N-Philes

Quick Thoughts on The Last Guardian and Sony

Posted June 6th 2009 by Jordan Mammo.

Since I didn't get to attend the Sony conference due to an interview with Activison, I'm just now getting around to watching the trailer for Team Ico's The Last Guardian. I saw the early footage that was leaked on the internet a couple of weeks ago, and it looked nice enough, but I was surprised still at how much more impressive it looks now. It looks more alive.

I've noticed the title actually come under some scrutiny for looking too similar to Ico and Shadow of the Colossus stylistically. Yeah, it does look like the game takes place a similar universe, but it still manages to look completely refreshing compared to the majority of what's out there on the market. Though we don't really know a much in the way of concrete details about the game, the trailer does drop some clues suggesting it will play as a cross between the two titles that preceeded it.

Some people don't like this because they were looking forward to something drastically different, but I feel like that argument misses the point. Ico was pretty adept at forming a bond between the player and the girl he escorted around, and when talking about Shadow of the Colossus, Fumito Ueda said that he wanted to explore the relationship between the player and the boss character. One of the standout features of that title was how it was able to turn that relationship on its head and deepen it through the act of killing. The Last Guardian at first glance definitely looks like Ico and the Colossus, but not only do I think this is a logical step or evolution for Ueda and Co., but I also think it's a step worth taking and exploring. Obviously Ueda has more to put on display about the subject. One of the things I like most about reading multiple books by my favorite authors, or listening to my favorite musicians, is to try and see how they are growing, or get a hint as to what they're working and struggling towards conveying. I'm hopeful that The Last Guardian will be another revealing moment for Team Ico.

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Quickly again on the Sony side of things, like I said I didn't go to their press conference, but I was impressed with the line-up they put together on the show floor and displayed for the future. I thought they were starting to get there last year, and this year I feel like they're really rounding into form. Exclusives like God of War 3 and Uncharted 2 are obviously big news, but the lesser-known Demon's Souls also seemed really cool when I got to play it. They've held on to almost all the big third party games aside from Splinter Cell, and when you add Fat Princess and PixelJunk Shooter (both played really well on the floor) into the mix with Gran Turismo 5 and Team Ico's latest, suddenly there's a lot to look forward to.

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