The best thing about the games being on separate discs is that they have separate instruction manuals. This might sound crazy, but they are the most beautiful manuals we have ever seen. The Ico one is filled with sketches, and is laid out like a story book. The play instructions are also given in a storybook fashion, with directions on which button to press at what time actually being woven into the narrative structure.
The Shadow of the Colossus manual is even more impressive, as it has fold-out pages. As you flip through it, you see a beautiful piece of art, then you fold out a piece of paper, look at the instructions on how to play the game, then re-fold it and turn the page, and the artwork has changed. It's hard to really explain in just words, so hopefully the pictures will help you understand it a bit more. The fact that this manual is like nothing else we've ever seen, however, should be understandable without pictures.
Moving on to the included book, it's chock full of information. It starts with pages and pages of Fumita Ueda's original sketches for the colossi and other design elements, storyboards for Ico and Shadow, and other character drawings and tests. At the end of those, as a special treat, a lithograph of two original art pieces Ueda did for Shadow of the Colossus and Ico are included, which you can see below. The paper the lithos are on, and the art in person, is so beautiful, it's indescribable.
Next is a multiple page, in-depth interview with Fumita Ueda, the creator, himself. He discusses what path brought him to this point in his life, where he intends to go from here, and other various things about his life and his art. They then include pictures of his bookshelf, and he discusses his various influences. If you wanted to, you, too, could live life exactly as this incredible creator! They even include a timeline of what movies/books/pieces of art were most influencing him at which point of time during the production of Ico and Shadow.
After the interview, there are pages and pages about how Ueda and his team work, including a time-flowchart of what a normal work-day (12p to 9p, lucky ducks) looks like for them. They show what tools and technology they use to make the games, and provide a timeline of what the development schedule for both Ico and Shadow looked like. There are also interviews with some of the main staff on Ueda's team, but they are shorter than the interview with the man himself. The last thing in the artbook is a few pages of screenshots from Fumita Ueda's upcoming game, The Last Guardian.
As far as the games themselves go, well, they're gorgeous. Don't get us wrong, they aren't as pretty as The Last Guardian, nor any other game actually developed for current-gen systems. However, considering that Ico was originally supposed to be a PSOne title which got re-tooled at the last minute to be a PS2 title, and that Shadow of the Colossus is also up there in age, they are impressive. They didn't re-do the game from the ground up, but they made the existing graphics look as beautiful as they possibly could, and they did an amazing job. Besides enjoying an HD bump and the inclusion of optional 3D graphics (which we unfortunately couldn't test, not having a 3D capable TV), the ICO Team went back and bumped up the textures and polygon count in the games. The difference is immediately noticeable; the graphics look crisp and clear, the colors pop, and the characters have visible, recognizable emotions flit across their face as they experience the events in the story. Perhaps more impressive than the graphics, however, is the inclusion of an HD 7.1 audio sound track. If you thought Ico's world was immersive before, imagine it in surround sound. Certain scenes, usually ones with large stone mechanisms moving, were so intense my speakers almost rumbled themselves off my bookcases. The colossi moving is also incredibly impressive; it almost seemed like one of them was about to materialize into reality and step on my house.
Shadow of the Colossus is much the same as you remember it, as far as gameplay goes. However, Ico is noticeably different. For the collection, they used the European/Japanese version of Ico. Why, you ask? The American version was actually released 9 months earlier than EU/JPN versions, and as such those versions had better textures, more polish, and extra features. Those extra features are carried on into the PS3 release. For example, when you beat the game, all of Yorda's and the Queen's strange language is translated, so you can understand what they are saying on subsequent play-throughs. More exciting, however, is the inclusion of the 2-player mode; upon completing the game for the first time, you can choose to re-play the game with a friend taking on the role of Yorda.
As far as the games themselves go, we don't feel the need to really review them. They are classics, and the best argument there has ever been for the 'games as art' debate. If you played them before, when they were originally released on the PS2, then you already know this. Be assured that seeing Ico and Shadow in glorious HD graphics will warm your heart, and re-affirm the love you had for these games when you first played them. If you did not play them when they first released, or if you only managed to play Shadow (Ico was ridiculously hard to find on the PS2), then you need to buy these. Even if atmospheric action-adventure puzzle games aren't what you usually play, play these. They are the best examples of what video games are capable of achieving as an art medium, and you will be better for having played them. We personally hope that all of you will support these games by buying them on September 27th, and at $40 for the two of them, you can hardly find a better deal for your time. You won't regret it. We know we don't. We sincerely hope you enjoyed this look at the Japan-exclusive collector's edition box of Ico and Shadow of the Colossus.
Submitted by: Sherrie Blackwell and Aaron McKeever
Submitted by: Sherrie Blackwell and Aaron McKeever
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