When i first started playing Ico all i could think was "Hello am i missing something here?" It just felt so dated and i'm not just talking about the graphics. The controls are terrible and the camera atrocious but i persevered anyway as i figured there's got to be something here that justifies the fanatical cult following it has. But no, hours of gameplay in and still nothing much exciting happens. Ther's no great innovation or surprise to the level design; You just explore the dull castle until you stumble across one of it's simplistic, unimaginative puzzles or another shadow monster to fight and that's it. I'll admit it's not a completely awful game and the main premise of having to protect another character is a good one but really thats all it has going for it. Ther's simply no way this deserves all the 10's it's been getting. All i can think of is that these people have been blinded to the games shortcoming by nostalgia. Oh,and i know the fanboys will mark me down as unhelpful but don't assume i'm someone who only likes games with big explosions or that i don't get slow moving or deep games because my collection is full of games like Portal, Fallout 3 and Limbo.
To be honest i havn't played SOTC yet and, you know, i probably never will because Ico has pissed me off so much! I could have bought Dark Souls or Arkham City instead of this!… Expand

What is needed to be said? This collection contains two artistic masterpieces that capture the imagination. Ico provides wonderful puzzles with a companion tagging along while SotC has some of the most epic and dynamic gameplay around. Ignore the trolls who try to mark this down, the collection is well worth the money!

For those who missed out on these two amazing PS2 titles, now is the time to go and rectify that. This HD collection brings together Team Ico's flagship title 'Ico' along with it's cult hit 'Shadow of the Colossus' is a subtle yet expansive way.

The HD reworking of 'Ico' delivers to the United States features that were only included in the Europe and Japanese versions of the title, including a secret ending, 2-player mode, and several Easter Eggs. The game has been cleaned up and the frame-rate is solid.

'Shadow of the Colossus' might be the best reason to pick up this HD collection. The best inclusion is the locked 30 frames per second. In the original PS2 version of the game, the frame-rate dropping was the biggest issues during the massive Colossi encounters. Now that it has been fixed, the game looks amazing during the games action scenes, and handles amazing.

As the game is 3D enabled, I had a chance to play an hour or so of each game with 3D on. While Ico doesn't feel much different with 3D on, Shadow of the Colossus increases the scope and size of the game world more than I though possible, especially while atop a giant boss with the threat of being thrown hundreds of feet to the ground.

Priced at $39.99, this collection should have a proud spot in any gamers PS3 collection. The HD doesn't make these games look brand new, but these timeless classics are aesthetically pleasing no matter what year it is.… Expand

I'm bored of the games they publish nowadays. Skyrim, Batman, Gears, even Dark Souls slightly, have all been more or less disappointments for me. Year after year these so called AAA+ games repeat the same game mechanics and contain only minimalistic improvements with a bit more details than the last incarnation. We get the same games with a slightly more polished production value. So you can guess how eager I was to try out the re-released ICO & Shadow of the Colossus bundle. Not only because the great reviews they received back in the days, but the reviews combined with the promisingly different gaming experience. So, now I'm thinking it was either the hype that got to me or people are overly nostalgic. Because, boy was I disappointed (again) when I put the disc in... If I had to describe these two games with one word, it would be "boring". Another would be "artistic". I felt no suspense, excitement, challenge or plain old fun when playing either of these. Just... bored. SOTC seemed vastly hollow content-wise and ICO too easy and straight-forward. However, I think I understand why these games are held in so high esteem. They do have an enigmatic story going on, a distinct goal, and take place in a simplistic yet unique world. Now, if you're one of those persons who can forget the lack of degree in the gameplay and just let yourself immerse into the game world, this game's for you. Didn't work for me though, I put the box back into the shelf after playing for only two hours, and this kind of rejection hasn't happened to me for a very long time! Some might think that I've just lost my interest in games, but I'd have to disagree, even thought my taste has grown much more select. I highly suggest you try this out somewhere before buying it.… Expand

This is a definite game for anyone who loves puzzlers and a very in depth story without much being said but with a great deal of emotion. These games are phenomenal, unique, and will be cherished by many for a long, long time. This time around both Ico and Shadow of the Colossus have had a wonderful HD make over. A lot of gaming sites/magazines rant and rave about SotC and how it looks so much better and made the transition to HD very well, but Ico still has some problems. Well I totally disagree. Both games look amazing for being games built on older technology. If you didn't know this, Ico was originally designed for the first Playstation and before it was completed it moved platforms to the PS2. With the depth of gameplay in Ico and SotC, it's very surprising that the earlier platforms would have and did work. There's just so much beauty in these games, from the artwork to the emotion and all that went into delivering such deep stories. If you enjoy games like Tomb Raider or Soul Reaver, you'll love these games as they have very similar styles, but of course a totally different story that's easily enjoyable. I'm glad to add these classics to my collection, even though I still have them for the PS2 I totally love playing them in HD. It's too bad I don't have a 3D TV; I'd love to try that out with SotC, but alas, I don't. Get this as soon as possible if you cherished them the first time.… Expand

Two old games with controls that have NOT converted well to the PS3 , I don't see why they could of cost around £5 each on PSN instead of the £25 plus they are charging,. not good value at all.....................

Honestly, as someone who had never played either one of these games before, I was legitimately excited to play, at the very least, Shadow of the Colossus. Unfortunately, I found myself extremely bored after the first 30 minutes of the game----I will give it one thing though, they did a great job restoring it, so if you liked the game on PS2 then you probably will still like it today.

These games are an excellent example of where art combines with console gaming. Both games have the look of De Chirico and Dali in their artwork, and there is an existential depth to the story that goes beyond the usual gaming fare . In Ico the initial abandonment and ultimate friendship of the two characters is achingly beautiful, capturing the essence of childlike innocence and at its heart this is the reason Ico has such a resonance.
Don't expect to be meeting or talking to other characters, because they are notable by their absence. Sound of wind, running water and birdsong are the predominant sounds that accompany Ico in his adventures, making this a haunting ,moving experience.
These are not state- of -the -art -next -gen -graphics to be sure, but Shadow of the Colossus still looks gorgeous and the originality of the game-play has enough to keep you interested. With its remastered HD makeover, ( when are we going to get 1080 HD as standard on PS3 games! ) this collection is well worth the purchase price even if you have played it before on Ps2.
There are some problems however with camera points of view and counter intuitive controls that can make both games frustrating and episodic rather than flowing but this does little to detract from an innovative, beautiful gaming experience.
Strongly recommended… Expand

ICO in my opinion is boring. You explore a mostly empty castle the entire game, while there are occasionally some breathtaking views outdoors the game never truly managed to capture me in its atmosphere, which is all the game has going for it. The combat and platforming are very weak and the puzzles are either too simple or too obtuse, there is no medium. I used the word obtuse because the game fails to teach the player what is and is not possible, for example, swinging, the game never tells you how to swing and the controls are not intuitive enough to learn on your own, so I never knew that was an option until I read it in a FAQ, these instances sound silly, but they infuriate me because I attribute them to poor design.

SHADOW OF THE COLOSSUS is a masterfully crafted adventure with, unfortunately, little to no replay value. I loved the game when I first played it on PS2 and I highly recommend anyone that has yet to experience this game to give it a try. The reason I cite the games lack of replay value is because the games allure was due to the wonder of seeing each colossus for the first time and discovering (on your own) how to defeat each one, when you replay the game a second time that allure is lost. Naturally the game will never live up to that first experience but the gameplay elements itself, while adequate, aren't enough to make me want to play through the game again. It's a game best played once and remembered for its greatness and uniqueness.… Expand

This is a great chance for the new generation to experience two games that are timeless artistic masterpieces. Prepare to be amazed, you just don't come across games of this quality nowadays.

As a person who played the original version of Shadow of the Colossus on the PS2, I must say that I was expecting very much of this HD version. I haven't played ICO yet, but unfortunately, my experience until now was kind of a disappointment. The controls are terrible! The camera... WTF are those camera controls? I don't remember those kind of problems in the original version. And also, the graphics are bad, comparing to other HD versions of old games I played, like Okami HD (PS3) and Metal Gear Solid (Xbox 360). Don't get me wrong here, I like these games a lot, but I think that maybe the conversion to PS3 and HD was not well done.… Expand

Maan...dont waste your money! The controls are a disaster, which ruins everything about these two games. I played the original ico and shadow of the colossus on the Ps2 and the controls were much tighter than this disaster.

By the way I haven't even bothered to play ICO yet. So my score is based on Shadows OT Colossus. I'm not trying to trump ip the score scoring twice.

What can you say about Ico and Shadow of the Colossus? How one can describe these magnificent piece of art? You cant really, you need to experience these games yourself. Both Ico and Shadow of the Colossus proves that games can be more then just simple action games with pretty graphics or anime spirited goofy roleplaying games. Games can be deep, emotional and something that stays with you for rest of your life.… Expand

I've played these gems back in their times and I honestly thought my mind was not going to be blown again by these remakes. I was completely wrong. I cried the same tears of before during a very specific scene in Shadow of the Colossus (I'm sure you all know what I'm talking about). These games don't deserve our mundane shelves. They should be in museums.

When the game Shadow of the Colossus came out I never bought the game, but I played the demo. By just playing the demo I was blown away by how amazing it was. I never bought the game though (I do not even know why myself). Right after shadow of the Colossus came out people were mentioning about the game ICO that was from the same developers of SotC. I never got around to playing the game ICO. Finally after 6 to 10 years both games have been released on the PS3 as a collection. So I made sure I went out and bought the games and I am not disappointed.
ICO is a game about a boy with horn born in some village and appearently the village uses kids who are born with horn as sacrifices to keep the village safe. The boy is taken to a temple and put in a stone tomb. When the boy is trying to get out there is a little bit of shaking and the tomb comes loose releasing the boy. Soon after the boy finds a girl and tries to escape the temple with the girl. Playing ICO feels different than most games. The flow of the game is very slow and quite, which might turn of players that get bored easily. The relationship between the boy and girl is very heart warming and helps make the game engrossing. The soundtrack to the game is also a very strong point of the game intense at times and calm in others and also creepy when it needs to be. Shadow of the Colossus is the other game in the collection. The story to SotC is a young man's girlfriend is dead so he takes her into the forbidden land, which legend has it can bring people back to life. When the man gets to a temple and lays the body on the alter a spirit tells the man that he must kill 16 Colossi that roam the land in order to bring the woman back to life. The battles in SotC are intense, but also very fun. Using your sword on the game you will climb the colossi and find their weak spots. The colossi are huge some are almost the size of skyscrapers. When you enter a battle the music becomes intense. I love the music on this game, it has a feel to it that is rare in most soundtracks. When the player defeats a colossus, you actually start to feel sorry for the colossi. You do not know if the colossi are good or bad. Most do not even attack you on site. So you actually start to question the acts you are commiting. The colossi are the only creature on the game that you fight. So much of the time you are traveling to the next colossus. It takes a while and it is very quite, but the land is amazing to look at. It is truly art. I am a believer that video games can be art. If you thought about playing these game, but never bought them on their release now is the time to play them.… Expand

ICO and Shadow of the Colossus are two games unlike any other. They require you to think, feel and are not afraid to test you both physically and emotionally. In ICO, you control an imprisoned young boy (that's Ico) who finds a mysterious girl who speaks an strange language (thus, it's not translated for the player), Yorda, and decides to escape the shadowy castle that confines them. Yes, for most of the game, you'll have to escort a completely helpless companion but the game does a wonderful job of making you feel connected to Yorda... the way you hold her hand to guide her, the way Ico helps her up from a high cliff, her body language to signify hesitation or pain, the way she gasps when Ico falls & hurts himself are just some examples of how emotional attachment is created between you (as Ico) and Yorda. You're basically thrown into the game and are given no tips or advice, only subtle clues on how to complete the masterfully designed puzzles. In Shadow of the Colossus, you'll have to fight 16 colossi in order to revive your lost love. You have to travel a vast land on your horse, find each colossi and kill it. Of course, killing a colossi isn't simple and each one is a puzzle in and of itself. Both games look fantastic in HD (though Shadow does suffer from some texture pop-in) and have amazing soundtracks. The controls are a bit rough and the character animation/movement might feel outdated but consider that they were made to move as realistically as possible using the PS2 hardware. Overall, you're getting two magnificent games for $40 and the additional game content for ICO (minor changes to puzzles, secret ending from PAL version, New Game+ co-op play and translation for Yorda's dialogue), 2 dynamic themes and bonus videos all make it a fantastic value. If you have some patience and can open up your mind, these two games will forever change your perception on video games.… Expand

2 of the most underated and best games ever made for price of 1, if your a long time fan of team ico's work or even if you missed out on these hidden gems id highly recommend you pick this collectoion edition up.

The games are more of an experiance than a game, the animation, lighting, gameplay, charectors and asthetic design all culminate to create an atmospheric and beutiful adventure.

ICO is about a young boy who must escape a strange land with a mysterious girl who is held captive by strange shodowy creatures, you must work together to solve puzzles, escape enemies and traps, defeat monsters and ultimately win your freedom, truely one of the most beutiful and atmospheric games out there on any generation of console, this game deserves to sit proudly amongst your collection.

Shadow of the Collosus is the sequal to ICO, your charector has grown into a young man and travels to a forbiden land to seek the aid of a demon to save the life of your mysterious companion from the previous adventure. Whilst the game keeps the sthetic qualitys of the origional it has vastly differant gameplay, for a start it is an open world sandbox adventure, your main task is to destroy huge giants, there are no minions to fight, only the hugely intimidating creatures which the game has you clambering up like some sort of animated structure, theryre made of part stone part flesh and each colossus has its own individual way of defeating it whether it be climbing up it back hair and gripping to it back for dear life plunging a sword into its weak spot, leaping fromyour stampeding stalion onto a giants wing and slowly working your way along its snake like body and 100 mph 10,000 ft in the air or even being tossed around on a giants beard as you desperately slash at its face with your sword, truely epic in every sense of the word, if you regard yourself as a serious gamer you owe it to yourself to experiance the adventures of a young boy named ico.… Expand

I had previously played Ico, but never picked up shadow of the colossus. I had a lot of people tell me shadow of the colossus was a must play so I picked it up. Both of these games are excellent and well worth 20 dollars a piece(since it is 2 games in the bundle.) The graphics on Ico are quite a bit better than before and shadow of the colossus is a beautiful game as well. I can stop playing it

Shadow of the Colossus was one of my all-time favorite games and nothing has changed. There's not much else that's needed to be said, the games are beautiful, fun and full of life. This collection is well worth the money spent.

This game may have been a 9 about five or ten years ago... Now it seems cludgy, and I'm annoyed that it is NOT in 1080, just a stretched 400 or so lines and maybe about 720p?
They are cool 'ambient' games, but games have moved on so much that the controls seem non-intuitive and unresponsive. I give it a 7, for subtlety and ambiance, not worth $40 this holiday season.

When they were originally released, each of these games made a strong argument for the games-are-art crowd. They are both patient and beautiful games, with much of their sophistication shown even between the battles. Neither try to be all action, they are all immersion. Yes, the controls are dated, and yes, the poly count is low. But these two games set the standard for emotional, engrossing environments that games today still have trouble touching. If you've never played either and want to know what inspires amazing games today, got get it. And if you played either on the PS2, and wonder how they look and play on modern technology, the answer is: timeless.… Expand

It doesn't matter if you have or haven't played the PS2 versions of both games, seeing them back in HD after more than 5 years it worth your time and money. Games with an originality and gameplay like these are rarely made. You won't be disappointed.

alright. the graphics werent improved really. which is whta a collection hd thing is supposed to do. these games are really great but i dont think it really deseves a 91. maybe an 85. if the graphics were way improved then id sagree with the meta score

A masterpiece! Two of the most before their time games repackaged with crisp visuals. Although there is room for improvement, there is something satisfying about knowing they stayed true to their original game - flaws and all. Brilliant.

I really dislike the idea of game companies releasing old games for a few bucks. However, I had not played the originals of these games so ya, i purchased this. These games are unique and have nostalgia but that does not serve as a reason for a high score. The games are pleasant and intriguing enough to the point that I give it an above average score. I refuse to jump on the band wagon and accept these games today deserve anything more than a 6. These should have been remade from the ground up and a continuation of the originals.… Expand

ICO was decidedly average for me, worth trying perhaps but nothing more.

SOTC was certainly the better game, but is quite a poor quality HD port.

Other than nostalgic purposes there's nothing stand out here, 2 good decent games different to what you can buy today, but both dated both dated in terms of controls, gameplay and graphics (even after the HD "upscale")

Even though these two games are the only games Team Ico has made for the last ten years, I consider Team Ico one of Sony's most dangerous assets in video gaming. These two games alone are one of my greatest gaming experiences and I am grateful that they are re-imagined in HD. ICO, while now I did find it a bit slow and the controls really awkward and took time getting used to, the build up and emotional depth of the story is just as fantastic as it was ten years ago and Shadow of the Colossus' minimal concept of just fighting giant colossus is still breathtakingly awesome. If you have missed out on these PS2 classics, I suggest getting this on the PS3 while you still have the chance and hope that Team Ico's next release, The Last Guardian, will be released as soon as you wished.… Expand