"NICO" revealed!!!! NICO = Wanda and the Colossus

[OB1]

I've been anxiously waiting for news of the ICO follow-up to be announced and have been looking at that countdown page every hour or so since it first came up. ICO is probably my favorite game this gen and I am looking forward to its successor more than anything else. Ladies and gents, I present to you the game previously known as NICO, now titled Wanda and the Collosus:




Gorgeous! Horse-back, a giant, a desert... man I can't wait to see how it plays!

The website intro reads "We're fighting to meet you again", and more will be revealed at TGS! I can't wait!!



And for comparison's sake here are some of the leaked NICO screens from way back:

[OB1]

From the GA boards:

Famitsu.com has a bit of info about it. To sum it up, it's not a sequel - they just used their experience and technology in this game. It's an action game where you have to fight the huge statues (there's a lot of them). Your only friend is the horse and the girl you must look after is very important to you, though it is not explained by the story in game. The main character, the girl and the horse are the only living things on earth.

Game-wise, you have to "catch" the giant and climb onto it. You have to find its weak points and attack them, but the surface of the giant can be maze-like, so the game is part action, part puzzle.

My God does that sound awesome!

And more beautiful screens:






















My new most-anticipated game! I want this even more than the new GC Zelda.

[Great Rumbler]

The premise sounds really weird, but that usually means that the game will be really awesome. Btw, that game where you roll around and collect a huge ball of junk is coming out in just a few weeks, I think.

My new most-anticipated game! I want this even more than the new GC Zelda.

I don't know if I'd go that far, but I'm definitely anxious to see more of this game.

[OB1]

Dude, did you ever finish ICO? Such an incredible game. Every time I play it I appreciate it more and more, and now I think it's my favorite game since Super Metroid, even eclipsing Metroid Prime. That says a lot for me. ICO is the first video game I'd call a true work of art that transcends the boundaries of video games in the same way that movies like Citizen Kane elevated film to the level of true art. I liken most games to that of the silent era of cinema, with the best of them (the Marios and Zeldas) being the Buster Keaton pictures. Wonderful, hugely entertaining movies that are masterpieces in their own right, but not really at the same level as Seven Samurai, Citizen Kane, or Ikiru. If that makes sense to you.


The concept for Wanda sounds amazing. Here's some more on it:

Kaido : it starts with a young hero who leaves on a journey on his horse. He manages to join the Old Earth, located at the end of the world. this place disappeared from the world. our hero carries in his arms a girl, who seems to have lost her heart. Then, in order to ressuscite the girl, the hero decide to go and face the Colossus (several, I don't know if I'm clear enough) which live on this Earth."

Ueda : "the Old Earth is a sealed place, and there are all kind of landscapes such as old ruins, deserts, vast plains, etc... The hero will travel there, searching for the Colossus. Only the hero, the girl and the horse will be present on the Old Earth. Your horse will be your partner, and will also help you during some fights. The girl seems to be importent for the hero, however we will probably not learn more during the game. I think that as for ICO, much of the elements will be left to the imagination of the player."

Wow.

And here's something else, something older from the official UK PS2 mag:

Q: Will there be a sequel?
UEDA:Yes but not at this point in time maybe 2-3 years down the road, but I'd like to create a game that shares the same kind of atmosphere and concept. I'm actually in the midst of preparing another game at the moment, but I cant really talk about it yet.

And that game would be Wanda.

Btw, that game where you roll around and collect a huge ball of junk is coming out in just a few weeks, I think.

Oh and you're referring to Katamari Damacy. That's gonna be so cool.

[Great Rumbler]

Oh and you're referring to Katamari Damacy. That's gonna be so cool.

Yes, it will be and if I'm not mistaken it'll only be $20.

[OB1]

Yup.


So did you finish ICO? I forgot...

[Great Rumbler]

No, I never did. I made it quite a ways, but then I got really stuck, so I decided to start over. While I was trying to get through this one part the girl got captured and it made me mad so I stopped playing.

...

...

...

I think I'll start playing it again...

[OB1]

Holy shit, that's one of the best parts in the game! Once you beat the game (stay through the credits!) you'll be filled all sorts of wonderful emotions.

Jeez man, beat it.

[Great Rumbler]

I'm trying to!

Right now I'm at a little under an hour into the game, but that's after having started over. I think I can beat it this time.

[OB1]

You better!

[A Black Falcon]

If I had to choose a 'most cared about known upcoming game'... I don't know, that's a tough question... but Zelda is a pretty good choice. :) That game looks pretty good though... As for the PC, my first thought is Dreamfall.

[Great Rumbler]

You better!

I will!

Right now I'm just past the part where you're in the sewer.

Note to self: 2X4s are not good for fighting shadowdemos. Next time bring the crosses and holy water...and a sword.

[OB1]

You get a sword later.

[Great Rumbler]

Well, OB1, I now have a better understanding of why you've put WatC on the top of your most-wanted list. I'm still not able to agree with you completely about it [it's moved to an EXTREMELY close second], I still have to put the new Zelda ahead of it.

You get a sword later.

The sword you get right at the end was awesome. Speaking of the end, the last 30-45 minutes of the game was very stressful, because I was trying to hurry [I was getting ready to go somewhere] and I knew that I have I fell and died I've have to start a long ways back at the last save point and I really wanted to finish so I could see what happened. I used my gaming skilz though and conquered it, although it did take my quite a few tries to defeat the queen.

[OB1]

Did you wait through the credits?

And did you get who those shadow creatures were? Once I realized that and who I had "killed" I felt really bad, something you never feel in games.

And don't worry, once everything sinks in and you play through the game some more and get all of the themes and messages and really begin to appreciate it, it'll climb up your list of favorite games. It only recently surpassed Metroid Prime as my favorite game since Super Metroid, and the game has been out for a few years already.

[OB1]

And yeah that part where you are separated from Yorda is intense. Not only because of the lack of save points but because you really want to see what happened to her. No other game has been able to create such a connection between your character and an NPC.

[Great Rumbler]

Did you wait through the credits?

Of course! I always wait through the credits on games. I spent quite of number of hours of my life getting to the end of the game, I'm certaintly not going to miss anything!

And did you get who those shadow creatures were? Once I realized that and who I had "killed" I felt really bad, something you never feel in games.

Yeah, when I saw the things start lighting up when I was fighting the shadows I realized what they were.

And yeah that part where you are separated from Yorda is intense. Not only because of the lack of save points but because you really want to see what happened to her. No other game has been able to create such a connection between your character and an NPC.

Not only that but, through the game you might think of Yorda as kind of handicap, slowing you down or whatever, but you really start to see how difficult things are without her around.

[Great Rumbler]

Did you wait through the credits?

Of course! I always wait through the credits on games. I spent quite of number of hours of my life getting to the end of the game, I'm certaintly not going to miss anything!

And did you get who those shadow creatures were? Once I realized that and who I had "killed" I felt really bad, something you never feel in games.

Yeah, when I saw the things start lighting up when I was fighting the shadows I realized what they were.

And yeah that part where you are separated from Yorda is intense. Not only because of the lack of save points but because you really want to see what happened to her. No other game has been able to create such a connection between your character and an NPC.

Not only that but, through the game you might think of Yorda as kind of handicap, slowing you down or whatever, but you really start to see how difficult things are without her around.

[OB1]

[Great Rumbler]

[OB1]

What did you think of that part after the credits ended.

[Great Rumbler]

[OB1]

[Great Rumbler]

[OB1]

Indeed. I suggest you read this entire thread for some very interesting discussion on ICO.

[OB1]

More screens (courtesy of Famitsu) to make your heart skip a beat. I can't believe how gorgeous this game is.

[Great Rumbler]

Those collosuses [collosi?] are amazing. I don't mean just in how good they look from a graphical standpoint, but also the scope, how huge they are in comparison to your character.

[OB1]

I know, and look at those forest and desert areas. This game looks so amazing that I'm actually tempted to go on a complete media blackout, something I've never done before. Well... I'll wait until after TGS before I decide that. :D

[OB1]

New screens from TGS! There's also an awesome video up at the official site and ign, etc.





























*hyperventilates*

HOLYCRAPHOLYCRAPHOLYCRAPHOLYCRAP!

[Great Rumbler]

Wow. Very beautiful.

So much for the total media black-out...:)

[OB1]

I said after TGS, remember? :D

[Great Rumbler]

:nodding:

[A Black Falcon]

That is really impressive... and given Ico the gameplay will probably match the graphics.

[Great Rumbler]

I'm glad I started playing ICO again, I can't believe I almost missed out on finished such a awesome game! *can't wait for WatC*

[OB1]

*grumbles about how he's been telling Johnny to beat the damn game for the past three fucking years*

[Great Rumbler]

No you haven't! This is like the first time in ages that we've even talked about ICO at all!!

[OB1]

Well I've only reminded you two or three times this year, but the years before that I reminded you every couple of months.

[Great Rumbler]

Well, I beat it, so you can stop complaining.

[OB1]

Oh I've got three years worth of complainin' to do!

[Great Rumbler]

I wonder if ABF has beaten ICO...

[OB1]

Haha, the poor man doesn't even have a PS2.

[Great Rumbler]

Sad really...

[OB1]

yeah...

[A Black Falcon]

I played a bit of it once.

[OB1]

Pfft. You haven't even begun to experience ICO. It's not a game that you can just "play for a bit" and get even the slightest hint of its magnificence.

[A Black Falcon]

Puzzle adventure with great artwork. There, see? :)

[OB1]

You just proved my point.

[A Black Falcon]

That IS what the game is, genre-wise at least, though...

[OB1]

You're being dumb and you know it.

[A Black Falcon]

How so? It seems to involve wandering around, solving puzzles, platform-jumping... what, do you think it defies genre definitions or something? Everything can be categorized somehow...