Shadow of the Colossus (PS2)

Two more ColossususuueusuzezZ slaughtered today. First up was a flying one, which although ACE to actually kill, was a real pain to get on the back of. Not because he was hard though – just because he’s flying around a lake, and you have to swim to bits that you can stand on before you can attract his attention. Thing is, swimming is slooooooow, so the fight took ages (as I fell off a few times). Next up was a …

Shadow of the Colossus (PS2)

A good thing about this game is that it’s perfectly suited for short gaming sessions. I’ve killed four Colossi now, and none of them have taken very long (as can be seen by my 1h17m play time so far, and 15 minutes of that was trying to find Colossus number 4). Number 4 had me scratching my head for a while (long enough for Spooky Disembodied Voice to give me a useless clue), but then I realised he would try …

Shadow of the Colossus (PS2)

Amazingly, this arrived just a few days before I completed Ico, so I thought, while I’m waiting for Super Mario Galaxy to arrive, I’d give it a go. Also, I’m more likely to spot any subtle links between this and Ico if I play it now rather than in six years time… So far, I’ve watched the lengthy opening cinematic(s), and killed myself a couple of Colossi (which I’m not certain is the right word for multiple Colossuses but my …

Ico (PS2): COMPLETED!

Having redone the bit after losing Yorda, I found there wasn’t much of the game left. There were some more platformy bits (oh, and I figured that you can pull the block around while you swim with the O button), and then I found a new sword that gave me the statue-moving powers of Yorda. Then, I ended up back in the room you start the game in, with loads of shadow things to kill. It was then that I …

Ico (PS2)

Finally managed to get past all of the waterfall section, and then it was all easy for a while. Made it into the West Idol place, where the puzzles to get the reflector working were much easier than in the East Idol place, and then there was a short section before returning back to the main gates. Yorda opened them, but sadly, our rush for freedom was cut short by the shadow queen woman, and I ended up losing Yorda, …

Ico (PS2)

Gnngh! Although it looks amazing, and the puzzles are great, some of it is far too frustrating to be fun. For example, today I reached a waterfall, and there’s a door which is locked. Ico can scale a wall and climb over, but Yorda can’t, so Ico has to find a way to open the door. So I left Yorda, wandered round looking for a switch, and got so far from her she got nabbed by shadow thingies and Game …

Ico (PS2)

Having to redo the last bit no less than SEVEN times because I was one millimetre too high or low on the chain I had to jump from didn’t really help endear this game to me any further. However, I will persevere more. After all, it can’t be as bad as Kameo, and I completed that. Thankfully, the next section was much more enjoyable. I came across a tower with a reflector behind it, and had to solve some puzzles …

Ico (PS2)

I’ve lit all the fires near the gate, and that lets me now light bombs to blow up a blocked path to a cemetery. There, I had to fight a million more shadow things (which I hate having to do). Afterwards, I entered a room where I couldn’t reach the door, but finding another route led me to a chain I could jump onto and pull down, which raised the floor. Raised it too high, I might add. So I …

Ico (PS2)

Sssssh! Don’t tell anyone, but I played it some more this morning. I mean, if it’s really this amazing classic, I can’t go giving up after the first hour, can I? Well, it hasn’t really gotten any better, as such. I’m getting used to the controls, which is helping, but yanking Yorda (as he name has been revealed to be) around isn’t fun and killing the shadowy things is just plain rubbish. However, the puzzles are pretty ace, even if …

Ico (PS2)

About 5 years ago, Ico was the most amazing game ever. Well, it was if you read the right reviews, anyway. Lots of people have told me that I can’t be a proper gamer if I’ve never played it. Almost everyone seems to say it is fantastic, a real experience, and one of the best games ever made. So today, I played it for the first time ever. You know, in all the time I’d read about Ico, I never …

Sega Classics Collection (PS2)

This was just £10 in HMV today, and as I looked at the back and realised that Tant-R seemed to be, in fact, the western version of 2DO Arukotowa Sandoahru – something I didn’t know existed – so I bought it. Went through most of the games giving each a quick play. They’re a real mixed bag, with some (such as Tant-R and Virtua Racing) being little more than ports of the originals, whereas Golden Axe is a full 3D …

Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories (PS2): COMPLETED!

By selecting the best weapon prior to mounting the on-foot attack of the Martinez Building after the chopper assault, I found it much easier this time around. The Spaz shotgun is most excellent when many baddies are in close range as it takes them all out at once. After that, I had to shoot down another helicopter, and finally there was a three-way showdown on the roof – the remaining Mendez brother, Martinez, and me. And it was easy, they …

Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories (PS2)

I’m pretty certain I’m on the last mission now. All the other storylines in the game are getting wrapped up – Phil Collins had his gig (during which I had to run round the lighting rigging and stop people cutting through it – shame), Reni went from he/she to just she and flew back to Europe, Gonzales has left Vice City (and I had to protect him on the way to the airport), and one of the Mendez brothers is …

Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories (PS2)

Done loads today, including: protected Phil Collins (no, really) from gangs, built up more of my empire, found out Lance and Louise have been nicking all the drugs, killed a load of people who wanted to blow up Phil Collins (again, but it’s understandable), taken part in more stunt driving (on a jetski) for Reni at the studio, played golf (sort of), collected all the remaining required cars for the impound, chased Lance’s helicopter in a hovercraft, saved Louise from …

Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories (PS2)

Eventually, I managed to take down the antennae. It wasn’t all that difficult once I’d figured out where the stairs to the roof of each police station were, so I could park my car as close as possible. However, I then spent the best part of an hour finishing that mission, as I had a 5 Star rating upon escaping from the last station, and to complete the mission I had to drop that down to zero. Whilst being chased …