Shadow of the Colossus - Artbook

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Amazing, this is the only word to desribe the energy and creativity that went into designing and developing SotC.

For a taste of the best that Team ICO offer you may want to get hold of this book all about their creation of a legendary game. Although there is no English translation this book is full of beautiful works of art that you can gaze at for hours. Surely a collectors item. My orders in already.



Related Links
Shadow of the Colossus Art Book
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Yawara! Ico

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YAWARA! anime, also known as Yawara! A Fashionable Judo Girl, is a Japanese manga series by Naoki Urasawa. I just thought I would post this video showing Yawara as Yorda as it made me wrinkle my forehead then laugh out loud. Very strange...

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Fumito Ueda Talks to Eurogamer

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Fumito Ueda discusses the trailer and the development of The Last Guardian with EuroGamers' Ellie Gibson. In the discussion he reveals some interesting ideas about the flow of development and the lengths that Team ICO go to convince the player that the characters are (almost) real. A very interesting read indeed. Follow this link for the full interview.

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EuroGamer
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The Last Guardian Official Site Launched

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Sony has finally launched the official (Japanese) site for The Last Guardian. In addition to this a flurry of screenshots have been released as well as an interview (see below) with Team ICO on their developement of their latest creation.



Watching the subbed interview it's clear that a great deal of thought is going into the game. The devil is definately in the details in The Last Guardian. There is also a short trailer at the end of the interview which is also worth the wait.

Related Links
The Last Guardian Official Site
The Last Guardian Screenshots (download)
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The Next Generation for Ico & Shadow of the Colossus, Maybe...

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Fumito Ueda has hinted in a recent interview with Kotaku that both Ico and SotC may be enhanced and re-released on the PS3, just like the God of War games enjoyed last month.

"I do have an interest in that. Next week, I'll have a meeting [about the possibility] ... But it might not be so easy, because, with both titles we really stretched the limits of the PS2. It's complex. So it's not such an easy transfer to the PS3. But I want to discuss it." said Fumito Ueda.


The prospect of running Ico or SotC on enhanced hardware is so lush. I'd love for Sony to allow this to be developed and I'm sure it would help raise the profile of both games. Team ICO would have involvement but a dedicated team called BluePrint Games would handle a majority of the code as they did with God of War. No official announcements have yet been made but I will be sure to confirm the moment I hear anything.


Related Links
BluePrint Games
Kotaku
Buy God of War
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Pikols Secret

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This video by Pikol shows the mysterious geometry hidden within SotC. Using a hack this wanderer has managed to travel further than any adventurer before him. Watch the whole video to see for yourself what he found...



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Pikols' Channel
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The Ico Mace

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Escaping a castle isn't easy, especially if the only weapon available to you is a stick of wood. Ico does eventually find a sword which becomes essential in completing some of the tasks at hand. But hidden behind a secret door in one of the many gardens is a Mace. Obtaining the secret weapon involves Ico to shoot-some-hoops. Watch the video to learn of the Maces' location and instructions on how to retrieve the secret weapon.

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Ico and the Little Big Planet

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If you haven't played Little Big Planet on the Playstation3 then you really are missing out. The game consists of a building set where you can literally create any kind of level you want and share them with the rest of the world. It's also 2 player and is a real laugh, a lot of fun indeed.

Here we have pretty much the entire Ico game faithfully reproduced. The designer Mushroom_Samba has been very clever to get all the game in there. I've posted it because I'm really impressed with this and I hope you find it amusing too. Enjoy.





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Little Big Planet
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Shadow of the Colossus, The Movie

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Just when you thought it was safe to return to the cinema news spreads from an announcement made on Hollywood's Risky Biz Blog, ahem: 'Shadow of the Colossus to become a movie.'



The writer, Justin Marks seems to have a passion for the game but I really don't see that Hollywood is the right stage to tackle such a cult and sensitive game onto the big screen. Kevin Misher is set to be the producer but non of his previous films have blown me away, only the late Public Enemies, the story of John Dillinger starring Johnny Depp and directed by Michael Mann, was worth noting.

I'm torn between being fascinated to see what Hollywood will make of the Colossi themselves as I'm sure they will be magnificent, but the story will not be faithfully reproduced nor will the film harbour the same feeling of desperation and solitude. Perhaps it will but for all the wrong reasons.

If Hollywood does make it into a film I'm sure I will go and see it, maybe I'll be pleasantly surprised. I'm almost certain I won't be though. I can't help but be a pessimist on this subject as Hollywood primarily is a money making business and does not pander well to an artists interpretation of any subject. I suppose only time will tell however and I will keep pessimism in check until I finally see the movie.

Related Links
Risky Business Blog
Kevin Misher
Justin Marks
Michael Mann
Johnny Depp
Buy Public Enemies
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Shadow of the Colossus Music (live)

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This video is the music from SotC played by the Eminence Symphony Orchestra. The orchestra will be performing an event called 'A Night in Fantasia' and tickets are on sale now from Ticketmaster. Hiroaki Yura, founder and director of Eminence Artists said in a press release:

We are really looking forward to presenting A Night in Fantasia 2009 as it's going to be such a huge event, featuring so many wonderful pieces of music, musicians, world class composers and other special guests...


The score of tracks to be performed include AFRIKA, Ace Combat V, Darksiders: Wrath of War, Dragon Age: Origins, Metal Gear Solid, Prince of Persia, Red Alert 3, Shadow of the Colossus and a wide range of anime titles, including Astro Boy (which will hit cinemas in September), Studio Ghibli, Totoro, Laputa, Princess Mononoke, Death Note, Steamboy and many, many more...

I wish I could make it as it's sure to be amazing, but it's a long way from the UK. If you have the chance to attend I would highly recommend it. The concert will be performed at The Sydney Entertainment Centre on 26th September 2009.



Related Links
Buy A Night in Fantasia, Ticketmaster
Eminence Online
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Pans' Labyrinth Director Talks Gaming

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Guillermo del Toro, the director behind the dark and enchanting Pans' Labyrinth spoke to Edge Magazine recently. He describes his childhood influences and what he feels makes a great game just that. I really like his films which include the excellent Hellboy series and I value his opinion. I read with great interest the interview, but the defining moment for me was when he was asked, on the subject of current games:

What’s impressed you recently?

I love the engine of GTA IV. I’m not a big fan of the actual game: I’m not into break-ins or running people over, but the engine is incredibly beautiful, and the sandbox is very complete. The same goes for Medal of Honor Airborne, Call of Duty 4 or Army of Two. There are only two games I consider masterpieces: Ico and Shadow of the Colossus.


Good man Guillermo, I for one agree with your opinion, well apart from the bit about the Medal of Honour games and Army of Two, those games were absolute gash. It's refreshing however to hear that Ico and SotC are singled out as masterpieces. This helps reinforce the position that Team ICO are masters at what they do. Now if only he made a movie of either game...

Related Links
Guillermo del Toro talks to Edge Magazine
Buy Pans' Labyrinth
Buy Hellboy 1, 2
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Enemy Zero

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Fumito Ueda has not only worked on Team ICO games. In 1996 Famito was the CGI animator on a Sega Saturn and PC game called Enemy Zero. Kenji Eno was the lead writer and producer along with many other of Team ICO's current employees who were employed under the name Warp Inc.

The game did not enjoy great success and the gaming community largely missed this game due partly to the weak sales of the Sega Saturn. Although reviews did no favours for the game either, it showed promise in it's unconventional design by combining the puzzle and shooter genres and the unique idea of locating the enemy acoustically instead of visually.

If you would like to play the game it is available at a bargain busting £2.57 from Amazon.co.uk.

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Ico - Prototype PS1

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This video shows development prototype for Ico, which was initially destined for the Playstation1. I for one believe that Ico should've been released for Sony's debut console as it would've given Team ICOs' games great symmetry, like the way every generation has a Kubrick movie, every one of Sony's consoles would have a Team ICO game. And I'm sure that the impact of the game would've been more profound as the visuals haven't lost much of their fidelity which is some achievement. I don't mind though, I'm just glad Ico was released and I'm eternally grateful for that.

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Team ICO Tribute

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As the title suggests, a tribute to Team ICO. Put together by ScOULaris, an experienced video editor. Enjoy.

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Shadow of the Colossus Awarded at the CEDEC

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After last year's CEDEC (CESA Developers Conference), where Ico was awarded with the Special Award for Visual Arts, it's now time for Shadow of the Colossus to have the spotlight.

Last year Ico was awarded with the Special Award for Visual Arts at the CEDEC(CESA Developers Conference) and quite rightly too. This game alone sparked a thousand discussions about whether games could be art?

This year however it was time for Shadow of the Colossus to be heard. Fumito Ueda and Hajime Sugiyama collected the coveted Programming Award on behalf of the entire Team ICO staff for their work on SotC.

I would like to congratulate the team for an amazing achievement and look forward to more games from them in the near future.
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Shadow of the Colossus Unlockables

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There are no cheats in SotC but you can unlock hidden extras with persistant play. Here is a list of those unlockables and how to obtain them.

Unlock Hard Difficulty
Beat the game and save your data at the end of the credits. You can now start a new game on Hard Mode from the Main Menu.

Unlock Time Attack And Integral Game Cheats
Beat the game and save your game at the end of the credits. You can now enter Time Attack Mode by pressing the Circle Button to pray in front of a Colossus statue. By beating the Colossus under the required time limit in Time Attack mode, you can unlock new weapons and items.

Below are the rewards, in the order that you'll receive them. Collect them from the pool at the end of the hall in the temple. They are unlocked every two colossus beaten.

2. Whistling Arrow - Distracts a Colossus when you fire it.
4. Cloak of Force - Increases the amount of damage your sword will do to a Colossus.
6. Mask of Strength - Allows you to inflict deeper wounds into a Colossus.
8. Lizard Detection Stone - Allows you to find the white tailed lizards throughout the land.
10. Fruit Tree Map - Allows you to find the Fruit Trees around the map more easily.
12. Mask of Power - Allows you to inflict more grievous wounds on a Colossus.
14. Cloak of Deception - Makes you invisible to the Colossus.
16. Flash Arrow - Explodes and can damage a Colossus without hitting its vitals.

Hard Time Attack Mode unlocks more options and this version of Time Attack is unlocked after clearing the Story Mode on Hard difficulty.

2. Harpoon of Thunder - A new Colossus-whacking weapon.
4. Sword Of The Sun - Allows the light beacon to operate even in patches of shadow.
6. Fruit Tree Map - Identical to the cheat earned in Normal Time Attack.
8. Shaman Cloak - Wanders' defenses increased and he takes less damage.
10. Lizard Detection Stone - Identical to the cheat unlocked in Normal Time Attack.
12. Shaman Mask - Increases Wanders defence. This cheat's effects stacks with the Shaman's Cloak.
14. Cloth of Desperation - Hand-made parachute allows for soft landings.
16. Queen's Sword - An Ico easter egg. It has the side benefit of killing a Colossus with great ease, just a couple of strikes and a colossus falls.

Unlockable - Brown Horse
You must first get all the items in Normal Time Attack mode. Then hold down Square button at title screen.

Unlockable - White Horse
You must first get all the items in Hard Time Attack mode. Then hold down Circle button at title screen. Alternatively defeat the game four times on Hard mode after collecting all the items to unlock this cheat without using the toggle on the menu screen. You will get a white Agro icon to the left of the menu screen showing that this has been unlocked. You will also notice a white Agro during the opening cut scene and throughout. Use the toggle cheat to return to a black horse.
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Shadow of the Colossus Easter Eggs

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Easter eggs, apart from a chocolate treat at Easter, are items hidden within games. SotC contains many easter eggs all of which I have tried to list here and instructions on how you can find them.

Ico - If you’ve completed Ico and the save game file is on the same memory card as your SotC game file then Agro will display a small ‘i’ on his for-head instead of a diamond shape.

Doves - Every time a Colossus is defeated an extra white dove appears around the alter in the temple.

Petting - If you pat Agro by pressing the circle button with no weapon equipped (you can do this either standing next to her or sat astride) your stamina is replenished twice as fast.

White Agro - When SotC has been completed on the hard mode more than 4 times a white Agro will be granted to you permanently.

Climb Trees - The trees dotted around the landscape can be scaled by climbing up the green moss on the trunks.

Fruit - The trees contain fruit which can be dislodged with an arrow and eaten. This increases your health.

Crouch - Your health replenishes twice as quick when Wander crouches.

Food of the Dead - The fruit in the trees of the secret garden is poisonous and takes life instead of giving it, reducing your health.

Obscured - When your stamina reaches such a large level the gauge becomes ghosted to prevent it from obscuring the screen.

Zorro - To make Agro rear up and gallop from a stand still, pull sharply down on the left stick when tapping X.

Wild Riding - It is possible to grab the wildlife such as the doves in the temple, the eagles on the plains and the fish in the water by holding down R1.

White Tailed Lizards - White tailed lizards can be found on every save point and their tails increase your stamina when collected. You can either kill the lizard to collect the tails or for an even harder challenge, shoot the tails off the lizard with an arrow without killing the lizard.

White tailed lizards are not only found on save points. They can also be found along cliff walls hidden within crevices. They are sometimes hard to find and patience is required to locate them. Agro actually scares them away but you can make Agro run away by aiming your Bow and Arrow at her(don’t shoot her, it’s cruel).

The Secret Garden - The secret garden can only be accessed via the vines of the south eastern wall. You will need a lot of stamina to be able to get to the top beyond the gate located at the top of the spiral walkway at the end of the hall of the temple. I wouldn’t recommend attempting this until you have the cloth of desperation as a high fall will kill Wander.

Reminiscence Mode - Defeated Colossi can be re-defeated in a mode called Reminiscence Mode. Simply find the ‘corpse’ which will be located wherever the Colossus was slain and prey at the foot of the corpse. This will replay the Colossus from the moment it was found, but with all your ‘powers’ reset making the challenge harder. It also provides a nice ‘memory’ effect where everything is sketchy, like an old film.

Circus Tricks - Wander can perform great feats on Agro. Press and hold R1 and X while galloping and he will stand up on the sadle. Agro can be steered but not stopped while performing this acrobatic.

Quick Turn - Agro can perform a quick 180 degree turn. When galloping, simultaneously, and sharply, press down on the left analog stick twice and the X button twice. Agro will stop and turn around to run the other way.

Emergency Stop - Agro can also stop quickly while galloping. Simultaneously press down on the left analog stick and the X button.
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The Long Wait

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The Last Guardian will be one of the greatest games of this decade. Now I can say this with absolute confidence because of Team ICO’s track record. Although only two games old, those two games are quite simply amazing. ICO is regarded as one of the best games of the 20th century, SOTC is one of the most beautifully orchestrated games in history. The Last Guardian is sure to follow the same suit.

Although not much is known about the game, the interview with Famito Ueda gives some indication as to what to expect from the developer. Huge open vistas, an intelligent creature with oodles of personality, an avatar whose past is surrounded in mystery and game mechanics similar to their previous games, this is a recipe for greatness.

The Last Guardian has been in development for the last three years and although I am itching to play the game I am also happy to wait as long as it takes for Team ICO to make this game as richly detailed as their previous games. With the rest of the games development community happy to churn out sequel after predictable sequel it’s reassuring to see that Sony Computer Entertainment Japan happy to allow Team ICO to take as long as they need to completely finish the game properly.

Back in the 1990’s there was a game released for the N64. This game single headedly made the fledgling console a success. The game was called Goldeneye and it was so good that the N64 was saved from an early death because Goldeneye was an N64 exclusive and many people bought the console just for that game. Exactly the same happedened with the X-Box, had it not Halo from launch perhaps the modern games scene would be quite a different place. Although the Playstation3 is not in the same situation as the N64 or the X-Box I’m sure that The Last Guardian will be one of those exclusive titles that warrant some to buy a PS3 just for that game. I only hope that the pressure on Team ICO’s development cycle does not undermine the integrity of the team.

Related Links
Goldeneye, N64
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The Devil is in the Details

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SotC is an amazing game. Few games can compare to the mood, story, animation, or characters encountered in this game. Personally it is the details which contribute to making this game special. Here is a list of those details in no particular order, and the reasons why I think they are important.

1. Agro – she is the most amazing character I have encountered in a game. Possessing more personality than any other game character I have ever seen in my 20 years of playing games. I love the way she moves, the animation of this horse is like nothing else. Having played Assassins Creed and riding a horse in that game, despite the additional processing power of the X-Box 360, Agro’s fluid motion on the Playstation2 is a marvel of programming and attention to detail which surpasses any other.

2. Wander – as an avatar I sympathise with his position immediately. The love he shares for the maiden is a love which has taken him to the end of the world to do battle with giant un-godly creatures and risk his own life to restore hers. At every point he displays emotion from the way he stares at his love, to the way he rides Agro. Everything about him is so full of meaning a thought that few avatars have ever come close.

3. Colossi – The stars of the game. The Colossi are quite simply one of the most amazing things ever seen in a video game. The way they move, the way they stare at you, to the way they react when injured. Towering above you with complete dominance they create an air of mystery and fear.

4. The Landscape – The Forbidden Land is vast, but this size is necessary to making you feel small and alone. There are areas of the map which feel so well accomplished that they make you feel you are part of something very special and change your mood accordingly such as the rocky waterfall paths, the dark forests and the huge open dessert complete with sandy ruins and dunes.

5. The Wildlife – Lizards, doves, eagles, fish and even tortoises. The lizards are quite hard to catch. On my first run through SotC I wasn’t even aware they existed. It was only after I managed to obtain the Lizard Detection Stone that I realised they were there and that they played an important role by increasing ones stamina. I love the way they react to Wanders presence and try to hide.

The doves appear around the alter in the temple every time a colossi is defeated and the eagles track your journey across the landscape. At the time of writing this I am yet to find a use for the tortoises, they are just there. The same goes for the fish, though I suppose a pond wouldn’t be complete without them.

6. The Save Points – Games rarely incorporate save points into a game with such thought. Usually they either crop up without warning or they are a sub menu in the pause screen. SotC makes them a part of the landscape and they work them into the game with meaning by allowing Wander to ‘pray’ whenever saving a game. When a game is loaded Wander is found dozing with his head in his arms giving the impression that little time has passed but while you were away he had a well deserved rest.

7. The Sword – Wanders arsenal of swords help him in different ways. The default sword lights his way to the next colossi as well as helping him take it down by lighting up the vitals on a colossi. The sword can also be used to kill various wildlife for Wander to eat and the un-lockable swords, such as the sword of the sun can help light Wanders way in darkened caves.

8. The Bow and Arrow – My favourite weapon in the game. The Bow and Arrow help Wander grab the attention of the colossi so he can goad them into a certain position or location. They also allow him to capture the elusive lizards, shoot birds, fruit from trees and fish from the water. Shoot an arrow into a pond and it behaves realistically by diving, then re-emerging on the surface and floating about. If you already have the bow drawn with an arrow and you don’t want to take the shot it can be cancelled by pressing the circle button whilst aiming. Wander replaces the bow into its holster.

9. The Wind – Without the windy weather I doubt SotC would carry the same atmosphere (excuse the pun). Constantly tearing at the clothes and hair of the duo and making a wonderfully earthly noise, the wind makes me feel so lost in the wilderness and somehow makes the landscape seem much larger and older than it appears.

10. The Map – As the forbidden land is vast and mysterious it would be a shame if the map was too helpful. Fortunately it isn’t. Mostly covered in cloud until explored it simply acts as a guide and does not show you exactly where to go, only where you’ve been. The map is quite vague in parts and cannot be relied upon which, in my opinion is the way it should be.


These are simply a drop in the ocean of what SotC has in terms of details and accomplished design. No other game has come close as far as I’m aware and it is a shame that developers don’t replicate Team ICO’s design ethic to create games with such flair, feeling and thought as SotC has.
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