Holy hell what a game!

User Rating: 8.9 | ICO PS2
This was just the game I needed. I get burned out on all the violent and destructive titles, so this was a great breath of fresh air. I loved the beautiful scenery surrounding the castle as well as inside. The best example would have to be running to the East or West towers overlooking the courtyard and the surrounding areas outside the castle walls. But lets move on...

The gameplay is where this title truly shines. Most of the puzzles can be figured out by looking around and taking in the environment. I found myself "working backwards" on most climbing and jumping puzzles. There were some places that the graphics could have been a little better so I could have figured out that those round, blackish-grey objects were bombs...or maybe they could have given a hint the first time I ran across them. Overall, there were only a couple of times that I actually had to stop and look online for a hint just to make sure I was going in the right direction. The controls weren't dead-on perfect, but no 3D game I have ever played was without flaws. The biggest issue was the camera control, and that wasn't even a major flaw. There were a few places where I thought it could be a little better, but most of the cinematography added to the movie-like experience. Otherwise, there was an occasional jumping puzzle that required precise timing or angles that caused a few unnecessary deaths. A fantastic game that should be played by everyone...if you can find it. This is becoming a rare jem that will only disappoint because of it's short length (8 hours or less) but every last minute is worth it.