In the sea of sequels and me-too titles that have flooded through publisher doors in the last couple of years, only a handful of games have stood out as offering an experience truly refreshing in the way they dare to shirk popular videogame conventions. The fact that ICO and Shadow of the Colossus - two such titles - were born from the same creative minds is testiment to the skill and unique approach of the team.
However, despite huge critical acclaim, ICO failed to make much of a buzz in Europe, thanks largely to Sony's under-promotion of its stunning in-house title. Over the proceeding years since its release, the clamour for ICO's haunting tale of a boy and his mysterious young charge has resulted in the game reaching astronomical prices in specialist stores and on eBay.
Now though, with the arrival of Shadow of the Colossus in this territory, Sony's seen fit to give the original game another chance and European punters who missed out first time around will be able to sample both sublime offerings from February 17.
In celebration, we chatted to Fumito Ueda, the creative force behind both games, about everything from his initial aims for ICO to the perfect monkey/zombie/pirate game...
ICO and Shadow of the Colossus are obviously two of your best-known titles, but what has your team worked on previously?
Fumito Ueda: "ICO" was our first work ever as this team. There are members in the team who had experience with video games, and there are members who had no experience at all. There are probably more non-experienced members within the core members.
By the way, I worked for a company called "WARP" before I joined this team in SCE. I was an animator for a title called "Enemy Zero" of Sega Saturn.
At the time of its release, ICO was applauded for its fresh approach to action-adventure titles. Did you intentionally set out to create something new and unique - what were your main goals for ICO?
Fumito Ueda: As for "ICO", my goal was to create something different from ordinary video games - entertainment created by using computers. That is why I started by questioning things that was "normal" such as the theory of video games. The main concept for "ICO" was to differentiate it. "Shadow of the Colossus" was developed by taking away those restrictions.
ICO was originally released in 2001 and now European gamers are getting a second chance to experience the game when it's released alongside Shadow of the Colossus this year. In hindsight, what do you think the most successful aspects of ICO were in terms of design and what might you change if the game was in development now?
Fumito Ueda: Just after the development of "ICO", I wanted to increase the interaction part of the game. For example, increase the number of objects (including small animals) in the stages and add some sort of interaction to it, or increase the movements of Yorda - the heroine in "ICO".
Movie adaptations of videogames are huge at the moment. What would you like to see in a movie version of ICO?
Fumito Ueda: I would choose a Japanese hero as Ico and a non-Japanese heroine to act as Yorda to make a real situation of not being able to communicate.
Moving onto Shadow of the Colossus, the game is - at its simplest level - sixteen boss battles with some running around in between. Why did you decide to take this unusually focused approach?
Fumito Ueda: There are many reasons, but the main reason was to concentrate on the battle with the 16 colossi. Another reason is to differentiate it from other games.
If you had to distill the original concept for Shadow of the Colossus into one sentence, what would it be?
Fumito Ueda: My way of "cruelty".
What was the biggest challenge for your team during development of Shadow of the Colossus?
Fumito Ueda: It is probably not too much to say "everything". As the game was a completely new idea and there existed no examples from the past, it was quite fun yet quite challenging.
If you could save one of the Colossi from its inevitable destruction in the game, under the proviso you had to keep it in your back garden, which one would it be and why?
Fumito Ueda: The smaller quadrupedal (4-footed) colossus. Considering the cost of feeding it and - when I think about my neighbours - I would choose the smaller type colossus... Also, it seems fun to ride on its back!
Both ICO and Shadow of Colossus are set in the same universe - does Shadow of the Colossus mark the end of your games set in this world or do you feel that there are still aspects of the universe you'd like to explore in potential future releases?
Fumito Ueda: This is something I myself am not so sure about. My games are not based upon the game universe but it is based upon the game design so I come up with the universe that matches that design the most. So everything depends on the game design.
Why have you concentrated on the fantasy genre in your games so far and would you like to explore other types of games in the future?
Fumito Ueda: I am not intentionally concentrating on the fantasy genre. I simply think that entertainment is a dream maker that lets the players forget about reality, and so fantasy genre seem to fit in well.
Does the idea of creating sequels to either of your games interest you as a developer - and what's the reason for your answer?
Fumito Ueda: It's not that I have no interest in making sequels but I always feel I would like to try something new, challenge something I have never done before. In that sense, I may easily get tired of doing things...
Fans of your games often describe them as "art" despite your insistence to the contrary - what do you think it is about ICO and Shadow of the Colossus that encourages gamers to treat them as something more than a mere "game"?
Fumito Ueda: In fact, I was originally aiming to become an artist so when people say this is "art", I am honored by that. However, when I hear the word "art", I get an impression that this is aimed to a narrow audience who has interest in art itself. But I would like to have a more broader audience to try my games. So if the question is if this (my work) is art or not, this is definitely not an art.
What kind of gamer do you think your games appeal to?
Fumito Ueda: For those who understand the unique expression of video games and those who have interest there. Many video games tend to be complicated these days but I hope those people who are a bit tired of those complicated games become interested in my game.
Briefly on the subject of the PS3, you've previously mentioned plans to produce titles for the machine. As game creators, what excites you most about the PS3?
Fumito Ueda: A very basic answer but the fact that it will be much more simple to add images consisted of expression (display) elements. Other than that, I am not so sure yet. It is still under consideration. I am looking forward to the surprising power and functions that will be available.
Finally, we're a big fan of games featuring monkeys, zombies and pirates. Could you describe you idea for the ultimate monkey/zombie/pirate game?
Fumito Ueda: It is difficult when I don't know the contents of the game... If it's going to be a monkey/zombie/pirate game, if it was me, I would also add cars, soldiers, and car thieves in there. By the way, I can understand monkeys and zombies but why pirates?
ICO and Shadow of the Colossus are scheduled for European release on February 17.
