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About a boy

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 8 / 8
Date: June 21, 2002
Author: Amazon User

ICO is one of the most subtle, well-put together games that you'll ever play. At first I thought that this was going to be a boring, same-old, same-old, type of adventure but I was wrong. ICO is a puzzle game that behaves like an adventure/RPG. Your character is a young boy called Ico and he gets trapped in this huge castle. It's up to you to now escape. On the way to freedom Ico discovers a young girl trapped in a cage. Now the true adventure begins. ICO is loaded with puzzles and strategies.

ICO is an excellent puzzle/adventure. The graphics are excellent, like a subtle painting. The character movements are smooth and life-like. The subtle romantic undertones between Ico and Yorda (the girl) add to the experience. The sound is also very well done. The subtle effects like birds chirping and water falling is awesome. The interaction between Ico and Yorda is also excellent.

I was very surprised that I enjoyed this game as much as I did. It's really awesome in every way. It took me about 15 hours to finish. It seems short but ICO was filled to the maximum capacity. It's complete. If you're looking for something different in the gaming world ICO is your best bet.

Graphics - 5/5
Sound - 5/5
Gameplay - 5/5
Value - 5/5

Sometimes the greatest works are the least known

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 8 / 8
Date: January 03, 2003
Author: Amazon User

ICO
This is one of my very favorite games. It's simpler and yet deeper than most any other game, understated but strong, subtlely intense. It's an island out there amongst the games with an orgy of colors and sparkles and super-overstimulating complicated menus and loud characters. Ico is quietly complex, and with its few words it expresses greater emotion than it would otherwise. Words are more a function of logical thought, while emotions are not so easy to define and can be limited or watered-down by words. Also, Ico leaves more of the experience to the player than most other games. You can imagine that one character is feeling one way while another player thinks something different - like a book, there's a certain amount of interpretation. Each experience differs. Some people get really attached to Yorda, and take special unnecessary pains to not be rough with her, leading her around carefully, feeling frustrated or upset if she's in need, while other people attempt to push her of the cliff ledges and whack her with the stick. It's true that you could act similarly in any game, but here it's decidedly different. While in one game the characters always look the same, like the little action stick figures they are, the characters in this game are real people. They move realistically, act realistically. It's more like role-playing and being immersed in a world, place and time, less like using a person-thing as a vehicle to get to the next challenge of a game. Too many games conform to the latter. In Ico, you're convinced you're that scared little kid in a big castle with this girl to protect, and meters, gauges, menus, numbers and little peices of [stuff] you have to collect to advance aren't there to destroy the realism. There's not a whole lot of music, because the atmosphere is already so intense that music would be sensory overload and destroy the delicious realistic, lonely feeling.Summary: This isn't a game, if you get my meaning, it's more like a world you are in. You are obligated to save that girl and get out of that castle.

Fun, medium-challenging game with amazing graphics

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 7 / 7
Date: October 11, 2001
Author: Amazon User

For those who played the Ico demo, the actual game is a hundred times better. I personally thought the demo was a little boring, and the game didn't seem to make any sense. The full version of Ico, however, is amazing.

Ico is a beatifully made game. It reminded me of Riven (for the PC) except with people. Most of the game's puzzles aren't too hard to figure out, but they are challenging enough to keep you interested. The graphics are amazing, and the story line draws you in. I think that this is by far the best PS2 game I've seen.

Throughout the game, Ico is exploring a huge, aging castle and figuring out how to keep progressing through the various rooms and levels. As an added twist, he must protect the strange girl he finds imprisoned there. She cannot climb ropes and things like Ico, so you must find alternate routes for her. Leave her alone for too long while trying to figure this out, and the demons will attack her, forcing Ico to rush back to save her. Ico and the girl cannot communicate in the same language, but sometimes if you watch her she will provide clues to what you need to do next.

A few negative points (heavily outweighed by all the positives):
-The game is relatively short; I beat it in a few days while renting it. But, I think that if it was any longer, it might start to get tedious and repetitive (like Dark Cloud in the end).
-I didn't like having to get to a save point (couch) before I could save my progress. It seemed like some of the "couches" were very close together, and then at other times I'd go an eternity without being able to save. This made it hard to play for an hour and come back later without having to repeat some things. The end especially is like this--there are no save points in about the last hour or so of gameplay. This does make the game more challenging. Just be sure to leave yourself plenty of time when you sit down to play.

Overall, though, I thought this game was fun to play and awesome to look at. Rent it and see for yourself!

Very cool concept, but requires patience.

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 8 / 9
Date: August 03, 2001
Author: Amazon User

I just played the demo, and this game reminds me of Myst. You are trapped in a beautiful world and you have to figure out where to go/what to do. It tests your ingenuity and resourcefulness. The gameplay is really quite simple to learn, the detailed 3D surroundings and fluid movements of the characters are captivating, and the all-visually-told story is engaging. The interaction between the Ico and the princess (or whoever she is) is very...sweet. A girl could appreciate this game, but I dont see many younger kids gettting into it. It could be a bit boring to anyone who only wants to see blood and guts with techno music blaring in the background. Since I have no attention span whatsoever, I found the game boring after a while. But it is fun to watch other people play and try to collaborate on the puzzle-solving. My husband, on the other hand, thought it was the best game he ever played. He did admit, however, that he would like to see demons other than the same black smoky ones that try to kill the girl once in a while. If she dies, it's game over. The nice thing is that you can only move about and die in a manner very much resembling reality. Although there is nothing scary about the graphics, the suspense itself can give you chills at times. This game is definitely a gem among gems, but I can't see its popularity extending past a rather limited audience. ...Of course, I wouldnt mind being proven wrong.

Can a video game be art?

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 8 / 9
Date: October 02, 2001
Author: Amazon User

When most non-gamers think of computer games, they think of black screens full of crab-like aliens and monotonous beeping noises. Even for gamers, the heritage of computer games makes us focus on graphics on the technical side--polygon count, frame rate, slowdown, character modelling, textures, etc. We do not, generally, pause and reflect on the aesthetic side of gaming. To be honest, many games don't do much aesthetically, anyway, in their aim to be more fun than beautiful.

Ico changes all that. First off, the game is a lot of fun. It is more of a mind teaser than a button masher, so if you get your kicks shooting things, go buy something else. But when I say "mind teaser," please do not think of the aggravation of Myst, which was just too hard (and arbitrary) to be fun. Ico is about the exploration of environments, and then the thoughtful manipulation of the environment to enable two characters, with different abilities, to collaborate and escape from a haunted castle. Exploration means rope climbing (and swinging), jumping, switch pulling, wall scaling, evil spirit whacking, bridge walking, torch lighting, totem dragging fun.

And these environments are worth exploring. Standing on a parapet looking down hundreds of feet across bridges, floors, towers, arches, rivers, and mystical machines is an exhilirating feeling. The walls and trees create shadow effects that will blind you at times and at others make you feel cool. Waterfalls, chandaliers, draw bridges, and gates powered by sunlight make you content at times to stand and stare. Could this be a video game?

Ico is art. As a piece of art, take your time and explore it. Don't use a clue book--you are wasting your money. The puzzles aren't that hard, and it's the exploration that makes this game. And if the game has one knock, it is that it is too short--about 10 hours to complete.

But in those moments when you are standing high up on a bluff, looking down at the structures from your previous adventures, it will all be worth it.

One of the All Time Greatest Games ever!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 8 / 9
Date: January 25, 2007
Author: Amazon User

I have just completed playing this game all the way through and I was moved to write a review on it. It is, in my opinion as a gamer, one of THE best games to ever grace a console. If you own a Playstation 2, you must play this game. Whether you are into adventure or action, you must play this game. If you have never played this game, consider yourself deprived. In all of my years as a gamer and that is many, many years, I have never come across a game such as this. This is just totally awesome. Once you play it, you will never come out the same. You cannot stop playing this game. I was totally addicted.
The puzzles in this game are just pure genius. The action, although it takes a back seat to the puzzle elements, are sufficient. If I were to compare this with any other game, it would be Zelda. But this game is in a league of its own. It simply OWNS the genre called adventure. I would wonder if the guy that calls this game a rehash of Tomb Raider actually played this game through. I have played Tomb Raider and I don't think that it is anything at all close to ICO. It's like comparing a Mercedes with a Hyundai.
I was totally engrossed by this game. I was up until the wee hours during the ending. This game will grab you by the shirt and never let go. It has one of the greatest cinematic effects in any video game. It plays like a movie. All the elements of a great game are in it. Along with the great graphics (even by today's standards), awesome sound and absolute perfection in gameplay execution.
If you own a Playstation 2, you owe yourself a play through with this masterpiece. I am now a believer. All those "effusive" rave reviews are all warranted. If I knew how great this game was before I had purchased it, I would have easily spent the fifty dollars that other games are going for (most of which are not worth the list price). People say that this game is short but I say that it is perfect. Believe me it is not short unless you go to sites for game cheats. It will suck out time from your life but it will be all worthwhile. Besides, its not the length of the game, it's the quality of the time. And this game has it all in spades!
So to conclude this review I have to say that this game is one of THE greatest games of all time!

Ico, an emotional and cerebral masterpiece.

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 10 / 13
Date: March 13, 2002
Author: Amazon User

Summary
I have always disliked reviews that start off with grandiose endorsements. That said, to illuminate the importance of Ico as a milestone in game development, I feel it necessary to begin with some very broad statements. Ico is a special game of immense beauty. It is an emotional and cerebral masterpiece so revolutionary that it sets a standard by which all other PlayStation 2 games (and indeed games on other platforms) may be judged. I have never played a game that compelled me as Ico did. Neither has my wife (who upon watching me play, also wanted to play). Nor has our daughter or our friends and neighbors (who we went out of our way to share this extraordinary experience with). Thus, I make this heartfelt endorsement. Every PlayStation 2 owner should have this game in their collection. In fact, every gamer (regardless of their preferred platform) should experience Ico. Ico is a glimpse into the future of interactive entertainment - a glimpse no one should pass up.

Over the last few years, some amazing games have been produced. Black and White, Halo, The Sims, Grand Turismo 3, Final Fantasy 10, Max Payne, Grand Theft Auto 3, Red Faction, Metal Gear Solid 2 Sons of Liberty - these are all wonderful games that are frequently mentioned in reviewer's top game lists. However, amongst this sell-out crowd of greats, Ico quietly and gracefully stands head and shoulders above.

Ico takes video gaming in new directions by removing the traditional constraints presented in RPG, adventure, puzzle, and action games. Presenting a singular world with characters that are alive and emotionally moving, Ico gives players the freedom to think and to participate. As such, Ico represents the beginnings of a kind of interactive entertainment not yet seen. There are no "find the key", "manage scant resources", "worry about health points", "can't go here before going there", or "character leveling" mechanics in Ico. The theatrical world presented pulls players in like no game yet created. You don't so much play Ico, as take in the experience of having done so.

Although arguably a fairy tale, Ico has a universal appeal brought about by its ability to touch even the most staid of gamers with the plight of its central characters. If you haven't played Ico, you're missing something incredibly special. Ico is the reason I bought a PS2. If you own a PS2 and don't already own this game, go and buy a copy now. If you don't own a PS2, Ico is reason enough to buy one. For my money, Ico is unequivocally the game of the year. There is no other game on any current platform (PC, XBox, GameCube) with the same degree of artistic vision, storytelling, and technical quality. Forget Grand Turismo 3. Forget Final Fantasy 10. Forget Metal Gear Solid 2 Sons of Liberty. (All great games by the way.) If you haven't played Ico, you simply haven't experienced what the PlayStation 2 is capable of. You've also missed a gaming experience not likely to be duplicated for a long while.

Gameplay
Produced by an internal development studio at Sony, Ico tells the story of a little boy sacrificed by his village because he is born with horns. After being taken to a mysterious castle and entombed, he is left to die. However, Ico's spirit and will to live are like no other. In his journey to escape the castle, Ico meets Yorda - a young girl equally imprisoned and whose language he cannot understand. Thus, the children begin their journey to escape against surroundings of impenetrable odds, yet immense beauty.

There is much more to the story than I have revealed. Haunting segments are scattered throughout the puzzles that make up the majority of the game. Usually, this type of storytelling annoys me, but the bond between Ico and Yorda is so great and the depth of their fate just as compelling that this hardly seemed to matter. After the game is finished, it is almost impossible to stop thinking about it. While the story is complete, many details have startling implications and are left to the player's interpretation. Like the revelation in the film The Sixth Sense, Ico takes on a completely different context when played a second time.

During the game proper, there is intentionally little story being told. The player is left to deal with the obstacles faced by the children. The bulk of the story's resolve comes during the last quarter of the game. This minimalist approach actually works to Ico's benefit. Had there been more revealed during the game, players would not be able to give attention to the immediacy of the tasks at hand nor would they find themselves as involved in them. When you finally come to understand how Yorda is inseparably bound to the castle, the dramatic impact leaves ones stomach feeling empty. I can't think of any game that has had the ability to affect me this way.

During many parts of the game, Yorda seems curiously detached and wonders away from Ico. At first this seemed like a bug or omission in programming. However, as the story is revealed, it becomes startlingly evident why Yorda has no real motivation to leave the castle. The power in the story is that Yorda is still inexplicably drawn to Ico and to his need to escape. (Note, it is important not to turn the game off as the ending credits role. If you do, you'll miss a significant part of the story that occurs after the credits have finished.)

While a difficult game to classify, it is certainly possible to identify what Ico is not. Ico is not an RPG or an adventure game in the traditional sense. Ico is not a survival/horror game, or a sports title, or a puzzle game (although, in an odd way, Ico is closer to the puzzle genre than to any other). Ico is not an action or fighting game despite the fact that there are battle sequences. Ico's gameplay is deceptively simple: get from point A to point B. It is in how you do this that sets Ico apart.

Ico's puzzles come from the environment that the children inhabit. To escape the castle, Ico and Yorda must navigate drawbridges, windows, caverns, windmills, ladders, ropes, and the great sea that separates them from land. Ico's agility allows him to climb and to leap great distances, however, Yorda is frail and unable to cross obstacles requiring such strengths. Ico must first determine his own path and then assist Yorda or find a new path that she can traverse. While this pairing might seem one-sided, Yorda's body possesses a magic that neither child understands. The essence of Yorda's abilities ultimately traps her in the castle's grasp, but these abilities also allow the pair to open passages that Ico alone could not.

Ico is the playable character, while Yorda will follow or may be left alone so that Ico can explore the greater surroundings. If Yorda is left for too long, the castle's creatures attempt to steal her away. Thus, Ico must solve the puzzles before him while protecting Yorda along the way. This need to protect Yorda whilst dealing with your own dilemma is what creates such an incredible sense of connection between the children and the player. When Ico takes Yorda by the hand and guides her gently to safety, the result nourishes both the mind and soul. Equally as compelling are the times when Ico must tug Yorda along with great haste. She simply cannot keep up and players feel every ounce of her delicate nature. Thus, while the puzzles themselves are extremely well designed, it is the context in which they are presented that takes the game to higher levels. Ico and Yorda are incredibly believable characters, perhaps two of the strongest characters yet seen in a video game. The fact that this believability is achieved with little spoken dialog is a testimony to the ability of the storytellers. Ico's story is experienced, not told. After walking a mile with Ico and Yorda, you really feel as though you've been right alongside them.

The puzzle design in Ico is nothing short of brilliant. That's because you are never really presented with puzzles. The puzzles exist because of the environment and because of the strengths and weaknesses of the children. Even speech plays a role as both children can speak but neither understands the same language.

The solutions to all the puzzles are in the game. Yes, I know we've all read this before (and been duped), but in Ico this is actually true. Using a walkthrough guide or cheat codes doesn't make sense. Firstly, if you use these, there is no game left to play - you have robbed yourself of the entire point of the experience. Secondly, because solutions are deduced by interacting with the environment, the answers, when discovered, feel incredibly sensible - this gives immense satisfaction in figuring them out. (There are no Tomb-Rader-like puzzles requiring Vulcan mind melds with the developers.) Having said this, some of the puzzles are challenging. You must examine what you know and sometimes think a bit outside of what you know. Every puzzle can be figured out by deduction and by performing actions in the game. That's one of the things that I love about Ico. It doesn't fe

ICO, a breathing fantasy world meets Enya

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 6 / 6
Date: September 24, 2001
Author: Amazon User

Blow over Dark Cloud, shift yer booty Tomb Raider, a new hero has entered the building. Or Castle, I should say. After numerous replays of the highly underestimated PS2 demo of ICO, I have come to the dreamy conclusion that few games released this year have caught my attention so dramatically. What a magnificent suprise! First, ICO starts with no background, few instructions, and a mysterious beginning. Our nameless protagonist falls from what seems to be an enormous clay jar, either birthed or released into a dark, cold stone hall. From there, he must scurry around the enormous rooms, climb stairs and boxes, scale dangling chains, pummel away a small band of smokey spirit enemies with a stick and make death defying jumps over a broken bridge. All the while, you must rescue and lead a sun starved princess out of the expansive walls of this mysterious prison castle. I've seen a slew of reviewers (and promotionals) that say, "best-looking", but until you've seen ICO, you're just reading advertising. Just wait til you see the grassy knoll, pond and windmill that wait for you outside the castle doorways. This game embodies the word "beautiful". The animations and actions of the character and the environment interact as if they were real. The gameplay is simple, yet intruiging. Needless to say, I will be spending my carefully saved [dollars] on ICO as soon as it hits the shelves.

A short, yet unrivaled masterpiece.

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 6 / 6
Date: October 04, 2001
Author: Amazon User

With its minimalist approach and subtle nuances, ICO has leaped from out of nowhere and is sure to become one of the PS2's most-treasured titles.

Sure, most gamers won't take to ICO's ambient, dream-like nature, dismissing as boring and tedious. But real gamers know that qualities like exacting realism and moments of human suspense aren't easy to achieve. When Ico has to wander off to open a door, or scurry up a chain, and Yorda, the princess, is suddenly in danger of being taken away, the game taps into a real emotional response: Save the girl. Sure, it's a cliché, but it's an undeniable one.

And while it's easy to dismiss that with "It's just a game..", once you play ICO, you won't feel the same way. ICO manages to pull you in, if by nothing else, by the sheer experiences you must go through. You HAVE TO walk across gigantic rooms, you HAVE TO climb neverending ladders, and you HAVE TO help Yorda along the way. As in reality, there are no shortcuts, and the quasi-emotional bond that forms as a result is well... like I said, undeniable.

As many have already learned, ICO is surprisingly short in length, but it's hardly fair to complain that the Mona Lisa is too small a painting. ICO is one of those few games that can honestly be regarded as a work of art in itself, with gamers everywhere in hopes that this is only a primer for a much more spectacular follow-up.

Breathtaking

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 6 / 6
Date: October 26, 2002
Author: Amazon User

It seems odd to say about a video game, but Ico is lovingly crafted. It is beautifully simple. It is a work of art. Very few other games can even approach Ico's level of artistic and cinematic presentation. More so than almost anything else, Ico is an evolution in game design. It is different. That is rare. I, for one, would be disappointed if more games of the sort weren't created, though it doesn't lend itself too well to be a new genre. At the very least, I hope it will influence others in the video game industry.

Ico's graphics are good, and they exhibit an impressive unity and style. The lighting and shadows are excellent. The castle is perfect, and lends itself well to chilling visuals of far off areas. There aren't too many cutscenes, but they are fantastic, and they don't drag like so many other games. Some graphical affects, like the shadow monsters, and the little birds all over the place, and the spreading darkness when Yorda is dragged down into the nether, are very cool.

Ico himself is cool, as a boy that was exiled for his villages good fortune, due to his horns. He is an athletic 12 year old, leaping around and climbing chains and such. Yorda is a mysterious woman whom Ico finds soon into his adventure. She cannot be understood by Ico, but he helps her along anyway, as she seems to be in need of help. She is kind of absent minded (as far as AI goes), but she never really wanders off very far. Many complain about her not taking an active role in the adventure, but it felt to me like she was supposed to be mysterious, and not just a normal person. That, and I don't know a single girl of her stature that could climb a chain. I thought it all worked well. When you are forced to leave her behind it is suspenseful, as she is can be attacked while you're gone, which is a terrifying experience. There is also the "Queen", another mysterious person Ico meets. Saying much more would spoil it.

The gameplay itself was surprisingly fun, though not enough to satisfy die-hard action fans. The puzzles, for the most part, are easy and they center around getting Yorda through the castle (which Ico can traverse easily). The combat with the shadow monsters isn't too tough, especially once you've got your sword. There's not too much to it. There isn't a lock on system or anything, just running around and attacking. You can't actually be killed (I think), so the important part of the combat is actually defending Yorda. It is cool when you are swarmed by nearly unstoppable masses of enemies, and your only option is to drag Yorda to safety while trying hopelessly to fend off enemies. Good stuff.

Ico has some of the most carefully done sound I've ever encountered. The music is eerily appropriate and never overpowering. Often, there isn't even music, but just background noises or a chilling silence.

There isn't an abundance of story. Rather, it all just sort of exists. The beginning and set-up are excellent, and it leads to an ending which is breathtaking. It was beautiful. I was left in awe.

All this, and Ico only took five hours to finish, which is the only major drawback. Which is kind of a shame, because I don't know how much longer it could have gone on without ruining it. Some have mentioned that Ico is less a game than a work of art. It is both. You've got to experience Ico for yourself. Unless you hate solving puzzles, play this game. It is worth every moment.

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