Ben-DutkaAh, good ol' 60-degree weather. I had forgotten it. Puts me in a good mood. 🙂
Let's combine ICO and Shadow of the Colossus…whaddya say?
I can't even begin to guess how this would work, but when I heard that Team ICO's new project would be closer to ICO that it might be to Shadow of the Colossus , I began to think… At first, I was a bit disappointed because SotC remains one of the most memorable experiences of my gaming career. ICO was good and everything, but I was never quite as enamored with the gameplay (although the concept was excellent). I was just wondering what might happen if we somehow combined the two titles in question; what if we placed those Colossi into the world of ICO somehow? Maybe the Colossi could still be bosses, but as SotC really didn't have much of an environment, we could have fully realized and intricately designed levels like we had in ICO . Theoretically, I'd picture a game that featured both action and platforming – maybe those shadows could return – and the puzzle aspect would center on beating the Colossi, as it did in SotC. What do you think? Too ambitious? You'd want to play it, though, right?
Two things I don't care about: The Last Remnant and Mass Effect 2
So first, there's that embarrassing silence at the GDC when Square-Enix was asked if a PlayStation 3 version of The Last Remnant was in the works, and then, we interpreted Bioware's refusal to comment on a PS3 version of Mass Effect 2 as a good sign. But let me just clarify something: I don't give a rat's ass if either arrives on the PS3. Look, I tried Mass Effect and I desperately tried to get into it, but I found the gameplay boring and contrived. I have zero interest in the sequel; I'm sorry. And based on the reviews I've read of The Last Remnant , and the fact that it's closer to strategy than role-playing, Xbox 360 owners can just keep the damn thing. We're getting Final Fantasy XIII and that's all I really care about right now, especially because I'm knee-deep in Star Ocean: The Last Hope and I've realized my love of JRPGs isn't dead yet. I know it's like sacrilege to say I didn't like Mass Effect , but what can I tell you? It just didn't do it for me.
Personal gaming update
Well, first of all, I got my new computer this past week and I'm using it right now. Believe it or not, I was working on an old laptop with 256MB RAM for the past few years, and it had finally gotten too difficult. Duh. I don't need my PC for anything but work so I really don't need a games-ready machine; I found this Dell Optiplex 360 with 2 gigs of RAM, a bunch of other normal stuff, and a 22" LCD monitor all for only $600. Oh, and a 3-year full coverage warranty on the whole package, too. I had a friend of mine – who handles network security for a university – set it up real nice, and now I'm good to go. I know all of you are probably used to fast computers but I'm really not, and I'm likin' this. 😉
And as I just said, I'm still playing Star Ocean and you can bet it'll take me a while to finish. It's just a lot of fun. Lastly, you may remember the waitress from last week's update…and no, I didn't do anything about it. My only defense is that I was extremely busy all week (what with GDC and all). Eh. I've finally got my JRPG so I'm happy.
