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ICO & Shadow of the Colossus Collection Hit Soon, See Final Box Art

Brian Dunn — Thu, 08 Sep 2011 18:03:11 +0000

It’s been a while since we’ve updated you on the remastered ICO & Shadow of the Colossus Collection, but we did want to remind you about its upcoming launch on September 27th! As a special treat, we’re proud to unveil the final box art and inside packaging for the collection, depicting stylized artwork from both titles. In addition to full 1080p HD, stereoscopic 3D support, and 7.1 surround sound, this re-release contains a ton of exclusive bonus footage and behind-the-scenes content that will await you on September 27th. Full details are available here.

Additionally, we wanted to confirm that The Last Guardian is not on the schedule for this year’s Tokyo Game Show. However we can assure you that Ueda-san and the rest of the development team are hard at work to bring his lofty vision to life and deliver the very best gaming experience possible.

Update on The Last Guardian and Ico/Shadow of the Colossus Collection

Tsubasa Inaba — Wed, 20 Apr 2011 06:00:39 +0000

SCEA can confirm that we are officially delaying release of Ico/Shadow of the Colossus Collection as well as The Last Guardian from their respective launch timeframes of Spring ’11 and Holiday ’11. We will provide more information regarding release timing at a later date.

Here are a few words from The Last Guardian Director/Game Designer, Fumito Ueda:

I announced at last year’s Tokyo Game Show that the release timing of The Last Guardian which is currently being developed would be holiday 2011.

However, to provide more challenging and better quality of content to users and to fulfill First Party Studio’s obligations, I decided to postpone its release timing.

All the members of my production team are working together at a fast pace to develop and release the game in First Party Studio quality.

I sincerely apologize to all the customers who have been waiting for “The Last Guardian” for so long, but I beg for your patience. I will also announce the new release timing at a later time.

The PlayStation Recap

Sid Shuman — Sat, 25 Sep 2010 20:39:12 +0000

I’m baa-aack! Thanks to Jeff for covering last week while Rey and I were running around the Tokyo Game Show. It was exciting for me to interview luminaries such as Ueda-san for The Last Guardian and Kotani-san for Patapon 3. What was your favorite TGS story?

I other news, I’m trying to score my very own PlayStation Move, but the brisk sales have led to sold-out inventory at a few of my regular San Francisco haunts. I’m especially eager to delve into Resident Evil 5: Gold Edition, Tumble, and Sports Champions. What do you guys think of PlayStation Move so far? Any game recommendations? You know what to do.

I’m playing: Tekken 6, Mega Man Universe and Marvel vs Capcom 3 (at the Tokyo Game Show)

I’m watching: Fringe: Season 3, Sex and the City 2 (it was a long flight back from Tokyo…)

I’m reading: Swamp Thing: The Curse (by Alan Moore)

PlayStation Network Regular Scheduled Maintenance – “Please do not panic. Resist the temptation to read or talk to loved ones.”
Blade Kitten Launches This Week on PSN! – This kitten’s got claws. And swords, and acrobatics…
Gamers Unite Today: Join the VGVN – Let’s show ‘em what we can do. With civility!
DeathSpank: Thongs of Virtue Available Tonight, Free DLC for Decisive Purchasers – The big guy is back in action, and this time, he’s packing some serious heat.
101-in-1 Megamix Hits PSN Today! – So many games, you guys. Which are you most interested in trying?
NBA Elite 11 Demo Available Tonight – Don’t forget that the full version of NBA Elite 11 comes with NBA Jam. Boomshakalaka!
PS3 System Software Update v3.50 Available Soon – We’ve got your 3D Blu-ray playback, Facebook game integration, and PSN grief reporting tools right here.
PlayStation Store Update – The PSN Import Store is open for business. High five! Also: Sonic Adventure, DJ Hero 2 Demo, Enslaved demo, new PlayStation Move demos.
Pulse 9/21 Edition Now Available – In addition to a tour of the latest PSN content, we learn the most important information of all: Christina Lee plays golf. Fore!
Adrianne Curry Joins Season 2 Panelists of ‘The Tester’! – The full roster of judges reads like a who’s-who of gaming: Greg Goodrich, Michael McWhertor, Ted Price, Deborah Mars, and more.
Getting to Know the God of War Team – The man who makes Kratos’s pecs flex and chains twirl is taking your questions NOW.
Introducing the PlayStation Move EyePet Bundle from Toys “R” Us – Remember: Never expose it to bright lights, don’t get it wet, and never, ever feed it after midnight.
High Velocity Bowling for PS3 Ships Today on Blu-ray with PlayStation Move Support – Includes: All the DLC and PlayStation Move support on the disc. Does not include: Stinky footwear.
PlayStation Canada Wants to See You on October 5th! – Finally: A gaming meetup for our friends to the North. Eat some poutine for me!
Coming to PlayStation Plus: Assassin’s Creed Brotherhood Beta and Automatic Downloads for Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light and Alien Breed: Impact Demo – Betas kick off soon for Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood and Red Faction Battlegrounds — are you ready?
Netflix Streaming its Way to Canada Today – There’s a gem in here for the US users, too: Disc-less Netflix streaming on the PS3 draws ever closer!
Minigolf, Move Updates, DLC and Free Codes – All from ZEN Studios – New DLC for Planet Minigolf is set on the ominously named “Stronghold Island.”
BioShock Infinite: 10-minute gameplay video, Ken Levine talks combat – If you’re short on time, jump to 4:00 on the video and prepare yourself for teh awesome.
PlayStation Home Update: Dead Rising 2, Heavy Rain, Lake House & More! – Gore, gear, and glam — it’s all in a week for Home.
Digital Comics Store Update – Top choices include Silent Hill: The Grinning Man, Wolverine’s 1982 run (Frank Miller!), and Victorian Undead. Gotta check out the latter…
Castlevania: Lords of Shadow for PS3: Getting to Know Gabriel – What is a man? A miserable little pile of secrets. One of those secrets is gets a bit clearer with this new post.
LittleBigPlanet 2 Now Launching January 18, 2011 in North America – It’s a bummer, but remember: good things come to those who wait.
ModNation Racers: Naughty Dog’s Ride, Online Region Lock Removed – This update is aimed squarely at the ModNation faithful with new international online play. Enjoy, folks!
Reason #2 to Pre-Order God of War: Ghost of Sparta – Official Soundtrack Revealed – Soothe your ears with four musical samples from Kratos’s bloodiest adventure yet.
Patapon 3 Q&A with Hiroyuki Kotani: More epic, more multiplayer – An epic new visual style, clan support, and double the Patapon types for this highly anticipated PSP sequel.
PlayStation Network Video Content Update – Catch the first episode of The Event for free, and a selection of fine horror flicks including Zombieland, Daybreakers, and Jeepers Creepers.
3D Dot Game Heroes: Let There Be Sackboy – Our fine and frisky friend visits the glorious nation of Dotnia. Hijinx ensue!
Team Ico Talks: Fumito Ueda on The Last Guardian, Shadow of The Colossus – I manage to tease a few new details out of Ueda-san in this memorable Tokyo Game Show Q&A session.
Tokyo Game Show Encounters: Mega Man Universe for PS3 – Hey, who got LittleBigPlanet in my Mega Man?! New video and hands-on details for this user-generated remix.
Re-imaging of Dante, and the New Devil May Cry – Whether you love or hate the new Dante, you owe it to yourself to hear the developer’s rationale in Rey’s latest video tour de force.

Courtesy of Jeremy Dunham

Zipline Podcast – Episode 21 – Ed Byrne, Creative Director here at Zipper, returns to talk about SOCOM 4 in its early days, with a little dash of MAG added on the side. Plus, zombies!

Courtesy of Arne Meyer

Vote for UNCHARTED 2 in the Golden Joystick Awards – UNCHARTED 2 is among the shortlist of nominees in a few categories and we want your help to come out on top!

Team Ico Talks: Fumito Ueda on The Last Guardian, Shadow of The Colossus

Sid Shuman — Fri, 24 Sep 2010 15:01:42 +0000

Fumito Ueda is a name well known to most PlayStation fans. After directing the iconic PS2 games Ico and Shadow of the Colossus, Ueda-san fast became one of the most celebrated figures in international game development. Now he’s working on a new game, the boy-beast buddy adventure The Last Guardian. If you missed the new trailer released one week ago at the Tokyo Game Show, you can watch it below.

While in Tokyo, I had the pleasure of speaking with Ueda-san about The Last Guardian and his upcoming PS3 compilation Ico and Shadow of the Colossus Collection. I knew that getting a lot of firm details about a game as enigmatic and ambitious as The Last Guardian would be no easy task, so I decided to focus my questions on learning more about how the game plays, its core mechanics, and nuances I spotted in the trailer. Ueda-san’s replies provide a rare glimpse into one of 2011′s most intriguing games.

Sid Shuman: How would you describe The Last Guardian to somebody who had never seen it before?

Fumito Ueda, Director, The Last Guardian: It’s not a pet game, but there is a live animal in the game. I would describe it as an adventure game that you play with this animal.

SS: Will you control the boy, Trico, or both?

FU: You can only control the boy.

SS: What can you tell us about the boy? Does he have a name? Is he on a quest of some sort?

FU: The boy does not have a name…yet. The goal of the boy is to escape from the location you see in the trailer.

SS: Judging by the video, Trico appears to be be a powerful force in combat situations. Is there a combat element to The Last Guardian? How does it work?

FU: As you saw in the video, Trico is able to defeat an enemy with one swipe. So in that sense, he functions as a guardian of sorts. But the boy is unable to defeat the enemies on his own — that’s the gameplay element involved.

SS: What can you tell us about the enemies we’ve seen in The Last Guardian? In the trailer, they appear to almost fall apart like statues…

FU: I can’t give you any details about the enemies. But I will say that they are not acting fully out of their own intentions.

SS: Is Trico the only creature of that size in The Last Guardian’s world?

FU: Again, I can’t give you any specific details. But there may be something like that out there…

SS: Shadow of the Colossus was known for its unusual control scheme. Will The Last Guardian follow suit with its controls, or will the controls feel familiar to players?

FU: The actual method of controls and button layouts have not been decided yet, because it doesn’t take much time to change the control scheme. But because we’re using the theme of an animal for The Last Guardian, I also want people who are not serious game players to try out this game. So I want the controls to be simpler than before.

SS: Many game journalists — and even the entry on Wikipedia — have described Shadow of the Colossus as one of the best examples for video games being an art form. How does that make you feel? Do you agree?

FU: I’m happy about it, I’m flattered. But I wonder what part are they are referring to when they make that comment, that it’s art. What part are they looking at? Because I think it’s possible to make it even more artistic. But because it’s a video game, those possibilities have been subdued somewhat — it’s a game. So I’d be interested to know what part, exactly, they mean when they refer to it as art.

There are games out there that are much more artistic than Shadow of the Colossus. And personally I also believe that it would be possible to make it even more “arty,” so to speak.

SS: What other games do you think represent a good argument for games as art?

FU: I guess it depends on how you define art, of course. But in a Japanese conception of the term “art,” it’s thought that it might be something that’s difficult to understand, or complex. Or something unique or uncommon.

So given that definition of art, maybe it’s a little detrimental to actually name any titles.

SS: You were asking why so many people name Shadow of the Colossus as an example of art. I think many people would answer that it’s because players begin to sympathize with the Colossi…

FU: So it makes you think — I understand.

TGS 2010: Tour the PlayStation Booth

Rey Gutierrez — Fri, 17 Sep 2010 21:02:09 +0000

Greetings from the future. The sun is slowing rising on what is sure to be a beautiful Saturday morning, here in Tokyo. It’s officially the third day of the Tokyo Game Show, and we haven’t missed a beat. PlayStation blew the roof off the Makuhari Messe convention center, with colossal announcements and tons of games. The PlayStation booth is sprawling with thousands of eager members of the press and gamers waiting to get their hands on the latest PS3 titles on PlayStation Move, and our favorite portable, the PSP.

With a video interview with devs on the new Devil May Cry, and a in-depth chat with The Last Guardian’s director and designer, Fumito Ueda — shot, captured and ready to edit. I ventured off on my next assignment — to capture our mammoth and most impressive showing at the Tokyo Game Show yet.

The Last Guardian Coming to PS3 Holiday 2011, Watch the New Trailer

Sid Shuman — Thu, 16 Sep 2010 06:36:01 +0000

A busy day for Team Ico at Tokyo Game Show! In addition to confirming Ico and Shadow of the Colossus Collection for PS3, Team Ico also showed off a brand-new trailer for The Last Guardian depicting a variety of real-time gameplay footage.

Also, we’ve uploaded new screens of The Last Guardian; click on them to see more.

TGS 09: Team ICO’s Fumito Ueda on The Last Guardian

Jeff Rubenstein — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 23:02:37 +0000

Day one of TGS was a bit out of hand. While Jem was downstairs digging into Valkyria Chronicles 2, I had the opportunity to meet with Team ICO’s Fumito Ueda. Decisions, decisions.

Though Ueda-san wasn’t up for spilling *too many* details on the upcoming The Last Guardian, he did give some interesting insight into the way he and his team make games. He also hints that maybe we don’t know how this game is going to play out, after all.

Oh, and there was one pressing question that I didn’t ask – because Joystiq and Kotaku already beat me to it (“Will there ever be a PS3 remake of Ico/Shadow of the Colossus a la the God of War collection?”). Check out their stories for his answer.

The Last Guardian: Interview and New Video

Jeff Rubenstein — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 05:55:21 +0000

Short and sweet: Just shown at the end of a media event for White Knight Chronicles, this interview with Team ICO Director and Game Designer Fumito Ueda. Following the Q&A, see some brand new game footage of The Last Guardian. The video does fade to black, before coming back up so be patient! Enjoy!

We’ll have an in-depth interview with Ueda-san later from the show!