Team Ico PS3 collection surfaces at Wal-Mart - Retail Radar

With the God of War Collection and the Sly Cooper Collection, Sony has established a line of PlayStation 3 compilations of older games given a new HD sheen and outfitted with modern amenities like trophies and, in the case of Sly, stereoscopic 3D support. Signs are increasingly pointing to a Team Ico collection as the next installment in that line, as Wal-Mart has begun accepting preorders for just such a title on its Web site.

This is the second major retailer to offer such a product for sale. In July, the French site of Amazon listed a "Team Ico Collection" with an expected June 2011 release date and a price tag of €70 ($90). The Wal-Mart listing offers better news for eager fans of the developer, with the game expected to arrive earlier (April 2011), and substantially cheaper ($40).

This week's Tokyo Game Show could be a big one for Team Ico fans. Whether or not an official announcement of this collection is imminent, the developer's next title, The Last Guardian, is expected to be on display in some form. Last month, Team Ico head Fumito Ueda said the studio was hoping to show "something" regarding its next project at the open-to-the-public convention.

Released in September of 2001, Ico cast players as a horned youth who had to escort a princess safely from her prison. His task was complicated both by the princess's comparatively limited agility and by the fact that the two protagonists didn't speak the same language.

Four years later, Team Ico's Shadow of the Colossus followed a young warrior who had brought his fallen love to a faraway temple in the hopes of restoring her to health. According to a mysterious presence that dwelled within the temple's walls, the only way to save this girl was to hunt down and destroy the 16 massive beasts that roamed the surrounding lands.

For more on the PlayStation 2 originals, check out GameSpot's reviews of Ico and Shadow of the Colossus. For more on Team Ico's upcoming PS3 debut, check out GameSpot's previous coverage of The Last Guardian.