Shadow of the Colossus & ICO [HD on PS3]

[Tatsujin]

Back when the game was released. ICO (in its time) and SotC (in its time) were major hits. Don't compare old hits to modern games, unless you state your own opinion from that time.

[logos]

Back when the game was released. ICO (in its time) and SotC (in its time) were major hits. Don't compare old hits to modern games, unless you state your own opinion from that time.

neither of them were mainstream hits, mostly just rpg fans have even heard of SotC...and ICO...major hit? I can say with certainty that I've never even seen it at a game shop

inb4 tatsujin ragepost

[Tatsujin]

Back when the game was released. ICO (in its time) and SotC (in its time) were major hits. Don't compare old hits to modern games, unless you state your own opinion from that time.

neither of them were mainstream hits, mostly just rpg fans have even heard of SotC...and ICO...major hit? I can say with certainty that I've never even seen it at a game shop

ICO

Reception

Ico sold 700,000 copies worldwide, with 270,000 in the United States[24] and the bulk in PAL regions,[16] and received strong reviews, becoming a cult hit among gamers.[30] The game has received aggregate review scores of 90 out of 100 at Metacritic[31] and 90% at Game Rankings.[32] The game is considered by some to be one of the greatest games of all time; Edge ranked Ico as the 13th top game in a 2007 listing,[33] while IGN ranked the game at number 18 in 2005,[34] and at number 57 in 2007.[35] Ico has been used as an example of game that is a work of art.[36][37][38] Ueda commented that he purposely tried to distance Ico from conventional video games due to the negative image that video games were receiving at that time, in order to draw more people to the title.[39]

Some reviewers have likened Ico to older, simpler adventure games such as Prince of Persia or Tomb Raider, that seek to evoke an emotional experience from the player;[36] IGN's David Smith commented that while simple, as an experience the game was "near indescribable." [40] The game's graphics and sound contributed strongly to the positive reactions from critics; Smith continues that "The visuals, sound, and original puzzle design come together to make something that is almost, if not quite, completely unlike anything else on the market, and feels wonderful because of it."[40] Many reviewers were impressed with the expansiveness and the details given to the environments, the animation used for the main characters despite their low polygon count, as well as the use of lighting effects.[7][8][40] Ico's ambiance, created by the simple music and the small attention to detail in the voice work of the main characters, were also called out as strong points for the game. Charles Herold of the New York Times summed up his review stating that "Ico is not a perfect game, but it is a game of perfect moments."[19] Herold later commented that Ico breaks the mold of games that usually involve companions. In most games these companions are invulnerable and players will generally not concern with the non-playable characters' fate, but Ico creates the sense of "trust and childish fragility" around Yorda, and that these leads to the character being "the game’s entire focus".[41]

The game is noted for its simple combat system that would "disappoint those craving sheer mechanical depth", as stated by Gamespot's Miguel Lopez.[8] The game's puzzle design has been praised for creating a rewarding experience for players who work through challenges on their own;[40] Kristen Reed of Eurogamer, for example, said that "you quietly, logically, willingly proceed, and the illusion is perfect: the game never tells you what to do, even though the game is always telling you what to do".[9] Ico is also considered a short game, taking between seven and ten hours for a single play through, which Game Revolution calls "painfully short" with "no replay outside of self-imposed challenges".[42] G4TV's Matthew Keil, however, felt that "the game is so strong, many will finish 'Ico' in one or two sittings".[7] The lack of features in the North American release, which would become unlocked on subsequent playthroughs after completing the game, was said to reduce the replay value of the title.[7][40]

Awards

Ico received several gaming acclamations from the video gaming press, and was considered to be one of the Games of the Year by many publications, although it was in competition with other best-selling 2001 releases, such as Halo, Metal Gear Solid 2, and Grand Theft Auto 3.[35] The game received three Game Developers Choice Awards in 2002, including "Excellence in Level Design", "Excellence in Visual Arts", and "Game Innovation Spotlight".[43] The game won several Interactive Achievement Awards from the Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences in 2002 including "Art Direction" and "Character or Story Development", and was nominated for awards of "Game of the Year", "Game Design", "Level Design" and "Sound Design".[44]

Legacy

A novelization of the game titled Ico: Kiri no Shiro (ICO-霧の城- Iko: Kiri no Shiro?, lit. "Ico: Castle of Mist") was released in Japan in 2004.[45] Author Miyuki Miyabe wrote the novel because of her appreciation of the game.[46] A Korean translation of the novel, entitled 이코 - 안개의 성 (I-ko: An-gae-eui Seong) came out the following year, by Hwangmae Publishers,[47] while an English translation will be published by Viz Media on August 16 of 2011.[48] Costumes (including Ico and Yorda), stickers, and sound effects from Ico will be part of an add-on pack for the game LittleBigPlanet, alongside similar materials from Shadow of the Colossus, after being teased by the game's developers Media Molecule about two weeks prior.[49][50] A film adaption of Ico may come about based on the success of the adaptation of Shadow of the Colossus being created by Misher Films in conjunction with Sony and Fumito Ueda.[51]

Several game designers, such as Eiji Aonuma, Hideo Kojima, and Jordan Mechner, have cited Ico as having influenced the visual appearance of their games, including The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess, Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater, and Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time, respectively.[16] Marc Laidlaw, scriptwriter for the Half-Life series, commented that, among several other more memorable moments in the game, the point where Yorda attempts to save Ico from falling off the damaged bridge was "a significant event not only for that game, but for the art of game design".[52] Movie director Guillermo del Toro (Pan's Labyrinth) has cited both Ico and Shadow of the Colossus as "masterpieces" and part of his directorial influence.[53] Jonny Greenwood of Radiohead considers, of his top ten video games, "Ico might be the best one".[54]

Shadow of the Colossus

Reception

Shadow of the Colossus's commercial reception was positive, with sales of 140,000 copies in its first week at retail in Japan, reaching number one in the charts. Almost 80% of the initial Japanese shipment was sold within two days.[59] These figures compare favorably with Ico, which was well received by critics but failed to sell a significant number of copies.[60] The game was placed on Sony's list of Greatest Hits titles on August 8, 2006.[61][62]

Unlike Ico, Shadow received far more exposure, due in part to Sony putting its weight behind a massive advertising campaign.[63] It was advertised in game magazines, on television and on the internet, including a viral marketing campaign launched in October 2005. The site posted links to several websites claiming that the remains of five giants resembling certain colossi had been discovered in various parts of the world. The website has since been taken down. Some speculate that Ico's sales figures could have been improved if similar advertising efforts were made before its release.[64]

Critical Response

Shadow was well-received by the media, with an average critic score of 91.58% at Game Rankings,[65] making it the 13th-highest rated game of 2005.[66] These include the Japanese magazine Famitsu, who rated the game 37/40,[67] the UK-based Edge, who awarded an 8/10,[68] and Electronic Gaming Monthly, who granted 8.8/10.[55] GameSpot's review gave it an 8.7, commenting that "the game's aesthetic presentation is unparalleled, by any standard",[10] while multimedia website IGN hailed the game as "an amazing experience" and "an absolute must-have title", rating it 9.7/10.[22] GameSpy described it as "possibly the most innovative and visually arresting game of the year for the PS2".[23] A retrospective Edge article described the game as "a fiction of unquestionable thematic richness, of riveting emotional power, whose fundamental artistic qualities are completely fused with its interactivity."[69] Dave Ciccoricco, a literature lecturer at the University of Otago, praised the game for its use of long cutscenes and stretches of riding to make the player engage in self-reflection and feel immersed in the game world.[70]

Many reviewers consider the game's soundtrack to be one of its greatest aspects. In addition to Electronic Gaming Monthly's award of "Soundtrack of the Year",[55][71] GameSpot commented that the musical score conveyed, and often intensified, the mood of any given situation,[10] while it was described as "one of the finest game soundtracks ever" by a reviewer from Eurogamer.[11]

However, the game has been criticised for its erratic frame rate, which is usually smooth while traversing the landscape, but often slows down in fast-paced situations, such as colossus battles.[10] Concern was also expressed about the game's camera, which was described by GameSpy as being "as much of an opponent as the Colossi", "manag[ing] to re-center itself at the worst and most inopportune times".[23] Reviewers are often mixed about Agro's AI and controls; while gaming website Thunderbolt insists the realism of her movement and behaviour "create's a videogame experience unlike any other",[72] Edge comments that the controls are "clumsy, crude, and unpredictable".[68] Other critics like Game Revolution[73] and GameSpot felt the game was too short (average playthrough time estimated 6 to 8 hours), with little replay value given the puzzle elements to each colossus battle.[10][73]

Awards

Shadow of the Colossus has received several awards, including recognition for "Best Character Design", "Best Game Design", "Best Visual Arts" and "Game of the Year", as well as one of three "Innovation Awards" at the 2006 Game Developers Choice Awards.[74][75] At the 2006 DICE Summit, the game won the award for "Outstanding Achievement in Art Direction" at the Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences,[76] while it received one of two "Special Rookie Awards" at the Famitsu Awards 2005.[77][78][79] It was nominated for "Best Original Music", "Best Artistic Graphics" and "Best PS2 Game", yet also "Most Aggravating Frame Rate" in GameSpot's awards for 2005,[80][81][82][83] while it won "Best Adventure Game" and "Best Artistic Design" in IGN's Best of 2005 awards,[84][85][86] who cited Agro as the best sidekick in the history of video games.[87] Two years after its release IGN listed Shadow as the fourth greatest PlayStation 2 game of all time,[88] which they later changed to best overall PS2 game during the platform's 10th anniversary on October 29, 2010. Games Radar awarded it Best Game Of The Year 2006 (being released in the UK in early 2006, later than the US),[89] while the game's ending was selected as the fourth greatest moment in gaming by the editors of GamePro in July 2006.[90] The readers of PlayStation Official Magazine voted it the 8th greatest PlayStation title ever released.[91] Destructoid named the game #1 in their list of the top 50 video games of the decade.[92] During IGN's 2010 Game of the Decade, Shadow of the Colossus was chosen for best game of 2005 and second game of the decade, behind Half-Life 2.

--

Sources are inside Wikipedia for both. Hit the links at the bottom to confirm them yourself. The games, just like other games, aren't perfect and have few flaws. But the reception, awards and reviews responded positively to both games. Just wanted to double check with you. Which part of those two games weren't mainstream hits? Is it sales? I definitely didn't check the sales. But from all of what's being said from above ... Yeah, they were major hits in gaming history based on reviews, producers and fans themselves.

If they weren't mainstream hits, then do provide your own sources.

[logos]

inb4 tatsujin ragepost

~snip~ tatusjin's almost immediate ragepost

I dunno if you actually bothered to read what you posted, but you posted sales for ICO "270,000 in the United States" which is lol pathetic sales wise
nice site to compare sales
if you look at that link you'll notice shadow of the colossus @1mil which is much better than ICO but is still pretty shitty.
Now shadow of the colossus is/was a much bigger hit and received some real awards, but ICO is obscure as hell, got a couple indie awards in obscure categories and some really good reviews, but thats it.
Neither game was received well at launch and neither game is well known even today except by rpg fans and jrpg fanboys, as such you could never consider them "major hits".
good reviews != major hit status

inb4 tatsujin ragerant

[Tatsujin]

inb4 tatsujin ragepost

~snip~ tatusjin's almost immediate ragepost

I dunno if you actually bothered to read what you posted, but you posted sales for ICO "270,000 in the United States" which is lol pathetic sales wise
nice site to compare sales
if you look at that link you'll notice shadow of the colossus @1mil which is much better than ICO but is still pretty shitty.
Now shadow of the colossus is/was a much bigger hit and received some real awards, but ICO is obscure as hell, got a couple indie awards in obscure categories and some really good reviews, but thats it.
Neither game was received well at launch and neither game is well known even today except by rpg fans and jrpg fanboys, as such you could never consider them "major hits".
good reviews != major hit status

inb4 tatsujin ragerant

There's nothing to rage about, logos. You simply want to show off in which you utterly fail at it. Did you read what I just said at the very bottom? No, you didn't. And I did read what I posted. But you, on the other hand, didn't. Posting to someone like you who lacks common sense to read and comprehend is becoming more and more a waste of my time.

They were major hits, not in sales figure, but in reception. Go back and ready. Okay?

If you wanna get cocky with me I have no problem getting cocky with you. I like mashing kids with "lol inb4 ragerant" -- fucking nerd.

[TMRNetShark]

inb4 tatsujin ragepost

~snip~ tatusjin's almost immediate ragepost

I dunno if you actually bothered to read what you posted, but you posted sales for ICO "270,000 in the United States" which is lol pathetic sales wise
nice site to compare sales
if you look at that link you'll notice shadow of the colossus @1mil which is much better than ICO but is still pretty shitty.
Now shadow of the colossus is/was a much bigger hit and received some real awards, but ICO is obscure as hell, got a couple indie awards in obscure categories and some really good reviews, but thats it.
Neither game was received well at launch and neither game is well known even today except by rpg fans and jrpg fanboys, as such you could never consider them "major hits".
good reviews != major hit status

inb4 tatsujin ragerant

Just because you thought they weren't great games... doesn't mean that people that mattered thought they were great games. Lets look at what some of the paragraphs said...

Several game designers, such as Eiji Aonuma, Hideo Kojima, and Jordan Mechner, have cited Ico as having influenced the visual appearance of their games, including The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess, Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater, and Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time, respectively.[16] Marc Laidlaw, scriptwriter for the Half-Life series, commented that, among several other more memorable moments in the game, the point where Yorda attempts to save Ico from falling off the damaged bridge was "a significant event not only for that game, but for the art of game design".[52] Movie director Guillermo del Toro (Pan's Labyrinth) has cited both Ico and Shadow of the Colossus as "masterpieces" and part of his directorial influence.[53] Jonny Greenwood of Radiohead considers, of his top ten video games, "Ico might be the best one".[54]

Because of ICO, we had developers saying that ICO's art design was so good it influenced how those three great games got their art styles. Marc Laidlaw (someone who obviously wrote the Half Life series) said that that scene was so significant that developers sound definitely take a bit of advice from ICO when making your own game design.

BTW, SotC didn't just recieve "some real rewards" you twit. Let's read again....

...while it won "Best Adventure Game" and "Best Artistic Design" in IGN's Best of 2005 awards,[84][85][86] who cited Agro as the best sidekick in the history of video games.[87] Two years after its release IGN listed Shadow as the fourth greatest PlayStation 2 game of all time,[88] which they later changed to best overall PS2 game during the platform's 10th anniversary on October 29, 2010. Games Radar awarded it Best Game Of The Year 2006 (being released in the UK in early 2006, later than the US),[89] while the game's ending was selected as the fourth greatest moment in gaming by the editors of GamePro in July 2006.[90] The readers of PlayStation Official Magazine voted it the 8th greatest PlayStation title ever released.[91] Destructoid named the game #1 in their list of the top 50 video games of the decade.[92] During IGN's 2010 Game of the Decade, Shadow of the Colossus was chosen for best game of 2005 and second game of the decade, behind Half-Life 2.

There are a lot of "Of all time" awards in there, right? So CoD, Halo, Gears of War, Final Fantasy, and all those other "great selling games" might be big hits... but don't you ever compare art to a mere video game again. Then again, you'll just think your right, claim that you are right and neither game was good/recieved well, and we'll start all over again.

I'll save you the trouble. What other games in history does what ICO and SotC does? Can't think of many? They are both adventure/puzzle games... yet nothing seems similar. That's because they are pieces of art and not video games. They are more of cinematic experiences that you control and it immerses you into the universe. Obviously it's not for everyone, but if you were a true gamer... you would know that those two games are important to the history of video games (if you think otherwise, have fun being an idiot).

Now proceed to point and laugh "Hahahahahhahahahaha hah!" I'm just kidding. But seriously... if you've never played the game, I suggest getting the collection pack. Best $40 you will ever spend.

[Sosseres]

Back when the game was released. ICO (in its time) and SotC (in its time) were major hits. Don't compare old hits to modern games, unless you state your own opinion from that time.

They are making a HD pack to sell. That HD pack is directly comparable to modern games since they are competing for the same sales. When they came out they looked great. They still look pretty good, mostly from nice art direction and not from how water and similar things look.

[logos]

There's nothing to rage about, logos. You simply want to show off in which you utterly fail at it. Did you read what I just said at the very bottom? No, you didn't. And I did read what I posted. But you, on the other hand, didn't. Posting to someone like you who lacks common sense to read and comprehend is becoming more and more a waste of my time.

They were major hits, not in sales figure, but in reception. Go back and ready. Okay?

If you wanna get cocky with me I have no problem getting cocky with you. I like mashing kids with "lol inb4 ragerant" -- fucking nerd.

you know, once you start with the persona insults its like admitting that I'm right, at least TMR attempted some reason instead of just throwing insults

Anyways, my whole point was that neither game was a major hit, I'm not saying that either game is bad, I've played them both and really enjoyed them.  But that doesnt make a game well known, and the fact stands that neither game is well known, ICO especially.  And the whole reason I referred to sales is because sales is a direct indicator of popularity and notoriety, again, a game cannot be considered a 'major hit' when lacking fame.  As previously stated, ICO has 270,000 sales in the US, they didnt have any mass marketing, so its unlikely that many people that havent played have even heard about it.  At best ICO can be considered a cult classic.

So continue to tell me that I'm a stupid twit and throw facts that dont have anything to do with my argument at me and feel superior because your fanboy mindset doesnt allow anyone to talk poorly about your beloved games

[Tatsujin]

There's nothing to rage about, logos. You simply want to show off in which you utterly fail at it. Did you read what I just said at the very bottom? No, you didn't. And I did read what I posted. But you, on the other hand, didn't. Posting to someone like you who lacks common sense to read and comprehend is becoming more and more a waste of my time.

They were major hits, not in sales figure, but in reception. Go back and ready. Okay?

If you wanna get cocky with me I have no problem getting cocky with you. I like mashing kids with "lol inb4 ragerant" -- fucking nerd.

you know, once you start with the persona insults its like admitting that I'm right, at least TMR attempted some reason instead of just throwing insults

Anyways, my whole point was that neither game was a major hit, I'm not saying that either game is bad, I've played them both and really enjoyed them.  But that doesnt make a game well known, and the fact stands that neither game is well known, ICO especially.  And the whole reason I referred to sales is because sales is a direct indicator of popularity and notoriety, again, a game cannot be considered a 'major hit' when lacking fame.  As previously stated, ICO has 270,000 sales in the US, they didnt have any mass marketing, so its unlikely that many people that havent played have even heard about it.  At best ICO can be considered a cult classic.

So continue to tell me that I'm a stupid twit and throw facts that dont have anything to do with my argument at me and feel superior because your fanboy mindset doesnt allow anyone to talk poorly about your beloved games

When you write something like "inb4 Tatsujin ragerant" then you're acting pretty immature and being cocky, not once but twice then I won't have a problem being cocky as well. Your point about sales is already registered. Everything else is thrown out the window. Go back and read the big fold of scripts I posted and get it through your head. Okay? End of discussion.

Back on topic please.

[logos]

When you write something like "inb4 Tatsujin ragerant" then you're acting pretty immature and being cocky, not once but twice then I won't have a problem being cocky as well.

"“Inb4” is used when a poster replies before the most likely event or another users posts some specific content or phrase. This is done to avoid said content or provoke lulz at someone who actually posts it afterwards."

that is all

[Tatsujin]

When you write something like "inb4 Tatsujin ragerant" then you're acting pretty immature and being cocky, not once but twice then I won't have a problem being cocky as well.

"“Inb4” is used when a poster replies before the most likely event or another users posts some specific content or phrase. This is done to avoid said content or provoke lulz at someone who actually posts it afterwards."

that is all

Increased and bolded text size to let you view the issue. We're gonna end this or do we need to get more specific?

[TMRNetShark]

ANYWAYS, back on topic so this doesn't get locked because of a troll.

Both games will have their own set of trophies, both will be in 16:9, 7.1 surround sound supported, 1080p... AND will be 3D ready. Did I mention $40?

[Tatsujin]

ANYWAYS, back on topic so this doesn't get locked because of a troll.

Both games will have their own set of trophies, both will be in 16:9, 7.1 surround sound supported, 1080p... AND will be 3D ready. Did I mention $40?

For both games, those are excellent features. <3 They should keep me busy till Uncharted 3.

[TMRNetShark]

ANYWAYS, back on topic so this doesn't get locked because of a troll.

Both games will have their own set of trophies, both will be in 16:9, 7.1 surround sound supported, 1080p... AND will be 3D ready. Did I mention $40?

For both games, those are excellent features. <3 They should keep me busy till Uncharted 3.

I'm still busy with the God of War trilogy, Batman: Arkham Asylum, and trying to get to 15th prestige in BO's (I want my golden guns). This collection pack will only tide me over til BF3 in late October and MW3 in early November. Still SotC & ICO will be trophied on my self somewhere.

[SirSkyRider]

Dude, I hope I'm done with Xenoblade and Tales of Vesperia when those two sweeties come out.

[TMRNetShark]

PS2 vs PS3 graphics comparison of Shadow of Colossus & ICO

[Sosseres]

PS2 vs PS3 graphics comparison of Shadow of Colossus & ICO

Did they do that with a PC emulator that improves graphics a bit or just original PS2 graphics? It looks like the original PS2 to me. Though of course the PS3 looks better than the PS2 version, just not as much as I expected.

[TMRNetShark]

PS2 vs PS3 graphics comparison of Shadow of Colossus & ICO

Did they do that with a PC emulator that improves graphics a bit or just original PS2 graphics? It looks like the original PS2 to me. Though of course the PS3 looks better than the PS2 version, just not as much as I expected.

I believe they used the PS2 graphics because the PC emulator would bump up the resolution a lot more. Remember, the PS2 version had a widescreen option in game. I mean, clearly the game isn't entirely redone, but it looks MUCH better than the PS2 version (resolution wise, mainly) and will probably be running at 60 fps throughout the game (making for a near flawless experience for this game). Wouldn't you agree?

EDIT: The game will be 1080p ready as well... so woooooo!

[Tatsujin]

PS2 vs PS3 graphics comparison of Shadow of Colossus & ICO

Did they do that with a PC emulator that improves graphics a bit or just original PS2 graphics? It looks like the original PS2 to me. Though of course the PS3 looks better than the PS2 version, just not as much as I expected.

I believe they used the PS2 graphics because the PC emulator would bump up the resolution a lot more. Remember, the PS2 version had a widescreen option in game. I mean, clearly the game isn't entirely redone, but it looks MUCH better than the PS2 version (resolution wise, mainly) and will probably be running at 60 fps throughout the game (making for a near flawless experience for this game). Wouldn't you agree?

EDIT: The game will be 1080p ready as well... so woooooo!

I love these games. <3 Sony.

[TMRNetShark]

PS2 vs PS3 graphics comparison of Shadow of Colossus & ICO

Did they do that with a PC emulator that improves graphics a bit or just original PS2 graphics? It looks like the original PS2 to me. Though of course the PS3 looks better than the PS2 version, just not as much as I expected.

I believe they used the PS2 graphics because the PC emulator would bump up the resolution a lot more. Remember, the PS2 version had a widescreen option in game. I mean, clearly the game isn't entirely redone, but it looks MUCH better than the PS2 version (resolution wise, mainly) and will probably be running at 60 fps throughout the game (making for a near flawless experience for this game). Wouldn't you agree?

EDIT: The game will be 1080p ready as well... so woooooo!

I love these games. <3 Sony.

Just a little more than a month left til they are out.