Wednesday, May 20, 2009

Could This be the New Team ICO Game???



Above is a link to about three and a half minutes of what is allegedly test footage from the new Team ICO project. I say allegedly because nothing official has been released from either Sony or Team ICO as to whether or not this leaked video reel is actually from the much-loved, art-house developer. Perhaps it's a hoax? Perhaps it's a loving homage to Team ICO from a fan? Whatever it is, it looks absolutely incredible....

Let's just move forward assuming it is real, shall we? My impressions of the video after the break.

Taking what seems to be a blend of the two Team ICO projects: Shadow of the Colossus and of course ICO, this new game looks to incorporate innovative platforming, a child-like hero, themes of companionship and giant creatures (or at least one.) Speaking of giant creatures, the hero's massive kitten/rat partner is the stuff that dreams (maybe nightmares) are made of. It's beautifully designed and rendered: I love the beady, glowing eyes, feathery hide and ugly rat tail. The creature seems to carry realistic weight, something that many developers can't seem to get right and Team ICO totally nailed with Shadow of the Colossus. Hanging on to the creature while it is scaling mountains and jumping over chasms is sure to be a thrilling experience.

Though the elements shown in the footage look to be in-keeping with the Team ICO's typical themes of ruins, quiet heroes, caves, creatures and epic vistas, the power of modern graphics processors brings an entirely new level of detail and focus to the vision. That's what has me so excited about this game - the idea of incredibly creative developers taking advantage of incredibly powerful hardware. I am sure we will see things in this new project that we have never seen before and the results will be very important to the gaming world, or at the very least, yours and mine.

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