Posts
Day Four of Top Gaming Moments. Finally, Nathan's comments on his favourite moment.
----------------
I've played a lot of games in my time, and with my cynicism growing with age, it seems that games are losing what makes them special. Today's developers seem to hop onto any successful bandwagon they can find - and who can blame them? The games of the 21st century cost a lot to develop, and so safety comes first with any new game projects. So when you find a unique gem like Ico for the Playstation 2, that takes some risks, it is remembered always as a title that broke the rules of blandness and tried something different.
Developed by Sony Computer Entertainment, Ico tells the brilliantly simplistic tale of an exiled boy, named Ico, trying to fight his way out of the castle he is banished to - while helping a strange girl, who speaks an alien language, to escape with him. It is the simplicity of this game that makes it still enjoyable today. Story, controls and communication are all kept to a minimum, and so you get a video game that does something I have never experienced in any other game - it does not age. I played Ico 6 years after it's release, and was astounded by it's innovation - completing it in (almost) one day. Just have a think about that : 6 years, and it was still as fresh as any newly released game today.
Anyway, now all that is out of the road, Iíll share my favourite moment - the final battle. Ico has found that the force keeping himself and his friend from freedom is the Shadow Queení - the mother of his strange companion. It's a one-no-one battle with the Queen, who uses shadows that sweep the whole room to turn you to stone (as you do, of course). Again, it is the simplicity of the battle that keeps it fresh and fun - mirroring the routine boss battles of retro games. You attack the Shadow Queen with your sword, it flies from you hand (due to the force of the hit) to another part of the room, you run to it, pick it up and start the process again. Oh, and the sword is the only thing that can save you from the shadows, as it is made from light (It all makes sense when playing it). When it comes to the final assault, the sword is thrown much further away than before and the Queen's sweeping shadows are advancing faster than ever. You run for the sword, the camera switches to a low angle just behind it, the shadows are closing in and just as they are about to reach you - Ico grabs the sword, using it to shield himself against the deadly darkness that's chasing him, before racing towards the villain and striking her down with one final blow. It was this moment that made me utter, in absolute satisfaction - That was bloody brilliant.
If you enjoy video games, Ico is a must play - it's unique, diverse and brilliant. But sadly, because of these factors, Ico didn't achieve the level of success it deserved. The fact it was unique, made it somewhat of a obscurity to the average player, and so it became a cult hit. So to this day, when I become cynical about the games of today, I just remind myself how amazing Ico was and hope that I'll find another experience like it someday - and it's this small reminder of hope that helps me put up with all the other bland, generic titles that gain praise. So thank you very much Ico - you have given me the will to survive!
----------------
I've played a lot of games in my time, and with my cynicism growing with age, it seems that games are losing what makes them special. Today's developers seem to hop onto any successful bandwagon they can find - and who can blame them? The games of the 21st century cost a lot to develop, and so safety comes first with any new game projects. So when you find a unique gem like Ico for the Playstation 2, that takes some risks, it is remembered always as a title that broke the rules of blandness and tried something different.
Developed by Sony Computer Entertainment, Ico tells the brilliantly simplistic tale of an exiled boy, named Ico, trying to fight his way out of the castle he is banished to - while helping a strange girl, who speaks an alien language, to escape with him. It is the simplicity of this game that makes it still enjoyable today. Story, controls and communication are all kept to a minimum, and so you get a video game that does something I have never experienced in any other game - it does not age. I played Ico 6 years after it's release, and was astounded by it's innovation - completing it in (almost) one day. Just have a think about that : 6 years, and it was still as fresh as any newly released game today.
Anyway, now all that is out of the road, Iíll share my favourite moment - the final battle. Ico has found that the force keeping himself and his friend from freedom is the Shadow Queení - the mother of his strange companion. It's a one-no-one battle with the Queen, who uses shadows that sweep the whole room to turn you to stone (as you do, of course). Again, it is the simplicity of the battle that keeps it fresh and fun - mirroring the routine boss battles of retro games. You attack the Shadow Queen with your sword, it flies from you hand (due to the force of the hit) to another part of the room, you run to it, pick it up and start the process again. Oh, and the sword is the only thing that can save you from the shadows, as it is made from light (It all makes sense when playing it). When it comes to the final assault, the sword is thrown much further away than before and the Queen's sweeping shadows are advancing faster than ever. You run for the sword, the camera switches to a low angle just behind it, the shadows are closing in and just as they are about to reach you - Ico grabs the sword, using it to shield himself against the deadly darkness that's chasing him, before racing towards the villain and striking her down with one final blow. It was this moment that made me utter, in absolute satisfaction - That was bloody brilliant.
If you enjoy video games, Ico is a must play - it's unique, diverse and brilliant. But sadly, because of these factors, Ico didn't achieve the level of success it deserved. The fact it was unique, made it somewhat of a obscurity to the average player, and so it became a cult hit. So to this day, when I become cynical about the games of today, I just remind myself how amazing Ico was and hope that I'll find another experience like it someday - and it's this small reminder of hope that helps me put up with all the other bland, generic titles that gain praise. So thank you very much Ico - you have given me the will to survive!
----------------
Leave your feedback in the comments. Or if you want me to include your own video game moment, leave me a contact email address.
Leave your feedback in the comments. Or if you want me to include your own video game moment, leave me a contact email address.
"Video Games Live" was performed at the Glasgow Royal Concert Hall on 26th June 2008.
Coming Next....My review of Video Games Live
No comments:
Post a Comment