Beautiful Shadow of the Colossus Illustration Collection

Shadow of the Colossus will always hold a very special place in my heart and gaming collection. I was excited for its arrival after playing ICO, and I continue to hold out hope for The Last Guardian even though recent news indicates that things aren't going so well for the development team.

When Shadow of the Colossus came out I purchased the strategy guide too, but mostly for the art contained within. Anyone who has played it can attest to its visual majesty even on a PS2, and as wonderful as the creatures were in-game, it was an even better treat to look at detailed pictures of them in the book. Of course, the tips for bringing down each Colossi did come in handy later.

I really love official art and fanart for it, so I was super pleased when I came across this collection of pieces from James Gilleard.

Just two samples of a much larger and gorgeous series! Source.

Gilleard's website is chock full of beautiful illustrations, so I encourage you to check out more than just his Shadow of the Colossus work!

When I look at such serene and lovely images from this game it's almost easy to forget that it nearly caused me a mental breakdown as I tried and (repeatedly) failed to bring down the final Colossus. It's a tragic and comical tale that involves me having a full out tantrum. Maybe I'll share it someday. Not today though, let's keep things upbeat; you don't want to hear about me crying! Or maybe you do. It's hard to tell.

-MJ

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The Last Guardian *not* cancelled, GameStop making weird decisions

A little somethin-somethin' thrown together by Andrew and me.

There has been a lot of back and forth online regarding the status of The Last Guardian, the most recent iteration from the development team that brought us ICO and Shadow of the Colossus. First the gaming world was rocked by the announcement that Fumito Ueda, the game creator, left his position at Sony and was continuing to work on the title as a freelancer.

Many people, myself included, were left wondering what it meant for the future of the highly anticipated game. The news that he would be continuing to work on the title, just as freelance, was comforting yet still worrisome. The Last Guardian has been pushed back many times, and by huge chunks of time. At one point it was due out in April, which would have made a most splendid birthday gift!

Anyway!

Enter an ill-advised move by GameStop: removing The Last Guardian from their computer systems and sending out an automated call to all pre-order customers informing them that the game had been cancelled.

Rumors flew back and forth and Sony released a statement reassuring the masses that the game had not been cancelled. A few days later, GameStop finally addressed the situation.

Since the game doesn't have an official release date, and has been pushed back so many times, the company decided to remove it from their system. They will be adding it back once The Last Guardian has a set release date.

Having worked for the company for years before quitting earlier this year, I find this to be an extremely odd move. Normally they don't care if a game has a set release date. If it's a title that customers are excited about then we (the employees) were happy to have it available to offer to customers.

Color me baffled, but really so long as the game isn't cancelled then it's no skin off my nose.

Next time, please be more careful GameStop.

-MJ

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The Last Guardian game creator goes freelance?

It's Wednesday! That doesn't really mean anything in particular, I'm just struggling with an opening line for this entry. So with that out of the way, I have some interesting Team Ico information for you. Let's get going!

The Last Guardian. I can't wait to get to know this face. [Source]

I hope that most of you have heard of The Last Guardian! This is the third title brought to you by Team Ico, the people responsible for such amazing games as ICO and Shadow of the Colossus. They are creators of amazing games full of emotion and drive. The environments are gorgeous and immersive, the gameplay unlike anything I've ever experienced. ICO and Shadow of the Colossus are truly gems for the PS2, and if you have not yet played them then I urge you to do so. If you have a PS3 then you have the very easy option of picking up the ICO and Shadow of the Colossus collection. You lucky duck!

Last week news started circulating around that the game creator has left Sony and is now working on the project as a freelancer. I was pretty sad and confused when I read this article. Sad because I immediately thought that meant he wasn't working on the project (seeing as I hadn't finished the article yet) and then confused once I read he was sticking around as freelance. What does that mean for his involvement? Will he have less influence since he's not a Sony employee anymore? I just have so many questions! The article states that he'll be pursuing personal projects once Guardian is finished, but why didn't he stay with Sony until the project was over? 

I'm just so excited for this game (scheduled "TBA 2012") and I don't want anything to further delay its delivery into my anxiously waiting hands.

-MJ

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