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ICO-noclastic...

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 2 / 3
Date: November 24, 2006
Author: Amazon User

I bought this game early on it's re-release, as it went for silly money once word got out of its enchanting quality, and copies were scarce to come by for awhile. This game is an experience, much enhanced by its haunting soundtrack - for which I bought the cd for! The blend of puzzles and action is of equal balance in the main, and you'll rejoice when you advance following each obstacle put before you in the game. The graphics are good not great but it is a 4 year old game. The challenge is high enough, my only critique is the length of the game, a tad short, but that's just my opinion, but this is so damn good regardless, an experience bettered on the ps2 only by Okami, MGS3 and SOTC. Get it or regret it!

It's not THAT great...

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 5 / 16
Date: July 27, 2005
Author: Amazon User

I'm surprised at all of the 5 star ratings for this game. I do agree that the environment of the game is impressive, but, the games stumbles in its gameplay, as I found it rather repetitive and boring. The puzzles are not that hard to figure out and, as mentioned in other reviews, the game is short. Recommended only if you can find it cheap.

...wow... ...wow..

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 1 / 1
Date: April 04, 2002
Author: Amazon User

...wow... ...wow.. it's 3:20 in the morning and i just finished ICO. Right now, my heart is just stirred and overwhelmed with emotional wave after wave and filled with something that's way beyond being satisfied and fulfilled by few masterfully done video games. I never even thought about having a thought that there will be a game which will surpass Metal Gear Solid in overall production and Super Metroid emotionally. This personal fact, fact ICO does surpass Metal Gear Solid and Super Metroid, is very, very disturbing, yet I have to, have to admit that ICO stands as the No.1 game in my life. I have played games extensively and religiously since 1986 and humble to say that i'm a gamer who does not only enjoy playing games but know how to appreciate good ones when i play one. And ICO is the one i can't help but appreciate with my deepest part of soul.

THIS GAME, I C O, MY FRIEND, IS THE GAME TO PLAY.

I never ever have played a game that brings this 'mere' game status to something that's almost divine... I loved Metal Gear Solid by heart, last words of Psycho Mantis, last scene of Grey Fox, and many more... This 'never-be-surpassed' game of my life has just been 'surpassed' by ICO.
I wish i could convey the significance of ICO in every way possible, but i could only tell you to play this game.
If you love a game that's intuitive in everyway imaginable, and love that emotional ride, then ICO is the game to get.
Dang it, don't rent, BUY it.

THIS GAME, I C O, MY FRIEND, IS THE GAME TO PLAY, PERIOD

one of the best

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 1 / 1
Date: November 10, 2002
Author: Amazon User

Ico is one of the best games i have ever played. The puzzles are not hard but there not easy either and the fighting system has a lot of cool combos. One of the down sides is the monsters are all black shadows that just take different form. What really makes this game challenging is your protecting a princess from all the mosters and if they get her then you lose and some times that gets really annoying but if you like a good puzzle and a good adventure I highly reccomend Ico: )

Finally, a puzzle game I enjoyed!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 1 / 1
Date: January 27, 2002
Author: Amazon User

I'm not a big fan of puzzle games. You know, the ones where you sit in the same place for an hour twisting knobs and flipping switches until the door finally opens, or moving the chess pieces into just the right configuration so that you can get to the next level.

Which was why I was a little hesitant to buy Ico. Still, the graphics looked amazing, and I found it used, so I gambled and came home with the finest puzzle game I've ever played.

What's different about this puzzle game? A number of things. First, the puzzles make sense. You play Ico, a small boy locked into a deserted castle who comes upon a princess in much the same situation. The object is to get both of you out of the castle. In order to get through a level, you have to get Ico and the princess through the energy door on each level. In order to get through the energy door (which only the princess can open), you have only to get the princess there. Knowing that she can't make the amazing jumps or climb chains like Ico can, solving each level's puzzle is simply a matter of making that level accessible to the princess. This done by lowering drawbridges, pushing boxes, raising stairs, etc. so that the princess can get through the door.

Second, you're not tied to a single spot until you solve the puzzle. The levels in Ico are really big, and you'll need to move thorughout them in order to pave a path for the princess. Just make sure you don't stray from her too long or the mysterious shadows will come carry her away.

Third, there are no items you need to carry around the whole game, looking for the right place to use them. The levels are self-contained, and everything you need to solve the puzzle is right there on that level. In fact, Ico doesn't even have an inventory system.

Fouth, you can't get in so much trouble on a level that you've got to start over; you're free to experiment without fear. The only two things that make you restart the level are Ico falling too great a distance, or the princess being carried away by evil shadows.

As I mentioned at the beginning, the game is gorgeous. The castle has so many varied textures and architectures that every level is a joy to behold. The characters move realistically, and there's a great eye to detail. Whenever Ico jumps there's a little puff of dust that blows up, the sound Ico makes changes depending on the accoustics of the room he's in, the princess reacts to Ico's actions with amazing accuracy. This attention to detail made for an extremely immersive experience.

Finally, the story. There's not much of one - get Ico and the princess out of the castle while avoiding inky shadow creatures and the evil queen. The last hour of the story, however, is really good.

Get the game and play it. Whatever you do, though, don't leave until after the final credits have rolled!

Absolutely breathtaking...

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 1 / 1
Date: November 05, 2004
Author: Amazon User

I picked this game up used (...). I wanted to play it when it first came out, but slowly forgot about it until I saw it used (...). How less meaningful my life would have been if I had completely missed this game.

For being as old as it is, the graphis are simply astounding. Years after the game's release, it is prettier than 99.9% of new games on the shelf for any system. They have a sort of mystical quality to them that you just can't ignore, sorta like Samurai Jack's animation in that it stands out from everything else.

The character animation and moveset is excellent. The 12 year old kid, while very tough for a kid, moves and climbs with great agility and fluidity, but you never feel that he is some great warrior. When you swing your stick or sword at the shadow spirits, he attacks them as a little kid would.

But protecting the girl and leading her around by the hand has to be one of the sweetest, most heartwarming things I have ever seen in a videogame. How this 12 year old kid takes it upon himself to protect this strange woman he saved from a cage is so unique and, as I've said before, heartwarming, that you really begin to care for these characters. And they don't understand each other's languages, which adds to the drama.

And desparation is the only word I can think of when you are leading her along as the shadow spirits come to take her away. Or when the do grab her and fly to a portal, your heart really begins to beat as you try to find her and pull her out before she is lost for good.

Everything about this game has been done perfectly. Even Prince of Persia, a great game in its own right, borrowed a few ideas from ICO. At such a cheap price, I eagerly urge anyone reading this that hasn't played the game, to go out and play it. You won't be disapointed.

Everything Tomb Raider SHOULD be!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 1 / 1
Date: December 02, 2001
Author: Amazon User

This is the type of game I hate! This is the type of game that I throw my controller at the TV! One of the best known titles that is a similar style to this game is Tomb Raider. I can't tell you how many times I tried to get Lara Croft to jump from point A to point B and I ended up falling to my death. That's what ticks me off about these games. But THIS game is everything Tomb Raider SHOULD be! While playing as the boy Ico, I was terrified! You should see the things he has to go through! He'll make impossible jumps from ropes and chains and you would think that it would take a million times until you got the jump right. Not with this game. This game has the most solid control I have EVER experienced! When I wanted to jump on a rope I jumped on a rope. When I wanted to jump over a hole I jumped over that hole! The control could not POSSIBLY be any better! To top that off is the AMAZING graphics! The actual gameplay of this game matches "Toy Story!" You can zoom in and see every little detail on the characters and their surroundings. Everything is extremely beautiful! I felt like I was watching a movie! The movements of the characters are very realistic. You can actually see Ico tugging on Yorda's arm because she's too slow. The length of this game is just right for me. I beat it in a little over 5 hours. I don't understand why ANYBODY would ever play Tomb Raider ever again when they could play this BRILLIANT game! The only way Tomb Raider could be a good game is if it was made by the company that made Ico! A PERFECT GAME!

This Is A Very Fun Game

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 1 / 1
Date: November 14, 2001
Author: Amazon User

If you buy this game you will be sucked into a world that despises boys with horns. They will try to kill you but you escape with help from an earthquake? See for yourself. It's an action-pack thriller where all you have to do is:RUN THROUGH HOURS OF A MAZING CASTLE THAT JUST WON'T END,along with that,THE WEAK PRINCESS YOUR TAKING WITH YOU IS BEING CHASED BY EVIL SPIRITS AND NEEDS YOUR HELP TO KILL THEM.Mabye you'll make it, mabye you'll be sucked in along with the princess, Yorda,and her mother who wouldn't mind that happening at all.I bet you have no idea on what i'm talking about,well buy the game it's worth the money.Trust me.

Surprisingly Different

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 1 / 1
Date: October 17, 2001
Author: Amazon User

If you are someone who loves playing games with a lot of violence, this is not the game you would enjoy. Otherwise, it is a fantastic game. Like what others had said, it is a short game. It took me 7 hours to finish this game and I did it w/o looking at a walkthrough. Like Vagrant Story, you have to solve puzzles to advance. Like Onimusha, this game has excellent graphics. Actually, it has better graphics than Onimusha. The landscape looks so real. Sony really shows people what the PS2 is capable of doing. I usually like long games such as the Final Fantasy series because I like taking my time on the game. However, ICO was fun to play. I recommend you to first rent the game rather than buying it because of the length.

ICO is challenging, and engrossing, but quick.

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 1 / 1
Date: October 16, 2001
Author: Amazon User

A fabulous puzzle game. Playing a couple of hours a night, for a little over 2 weeks, I completed the game (and did not need a game guide). You need to rescue the princess, keep her as near as possible to you at all times (but you need to leave her at times), figure out how to get from one castle room to the next, and defeat the phantoms. The use of graphics is phenomenal. I was stumped by the puzzles about 3 or 4 times, but always figured it out by the next night. The last 2 levels do not allow a save, so you must be persistent. It also contains a bitter sweet ending, but I won't spoil it. It was almost over too soon for me. You can keep multiple saves, to go back to your favorite areas. Whoever dreamed this game up, did a fantasic job. Just viewing the castle surroundings will keep you enthralled. There are basically only 5 levels to complete, but you won't be able to wait to get to the next puzzle. You need to find levers, climb chains, jump wide chasms, swim, coax the princess forward, clobber phantoms, and face the evil queen. All very cool!

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