Wow. It wasn't that I'd forgotten how good it was, but when I put Ico in the PS2 last night it reminded me how there has been nothing like it before or since. Ico is one of the finest videogames ever - offering a dreamlike experience that actually justified Sony's use of the term "emotion engine".
On the surface the game seems a generic 3D platform game - boy meets girl, boy escapes with her from castle prison. But playing the thing is a whole different experience. Whether it's the way that your playable character calls out to his female companion - Yorda! - as they reach for each other across a chasm or the stack of pleasingly tricky puzzles, Ico is a revelation. The reason? You care about the characters. You care that Yorda is stranded and you are unable to help. You care so much that the ending sequence will bring tears.
The visuals too are perfectly stylised, with a faded, washed-out look that gives some credence to the videogames are art argument. Ico sold hardly anything when it was released in 2002. If you have a PlayStation 2 or, indeed, any interest in videogames at all, then try and pick up a copy. You won't regret it.
