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The ICO and Shadow of the Colossus Collection |OT| Ueda *bow*

ced

Member
Nocturnowl said:
I do love that third colossus just for the grand sense of scale, the swine wouldn't stop shaking though, i'll give him bonus points for his desire to live, makes me sad when delivering that final slow mo stab.
Off to 4 & 5 later, I don't remember being much of a fan of number 4.

I remember having to look up how to do #4 when it came out on PS2, and I'm at it again and can't remember what to do.
 

StuBurns

Banned
ScOULaris said:
WAT? If you have and game and are playing Ico, why do you need a new PS3 to play SotC?
I don't. My PS3 has been turning itself off, I have a replacement coming Monday. I will play thru Ico this weekend, but I don't think I'll have time to finish SotC before the replacement comes.
 
dark10x said:
Also, the framerate of the game is 30 fps. If you attempt to render faster than that, the actual game speed is effected. So, at 60 fps, the game would literally move at twice the speed making it too fast to play.
I'm pretty sure that is incorrect. ICO moves at the same speed at 60fps.
 

ScOULaris

Member
My favorite part about them using the PAL version of SotC for this collection is that we get the slow-mo final stab. They took that out of the original U.S. release for some reason, even though it was in the OPM demo.
 
ScOULaris said:
Yeah, I have per pixel on for 1080p. Maybe if I had the two running side-by-side I could see a small difference, but my comparison didn't make an argument for switching to 720p for SotC. It looked the same either way.

And yes, I am pretty discerning with audiovisual stuff. I was checking for differences in aliasing/edge crawling, IQ, and framerate. I saw no noticeable difference in any of those categories. Even in 1080p per pixel mode, the image is still being upscaled by the PS3. The game isn't rendered in true 1080p.

The problem is with horizontal pans you can see a ton of aliasing artifacts on the vertical outlines of objects... I noticed it immediately in the cutscenes, and there was some frame rate drop when they are zooming through the land in one of the first cutscenes. Its not really noticable during gameplay though, but still kinda ruined the intro cutscenes for me.

Not saying that this is the case for you but for minute details like this sometimes if your vision is slightly weak-- like not weak enough that you need glasses but weak enough that you can't see these really small aliasing issues it could look perfectly fine.
 

TheExodu5

Banned
The motion blur and lighting used in SotC produce an eerie combination. I mean, the geometry is so low detail you couldn't confuse it with anything but a game, but the end result just looks so damned photorealistic, for some reason. When I'm riding Agro, it just looks so damned real. It's really weird.
 
ScOULaris said:
My favorite part about them using the PAL version of SotC for this collection is that we get the slow-mo final stab. They took that out of the original U.S. release for some reason, even though it was in the OPM demo.
Do you know anymore of the small changes between versions? stuff like this intrigues me and SOTC seems like it has a few.
 

ScOULaris

Member
infinityBCRT said:
The problem is with horizontal pans you can see a ton of aliasing artifacts on the vertical outlines of objects... I noticed it immediately in the cutscenes, and there was some frame rate drop when they are zooming through the land in one of the first cutscenes. Its not really noticable during gameplay though, but still kinda ruined the intro cutscenes for me.

Not saying that this is the case for you but for minute details like this sometimes if your vision is slightly weak-- like not weak enough that you need glasses but weak enough that you can't see these really small aliasing issues it could look perfectly fine.
And you don't see those problems when playing in 720p?
 

Takuya

Banned
ScOULaris said:
My favorite part about them using the PAL version of SotC for this collection is that
we get the slow-mo final stab
. They took that out of the original U.S. release for some reason, even though it was in the OPM demo.
Should spoiler some stuff man.
 

RedSwirl

Junior Member
corrosivefrost said:
Collectibles question:

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?

I think it's actually a map, not a detector.
 

Lord Error

Insane For Sony
StuBurns said:
All these HD ports seem to be shockingly shit really.
I'm not sure what you are expecting if you think these are not well done. I think a ridiculous amount of effort has gone in these to both preserve the way they're supposed to look, and also to enhance them where it needed enhancing. Is it because in one of the games 3D mode doesn't run well? You'd probably never even consider it a problem if the 3D mode just wasn't there in the first place.

I also don't think performance in 3D on SotC is as bad as the PS2 version. I mean sure it drops as low at places, but I've watched about 5 minutes of it in 3D on the youtube crosseyed video (it looked great btw, no idea what eurogamer was complaining about it lacking depth) and in all those places where you ride around, where the framerate would be terrible on PS2, it was pretty smooth in 3D actually. It only dropped when climbing and especially when stabbing the colossus.

Nuclear Muffin said:
So adapt it to the PS3's native functions then. There's no need to fake HDR or motion blur when the PS3 does it natively for example.
Then HDR won't look even similar. They actually replaced the PS2 motion blur with a PS3 quality motion blur in SotC which makes the game appear much smoother when moving. There's also probably a problem with the amount of full res transparencies you can get going on PS3 in 1080p/60FPS or even 30FPS. Keep in mind also that for the first time of any game, Ico in this collection utilizes MLAA on a 1080p output. You can't blame these guys for the lack of effort.
 

dark10x

Digital Foundry pixel pusher
Pazuzu9 said:
I'm pretty sure that is incorrect. ICO moves at the same speed at 60fps.
No it does not.

The emulator will report 60 fps (or Hz), but the actual visible framerate is only 30 fps. The game simply won't run at 60 fps without doubling its game speed.
 
Nuclear Muffin said:
Actually, supposedly, SOTC PS3 actually runs worse than the PS2 version (if that's even possible!) when 3D is turned on!

The DF review mentioned that performance drops quite a bit when 1080p is activated. Also, it doesn't run in full 1080p either, only 980 x 1080 (half 1080p)

Still need to pick up my copy. Will probably do so later on today!
That's a real shame to hear.
 

Lord Error

Insane For Sony
_dementia said:
That's a real shame to hear.
You can see the performance for yourself in the 3D eurogamer video. It's not good when figting the colossus, but when riding around it seemed fine. It really did seem better than what I remember the game running like on PS2.

Intro: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e3AiKxaxHSc
Gameplay: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wYzwiuGhab8

Also, in their video, the only framedrops that every show up in 2D 1080P mode is when the screen is shaking after you stab the colossus. At that moment it seems almost impossible to perceive that framerate has changed thanks to all the shaking.

dark10x said:
ICO is natively 4:3 and PCSX2 is NOT able to render a full 16:9 image as a result (unlike Dolphin, which can).
Keep in mind also that in Ico, they didn't seem to have just rendered even left/right stretch to make up a 16:9 image. They seem to have rotated the camera slightly when needed, to frame the scene better so for example the left side is expanded more when there's more interesting stuff to see there, or to avoid you looking at some huge block in front of camera that would be on the right side if they just evenly expanded it.

Also, I think you're right about framerate/speed. Ico was so weird at 60FPS, I couldn't stand playing it like that in PXSX2. it was like watching a badly motion interpolated movie or something. It just killed the way the game was supposed to look and feel like and I preferred playing it running at 30 or 40FPS.
 
Ueda sure know how to make concept/proposal video for game project, both Ico and Nico concept video is amazing, maybe it's the music, but no way Sony (or whoever in charge at greenlighting projects at the time) gonna scrap Ico and Nico after that video. especially Nico, holy shit, I still wish it become reality sometime in the future.
 

ScOULaris

Member
Callibretto said:
Ueda sure know how to make concept/proposal video for game project, both Ico and Nico concept video is amazing, maybe it's the music, but no way Sony (or whoever in charge at greenlighting projects at the time) gonna scrap Ico and Nico after that video. especially Nico, holy shit, I still wish it become reality sometime in the future.
I was disappointed with the video quality of those Bonus Content videos in the Collection. I have the Nico DVD, and the quality of those same videos is MUCH better on that.
 

diffusionx

Gold Member
Nuclear Muffin said:
So adapt it to the PS3's native functions then. There's no need to fake HDR or motion blur when the PS3 does it natively for example.

Not all HDR looks the same. Even 360 and PS3 games look different due to the different ways their hardware implements some functions. If you start moving stuff over to modern, native techniques then you risk destroying the look of these games.

It seems as though the first priority for this game was to preserve the unique look of these games. I'm fine with that.
 

Lord Error

Insane For Sony
StuBurns said:
I was expecting 1080p, as they claimed.
Fair enough, they didn't fully deliver on that promise, but IMO that's not grounds for dismissing them, they should have just better formulated the promise. Just the fact alone that Ico runs at 1080p with MLAA is great in my opinion. No other game does.
 

StuBurns

Banned
Lord Error said:
Fair enough, they didn't fully deliver on that promise, but IMO that's not grounds for dismissing them, they should have just better formulated the promise. Just the fact alone that Ico runs at 1080p with MLAA is great in my opinion. No other game does.
How did I dismiss them? I bought it.
 
The moment I popped this into my ps3 and heard the music again, it really brought me back. I got goosebumps. I haven't gotten goosebumps over a game since the original SotC. So epic!

I checked out some comparisons between PS2 Ico and PS3 Ico, and I'm still amazed at how good Ico looked even back then. The HD version just has crisper and clearer graphics, but otherwise looks the same.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mI1y8FiwIqQ

Ico was a visual marvel, and incredible storytelling for so few words. It really tapped into your emotions, everytime you drag Yorda around, you feel a connection. Everytime you have to leave Yorda behind, you get separation anxiety. Even the castle itself felt like an antagonist character all its own.

And if you haven't already, you should read this: http://www.gamefaqs.com/ps2/367472-ico/faqs/29015

It's a good read. While it's only one interpretation, it's still a good one, and does a very thorough analysis of Ico's story and every plot mechanic that drives it.
 
diffusionx said:
Not all HDR looks the same. Even 360 and PS3 games look different due to the different ways their hardware implements some functions. If you start moving stuff over to modern, native techniques then you risk destroying the look of these games.

It seems as though the first priority for this game was to preserve the unique look of these games. I'm fine with that.

Well, I wasn't actually suggesting that they should do it. I was just merely listing examples of what they could do, if they wanted a better framerate.

Of course preserving the original look and feel should be the No1 priority above everything else.

BTW, got the collection! Just beat the 3rd collosus! Loving it so far and I haven't noticed any significant slowdown in 1080p mode so it's all good so far!

So weird playing SOTC at a smooth 30FPS (the way that Ueda always intended it to be - if you want proof, there's a series of gamasutra articles where he mentions that they wanted to hit a smooth 30FPS but couldn't pull it off)

Such an amazing game and an incredible achievement. Truly the work of master craftsmen!

I'd love to see what this looks like in 3D, but I don't have a 3DTV. I don't suppose anyone has done any 3D screenshots that can be viewed on a 3DS by any chance?
 

TheExodu5

Banned
Looks like we're roughly around the same part of the game. I just downed the 8th.

Can't say I've had any trouble so far. The only one that took me a tiny bit to figure out was the 4th.
 

ScOULaris

Member
jump_button said:
Anyone got the full thing for SotC of the art when you picking between the two from pal? its done in The Nostalgia of the Infinite style
I don't know if the clean artwork exists anywhere online in hi-res, but this is where it was originally featured:

Nico.jpg
 

Lord Error

Insane For Sony
StuBurns said:
How did I dismiss them? I bought it.
I guess by saying that it's shockingly shit.

Nuclear Muffin said:
I'd love to see what this looks like in 3D, but I don't have a 3DTV. I don't suppose anyone has done any 3D screenshots that can be viewed on a 3DS by any chance?
If you know how to watch cross-eyed 3D, you can check the youtube links I posted above.
 

mochuuu

PSN Community Mgr.
really really enjoying the extras on the disc. especially the candid conversations with the developers. love that ueda's team basically would follow him into hell to make his ideas happen.
 

gunbo13

Member
Saturday = Ico start - > finish
Sunday = SoTC same deal
Monday = Post on gaf gushing with nostalgia run-backs and tears of joy for great gaming of the past

My schedule is set.
 

Bebpo

Banned
I can't speak for SoTC, but the 3d in Ico is pretty incredible. It's the first game that's made me glad to own a 3d tv and it's like a whole new way to experience Ico. Doesn't feel like a gimmick at all, just makes all the scenery sets look even more gorgeous and the heights feel even more deadly.
 

forrest

formerly nacire
TheExodu5 said:
The motion blur and lighting used in SotC produce an eerie combination. I mean, the geometry is so low detail you couldn't confuse it with anything but a game, but the end result just looks so damned photorealistic, for some reason. When I'm riding Agro, it just looks so damned real. It's really weird.

There is a waterfall on the way to Colossus 8 I believe when your in this small interior space and Agro has to slow down to a walk. The light is coming down from above and there is vegetation obscuring the very top of the waterfall. I mean, you can tell it's low poly assets and textures, but the way they mix the lighting and the atmosphere creates a very realistic look overall.

I think we are going to have some really amazing shots like this in The Last Guardian. These guys just do atmospheric perspective, lighting, etc. very very well.
 
Beat the first two bosses in SOTC...it's a great game but I don't know if I have the patience for it anymore. I know I'm supposed to get more patient as I get older but it hasn't really worked that way. SOTC's somber, frustrated solitude really struck a chord with me when I was younger, but I don't know if I still 'feel' it enough to finish it again.
 

Limanima

Member
Nocturnowl said:
I do love that third colossus just for the grand sense of scale, the swine wouldn't stop shaking though, i'll give him bonus points for his desire to live, makes me sad when delivering that final slow mo stab.
Off to 4 & 5 later, I don't remember being much of a fan of number 4.
The 3rd colossus is epic. It's the favorite for a lot of people me included.

I think that feeling pitty for the colossus was what Ueda wanted and he succedded in the task. There isn't any feeling in the game that the colossus are evil creatures. They don't even look evil. We just kill them because we have to.
 
Just purchased the collection :) i got the german version and one thing bugs me. There is a code within the box that says i can dl a behind the scenes video from Team Ico and 2 dynamic themes. The problem is that there is always the message that my code was already used or it is wrong. How can i fix this? havent they uploaded the stuff on psn just yet?
 

Salaadin

Member
Limanima said:
The 3rd colossus is epic. It's the favorite for a lot of people me included.

I think that feeling pitty for the colossus was what Ueda wanted and he succedded in the task. There isn't any feeling in the game that the colossus are evil creatures. They don't even look evil. We just kill them because we have to.

Even moreso, some of them dont even attack us until we provoke them. #5 was the hardest for me out of these because all it does is perch on a broken pillar until you fire an arrow at it. Its also very beautiful to look at. That one was so breathtaking the first time I saw it and delivering the final blow made me feel really bad.
 

Muffdraul

Member
RaGMasTeR90 said:
Just purchased the collection :) i got the german version and one thing bugs me. There is a code within the box that says i can dl a behind the scenes video from Team Ico and 2 dynamic themes. The problem is that there is always the message that my code was already used or it is wrong. How can i fix this? havent they uploaded the stuff on psn just yet?

I've heard that those downloads don't go up until next week or something. Not sure if true.
 

ScOULaris

Member
Salaadin said:
Even moreso, some of them dont even attack us until we provoke them. #5 was the hardest for me out of these because all it does is perch on a broken pillar until you fire an arrow at it. Its also very beautiful to look at. That one was so breathtaking the first time I saw it and delivering the final blow made me feel really bad.
Some of them are so majestic (like #5 and #13) that I feel bad killing them, while others are so docile (#2 and #4) that I feel bad killing them. But there are definitely some (any of the aggressive ones) that are just asking to be killed, and that final blow is so satisfying when it comes.
 
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