Sunday, April 12, 2015

The ICO and Shadow of the Colossus Collection





Two visually stunning and unique classics return to PS3!
It's difficult to believe that over 10 years have passed since Ico was first released, alongside other 2001 classics like Metal Gear Solid 2 and Final Fantasy X. Unlike those two games, Ico fared poorly in the sales charts, despite its incredible graphics, great story and gameplay.
However, this was not the end, as 4 years later, the second game by "Team Ico", Shadow of the Colossus (SotC), was strongly promoted and achieved much better sales figures.
Now, Sony has breathed a second life into these games, thanks to this hi-def PS3 re-release.

Both games have been significantly enhanced in this PS3 remastery by Bluepoint Games (who also remastered the God of War Collection and the upcoming Metal Gear Solid 2 & 3 games), with the most important changes being:
+ 720p or 1080p @ 30fps framerate, with very little slowdown as found in the PS2 version during intense Colossus battles
+ Native widescreen support for Ico
+ Gameplay is ported from the...

Worth it
I was very excited to hear about this release. I was concerned, however, that 1080p simply meant the output signal. But this is not the case. The polygons haven't changed, but the textures were redone at a higher resolution. This makes the characters somewhat blocky, but the incredible detail of the texture makes it worth it. The scenery is even more breathtaking than before.

Ico is much more immersive than the ps2 version. Ico is a puzzle built around spacious architecture. At a higher res, the illusion of depth in these spacious buildings is stronger.

Shadow of the Colossus naturally has more polygons, so the added high-definition makes you feel like you are playing a game made for the ps3.

This game collection is a keeper for me.


Two Amazing Titles, One Amazing Package, A Must Play for Gamers of All Kinds
Every once in a while, a game comes along that is more than a game. It goes beyond the preconceived notions that we have about what a video game should look like, feel like and sound like. These gems are far more than just video games, they are experiences in and of themselves. While these treasures are rare to find, with this collection, you have two such games displayed in glorious HD for your Playstation 3 console on one convenient disc.

Ico was my first stop on this disc, and what an experience it is. Ico puts you in the shoes of a little boy who has been cast out and sent to a dark, desolate castle to die simply because he has horns. After breaking free from his prison, Ico begins to wander the dark castle and discovers a majestic looking girl named Yorda locked inside of a cage. He frees her, and the story begins.

Ico essentially functions as one large escort mission- something that would turn most gamers off. Make no mistake, however, this is one escort...

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