Kaffee
02-08-2005, 07:56 AM
Wanda and the Colossus
Platform: PS2
Publisher: Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. Developer: Sony Computer Entertainment Inc.
ESRB Rating: N/A Genre: Adventure
02/02/2005
Despite what you might have heard (or read) elsewhere, this isn't the sequel to Sony's fan-favorite PS2 adventure, Ico. Wanda hails from the same development team and shares that game's unique visual style, but it's assuredly not Ico 2. "Ico was more than complete both in terms of gameplay and story," says Producer Kenji Kaido. "This made production of a sequel very difficult, and we actually questioned whether players even wanted a sequel."
Wanda opens, like Ico, with a brave lad discovering a young girl. But this time, the boy isn't weak and the girl isn't just a "special needs" case—she's dead. He places her on his horse and rides to a crumbling shrine amid a vast, bleak plain. Setting her body atop the altar, a voice from above tasks him with destroying the ancient giants roaming the wastelands. Only by felling them all can the girl be revived, so he sets out on horseback to down these terrifying behemoths. Some of the giants are craggy humanoid titans, while others are massive serpents and sleek winged beasts.
Before you can engage the colossi in combat, you must first reach them. That's where your honed skill of animal husbandry comes in. "The horse is like Ico's Yorda," explains Designer Fumito Ueda. "In addition to being the main character's companion, he has a supporting role in battle." As you approach a colossus, your horse switches to autopilot, allowing you to leap onto the giant's leg, scale its body, and vanquish it with well-placed stabs to the head. And if that horse is really like Yorda, expect lots of obnoxious whinnies, a few grunts, and a loving nuzzle or two.
Platform: PS2
Publisher: Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. Developer: Sony Computer Entertainment Inc.
ESRB Rating: N/A Genre: Adventure
02/02/2005
Despite what you might have heard (or read) elsewhere, this isn't the sequel to Sony's fan-favorite PS2 adventure, Ico. Wanda hails from the same development team and shares that game's unique visual style, but it's assuredly not Ico 2. "Ico was more than complete both in terms of gameplay and story," says Producer Kenji Kaido. "This made production of a sequel very difficult, and we actually questioned whether players even wanted a sequel."
Wanda opens, like Ico, with a brave lad discovering a young girl. But this time, the boy isn't weak and the girl isn't just a "special needs" case—she's dead. He places her on his horse and rides to a crumbling shrine amid a vast, bleak plain. Setting her body atop the altar, a voice from above tasks him with destroying the ancient giants roaming the wastelands. Only by felling them all can the girl be revived, so he sets out on horseback to down these terrifying behemoths. Some of the giants are craggy humanoid titans, while others are massive serpents and sleek winged beasts.
Before you can engage the colossi in combat, you must first reach them. That's where your honed skill of animal husbandry comes in. "The horse is like Ico's Yorda," explains Designer Fumito Ueda. "In addition to being the main character's companion, he has a supporting role in battle." As you approach a colossus, your horse switches to autopilot, allowing you to leap onto the giant's leg, scale its body, and vanquish it with well-placed stabs to the head. And if that horse is really like Yorda, expect lots of obnoxious whinnies, a few grunts, and a loving nuzzle or two.