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Bonus content detailed for Ico and Shadow of the Colossus HD
As if owning HD versions of two of the best games of the previous generation wasn't enough reason to pick up the Ico & Shadow of the Colossus Collection, Sony has revealed bonus content that will be included with the PS3 re-release. In addition to the remastered games, the collection will also include two dynamic PS3 themes, one for each title. Also included with the collection will be "a ton of exclusive video content from ICO, Shadow of the Colossus, and The Last Guardian." While bonus content for Ico and Shadow of the Colossus is certainly nice, any content related to the mysterious Last Guardian is very enticing indeed.
Ico and Shadow of the Colossus HD trailers are too pretty, too soon
As legendary singer-songwriter Neil Sedaka kind-of-almost said: Waking up is hard to do. If you, like us, are still bleary-eyed from the shock of no longer being unconscious, you're probably not ready for the potent, otherworldly beauty of these Ico and Shadow of the Colossus (HD) trailers.
Ico and Shadow of the Colossus arriving separately in Japan on September 22
Following the recent delay of the ICO and Shadow of the Colossus remakes, Sony Computer Entertainment has now provided a new release window for the PS3 games in Japan: September 22. In that region, each game is sold separately for ¥3,980 ($50). Sony is also offering a single box with both games in it for ¥6,980 ($87), which adds a 100-page booklet and dynamic PS3 themes. Along with the announcement, new Japanese sites have opened for both ICO and Shadow of the Colossus And if you listen closely, you can hear Ico calling you past the break of this post, beckoning you toward the new trailer. Can you hear it? Buhhhhhhhhhhh!
Ico: Castle in the Mist novel excerpt makes us hungry for more
Avid North American readers won't get their hands on the English translation of Miyuke Miyabe's Ico: Castle in the Mist, a follow-up novel to Ico, the beloved PS2 classic (and soon to be PS3 remaster), until August 16. However, thanks to the Japanese book printer Haikasoru, you can now get a taste of the story online. The short excerpt gives an excellent sense of the novel's atmosphere, which is to say, Ico's atmosphere. We expect that you already have an inkling of what the setting is going to feel like, considering you should have already played Ico. Heck, even if you haven't, the book's title tells you everything you need to know: There is a castle. It is adjacent to mist.
Ico remastered preview: Not too little, definitely not too late
I'm going to say something now and I don't want you to get mad. Promise that you won't? Promise?! Okay, fine -- I've never played Ico. It just didn't happen. A mixture of procrastination and disc-read errors have conspired to keep me from the lauded PS2 classic. That changed late last week at a Sony press event, where the publisher showed off the forthcoming, double-game remaster Ico and Shadow of the Colossus Collection. %Gallery-102414%
ICO / Shadow of the Colossus collection revealed, not only HD but 3D
Team ICO director Fumito Ueda just took the stage during Sony's TGS presentation and confirmed the consistently leaked ICO / Shadow of the Colossus HD remakes coming to PS3. He didn't share many details – Are they sold separately in Japan? – but did reveal one new addition to the seminal PS2 titles that we didn't know about. In addition to HD graphics, both titles will support 3D on PlayStation 3. When can you gladly hand over your hard-earned money to Sony? Ueda would only say "coming soon" but didn't share a date. In our dictionary, "soon" is a lot earlier than the April 2011 date most retailers have agreed upon. Update: At a follow-up press conference, SCEA confirmed that the disc will be available in "Spring 2011." Update 2: We've added some screens, the boxart, and a trailer to the post. %Gallery-102414%
Ico and Shadow of the Colossus PS3 updates listed in Famitsu, sold separately in Japan
Famitsu has confirmed remastered PlayStation 3 versions of both Ico and Shadow of the Colossus. The PS2 classics will reportedly be released as two separate games in Japan. This differs from the leaked European retailer listing, which showed a single package featuring the two titles on one disc. Presumably, this will all be confirmed during tomorrow's Sony Japan press conference at the Tokyo Game Show. The magazine doesn't offer any additional details on the remakes, but the God of War Collection should give us a good idea of what to expect. The horrible American box art for Ico (seen above) should also give us an idea of what to expect from the packaging.
ICO / Shadow of the Colossus HD bundle pops up in another retail listing, with box art
Following a recent "ICO / Shadow of the Colossus HD bundle" listing on Walmart's site with an April 2011 release date, the unofficial remake package has popped up on Swedish retail website Webhallen. This new listing also cites an April release and even adds box art (larger version after the break), though it's not been verified as authentic. The listing was spotted by a Twitter account named "PlayStationTEAM," which we've verified is not an official Sony account. In response to the listings, Sony has told us it "doesn't comment on rumor or speculation," but with Tokyo Game Show about to pop off this week, we've got all our fingers and toes crossed for news about this HD remake bundle containing two games that are very near and dear to our hearts.
Walmart lists ICO and Shadow of the Colossus pack for PS3
Once again, Walmart has added a product listing for a heretofore unannounced (but heavily rumored) PS3 title: A bundle including (presumably visually updated versions of) ICO and Shadow of the Colossus. The mega-retailer included an April 1, 2011 release date for the game -- hopefully not an indication of an outrageously early April Fools' Day joke -- and a bargain-level price tag of $39.82. We've contacted representatives at Sony and Walmart (again) to try to get a comment on the listing, and will let you know when we hear more. [Thanks to everyone who sent this in!]
Team Ico shows off cleaned-up Ico shots at CEDEC
During a presentation at the CESA Developers Conference on Wednesday about the art of animation, Team Ico head Fumito Ueda brought up some shots from Ico as illustrations. Except the images projected don't look exactly like the PS2 game: the aspect ratio is different, the textures are better, and the character models are sharper -- and that's just what can be picked up from looking at pictures of a projector showing the images. NeoGAF's Gribbix and SolidSnakex posted direct comparisons between the CEDEC presentation and the PS2 Ico. With the persistent rumor of a God of War Collection-style remake of Team Ico's PS2 games, and with TGS around the corner, it's tempting to take these images as evidence. It seems just as likely, however, that Ueda mocked up nice illustrations of iconic scenes for his presentation. In any case, they're lovely and can be seen at GAME Watch.
A look at ICO and Shadow of the Colossus in HD
With rumors suggesting that Team Ico's art house games, ICO and Shadow of the Colossus, will receive the God of War Collection Blu-ray treatment, Digital Foundry decided to have a look at what the results might be. Using PC emulation -- which reportedly got "very, very close" to looking like the final product with God of War -- the group captured video of the SD version and what the games may look like in HD. God of War's PS3-fication allegedly didn't replace any in-game art "aside from the on-screen text and button graphics." If ICO and Colossus are indeed given the same Blu-ray treatment, the latter is sure to benefit from the PS3's hardware. Shadow of the Colossus pushed the PS2's tech to the breaking point, with a frame rate that could turn the Colossi into Harryhausen monsters.
XBL Indie Game cover parodies ICO cover
[Siliconera] Who doesn't like cover art inspired by Giorgio de Chirico and, more directly, Ico? Monsters, that's who. That'd be like saying you don't like playing games that require the combining of three objects in various patterns to earn points, especially when said games use Japanese food items. 'Cause it's those two things that Yaruhara no Omochi meshes on the Japanese Xbox Live Indie Game channel, mesmerizing Siliconera as it does us. As if the idea of playing an XBL Indie Game with the premise of stacking "mochi (sticky rice cakes), fish, and seals" in a match-three-style game weren't enticing enough, it would appear from these screens that the game is gaijin-safe (read: in English). Time to fire up that dusty Japanese Silver account you've got sitting around, eh?
Ico developer digs Half-Life 2, interested in making 'first-person games'
Though the Japanese aren't exactly known for their love affair with first-person shooters, Team Ico director Fumito Ueda can name at least one that he digs: Half-Life 2. Speaking to G4TV (through a translator), Ueda named the Valve-developed sequel when asked which games he has had an emotional reaction to."There was variation in terms [of] locations and also [in] the way of storytelling in the game. Usually, you have to incorporate storytelling with constraints, but the way [Valve] implemented constraints was something different that I enjoyed, compared to other games," observed Ueda. He's even considered making his own first-person game at some point, stating, "I have an interest in making first-person games."If Ueda's previous development cycle lengths are any indication, we tentatively expect to see a Ueda-developed first-person game by 2025 or so ... at the earliest. [Image credit: jeriaska]
Sony's Kobayashi: better ICO box art could have boosted sales
At DICE Summit Asia, Sony Japan Studio VP Yasuhide Kobayashi gave a speech about appealing to a global audience with games, which he identified as increasingly important as the Japanese market contracts. He mentioned The Last Guardian, which was given that particular title to appeal to Western markets. As an example of Western-focused marketing that didn't work, Kobayashi presented the Japanese and North American boxes for ICO, the game that brought the Last Guardian developers to prominence. "If the packaging was designed differently, we think it would have sold more," he said. "In fact on the internet many people have said that the Japanese version was better." Because it is.Kobayashi then finished by highlighting what he saw as a different perception of what makes a "new" game in the West and Japan. He said that a "new" game in the US or Europe could be "something similar to something that's come before, because they think it is easier for people to understand.""But actually we don't like this - it's like you're simulating, following suit, combining two titles into one," he continued. "It seems the definition of a new title is different in the US and Europe to Japan. It means a new genre, that's what we call a new game."Japan has just as many iterative sequels as anywhere else, but we guess they aren't considered as new?
Ico costumes for LittleBigPlanet revealed
This week's DLC pack for LittleBigPlanet is, as teased, related to Team Ico's first two games, Ico and Shadow of the Colossus. The pack will contain costumes, stickers and sound effects and the Ico costumes have already been revealed, with Shadow of the Colossus costumes being shown off tomorrow. You can see Ico himself in the image above and Yorda after the break. It's slightly disappointing that this pack doesn't include new levels a la the Metal Gear Solid 4 DLC, but we'll still take it. Who knows, maybe one of the stickers will show the Kitty Dragon from the Last Guardian trailer.
Ico/LittleBigPlanet mash-up teaser spotted
If you've been swooned by both Team Ico's self-titled adventure/puzzler Ico and Media Molecule's DIY platformer LittleBigPlanet -- and seriously, who hasn't -- you should turn your attention to a recently discovered image depicting Sack-ified versions of Ico and Yorda, running away from an illustrated castle. A Media Molecule logo embedded in the image lends some amount of credence to the picture -- as does a recent tweet from Media Molecule which confirms it is responsibility for the art.What's the image mean, though? Is it perhaps just a doodle from one of LBP's artists? Is it a tribute to one of Media Molecule's favorite user-made levels? A hint at an upcoming costume pack? Better still, is it foretelling the coming of an Ico theme pack? We'll do our best to squeeze some answers out of Media Molecule at E3.[Via VG247]
GDC09: Team ICO's new game is 'close to ICO' in essense
During this morning's GDC 2009 panel on Eastern vs. Western development philosophies, Team ICO head Fumito Ueda was asked -- by Grasshopper Manufacture boss, Goichi "Suda51" Suda -- what the deal is with his crew's next game. You know, the follow-up to Shadow of the Colossus that everyone (even other Japanese devs!) are eager to know anything new about. Ueda couldn't say much, but we found his comments interesting.After joking (or was he?) that his bosses were in the room listening, Ueda said that his next game -- widely referred to by the nickname "Trico" -- will be "something in-between" ICO and Shadow of the Colossus. "It will be similar to those past games, the essense is close to ICO," he added.Suda51 then excitedly asked if he'd brought screenshots -- anything -- of or about the game. Ueda laughed slightly and conveyed the non-verbal equivalent of "next!" with his face.
Rumor: Team ICO reveals The Queen, all bow down
The third project from the "Olympic Team" behind both Shadow of the Colossus and Ico looks like it might make its long anticipated reveal next month at the 2008 Tokyo Game Show. What appears to be a newly launched TGS teaser website calls the game ICO 3 The Queen, adding that Japanese PS3 owners will be able to yank the title off store shelves on October 9, 2009.Given the name, as well as the site's reuse of the original game's logo, it remains unclear if the title will be any sort of direct follow up to the original Ico or another stand alone project, but whatever the case we cannot wait to find out more once TGS gets underway.Note: As some have pointed out, the site's validity is suspect, meaning we now wait until next month's TGS to see if in fact the next game from Team ICO will make an appearance or simply break our hearts.[Thanks pico!]
Team ICO's next game may be shown soon
It's been a long time coming, but VG247 quotes Sony Worldwide Studio head Shuhei Yoshida as saying Team ICO's next project may be revealed "soon." The anticipated next project by the team behind Shadow of the Colossus and Ico has merely been teased with some nondescript screenshots.Yoshida tells the site that plans for the Tokyo Game Show have not been finalized -- presumably, the show would be the last major opportunity this year to reveal the project. It's about time this game made its public appearance, don't you think?
Fan's Labyrinth: del Toro approves of Team ICO
In an interview with Edge, Pan's Labyrinth and Hellboy director Guillermo del Toro establishes two very interesting facts: del Toro, who has been enamored with gaming's charming beeps and boops since the days of Pong, lavishes a considerable amount of praise on Sony's Team ICO. "There are only two games I consider masterpieces," he says. "Ico and Shadow of the Colossus." The popular filmmaker has excellent taste in games. Those are far from the only titles he appreciates, however, as he tells Edge that he "absolutely loved BioShock." In addition, he approves of Resident Evil, Devil May Cry and Silent Hill, which he likens in particular to a "Lynch, Polanski or Romero type of horror experience." It seems our only point of disagreement can be found in his "happy" working experience with Konami's Hellboy: The Science of Evil. Nobody's perfect, eh?[Via PS3 Fanboy]
