Posted: 7:21 AM - Sep 21, 2001
The boy pulled the lever down and the bridge extended far enough for him to jump to the platform on the other side where the girl was. He lept and found her, then jumped back onto the bridge, missing a step, and almost plunging to the salty sea beneath the dense haze below. He regained his composure, put out his hand, and called out to the girl. She jumped. She hung on by a hand, and the boy pulled the struggling and frightened girl up onto the bridge. They continued on their way.
Within the first 15 minutes of ICO's adventure, it delivers one of the greatest moments in video game history I have ever had the pleasure of seeing. I have never seen such an innocent, more emotional tale, told simply in character animation, expression, and atmosphere. The mood is very evident at first. For one who knows not one single tidbit about the game, they are aware by the time the boy finds the girl that this is an escape mission. The mood and the tone of the story and characters are conveyed wonderfully through simple character motions. Only four lines of dialogue are spoken. Two of them being the gestures the boy uses to call the girl.
Gameplay is a simple joy in function and fluidity. The boy can hit with his stick, jump, and manipulate levers (so far). Yet there is one difference between ICO and other games. Your companion. The girl is an evolutionary step in what games have become. Instantly the element of dependence is thrown into the mix, and you are not fighting simply for your own survival, but must also care for another. Earlier games such as Knuckles Chaotix (one of the most horrible games ever) have tried to implement a companion based system. But what ICO does is breath life into the characters. You are the boy caring for the innocent looking fragile girl. Instantly, in the player's mind, he or she cares of the girl themselves. I found myself at times not running fast because she might have gotten tired, or I might have broken her damn arm off. I did these things even though the game did not require me to do so because of the life like manerisms and brave yet fragile designs the developers have given to their title. The most glaring example of this compassion comes from my refusal to kill off the characters. I had a brief idea to see what happens when you die. I didn't because I don't want to see these characters die. I don't need to see them die.
I cannot think of one title that has ever been this reseved, calm. No other game has been this fragile. No other game has taken this kind of risk in design. In the full game, I am looking forward to the peices of the puzzle to be put into place. Already, after 20 minutes of playing I have so many questions. I want to learn more about these characters. I am looking forward to the full version, which looks to be one of the most endearing, mesmerizing games of all time, and quite possibly, a canadite to become one of the classics.
I C O Demo (A+)-Spok-
Within the first 15 minutes of ICO's adventure, it delivers one of the greatest moments in video game history I have ever had the pleasure of seeing. I have never seen such an innocent, more emotional tale, told simply in character animation, expression, and atmosphere. The mood is very evident at first. For one who knows not one single tidbit about the game, they are aware by the time the boy finds the girl that this is an escape mission. The mood and the tone of the story and characters are conveyed wonderfully through simple character motions. Only four lines of dialogue are spoken. Two of them being the gestures the boy uses to call the girl.
Gameplay is a simple joy in function and fluidity. The boy can hit with his stick, jump, and manipulate levers (so far). Yet there is one difference between ICO and other games. Your companion. The girl is an evolutionary step in what games have become. Instantly the element of dependence is thrown into the mix, and you are not fighting simply for your own survival, but must also care for another. Earlier games such as Knuckles Chaotix (one of the most horrible games ever) have tried to implement a companion based system. But what ICO does is breath life into the characters. You are the boy caring for the innocent looking fragile girl. Instantly, in the player's mind, he or she cares of the girl themselves. I found myself at times not running fast because she might have gotten tired, or I might have broken her damn arm off. I did these things even though the game did not require me to do so because of the life like manerisms and brave yet fragile designs the developers have given to their title. The most glaring example of this compassion comes from my refusal to kill off the characters. I had a brief idea to see what happens when you die. I didn't because I don't want to see these characters die. I don't need to see them die.
I cannot think of one title that has ever been this reseved, calm. No other game has been this fragile. No other game has taken this kind of risk in design. In the full game, I am looking forward to the peices of the puzzle to be put into place. Already, after 20 minutes of playing I have so many questions. I want to learn more about these characters. I am looking forward to the full version, which looks to be one of the most endearing, mesmerizing games of all time, and quite possibly, a canadite to become one of the classics.
I C O Demo (A+)-Spok-