Story and Games

[OB1]

ICO is a gameplay design with a story thrown on it to make it more interesting. It's still nothing more than something like LoLo, which is a proven game formula from the 8-bit days. The character driven diaologue between the characters is cool, but the story is rediculous and only works in the context of a video game where a story can manifest itself as long as there's gameplay to back it up.

"The story is ridiculous"? It's about a boy who gets cast away from his village because he has strange horns. They bring him to a castle where he's locked away in a coffin, which he then escapes and comes to meet a princess trapped in a cage. He decides to leave the castle with her, and comes across strange creatures and a Queen bent on keeping the princess in the castle. I won't tell you why, and I won't tell you what happens at the end (or who the creatures are) since I doubt you played the game for more than a few moments. The story could have easily been done as say, a feature-length Miyazaki film, but of course it was made for a video game.

That's the basic premise of the game, but the real emotional depth comes from your relationship with Yorda. She's not just some NPC that you have to drag all over the place (though I'm sure many gamers thought of it that way), she's a character that has a bond with the role you play, ICO. Needless to say, later on in the game when you get separated from her and have to rush through caverns and waterfalls to get back to her is one of the more anxiety-filled and heart-wrenching moments I've ever witnessed in a video game before. And the ending, with its revelations... man. It simply doesn't get any better than that. However, these words do not do the game justice. It can only be understood by playing the game (and for more than a few minutes), beginning to end. And if you don't "get it", well, then too bad for you.

And like I said, it's not my interpratation it's Lucas himself that said that he wanted to bring the stories of the bible in to Star Wars when he first began it in highschool. What I said is that Darth Vader could be viewed as Jesus or as God with Luke being his son. Being that the film series has obvious religous overtones it doesn't take rocket science put those two together. And yes, as I also said, there are many mythos where a child is born in an immaculate conception but in every one of those cases it is a hero born of a God, like Hercules for example. But Lucas is using the Bible in his hidden meanings and context. So again, Darth Vader, seeing as how he was born in an immaculate conception could be a nod to Jesus in the story of the bible or be viewed as an all powerful God fighting his son's ideals of a perfect world, the son being Jesus. There are many passages in the bible where Jesus fought God on principals and ideals, that could translate very well to Star Wars. It was one of the films (as a series) we had to study at film school.

Vader is not supposed to be God. By all means, show me where Lucas said that.

Yeah... games are not films. But OB1, what is the best model, then? How should games be done that is not like film and that you like? You're clear on disliking any idea I have, but I'm not so sure about what you want...

I know what's not the best model.