-eyed at the end (make sure you sit through all the credits). If you don't use a walk-thru, you'll find it plenty challenging. Most strategy games are "Every Man for Himself" or "Kill or Be Killed." This is such a nice break from all that. The designers simulated a friendship and trust between your character and Korda's that their relationship seems almost real. The scenes are beautiful, you sometimes have to stop just look around and listen. If you rest in a grassy area, you may hear a bird fluttering by and watch it land near Korda's feet, and she may run off to capture it. The graphics are amazing, something like Riven but not so static. The special effects: sunlight, shadows, smoke, fire, and the sounds are the best I've come across. I recommend this game to both children and adults. The spirits may be too scary for children under 10, but for older kids it is challenging and engaging (even for us much older kids). I watched a 10 year old boy playing the game at a department store while his mother was shopping for CDs. I stood behind him and found myself saying, "you need to stretch out your hand to help her up." His mother saw the game and walked over, she was immediately engaged in the scenery and obviously pleased to see Ico rescue Korda and take her by the hand; she asked, "what game IS that?" I would be surprised if anyone says, after playing Ico, that they dislike this game.

It's not a game. It's digital art ; a painter's envy.

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 11 / 11
Date: September 27, 2005
Author: Amazon User

I used to be a dedicated gaming enthusiast years and years ago in the final fantasy 7 PS1 days. Just when I thought in my mid-twenties that I had totally and forever lost any real significant interest in video games, I get laid off from work.Hmmm. I begin pondering how to use some spare time; nothing like a bit of video game playing to pass the time and ease the frustration of job rejections. So I borrowed a friend's PS2 and rented Ico. I'm not really sure what nudged me in the direction of this game. Maybe it's the fact that I remember years ago when it first came out how much of an impact it's lush graphics had on me and I only played a demo version of it at Wal-mart for 15 minutes. I remember thinking to myself one day I got to really check this game out.To say that Ico has restored and quickened my interest after so long is an understatement and an ultimate testimoney to this game's power. This is the first time I've ever reviewed a game and it is rather befitting that Ico should be the one to make me write it.

Obviously who ever reads this has a general idea what this game is about so I won't elaborate into detail about territory that has alreday been covered in depth by so many people. The bottom line is this. Rescue a frail girl from a mysterious castle by controlling a horned boy named Ico through puzzles and obstacles all the while fighting shadow creatures that appear from time to time. There! I think that about covers it.

The graphics are just extraordinary. Colors are so vibrant. I've never seen sunshine on a game so golden and crisp and trust me thats saying something since my old tube TV has seen better days. The game play is very good although it cannot compare with other strong games solely intended for an action format. The movements while being very lifelike and fluid border on the surreal as the frail girl Yorda is dragged along by Ico. Colors are often used as a washy haze which another reviwer from a different site described as having a bleached type look. It's fantastic!

There could be some better use of the scrolling/viewing ability in the game ,but it's not a hinderance whatsover in the grand scheme of it all. If you are looking for riveting fast moving action based graphics and gameplay you won't find it in this game. If you play it, you will however find something you probbaly haven't found in any other game though..

The most noteworthy aspect of Ico I'd like to share with people is the intense emotional impact this "game" has and how well the designers so eloquently convey it in this work of art. I've only been playing this game for a day [4-5] hours and am totally blown away by it. This game is very much the epitome of experiencing what so many other game designs in the same genre fail to deliver and that is emotonal communication. Like great movies, great art, and great music, this game trully transcends a fundamental human message and discovering that message yourself is a deep and rich reward. It's very inspiring. I know,I know. I'm starting to sound all sappy ,but I just can't help it. I honestly think this game can make someone a better person after playing it. Can video games do that you ask? This isn't a game my friend...It's ART!

I'm very glad I went back and experienced Ico...

You will be glad after you have experienced it too!

You've Never Seen Anything Like This!

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 9 / 9
Date: August 10, 2005
Author: Amazon User

This is one absolutely amazing game. I originally bought this game because I read two things: First, the gameplay was original and genius. Secondly, because it supposedly made gamers cry (funny reason, I know).

STORY
A boy with horns is locked away in a castle. He soon meets a princess locked in a cage, and the two team up to escape the castle. Along the way, some mystical creatures who look like dark shadows being vacuumed out of reality (hope that helps) and an evil sorceress try to stop them. Why the resistance...you'll find out. Don't let this simple fairy tale set-up fool you. The bond that Ico and Princess Yorda share, and unspoken emotions that they feel, will strike a chord in your heart, too. Bear in mind that this game has nearly no dialogue, and none of it is English. The actions speak for themselves, much like a silent picture.

GRAPHICS
Simplicity has never looked so vivid or captivating. The colors are beautiful, and are pressed over with a white, slightly-saturated effect. This game is stunningly gorgeous. The character models are very well-done, but instead of realism...they have a fantastical appearance to them. For example, Princess Yorda kind of looks like an anime female up close, but has an angelic glow and such fluidly drawn animations. The environments are well-lit, and the spell effects are terrific. Add to that smooth animations and cool water effects, and we've got one of the best looking games to ever grace the PlayStation 2.

SOUND
I love this music! There were times where I loaded up the SAVE screen just to hear that wonderful tune. This musical score really invokes an emotional response like no other. The game is eerily quiet, but that's the point. Imagine walking down an empty garden, but in the distance you hear the humming-sound of the Shadow creatures and the gentle cry of Princess Yorda. Moments like these raise your pulse and will catch your attention right away. I'm not sure if the spoken dialogue is Japanese, or if the language was specifically written for the game. All I know is that English voiceovers would've hurt this game if treated as a Hollywood project instead of the classy, artistic game that is "Ico"

GAMEPLAY
Again, very minimal while creative and genius in execution. There are no tutorials, no health meters, no time limits, and no maps. It's up to you to discover what to do (or read the Manual, that always helps). Instead of inner-thoughts ("Maybe I should try this.") or text-boxes, the puzzles unfold with brief camera pans, and then the rest is up to you to explore. Never once did I feel that the castle was too vast or confusing. Even if you get lost, the stellar graphics will help you be patient and appreciate the exploration. Yorda and Ico will have to work together to open doors, cross obstacles, and operate machinery. I know I'm gonna sound like a wimp, but Yorda moves better if you hold her hand and lead her around. That simple feature made me feel something deep down. Leading an innocent girl around with only a wooden-club and your wits is truly original and awesome.

REPLAY VALUE
This is the only bad part. This game can be finished in under 10 hours, maybe less if you're good at these games. There was talk about a second version that would be unlocked after finishing the game one time through, but it never reached U.S. consoles. I'm not sure if overseas versions have this option. Make no mistake, though...the first time through is something to truly cherish!

"Ico" is a masterpiece. The second time won't offer anything new, but for a first-time experience and very low cost (this game is worth 20 bucks down), I wouldn't trade anything for this experience. This game features compelling quest that does not disappoint. It's not the greatest game I've ever played, but this is an emotional experience that I will never forget!

We need more like this

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 10 / 11
Date: December 05, 2001
Author: Amazon User

One usually doesn't have emotional attachments to video game characters.
Unless you're made of stone, Ico will change that.
This game has some of the most beautiful layouts I've ever seen - all within the realm of the actual playing field, not cut-scenes - and the architecture and design of the castle is phenomenal. Ico himself conveys the attitudes, emotions and energy of a twelve-year-old boy perfectly, even without intelligible speech, and the adorable Yorda indeed has a languid delicacy to her movements that would be expected of a born-and-raised princess. The puzzles were a pleasant challenge, and having a continuity of location is very interesting...you are always emerging above, below or outside places where you'd already been, and need to rely on memory to return to areas to complete unfinished business. The music, while not scored like some games, is ephemereal and sets the mood perfectly, while the sound effects echo through the empty rooms very nicely, and the clop-clap of Ico's wooden sandals and the twittering of the birds in the numerous sun-drenched courtyards is a real treat.
Ico pays attention to subtle detail like no game I've ever played, and the characters convey wonder, urgency and compassion in a way I've never seen. I give this game my full approval...I'm just sad it's over.

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