By Cody Heintz, Business Manager
Tired of waiting for Last Guardian to come out? Well, Team Ico’s two PS2 hits are now out on the PS3 remastered in both HD and 3D. The emotional and soul draining Shadow of the Colossus and Ico are now available in 7.1 surround sound with new features that make it worthwhile for most people with its $40 price tag. Also the Ico version is remastered off of the European version so there will be more puzzles to solve and added gameplay.
The gameplay hasn’t changed from the PS2 days, which is a good thing. So for those that are familiar with either game will have no problems getting into the collection. The gampley for both is still solid as in Ico you must protect Yorda as you try to escape the castle and in Shadow of The Colossus you must fight 16 giant monsters in epic fights in order to bring back the soul of your dead lover. The only real problem with gameplay in either game is that Yorda is not the smartest AI character so you will be spending a lot of time keeping her alive but the challenge and fun puzzles in Ico make up for that. One noticeable difference with the collection and the originals is that the frame rate is much smoother and will stay at a constant 30 frames per second (fps) through out the entire ride. Which is a good thing as in the original Shadow of the Colossus the frame rate would drop to 15 fps on one too many occasions. In this collection there is also added replay value as after you beat Ico you can go into two-player mode with another layer being Yorda.
The visuals for the collection are it s biggest selling point. Not only are the games in HD but also everything is more detailed. The addition of HD brings out the detail of the worlds both games are in. With the ability to play in 3D also gives players new way to play the game as well.
Fro those looking to play these two classics again or those that are looking for a way to get excited for Last Guardian should look no further. The Ico and Shadow of the Colossus Collection. The collection is a great value for those that are looking for nostalgia or looking for good action adventures and puzzles games. Finally getting two XMB themes and exclusive video content for Last Guardian doesn’t hurt either.