In the next generation of gaming consoles, it is no surprise that the quality of software will undoubtedly determine the winners and the demise of the losers. Each platform has its strengths from the superiority of third parties. However, history has shown that to be successful you must have strong first party software. Playstation 2 is closing in on its first birthday and it has had its share of both great and poor titles. Which brings us to ICO. ICO is yet another title similar to ATV Offroad Fury, which has literally come out of nowhere. It is best described as one of the best games you have never heard of, until now that is. ICO has been in development for almost 4 years. Originally started off as a PSOne project, the design team quickly turned their focus to the superior Playstation 2 environment. Part of their decision was their pure obsession to create something that is rarely done well. That is the ability to realize all of their goals while in turn producing a perfect mix of graphics, story, characters and pure gaming bliss.

ICO is the story of a young boy who is banished from his town because he was born with horns. As a result ICO is taken away to be sacrificed in a deserted castle. ICO is buried in a tomb and left to die a slow death. Fortunately, the young boy is able to rock his tomb back and forth until it falls from its perch and breaks open on the floor below. ICO quickly discovers that he is not alone as he comes across the young imprisoned princess Yorda. As a young adventurous hero, gamers are called to save the princess as well as themselves from the evil queen and the mystery that resides within the massive castle. The road to freedom will take gamers through stunning environments laden with puzzles, dungeons, corridors, rivers and more.

Graphics
Describing the visual experience is difficult because no words can describe it as seeing it for yourself. For those of you who have played the demo packed in with the Summer 2001 JamPack or the Official U.S. Playstaion Magazine, you know what we are talking about. The environments are breathtaking as they are not some prerendered artwork but rather move in fluid real-time motion. The environments are further brought to life thanks to some brilliant atmospheric effects such as realistic lighting effects from flickering torches, shifting mist, and some of the best shadow work ever seen in a console game. It would appear that the design team has chosen their colour palettes very carefully. As a result, the game features a mix of gritty textures and soft focus characters. Another example can be found in the light outside of the castle which instantly blinds you. Never has a game been able to convey the shift from inside gloominess to a clear bright sunny day. It is best described as that feeling you get going from a dark movie theatre to a brightly lit area. Those moments it takes your eyes to adjust has been painfully recreated in real-time. Add to this some of the most realistic water physics ever seen in a videogame.

The construction of the castle itself is staggering. The setting is lifelike to say the least. Whether it be the large ruined halls, to balconies perched on the castle's walls high above the ground, you get a feeling of actually being in the environment. Some levels are extremely high from the ground. So high and convincing that feelings of vertigo are common. Previous attempts at this have failed due to hardware constraints and sloppy planning. The ICO design team obviously took a lot of time to ensure the castle was real and that everything connected to each other. In some games, you see things and environments but never get to interact with them. That is not the case here. Things you see early in the game will pop up as interactive parts later in your journey. You will cross through certain segments multiple times. In the past such endeavors were a designers' excuse to lengthen the game without having to add additional areas. ICO is different, the areas that you will return to have complete purpose that makes sense and does not deter from the experience.

Even the character design has been masterfully thought out and realized perfectly. The character models of Ico and Yorda are not necessarily the sharpest but their intent is to convey two different personalities that when linked compliment each other nicely. Ico is a young thin fragile boy, while Yorda glides along as she is almost some sort of graceful spirit. When left unattended, Yorda appears frightened and disoriented. She is unable to perform feats such as climbing chains, leaping huge holes and the like that comes natural to Ico. Rather, Yorda must be led throughout the game and ultimately to freedom. This is accomplished by taking her hand and leading her like a small child. Many situations arise where you must convince Yorda to jump up to different heights or take a leap of faith across some large chasms. When these events occur you can be guaranteed of some heart stopping moments as Ico pulls her up. All of these actions are represented in fluid and realistic human movements. Even the enemy spirits each have their own unique characteristic design. They are reminiscent of the evil spirits found in the classic Demi Moore movie Ghost. They come out of the ground unexpectedly and attack ferociously in attempt to drag Yorda back into confinement.

Lastly the camera work is quite good. There were only a couple of instances where angles became problematic. This usually occurred in tight spaces.

Sound
Interestingly enough the gaming environment is mostly quiet in terms of soundtrack. When major events happen, moments of orchestrated music is played. However, most of the game is played with subtle sound effects. Make no mistake, this is not like Tomb Raider where absolute silence could put you to sleep. In Ico, environmental sound effects are used appropriately and as a result enhance the gorgeous visuals. Being inside large staircases you are surrounded with the sound of wind currents. Walking outside is like being in a park on a Spring day complete with birds chirping and the sounds of trees swaying in the wind. In a later level which finds you deep below the castle, the water sound effects are amazing. The sound of a downpour accompanied by the thunderous crash of waves is eerily surreal.

A very intuitive design was how the developers decided to go with a hybrid dialect of Japanese, French and English for the character voices. This was apparently done so that players could stimulate their imaginations. Regardless, it is yet another feature which makes Ico that more intriguing.

Gameplay
All the visual production in the world cannot compensate for poor control mechanics. Fortunately, that is not an issue here. The developers took pain staking measures to ensure the gameplay matches the visuals. The meat of the game comes in the form of a plethora of puzzles that in some cases will have you baffled for hours on end. Basically you must get yourself and the princess Yorda from point A to point B. Using your skills of deduction and observation, you must figure out how the environment can be manipulated in order to get to the next point and ultimately escape. Controlling Ico is quite simple. You must keep Yorda near your side by taking her hand and leading her around the castle. Obviously there are moments where she is left alone but you have to be quick in your deductions otherwise the evil spirits will re-capture Yorda and the game will be over. In order to save your game on the intuitive "Save Couches" you will need both characters present. The beauty of the game is how the puzzles have been seamlessly integrated into the game. Many puzzle games appear too manufactured. Battling the enemy spirits is simple enough but at times the control here could have been better. When Yorda is attacked by four or five spirits, it becomes difficult to focus your attack on the appropriate spirit. Perhaps some sort of lock-on mode would have made things a little easier during these battles.

Value
Unfortunately Ico is too short. Just as you are really getting into the mass environments, the game is over. Average gamers will take approximately 10 to 15 hours. However, we breezed through the game in under 6 hours. We only had a couple of puzzles that had us baffled. Other than those, we were able to figure things out without a hitch. There is only one ending and as a result there is not too much incentive to play through the game again. Although, we enjoyed going through the experience four times just in order to take in the massive and gorgeous environments. Some sort of additional goals or additional areas in the castle would have increased the longevity of the experience.

Final Word
Ico may not be for everyone but we strongly suggest that you at least give it a go and see what kind of lasting impression it leaves you. We would bet that for many of you Ico is a no brainer purchase. With an incredible mix of visuals and gameplay, Ico is yet another gem in Playstation 2's ever growing crown.