ICO - How worthwhile is the game?

Ico is still my favorite PS2 game. I love that game, more so than Shadow of the Colossus (I'm probably one of the few who prefer Ico over SotC).

If you've got some time and can start playing right away, I'd buy it. If you don't like it, you can return it to GS (they have a 7 day return policy on used games).

The only short coming is that the game's... uh, short. It was only 6-7 hours but I played it again right after I beat it.:lol:
 
Ico's got a cool environment but that's about it. It's a game-long escort/protect mission with clumsy controls. Blech.

If you want an awesome environment with a fun-to-play game, check out the team's later and far more polished endeavor, Shadow of the Colossus.
 
It's a great game. But I think it is probably over hyped. It is definitely not without its flaws.

Flaws: The left side of the castle is the same as the right side. The girl you drag around is brain damaged and will always stand in a place where the enemies can capture her if you give her the chance. The voice work is not in English. The game is very short.

If you can overlook its flaws you will find a charming little game that really pulls you ino its world. Its like playing a fairy tale. Shadow of the Colossus is more epic. Ico is a simpler tale about a boy rescuing a girl from an evil witch. The focus is the environmental puzzles. Combat is like an afterthought. This is a game for those who like to explore and solve puzzles.
 
[quote name='Short Round']It's an overrated, albeit beautiful, game.[/QUOTE]

Pretty much sums it up there. Its nice to look at but the actual game is nothing special at all.

I guess if nothing else, its worth a play through just so you can say you played it. I would pick it up for that price. It will take you a day or two (depending how long your gaming sessions are) to finish it. Then you can sell it to someone else and not really be out much.
 
What I liked about it is that it's a unique title when you wade through the rest. The setting is beautiful, and though it's an "escort" game, there isn't much enemy action to make it a complete pain in the ass. It's an adventure/puzzle hybrid even though the puzzles are relatively easy. Of course there are people who are going to hate it just because other people loved it and gushed about it (happens with all games).

It's worth $20 and it holds its value if you decide to dump it.
 
It's a charming, atmospheric game. I love it.

It's also an early PS2 game, so it lacks the polish that SotC has, but this never bugged me. As others have pointed out, it's also short.

Worth playing at least once, IMO.
 
[quote name='Vinny']Ico is still my favorite PS2 game. I love that game, more so than Shadow of the Colossus (I'm probably one of the few who prefer Ico over SotC). [/quote]
*raises hand*

SotC is an amazing game, but the wonky controls and spastic camera made some fights more frustrating than they should have been. Ico is a much better "experience" in my opinion.
 
Ico is still my favorite PS2 game. I love that game, more so than Shadow of the Colossus (I'm probably one of the few who prefer Ico over SotC).

If you've got some time and can start playing right away, I'd buy it. If you don't like it, you can return it to GS (they have a 7 day return policy on used games).

The only short coming is that the game's... uh, short. It was only 6-7 hours but I played it again right after I beat it.:lol:
 
Ico's got a cool environment but that's about it. It's a game-long escort/protect mission with clumsy controls. Blech.

If you want an awesome environment with a fun-to-play game, check out the team's later and far more polished endeavor, Shadow of the Colossus.
 
It's a great game. But I think it is probably over hyped. It is definitely not without its flaws.

Flaws: The left side of the castle is the same as the right side. The girl you drag around is brain damaged and will always stand in a place where the enemies can capture her if you give her the chance. The voice work is not in English. The game is very short.

If you can overlook its flaws you will find a charming little game that really pulls you ino its world. Its like playing a fairy tale. Shadow of the Colossus is more epic. Ico is a simpler tale about a boy rescuing a girl from an evil witch. The focus is the environmental puzzles. Combat is like an afterthought. This is a game for those who like to explore and solve puzzles.
 
[quote name='Short Round']It's an overrated, albeit beautiful, game.[/QUOTE]

Pretty much sums it up there. Its nice to look at but the actual game is nothing special at all.

I guess if nothing else, its worth a play through just so you can say you played it. I would pick it up for that price. It will take you a day or two (depending how long your gaming sessions are) to finish it. Then you can sell it to someone else and not really be out much.
 
What I liked about it is that it's a unique title when you wade through the rest. The setting is beautiful, and though it's an "escort" game, there isn't much enemy action to make it a complete pain in the ass. It's an adventure/puzzle hybrid even though the puzzles are relatively easy. Of course there are people who are going to hate it just because other people loved it and gushed about it (happens with all games).

It's worth $20 and it holds its value if you decide to dump it.
 
It's a charming, atmospheric game. I love it.

It's also an early PS2 game, so it lacks the polish that SotC has, but this never bugged me. As others have pointed out, it's also short.

Worth playing at least once, IMO.
 
[quote name='Vinny']Ico is still my favorite PS2 game. I love that game, more so than Shadow of the Colossus (I'm probably one of the few who prefer Ico over SotC). [/quote]
*raises hand*

SotC is an amazing game, but the wonky controls and spastic camera made some fights more frustrating than they should have been. Ico is a much better "experience" in my opinion.
 
[quote name='Allnatural']*raises hand*

SotC is an amazing game, but the wonky controls and spastic camera made some fights more frustrating than they should have been. Ico is a much better "experience" in my opinion.[/quote]

Make that two.

I absolutely love both games, but Ico was just the superior experience for me.
 
I'd pay $50 dollars for Ico now. It's such a great game. People who say it was overrated have to keep in mind that there was really no other game like this out there. Still, today the story holds up well, the control is good, great music, I'd definitely recommend it to anyone who likes puzzle solving games.
 
I really liked it. The puzzle solving and environments made it a wonderful experience, albeit a short one.
 
[quote name='PapiChullo']I really liked it. The puzzle solving and environments made it a wonderful experience, albeit a short one.[/quote]

It took me a long time to beat the game, but I only played it in short spurts. It was really good for that. I bought it a while back with SoC, a bit surprised it is $20 as I think SoC was more when I got them. Maybe the price went up, not sure why it would. Going to see if I can track down what I got it for later.
 
[quote name='daroga']Ico's got a cool environment but that's about it. It's a game-long escort/protect mission with clumsy controls. Blech.

If you want an awesome environment with a fun-to-play game, check out the team's later and far more polished endeavor, Shadow of the Colossus.[/quote]
I agree about Ico. The environment was great but I couldn't get into the gameplay.

I haven't played SotC yet but I saw a bunch of copies of it at my local Target for $13, I'm thinking about going back soon and picking up a copy.
 
Ico is a great game, one that I enjoyed very much a couple years ago. You could probably pick it up from GS, play it, and return it with days to spare.
 
[quote name='daroga']Ico's got a cool environment but that's about it. It's a game-long escort/protect mission with clumsy controls. Blech.

If you want an awesome environment with a fun-to-play game, check out the team's later and far more polished endeavor, Shadow of the Colossus.[/QUOTE]
The same can be said about SOTC, considering they were both done by the same people. The controls are just as clumsy, but nonetheless, they are both great gaming experiences. Ico goes for about $100 sealed, so that should give you an indication on whether or not it is worth it. Totally worth it.
 
[quote name='SOLUSDEATH']I'd pay $50 dollars for Ico now. It's such a great game. People who say it was overrated have to keep in mind that there was really no other game like this out there. Still, today the story holds up well, the control is good, great music, I'd definitely recommend it to anyone who likes puzzle solving games.[/quote]

I really like Ico, but I really like $50.

I would say for $20 it is a great game. It is a very crude and rough game by today's standard, but is a great title if you look back at what was out for the PS2 at that time.
 
[quote name='Vinny']Ico is still my favorite PS2 game. I love that game, more so than Shadow of the Colossus (I'm probably one of the few who prefer Ico over SotC). [/quote]

Add me to the list! Actually though, I didnt like SotC at all. I rented it and only fought the 1st colossus and realized that if this was what the game was, it wasnt going to be for me. IMO, SotC lacked the 'brain-teaser-lite' aspect of ICO, which is why I loved ICO.

I liked the 'concept' of SotC, and would still like to someday experience the story, but the gameply wasnt my cup 'o tea.
 
I got a new copy of ICO maybe roughly a year ago (I forget the price, but it was cheap). The game wasn't hard, combat was sort of a minor addition to the game, but I enjoyed it a lot. I enjoyed moving through the castle and figuring out the puzzles, you play the game for the atmosphere. If you can get it cheap I would recommend it.
 
it's one of those games where you wouldn't play it again but would definitely watch the cutscenes again. Too bad they don't have a cinema theater like metal gear solid.
 
ICO was one of the few ps2 games that I actually finished and enjoyed the entir experience. For its time it was a great game, but looking back I dont think it can hold up, but still a great, if not the greatest ps2 game of all time.
 
It's basically an entire game that's based around an escort mission, and the combat sucks. So, no.

But SOTC is soooo good.
 
Ico is not a game that was built around combat.

It still ranks in my top PS2 games. I still play through it about every 6 months.
 
A friend picked up for $20 at GS as well, ended up enjoying it so much he beat it in one sitting. I had a chance with it, and it really didn't entertain me that much. For me, SotC is a superior game. But, yeah it's worth $20. Any game is worth $20, even if it's Gumby's Adventure.
 
[quote name='thelonepig']Ico is not a game that was built around combat.

It still ranks in my top PS2 games. I still play through it about every 6 months.[/QUOTE]

Right, but the combat shows up way too often, and it's terrible. It really ruins the game.
 
[quote name='Chacrana']Right, but the combat shows up way too often, and it's terrible. It really ruins the game.[/quote]

It never bothered me, but to each his own. I always found the combat segments short and well placed.
 
[quote name='thelonepig']It never bothered me, but to each his own. I always found the combat segments short and well placed.[/QUOTE]

I liked how the combat felt somewhat real... I mean, I think they were trying to convey to the player that this isn't some hulking behemoth you're controlling. You're controlling some kid who doesn't now how to fight and is just waving around a big stick or something.

I can see someone might think there was too much combat. It's not like there's much else to the game. There was basically 3 parts: combat/escort, puzzles, and exploration.
 
Maybe simplicity is good once in a while. It's the same reason why people prefer Street Fighter II over 3rd Strike or Marvel vs Capcom 2.

ICO seemed more realistic than any other adventure/puzzle game. I could really imagine getting stuck in the huge castle and trying to figure my way out. SotC was the same way. I preferred those two games to pretty much anything else that came out for the PS2.
 
I picked up Shadow yesterday from the b2g1 sale at GS and I have to say that it is incredible. I've only slain two of the Collosi, but wow, what a game. I'm definitely thinking about trying to get a copy of ICO now. Hopefully I can find time tomorrow to look for it.
 
The problem I had with the combat is that it was far too easy. Standing around pressing a button over and over isn't hard.

Back when I first beat the game, I couldn't imagine ever playing it again. It was too short and too easy. I came close to selling it. Now, it has been probably a year and I am considering playing it again.
 
PS: Ico does not sell for $100 sealed. A cursory glance at Ebay shows it still hovering a little above what the prices were when I bought mine about a year ago. $30 for mint, $50 for sealed.

It was going for about Ebay $20 when I bought mine, which I snagged for $15 from a local store.
 
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