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[Yoshichan]

EAT IT, FINAL BOSS DUDE. Cutscene time.

Don't cry like a baby now! ♥

 

[ScOULaris]

Good god ICO is frustrating. Bitch, learn to defend yourself.

Protip: If you activate the magical doors with Yorda, all enemies in the area die. I skipped almost every fight in the game this way.

 

[Branson]

Protip: If you activate the magical doors with Yorda, all enemies in the area die. I skipped almost every fight in the game this way.

Yeah, I figured that out, and I just got past the part I was frustrated with, I think I'm Trying to rush it because I look at a FAQ and go, "fuck I'm stupid" and continue on my way. I need to slow down my play style.

It's also frustrating when she goes down a long ladder only to go back up. She ain't born with no smarts.

 

[Reveirg]

I'm trying to do the 180 with Agro but despite trying out every description of the maneuver I could find, I'm still failing -.-

 

[ScOULaris]

Yeah, I figured that out, and I just got past the part I was frustrated with, I think I'm Trying to rush it because I look at a FAQ and go, "fuck I'm stupid" and continue on my way. I need to slow down my play style.

Yeah, take it easy. Ico's a short game, but there are a lot of little details and touches throughout that you'll miss if you're rushing. Savor it, man. You only get one first playthrough.

 

[Yoshichan]

I'm trying to do the 180 with Agro but despite trying out every description of the maneuver I could find, I'm still failing -.-

Just run at full speed and hammer R1 + Analog stick back + X a bunch of times

 

[Einbroch]

Ending spoilers:

Spoiler

AGRO OMG HE'S HURT BUT ALIVE MANLY TEARS YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS!!!!!!!!!!

MY BABY IS ALIVE!

Oh and the girl's alive too. That's cool.

 

[ScOULaris]

I'm trying to do the 180 with Agro but despite trying out every description of the maneuver I could find, I'm still failing -.-

While galloping forward, press Back + X twice in quick succession. The timing is a little precise, but that's how you do it.

 

[Yoshichan]

Einbroch, I love you ♥

 

[ScOULaris]

Congrats, Einbroch. You've just beaten one of the best games ever made.

Now complete the Normal Mode Time Attacks to unlock all of the cool items. After that, play through Hard Mode followed by the Hard Mode Time Attacks to unlock even more cool items. Trust me, it's worth it and a good challenge.

 

[Yoshichan]

I say it's definitely worth it but be careful not to over-SotC yourself. If killing the colossi becomes a "grind" and you're not having fun with it anymore, take a break and come back the next day/week or whatever. The epicness will be back, guaranteed!

 

[JumpingTheGun]

You guys are making me scared shitless and at the same time excited as fuck for SotC.

And Im only past the Windmill in ICO. Im taking my time like a mofo.

 

[Neuromancer]

Wow.

I just realized for first time that the doors Yorda opens are

Spoiler

stylized coffins with horned boys inside them.

Played the PS2 version god knows how many times and I could never make out that detail.

 

[burgerdog]

Finally had the time to pick this game up. I beat both of them on ps2 many years ago, I almost wish that I hadn't. Anyway, I wasn't even going to bother with 3D at all, decided to give it a shot and holy smokes, it looks phenomenal in 3D. Must be one of few games that doesn't go into insane sub hd mode while 3D is on.

 

[Einbroch]

Wait, what the hell. There's more after the credits?!

Ending spoilers:

Spoiler

Hey, Agro, where you going? Hey...wait...this looks familiar. I'm feeling something here...like I know this place...maybe not. Up the stairs, okay...carrying the horned baby...Agro baby you look hurt, you should rest. Some animals, Snow White vibe, hawk flying away...

Okay I feel like that should be like an "omg" moment, and something felt familiar, but I can't put my finger on it.

 

[Yoshichan]

You guys are making me scared shitless and at the same time excited as fuck for SotC.

You SHOULD be ♥ !

Played the PS2 version god knows how many times and I could never make out that detail.

Haha, that reminded me... I pretty much never used the bow in PS2 SotC because of the framerate. Now don't get me wrong, I loved the additional epic that came from the framerate but aiming with the bow? With a strict timing? Nearly impossible at 10-15 fps :lol I noticed how super easy it became to aim your bow now, haha!

 

[ScOULaris]

@Einbroch:

Spoiler

The only thing that should seem familiar is that the game closes out with the same hawk that it begins with, which is nicely cyclical. Other than that, the only thing you should know is that you can actually climb up to that garden on top of the temple once your stamina is high enough from subsequent playthroughs.

 

[Yoshichan]

Einbroch, you were simply feeling yourself

Spoiler

home.

That's how fucking great and deep SotC is ♥

 

[ScOULaris]

What does that even mean, Yoshichan?

 

[Yoshichan]

What does that even mean, Yoshichan?

Playing SotC and becoming one with the

Spoiler

garden is like coming home from a long, long vacation.

You feel perfect.

 

[ScOULaris]

Playing SotC and becoming one with

Spoiler

Spoiler

the garden is like coming home from a long, long vacation

. You feel perfect.

Okay, you're starting to creep me out.

Also, spoiler tag that shit.

 

[Yoshichan]

Okay, you're starting to creep me out.

Also, spoiler tag that shit.

Haha, you know how I am and my feeling towards SotC. This isn't just a game to me, it literally changed my life.

Also, I didn't even know what I was thinking not spoiler-tagging that! Now don't quote me or others will see my unedited post!

 

[xxracerxx]

Also, spoiler tag that shit.

Follow your own guidance.

 

[Takuya]

Just finished 2nd playthrough of ICO... All that's left is...

Spoiler

The 2 hour run trophy =(

 

[Yoshichan]

Just finished 2nd playthrough of ICO... All that's left is...

Spoiler

The 2 hour run trophy =(

The only trophy is super dislike. Not because I don't mind a challenge but because ICO just isn't supposed to be played like that. Period.

 

[Reveirg]

Just run at full speed and hammer R1 + Analog stick back + X a bunch of times

That worked, thanks (and got the trophy!!)

I'm now down to the last colossus... I expect to be impressed once again!

 

[Andrew.]

Just got the ico OST...as far as i kno....takes me far away...love it.

 

[JumpingTheGun]

.

 

[Gen X]

I'm 3 in and I feel like I have fought the camera more than the colossi, and damn that constant shaking is not fun.

Hahaha, this is my first time and I am raging hard at the second boss with the shaking and trying to hold on. My biggest gripe is the direction you press is not relevant to which direction the camera is facing and learning to accommodate that is hard after the last few years of games. Had to take a breather and about to go outside to have a ciggie while I mellow with Ins in hand for light reading.

Great game though, can just imagine what people thought the first time around. Bring on The Last Guardian.

 

[Magnus]

Got it. It's gorgeous. Beautiful package.

SotC runs beautifully, is just as stunning visually and aurally as ever.

Controls are also just as abysmal and frustrating as ever. It's such a shame to still have that one thing mar such a masterpiece. Too many people I know give up on this game on the first colossus or two solely based on how horrible the controls and hit detection are. Oh well.

Still loving it.

 

[Yoshichan]

That worked, thanks (and got the trophy!!)

I'm now down to the last colossus... I expect to be impressed once again!

Great work!

Oh, and good luck !

 

[TheExodu5]

SotC is fun so far. People were saying it was around 15 hours, though? I'm at 2:02 with 6 colossi defeated. Do they start taking a lot longer or something?

 

[MrCookiepants]

Am I the only one who thinks SotC controls just fine? The only time they're difficult is when you're on a colossus, which I think is the point.

 

[Brazil]

SotC is fun so far. People were saying it was around 15 hours, though? I'm at 2:02 with 6 colossi defeated. Do they start taking a lot longer or something?

Not really.

 

[Einbroch]

4 time attacks down. Go go go go.

 

[corrosivefrost]

SotC is fun so far. People were saying it was around 15 hours, though? I'm at 2:02 with 6 colossi defeated. Do they start taking a lot longer or something?

Depends on what you do. I've been grabbing all the stuff for the trophies and am about 75% of the way done with the main story and I'm somewhere around 10 hours. You can speed run the game really quick... the biggest time wasters are (1) finding the colossi the first time, (2) actually travelling to them, and (3) figuring out how to beat them.

Am I the only one who thinks SotC controls just fine? The only time they're difficult is when you're on a colossus, which I think is the point.

Depends. They're wonky at times, for sure. Wander sucks ass at using the sword for swinging at things. Getting on Agro sometimes is a bitch. Learning how to climb properly can be a pain (once I got used to it again, it's fine though).

--

Collectibles question:

Spoiler

Anyone know if the fruit detector will detect fruit you've knocked off the tree? I'm worried that I missed somewhere.. I'm assuming the forbidden garden fruit counts toward the trophy as well?

 

[Trevelyon]

SotC is fun so far. People were saying it was around 15 hours, though? I'm at 2:02 with 6 colossi defeated. Do they start taking a lot longer or something?

Yes and no. If you're quick to figure out that particular Colossi's gimmick, you can easily fell them all, though the last 3-4 do offer up longer challenges.

I've been sailing through them and I'm just over 2:30 hours, hit

Spoiler

Argus

and completely forgot how to

Spoiler

disarm him -- I forgot he had the vital spot on his upper arm, was just focusing on his hand vital and how to get him to drop his knife the entire time

, 35 minutes later I figured it out.

So yeah, depends on how quick on the uptake you are.

 

[Paches]

Just beat the third colossus, here is what I think so far:

Wow, I am playing this game with the mindset that this happened in 2005(?) and some of the pieces and landscapes blow me away. When you are on top of a colossus' head about to stab him and there is this huge panoramic view of the landscape (which is gorgeous) is absolutely amazing. I can't imagine what people thought 6 years ago when those moments happened.

As far as the game play, it is pretty standard so far and I hope as I get deeper some more complex bosses are introduced (I assume that will happen). The first colossus took me about 20 minutes because I didn't know you could

Spoiler

grab the fur on his feet, when I was actually climbing on his stupid mace with nothing to do! After I grabbed his foot on accident I think I felt like a retard.

The 2nd and 3rd ones went down much faster now that I feel like I got the controls and mechanics down a lot better. Looking forward to crushing this game over the weekend.

 

[Gen X]

Depends on what you do. I've been grabbing all the save points,

Spoiler

lizards, and fruit, I have 11 dead with 5 to go

and I'm somewhere around 10 hours.

Shit bro, that's a massive bunch of spoilers there for people who haven't played the game IE: Me, only just beat the second colossus. Had no idea how many there were or you could

Spoiler

hunt for lizards/search for fruit

. Not happy now.

You should hide that shit.

 

[Reveirg]

Heh, I'm about to give up on the final colossus, that thing is cheap

Spoiler

I get to the second hand, but there's just no way I can do whatever up there, walkthrough says to stab the hand and then shoot an arrow to the shoulder, but I always fall =/

 

[Yoshichan]

Heh, I'm about to give up on the final colossus, that thing is cheap

Spoiler

I get to the second hand, but there's just no way I can do whatever up there, walkthrough says to stab the hand and then shoot an arrow to the shoulder, but I always fall =/

Spoiler

Keep doing the hold-in-stabs on his hand until his hand stays still. If you do it right, he won't move for 15-20 seconds, that's where you shoot his shoulder. If you're having trouble knowing where to shoot him, use your guided light to see the weakpoint.

Don't give up, keep going! Here's a good booster: first time playing against him, I was "stuck" for two straight hours!

 

[TONX]

Controls are also just as abysmal and frustrating as ever. It's such a shame to still have that one thing mar such a masterpiece. Too many people I know give up on this game on the first colossus or two solely based on how horrible the controls and hit detection are. Oh well.

Still loving it.

Yeah my GF was super stoked to finally play SotC. I showed her trailers of it and she was extremely excited. After the first Colossus, she was completly over playing it. She just couldn't grasp the controls (pun intended). She's crazy about ICO though, and she had zero interest in it at first. Funny how backwards it turned out.

That's my social experiment.

 

[Vexidus]

These are two of my favourite games of all time. On the PS2 I played ICO at least 3 times, and Shadow about 5 times, and got all the time trial items, etc. I'm not sure if I'm prepared to do it all over again to get the platinum trophies, but I'm having a damn good time replaying these games nonetheless.

I'm impressed with how glorious these games look, a true testament to the design. I'm finding myself spending time to look at every little detail in the environments. I'm seeing all sorts of things I overlooked before, because of the higher resolution. There's nothing better than standing in the castle in ICO, and looking at distant architecture you know you'll explore later, while Yorda plays with the birds. The atmosphere in these games is top notch, and I'm loving every second of it.

I played about an hour of each, to admire the new graphics, but now I'm going to finish ICO, followed by Shadow. Also, the behind the scenes interviews and montages are great, and have me pumped for The Last Guardian.

I envy those of you who are experiencing these truly magical games for the first time. Please take your time, and cherish them.

 

[Lord Error]

Am I the only one who thinks SotC controls just fine? The only time they're difficult is when you're on a colossus, which I think is the point.

Always thought they were fine. Different than in other games, but i got used to them very quickly. They had to be different too, simply because in other games you don't do the kind of thing you do here. In this game you actually need some skill and planning to do the climbing. Contrast that with something like Assassins Creed where everything is automated - I'd take SotC controls and climbing system over that any day.

 

[mclaren777]

I probably won't open my copy for a few weeks but I'm curious how they handled the timing of Trophies.

Does it bother any of you guys?

 

[Neuromancer]

I probably won't open my copy for a few weeks but I'm curious how they handled the timing of Trophies.

Does it bother any of you guys?

Nah not really. They come so infrequently, also they seem to be a little time delayed so as to not happen during cutscenes or anything.

 

[Trevelyon]

I probably won't open my copy for a few weeks but I'm curious how they handled the timing of Trophies.

Does it bother any of you guys?

Nope, not so far or.. at least for SotC.

They pop after the screen goes to black when you've defeat each colossus and when the save prompt comes up, so I'm more or less out of the moment, not intrusive at all.

For everything else, I'd suspect you'd have to be going out of your way to get most of those trophies, so I doubt they'd really annoy or offend.

 

[corrosivefrost]

I probably won't open my copy for a few weeks but I'm curious how they handled the timing of Trophies.

Does it bother any of you guys?

I'm sure it bothers some, since there were people who wanted to turn them all off, but for the main ones people would earn:

Spoiler

When I kill a colossus, it pops for me on the screen where you see the white light at the center before it asks if you want to save

Edit: beaten.

 

[Reveirg]

Spoiler

Keep doing the hold-in-stabs on his hand until his hand stays still. If you do it right, he won't move for 15-20 seconds, that's where you shoot his shoulder. If you're having trouble knowing where to shoot him, use your guided light to see the weakpoint.

Don't give up, keep going! Here's a good booster: first time playing against him, I was "stuck" for two straight hours!

Thanks for the help, I finally beat him!

Annoying boss fight IMO and a disappointment considering the 15 other boss fights are some of the most amazing ever seen in any video game!!! But it was all worth it for the ending!

 

[MoonsaultSlayer]

It's a damn crime that no one has posted the menu art yet. I need a new poster/picture for the wall.