1. The Ico and Shadow of The Colossus Collection
In at number one are two of the Playstation 2s greatest games. The only games to date to be released by developers Team Ico, these guys certainly go for quality over quantity. These are two very different games and are bundled together because they are made by the same team, rather than direct sequels to each other. Ico is essentially a platformer, with a bunch of puzzles and combat thrown in. The lead character, a boy with horns, must guide a mystery girl through the trials and tribulations of a castle. Far from the clingy girlfriend, she often wonders off and its up to you to hold her hand and keep her out of danger. Shadow of the Colossus has an even more minimal story line; the game starts as some God-like creature tells you to go and kill some big things to save a girl. Not wanting to argue, you ride on your horse and start killing big things! The games are better than their descriptions. Its a classic case of; you have to play it. The developers go for something that many forget in game design and try to communicate something on an emotional level to the player. These games really make a case for the argument for video games as art. Somewhere within the minimal yet powerful story telling, flawless character animation, gorgeous lighting, epic music and engrossing gameplay, youll see that these games are something special. If you do find the controls a little outdated, both games come with the ability to customise your set-up to what ever you feel comfortable with, something that is sadly missing from other titles on this list. The only times that the games really show their age is through repetitive textures in Ico and the scale of Shadow, which means that there is often some pop-in while traveling. Apart from that they could be a title from the current generation. In short, if you havent played these games, go out and buy this collection now. It may be some time until the next game from Team Ico sees the light of day. The proposed next game, The Last Guardian looks set to miss even the 2013 launch window and has been plagued throughout its lengthy development process. So, if you like Journey, Unfinished Swan, Braid or another game from that art-game genre, get this disc.