ICO

"Sleeper hit of the Year"

To tell you the truth, I never heard of this game after months of its release. The first time I did, I pretty much left it alone because I had never heard of it or nobody was talking about it. Then, after further investigating and reading reviews and seeing that Ico had won awards, I decided it was time to give this game a try. Ico is a unique game and a true classic.

When playing this game, I noticed it had many similarities to Heart of Darkness (PS). You are a lone character fighting lots of shadow-like enemies, solving great and smart puzzles, with one simple goal in mind. Those who have played and enjoyed HoD will enjoy and greatly appreciate Ico.

Before we get to the review, I want to say how sad it is that Ico didn't get all the praise, fame, and fortune it deserved. There are several reasons why this game is didn't sell a lot, but I want to congratulate and commend those who made this game.

Visuals: 10/10

You may not notice at first, but Ico has some of the best artistic graphics seen in a long time. When exploring through the large environment, sometimes you will just have to stop playing and observe the spectacular surroundings around you. What adds to this is not only can you zoom in, but you can actually move the camera a lot and have a lot of freedom in looking at whatever it is you want to see. In some areas, there is so much and you can so far off in the distance which will astound a lot of people. Many moments in the game you will stop and say ''Wow.'' There is great detail in every room, and the characters are very unique and created in a magnificent form. The water graphics are also brilliant, and well made. So enjoy the view whenever you can, and adore for your leisure.

Audio: 9/10

Ico does not have much music. Well, in most cases. When enemies appear, a haunting music fills the sound until you defeat the enemies. The save point music is rather catchy and a fun/relaxing moment to enjoy for a very little amount of time. For the most part in gameplay, there will be no music,which is actually not that bad considering that the sounds are great and well done. It is realistic too, everything from echoes to a waterfall will sound as if it was the real thing.

Gameplay: 9/10

Ico is a very simple game when it comes to controls and gameplay. There are only a few options that never make any situation confusing, because of the limited choices. Basically you can attack, call/hold, release, jump, and action. In this game, you will pretty much be doing either one of the two things: puzzle solving and fighting. The puzzles in this game really shine and are the main focus. If you think a little, and some trial and error occurs, you will get the job done. Only rarely did I get stuck in some situations with no clue what to do, but when I was shown how the puzzle is to be solved, I knew it could be possible. The combat is as simple as it gets. You have a weapon, and all you can do is slash away and maybe come up with a combo and a jump attack. The simplicity is no problem, but some gamers might be turned off because of it.

Story: 8/10

The story can be a very debatable topic because a lot of it is never explained or told. It is really a mystery but is left to your imagination. There are few cutscenes or movies, or even dialogue. It is up to you to think and wonder of what is happening, or what has happened.

Originality 9/10

Ico is unique in many ways. Instead of the usual, ''You stay alive or it's game over'' you have to keep another character alive, or else it is game over. There are no health meters or healing items, instead it has more common sense to it. For example, if you fall from a height that is humanely impossible to survive, than you will die and you will have to try again. But if you get hit by an enemy, you will be temporarily hurt, but you will get back up again. The graphics are beautiful, as mentioned before and very unique in an artistic way. The puzzles are also something you don't see much of these days, and that is what makes this game so great, the puzzles and the graphics.

Replay Value: 5/10

This is where the game unfortunately goes downhill. The first time through, you will spend a good 6-10 hours playing it if you don't use a walkthrough/guide. But once you beat it and have every puzzle memorized, the next time through will be a cake walk, ranging from 2-4 hours. There is really only one sidequest in the game, and that does not take that long either. But eventually after a few months of no play, you will come back to it just to adore how great the game truly is.

FINAL SCORE: 8/10
Exact score: 8.33

The Good
-unprecedented graphics
-very unique and different from this shoot 'em up games
-great puzzles to solve

The Bad
-a bit too short
-the mysteries of the story might disappoint some people

The only reason why this game did not get higher than a 9/10 is because of its length and replay value. Don't be discouraged to buy this game if you see it for a good price, because it really is a fantastic game, but if you are scared that this won't last you long, you are better off just renting it.

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 06/28/02, Updated 09/03/02