The Shrine

<div style='font: 11pt arial; text-align: left; '>It seemed like this game was very highly anticipated, but as soon as it was released interest just fizzled. I just started playing it now, and so far it's been an extraordinarily unique and beautiful game. It's also the only example of a game I can think of in which you get to escort a helpless AI character without wanting to murder them in some sort of exotic and painful fashion.

So what am I missing? Why did the lack of interest suddenly drop? Monotony, perhaps? Lack of replay value? What?

Oh, and if anyone remembers Flashback for Genesis, does anyone know if the designers had a hand in the making of Ico? They seem like very similar games.</div>

<div style='font: 10pt Arial; text-align: left; '>I thought it was a goddamned boring game about escorting the stupidest girl alive and fighting off the same monster over and over again with a stick, myself. But, yes, the graphics were lovely, weren't they?</div>

<div style='font: 10pt "arial narrow"; text-align: left; padding: 0% 5% 0% 5%; '>

Oh, and if anyone remembers Flashback for Genesis, does anyone know if the designers had a hand in the making of Ico? They seem like very similar games.

I doubt it. Flashback, Heart of Darkness, and Alone in the Dark(?) were all done by the same European (or American) company (if my memory serves me correctly). ICO is a Japanese game.</div>

<div style='font: 9pt ; text-align: left; '>i played the demo and thought it was beautiful but the full game is too short to really talk about.</div>

<div style='font: 14pt Agatha; text-align: left; '>It's Infrogames, which is French if I'm not completely mistaken.</div>

<div style='font: 12pt ; text-align: left; '>Three or four of my friends thought it was amazing. Of course, one of them is Andrew Vestal, and all but one of the others have been tagging along at the GIA's E3 events since 1999. So I suppose that doesn't exactly contradict Stephen's point any. But whatever! I think it's neat.</div>

<div style='font: 9pt ; text-align: left; '>I adored Out of this World and Flashback, those were amazing for their time. I only played up to where you get the girl in Ico, so I can't comment on it yet. So far, it's quite neat, but I have to get further before I can analyze</div>

<div style='font: 9pt ; text-align: left; '>I'm fairly certain it is. They're a huge publisher</div>

<div style='font: 12pt ; text-align: left; '>Of course, one of them is Andrew Vestal, and all but one of the others have been tagging along at the GIA's E3 events since 1999. So I suppose that doesn't exactly contradict Stephen's point any.

But I generally agree with the GIA about a lot of games, so it's not surprising that I've liked the little of Ico I saw.</div>

<div style='font: 11pt "EngraversGothic BT", "Copperplate Gothic Light"; text-align: left; '>These the same guys? Both of those were cool as hell.</div>

<div style='font: 9pt Arial; text-align: left; '>With the exception of Yorda's airheadedness and those tedious shadow creatures, I liked it a lot.</div>

<div style='font: 11pt "Fine Hand"; text-align: left; '>Me rikey very much! It's different. It's a good game to pick up every now and then.</div>

<div style='font: 11pt arial; text-align: left; '>True, but Ico is SCEA, so I didn't think getting some help from one of their third-party developers was too far-fetched.</div>

<div style='font: 11pt arial; text-align: left; '>I found Yorda's AI to be really well-done. The only problem I had was her occasional refusal to climb ladders.</div>

<div style='font: 11pt arial; text-align: left; '>You really like to hear yourself talk, don't you, Stephen?</div>

<div style='font: 10pt Arial; text-align: left; '>What? Go to hell, Gentz.</div>

<div style='font: 9pt Arial; text-align: left; '>I just hated how she'd run off and put herself in danger while I'm working on some puzzle. Sherri and Emma were dumb as bricks, but at least they stayed put when you left them behind.</div>

<div style='font: 9pt ; text-align: left; '>I don't know. it was suggested in the original post</div>

<div style='font: 12pt "Courier New"; text-align: left; '>Ico was a great game but it was too short and had *very* little replay value... kind of sad.</div>

<div style='font: 11pt arial; text-align: left; '>You're just such a cynic! Jeez. You'd certainly make a fine critic, at least...</div>

<div style='font: 10pt Arial; text-align: left; '>Actually, I'm not. I just have very particular ideas about what I want out of a videogame, and escorting a helpless, childlike princess, beautiful or not, isn't one of them.</div>

<div style='font: ; text-align: left; '>Infogrames published it, Delphine developed it.</div>

<div style='font: ; text-align: left; '>So you're a curmudgeon then. What a misanthropic old man you're going to make :).</div>