#26 Ico
This was a surprise. Picking it up from the paper bag I did not think much of it at first by looking at the game case. But man I'm glad I gave it a serious go. The gameplay felt almost empty. Most games have a lot of bars, collectables, timers, weapons or other stuff in a hub around the screen. Ico was in comparison empty, playing on the isolation it conveyed. I know that it is a sort of cliché but playing Ico was the first time I truly recognized video games as art.
Without the ability to communicate grabbing our sole companions hand and dragging them along the castle. It just struck me as so heartfelt and true to the world it displayed. Holding her hand was like the game holding my heart and each time I needed to let go and leave her my heart stopped for a minute. There have been games that could match the game as an art formula, but no other game have struck such pure raw emotion as Ico did.
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