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Romantic adventure with a difference...

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 2 / 2
Date: August 27, 2002
Author: Amazon User

ICO cannot be categorised in any of the common game genres, as this "game" plays more like a romantic novel, engaging the player in an emotional and spiritual feeling that far transcends the boundaries of common "game experiences". Sure, you will need to climb ladders, activate levers, defend against evil shadows, etc. but all these actions will absorb your mind and soul in a truly beautiful way.
The scenery is sublime in its melancholy, the struggle to free Yorda is agonisingly poignant, and the conclusion is a complete surrender to the higher emotions of love and mystery.

Amazing!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 2 / 2
Date: March 28, 2003
Author: Amazon User

Ico is one of the best puzzle/adventure games on the PS2 if not the best. The worlds are graphically beautiful, and the gameplay, although slow at times, is still interesting, and innovative. The only problem I have with the game is the camera. You don't have enough control over it. When you use the right analog stick to pan around, you can't always see in certain directions, which can be a pain. Other that if you like puzzles, a great story line, and a taste for adventure, Ico is the game for you.

a must have for adventure fans

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 2 / 2
Date: November 25, 2003
Author: Amazon User

gorgeous graphics, interesting (but not TOO difficult) puzzles and an engaging story set the stage,..but,...REALLY,..it is the ABSOLUTELY STUNNING AND INCREDIBLY ATMOSPHERIC GRAPHICS of this game that set it apart. just beautiful!!!!! what a joy it was to play this game! puzzles aren't TOO hard, combat isn't THAT tough,...but...WOW...it sure is pretty! Almost dreamlike in it's fluidity, the visual appeal of ICO is undeniable. no machine guns. no lasers. no bloodshed. it is a giant canvas of fantasy art come to life. why aren't there more games like this?? buy it and ENJOY!!

I love this game!

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 2 / 2
Date: January 11, 2004
Author: Amazon User

I love this game! I have played it over and over again just to see the wonderful graphics... And the 2 characters (Ico and Princess Yorda) are so cute together. Ico will grab her hand and pull her along like a child at a theme park.

The castle is wonderfully put together. Everything it there for a reason!

Things are so life-like! After leaving Yorda alone for a while she will go play with a bird or climb on something.

And there is only 2 ways to die (which was really good). Those are- for you to fall off something really high... or for yorda to get sucked in a hole.

The most impressive video game I have ever played

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 2 / 2
Date: January 16, 2004
Author: Amazon User

Just read the other reviews... 'nuf said. Still, I'd like to point out a few things that I found special about the game.

-Comhesive architecture. Even though the game is linear, you'll be walking somewhere and look down and say 'oh, I remember that part there was a puzzle and I had to do...'; Throughout the game, you'll eventually end up exploring every part of the castle, nothing is there "just for show"
-Grahpics. Contrary to what some people might say, I found the graphics to be very good. In terms of pixel count or raw power, Ico doens't hold up against most games, but it's strength lies in it's presentation. The game seems to have a fuzzy look to it, but even when you zoom in, it the quality doesn't depreciate that much, but adds to the overall dream-like quality of the game.
-Playtime. Even though it only took me 10 hours to beat the game, I savored every minute. Everything just feels right for some reason, and although some people complain (mostly an afterthought) the game is too short, nobody has yet lodged a specific complaint, saying "This part should have been longer". Yes, it's only 10 hours, but it's an excellent 10 hours.

DO NOT BUY THIS GAME IF YOU ARE LOOKING FOR BLOOD AND ACTION

A truly beautiful game

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 2 / 2
Date: August 02, 2005
Author: Amazon User

The overall atmosphere created by the stunning graphics and fabulous sound is simply wonderful. The player is presented with an interesting variety of puzzles which are essentially "do-able" within a relatively short time, (unlike many games in which an unassailably difficult "wall" is reached at some point preventing progression). In a way, the puzzles are something to keep you amused whilst you are having fun exploring. It is great for those who have a romantic streak and aren't really interested in competitive, skill-centred games. Overall, the effect is both haunting and emotional. This game is so good, it borders on the sublime!

I never thought a video game would give me vertigo.

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 2 / 2
Date: September 19, 2004
Author: Amazon User

One of the most overlooked games of high quality -- Ico is an extremely realistic game. Little music surrounds you as you travel throughout the mysterious world. Instead, you are forced to face the sounds of water trickling down stone walls, waves crashing against a distant shore, gulls crying from the sky above, the cries of your princess companion when she is hurt by the shadow demons... This is a haunting work, closer to art than game. The main character must find his way through a castle designed to imprison those inside. He must also help his princess-friend escape, holding her hand as they run from the shadows, whistling to her when he wants her to follow. One of the great things about this game is the dynamic between the two characters. The main character, which you as the player control, has to find ways in the castle that are safe for the princess to pass through. She quietly obeys your instructions, seeming too feeble to fight off the demons or do much of the exploration herself. It is unclear how long she been imprisoned, but you know she will die if she remains. The game has an extremely imposing atmosphere - you will stop playing it and feel the urgency of the princess' plight. While an extremely linear game - you have to get through the castle by passing through a strict order of rooms - though how long this will take you and which way you solve the puzzles is up to the player. It will torture you if you are terrible at puzzles and impatient in temperment, but if you enjoy that kind of challenge, you couldn't pick a more elegant or unique game.

A fairytale that will leave you changed

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 2 / 2
Date: October 05, 2004
Author: Amazon User

ICO is a game with a simple concept that, when approached with the right mindset, will be one of the most moving games you will ever play.

A simple concept; you are a boy, and within a huge castle, you must lead a girl by the hand from point A to point B. She is not as agile as you are, so you must often make a path for her to proceed along with you. Monsters will occassionally appear and try to take her away, but the central focus is not on fighting enemies.

The main focus is on the puzzles, finding something (A switch, activating some sort of chain reaction of objects, etc.) that opens a path so that you can lead the girl safely to the next area. The puzzles are well designed, most of the answers to the puzzles will come to you pretty quickly if given enough thought. The controls suit the game perfectly.

But beyond the seemingly simple concept enlies what makes ICO so exceptional: The emotional experience one recieves as they progress through the game.

Many games (Such as the "Final Fantasy" series) boast the number hours the quest takes to complete, and the variety of items, weapons, etc. that can be aquired if one takes the time to get them. ICO has none of these. To sum up ICO, I would describe it as a "fairy-tale-like quest that will immerse you in breathtaking and believable world, and by the end will change the way you think about video games." I can say in all honesty, that I have never cried at any point, in any game, except for ICO.

ICO is more than just a video game. Beyond hi-scores and "game over"s, ICO has proved that video games can truly be an art.
So if you have the curiosity, and feel you can play the game with an open mind, I suggest you give it a try, and see how moving a game experience can be.

beatiful design, great game play

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 2 / 2
Date: July 24, 2005
Author: Amazon User

If you haven't already played Ico, an oldie but goodie for the PS2, I highly recommend you go out (and by go out I mean browse on over to amazon.com) this minute and pick up a copy. The total play time is rather short by some standards, about 10 hours or so, but those 10 hours are filled with wonderful puzzles, stunning vistas, and great game play.

First and foremost, Ico is a puzzle game classified under "Action Adventure" according to gamespot.com; big on the adventure, not so big on the action. As someone who plays Silent Hill with the fighting settings on low and the puzzle settings on high, I thought the ratio of action to adventure worked well and allowed me to concentrate on the puzzles. I found that when the baddies did show up the timing and placement of their arrival actually enhanced the game and puzzle, which goes to further emphasize that everything about this game is well thought out and implemented. There is nothing extraneous or gratuitous about Ico.

As the title indicates, you play a young boy named Ico who is on his way to being sacrificed because he happens to have horns growing from his head. The villagers take him to a remote castle island and lock him inside a tomb to meet his fate. A sizeable earthquake reveals that his fate is different from those who came before him, as his tomb tumbles from the shelf and he finds himself free in a vast, empty castle. A bit of exploration reveals Yorda, a young, silent and mysterious girl trapped in a cage whom he immediately frees. The interaction between Yorda and Ico is intrinsic to the environmental puzzles that permeate the game. While Yorda is mobile there is little she can seemingly do on her own, nor can she be left alone for long before she will be attacked by enemies. Ico must drag her around, coax her up and down ladders, catch her when her jumps fall a bit too short of the gap, and protect her from those that wish to attack her. This can be annoying at times, but overall the interactions between Yorda and Ico, her relience on him, and the animations for both nuture an emotional link and investment in the game.

An added bonus, which I'm not sure is present in the U.S. release, is a two player feature that can be unlocked after completing Ico for the first time. After the credits roll and you wake up on a beach, you must find Yorda and then save the game. This will allow one player to take control of Yorda the second time through the game. New weapons are also available the second time around.

Five stars, two thumbs up, and full marks on whatever other ranking system you'd like to invoke. Ico is masterfully done in both artwork and game play, and is an experience I think everyone should have as part of their cultural lexicon. Yes, I like it that much.

A beautiful, artistic game with stunning graphics.

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 2 / 2
Date: January 02, 2006
Author: Amazon User

I bought this title purely on Game site recommendations of the best PS2 games around a couple of years ago & I'm glad to say that I found it to be the most visually arresting game I've ever played. My favorite type of games are Role-Playing, in the main because shoot me ups and fast driving games make me physically nauseous, in the Sea-Sick kind of way. So, I have stuck to games like `Silent Hill 1, 2 & 3', `Fatal Frame' & so on. What I particularly like about this game is that the cut scenes blend perfectly with the play scenes so that you don't get that horrible sense of let-down that unfortunately comes with some other games. You have a huge environment to explore & a it's visually stimulating especially once you get into the outdoor environments with clouds, water, mountains, trees & huge castle battlements giving an epic `Lord of the Rings' style grandeur to the proceedings. The hero `Ico' is easy to move around and moves with a nicely fluid motion. This is especially true of the girl `Ico' has to save whose movements are the best I've ever seen in a game and by best I mean most realistic & beautiful. A lot of people have mentioned how artistically & aesthetically pleasing this game is and that is certainly true and even though it's a few years old now the graphics are still impressive. The puzzles are pretty difficult, although I'm not a weekly gamer warrior, I found it gave me quite a few weekends satisfaction trying to find things and sort through the puzzles. And even if you have trouble getting through the game you really won't mind as it's such a visually arresting game to play and enjoy. My highest recommendations for this title.

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