Ico is Ico, SotC was meant to be called Nico which is a play on the word 2 in Japanese and Ico and finally TLG has the beast Trico and Tri is three in Latin I think. Also it rhymes on Ico.
good review! cant deny i could see someone taking their thoughts in that direction if they felt that adamanently about the control. i would say all of those facts against the game only hampered my experienced aomewhat, and that like you said, i was REALLY jazzed about what made it good so i walked away incredibly satisfied
That last skit was hilarious, mostly cause I can relate. I remember years back I always had the dream of finally getting the xbox one and playing it, then I wake up and the release is 3 weeks away. Those dreams are pure evil.
When I was young I dreamed I was playing Kingdom Hearts 2, then woke up excited, and it took like ten minutes for me to finally realise it was a dream and I hadn't been playing "before bed". Baaah.
i could be wrong on this, but i started playing this game a few days ago, and while I'm not done, i think the one second delay on inputs might be intentional. when you are in mid run for example, the jump is immediate to response. but when you are standing still it has that one second lag i think this was intentional so that when you give commands (r1 + direction) that it doesn't accidentally move off the doge. but who knows i could just be giving it the benefit of the doubt. i will say though, walking into this knowing the controls were bad has been making this a lot more enjoyable of an experience for me. it allows me to just accept it to enjoy the world for what its worth.
You Arlo, are the best thing I've seen on TH-cam in years. I lost it at the very end there, you just have a tone in your voice that just sucks you right into your perspective. I immensely respect that effort.
The same thing can be said for animated films due to how pretty and stunning visuals can't hold an entire +80 minute film. The best example I can think of is the Good Dinosaur by Pixar. That movie looked freaking gorgeous however the story is clearly a ripoff of almost every Disney film and some of the characters are just a bunch of one-dimensional stereotypes. These cons are what caused the Good Dinosaur to be a failure at the box office and is even regarded as one of the weakest Pixar films (even up there with Cars 1-3). This is proof that you must have a decent story, lovable characters, original ideas, etc. in order to make a great movie and not just show something pretty on the screen. And the same thing definitely goes for video games.
No thumbs down! As you can see Arlo, we appreciate your honest reviews. So many people say good things to games just to get views, but you say freak that!
Not really. This only happens on two specific occasions when it's vital to the story progressing. You can never trust the dunk to accurately represent a video game. I'm not taking shit though, he's the best TH-camr.
darkchamberofdark666 it's because Playstation doesn't have dedicated franchises with a long history of awesome games... well, they're getting there. it's only natural that people will be there eventually. whereas people have loved and hated Nintendo games for 30+ years. Playstation has just been a good platform
DevinAK49 I disagree, even as someone who grew up on Nintendo. They obviously aren't on the level of Mario, Link, and Pikachu (very few characters are as widely recognized as those three) in regards to how iconic they are, but Crash, Spyro, Tomb Raider, and Ratchet&Clank are all important to gaming's history- and I'd argue some of the best games ever made have been PlayStation exclusives. Final Fantasy VII, Klonoa 1, Persona 3 and 4, Crash 3, and so on. And I like Arlo's approach to critiquing, which is why I brought up that it'd be cool to get his view on some of the newer PS4 releases.
darkchamberofdark666 they totally are, especially within the gaming community. They just don't have the instant recognizability that series like Mario and Zelda have, and there's nothing wrong with that- they're entirely different
"You gotta give him pets. I don't know if this is necessary or not, so I do it a lot just to be safe" Arlo you are the MAN! thanks for such quality content!
Absolutely, a 2 month year old infant will not do much with it, and from the end of spectrum, an 80 year old dementic grandma with paraplegia will not do much with it either, so yeah I totally agree this game is not for everyone
I played this for the first time a few months ago and I have such mixed feeling about it. The landscape is beautiful and the story is gripping, but the jank can totally undermine the most impactful moments in the game. Like when the camera slows down as you jump towards Trico, knowing he will snatch you out of mid air, only to fall to your death. At first I brushed off the bad controls as an intentional choice to help get you into the mindset of a frantic child navigating a strange land filled with monsters, but the more I played the more I realized that wasn't the case. It's so annoying when Trico goes in the opposite direction you're pointing or when your character gets caught climbing aimlessly around one of his legs.
I think you are the first person I've seen that has made a pokemon reference in regards to the games animal sidekick. I was begining to think I wound up in some bizzare alternate timeline where pokemon didnt exist.
Damn Arlo , once again putting things into perspective and all around wording experiences I've been feeling my WHOLE life but never knew how to fully articulate . Thank you for bringing that experience to the table , if I ever was to explain a game to someone , I would HAVE to show them one of your reviews , especially this one . Amazing work buddy ! ;p
Once again, a great video by a channel that deserves even more love than it has. This is a game I'm definitely interested in trying out just for the fact the creature looks both intimidating & cute. PLUS THERE"S A PET BUTTON!
Holy shit i can't believe it took me this long to find a good video game reviewer on youtube. I love your commentary. Congrats Arlo you just gained a new subscriber!
I remember when a friend streamed this. He did complain about the controls a lot (along with a lot of other streamers), but he was really into and all of us watching enjoyed it. Everyone getting emotional at some points was an interesting experience.
I'm a game developer, and the past week or so since I've found your work I've seen co-workers walk past my desk seeing Photoshop on one screen, and a talking blue puppet on another. I think they're worried about me.
This was the most well rounded and fair rewiew of the last guardian I've seen to date. Most rewiewers I've seen either raved about the game or tore it down completely, calling Tricos Ai 'stupid' or 'bad', when the way he reacts is clearly a design choice, be it a frustrating one, much like the general controls and camera.
This is the video that brought me to this channel. It's also the one where I compulsively subscribed. Now, let's watch a bunch of old videos and let the confirmation bias prove me right. But the bottom line is: Excellent first impression.
In the spirit of your "In Defense Of..." videos, I'd like to post my own for the controls of this game. Yes I absolutely agree it can lead to many frustrations, I no doubt had plenty of my own along with the camera. But for me it did add more realism and even attachment to the boy just because it felt like I was controlling an actual person and not just a video game avatar. The fact that he is a BOY that wouldn't have as much control of his movements as a full grown adult I think makes sense and makes you all the more anxious in keeping him alive, like how I would wince with almost every jump I made. There definitely could have been more tweaks, particularly in him climbing Trico, but overall having played Ico and SofC the controls, while somewhat archaic, just felt "right" and made me feel at home playing a Team Ico game. I just discovered your videos and love them :D
I had some issues with the game early on, but around halfway I feel in love with this game. I actually like it more than Ico, and it's pretty close to SotC (which is probably in my top 3 games of all time) I cried a few times near the latter half of the game it was just that good for me, but I can understand a lot of people feeling off about it.
I've been waiting for this review! :) I feel similarly about The Last Guardian (especially not believing it really released, haha) but I played it with the latest patch, so thankfully I didn't have as much problems with the controls, camera, or button prompts. I really appreciate you not showing too much of the game to avoid spoilers, though of course I beat the game before watching this. I'm glad to hear you experienced the same wonder playing though the game as I did, though it's too bad about some of the control problems you had. Thanks again, Arlo!
I've been hearing that the opinion on Trico's AI is rather controversial. Some say that the beast is really immersive in its idiosyncrasies, while others say that his misbehaviors are distracting and frustrating. I can understand the reasoning behind both though
khdayskh1314 I view Trico like a wild animal in nature. it's beautiful to look at, but don't touch it or try to control it or else you're gonna have a bad time
I have to be honest, the control and camera issues are really ... REALLY overexaggerated. Could it be better? Ya, a lot. But I thought it was going to be terrible from all the negative reviews and it turned out decent for the most part. Beyond that, you can't die from the controls or camera(mainly because every time you go near a ledge your character stops). So it's not game breaking at all, just an annoyance. I have never played an ICO game before but I loved this, and I feel people are really over doing the problems of this game. Literally the only time you can die because of the camera in this game is when you have to jump onto Trico's tail, and let's be honest most players probably just pressed the triangle button thinking it was a quick time event instead of taking it like a logical real to life situation. To me, they could have been better, but the biggest problems were the button props, narration, and frame rate issues. You didn't mention that the narration literally ruins about one or two huge moments in the game where I actually thought "Wait....IS THIS THE END OF THE GAME?" It was totally crazy how sad I got during those moments and yet I remembered "Oh....but he's the narrator". Also the button props aren't fixed at all, at least as of December 28th when I finished the game. The frame rate issues are bad as well but luckily about 70% of the game is a smooth-ish 25-30. Also Arlo, thanks for not bringing up the Trico "command issues". I've heard so many people say "But he doesn't instantly respond to what i'm saying" ...even reviewers, which shows a total lack of understanding and respect for what the game is. There's literally animations that play when Trico is confused or trying to figure out what you want him to do, how can people not understand his delay is intentional?
The Angry Little Alchemist i honestly don't understand how you could be so forgiving to the controls and camera. i had the same issues as Arlo and i have already returned the game due to those issues and a few more. if you can navigate the landscape with the strange lag and lack of speed control, thats fine and more power to you (im actually kinda jealous) but after playing Uncharted , Ico , hell even Knack, to have a "two gear" movement system in an action adventure platform game is crazy jarring to someone like me and even, sadly, a deal breaker Personally, i feel Arlo's review is a bit more forgiving than what i would have scored it but Arlo is a hell of a lot funnier than i am :)
Stubby28182 Well that's your opinion and your loss. I don't care that the controls can be weird and there is lag I made it through Killzone 2. Killzone 2 is how I was Introduced to the series and I played every game since. The original Ratchet and Clank on PS2 also had some super unresponsive controls and once again I was introduced to that one via a promotional demo well before the game launched. I have played every game since (sans the Ratchet and Clank mobile phone game and yes that was thing before The iPhone even existed). A ton of games had really terrible controls and I still made due most people do. I guess that's part of what being "Hardcore" is and we are rewarded for our persistence. I actually didn't get mad at The Last Guardian over it's controls as much as I did over nearly getting stuck which wasn't too often. I still earned a silver trophy beating the game in 15 hours, but the biggest reward was actually experiencing the story firsthand. I really do think you'd be doing yourself a big disservice by just watching a playthrough of this game without first experiencing the story in it's entirety for yourself.
This is one of those games where EVERYONE will have different opinions about. Based on this review, it seems like a good game with massive issues, which isn't suprising then game had such a massive and long development cycle. Even more sad is the fact that this game killed that studio, which means that the troubled development really wasn't worth it in the end. A sad story about such a artistic mess.
You know, I never really had issues with the controls, apart from jumping off of chains/tails and climbing Trico. This is from someone who never played Ico or SotC, they felt perfectly fine for me. I didn't have any issues with delay. Even the entire controlling Trico isn't that hard, you can specify command based on the buttons you press. I guess I just don't see some people's issues with the controls. I play a lot of faster paced games, including racing games. There was never a real issue for me though.
Yup. Get it. Even if u don't like puzzle games. Try to work it out yourself like I did. Very rewarding. Forget about the little things that annoy you. Sweetest game I have ever played. A must play game. 😂
Description: "We waited over a decade for this cake...so how can it still need more time to cook?" Me: 4.5 years. What, you've never glitched Paper Mario before?
This game in my opinion is near dam perfect. Amazing story, amazing puzzles, amazing art direction, amazing soundtrack, amazing sound, amazing almost everything. Problem is that its being held back by wonky controls and camera. Definitely feels like a ps3 game in that sense. Other than that it's God dam amazing. Definitely in my top 5 games of all time.
I personally am loving the game. I'm not done yet, which is why I'm saying loving. I played it later though, so the button pop-ups that you talked about really only occurred in the beginning for me and barely took place at any time later in the game. I love how the boy (who I shall dub Mark) controls. Maybe it's just how much I love Team ICO that's blinding me, but I think he controls awesomely. I like to think that Mark is a kid going through puberty and his limbs have grown, and he's not quite used to them yet. Trico has barely given me any trouble. Heck, the few times that he has is because he's gone ahead without me. I think I'm just one of the luckier people out there when it came to experiencing this game.
Am I the only one who thought that it's weird people would name a species of giant, dangerous man-eating beasts as "Tricos." The name doesn't really make them sound very intimidating.
Chromasus I haven't finished the game but is that the species or just the individual creature? Because I see your point but I think Trico as just its name works
The most frustrating part for me was trying to get trico to dive at the water sections, bloody infuriating!! other than this it was an amazing experience
I more or less agree with a lot of the criticisms you have (with one big exception), but the big difference is that these issues impacted my experience with the game to a much lesser degree. The good far outweighs the bad for me, but I nonetheless sympathize with your frustrations with the camera, the intrusive button prompts (though for me, they were far from immersion-ruining; a problem, absolutely, and I'd even go so far as to say probably my personal biggest issue with the game, but my mind began to filter them out as the game went on...that's fantastic news if they were patched out though, I had no idea), and some isolated issues like the awkward climbing getting in the way sometimes. I also think you pretty much accurately described my own experience with Trico's occasional unwillingness to obey commands; I admire Fumito Ueda's outside-the-box thinking and dedication to realism in his games and overall I'm glad this is an aspect of the game, but I'd be lying if I said there weren't times when Trico's unwillingness to move forward or my own ineptitude or perhaps most importantly my inability to distinguish between the two pulled me out of the experience, at least for a moment. At the very least, I think it's a valid way to approach designing the game that demonstrates some unconventional and refreshing thinking, and while ultimate opinions on how it affects the experience will definitely vary, it troubles me that some people seem to be unwilling to even consider that something like this could be a valid design approach, saying things like "intentionally bad design is still bad design" and seemingly shutting the door on such a concept being explored at all. Anyway, the one big exception I mentioned earlier is simply the overall control of the boy, which I actually love. I can see where you're coming from, but the boy's scrambling, wild motion actually pulled more into the experience than the opposite, especially during the game's many absolutely thrilling action sequences. The animations and motion perfectly fit the panic I felt when being hunted by the suits of armor and I literally caught my breath with every precarious jump I landed. I really felt in the role of the character and overall this coupled with the game's potent atmosphere drew me into the experience in a way few if any games have. I also simply adore the game's animation and I think overall these aspects felt like a natural evolution from Team Ico's previous games to me, which I replayed shortly prior. I also wish there was a third movement option between "tiptoe" and "run", and there were a few occasions where the boy might fumble a bit too much or I might miss a jump that may or may not have been my fault, but overall I personally love moving around in the game. The Last Guardian is definitely going to be a polarizing game, but it's definitely one that should be at least interesting to discuss for all involved. While I still need to replay it, just from my initial playthrough during launch week, even with some issues and blemishes, it was still an incredible experience that I would say easily lives up to Ueda and his team's previous works.
This game has really aged amazingly well tbh. The animation and ai are insanely good and it feels like a miracle and we havent had anything quite like it since. It's a reminder of how little the industry has evolved sijce then
Aside from the command feature and climbing on Trico, I never really had a problem with the controls. They felt perfectly fine to me. However, I was pretty disappointed with how it felt like certain game mechanics went unused. There were clearly several more commands that you could give Trico, and yet they never actually did anything. Still, this is probably my favorite game this year. I don't think I've ever played a more heartwarming game.
I think this is probably the most charming yet clunky at the same time game I've ever played. But I couldn't help but love it for all the high notes it hits
Ok Arlo, you have made it. I WILL break my rule for you. I ussually watch EVERY single video i missed before I decide if a content creator is worth the subscription. BUT THAT INTRO... That intro (and the fact that i come from the RE7 review) DESERVES IT. Sir, you have my subscription and my support. Keep on making great videos like the boss you are.
Hey, you're pretty good at this. I think I'll stick around, ya big ball of fur. The quality of your videos are pretty good. I think your quality might even compete with Angry Joe one day so keep it up man!
That's exactly what i thought... That's a bummer 'cause the scenary is wonderfull, simply looking Trico moving is majestic! But damn that camera is broken, and damn can't that boy walk properly???
I agree with Arlo and + and - about Last Guardian, and yet...I still love this game. What it does well is just spellbinding to me. I have rarely been as immersed in an experience as I was solving puzzles with Trico. Maybe it is because I have a cat that I love, but Trico's habits and animations felt incredibly real in a way I don't think I've ever seen in an AI companion. It made me realize I can put up with camera issues and occasional control hiccups if I feel transported somewhere else. Odd case of one of my favorite games of 2016 that I'd be hesitant to suggest without discussing it in detail. I has its faults, but I'll remember my time with Trico for years to come.
I never played their other two games, and really didn't know bout this game until a month before release, but I'm enjoying it so far! Trico is like a big puppy, and i can never bring myself to be more than slightly irritated about him not listening. Though the camera is just as bad as you say. ugh that camera.
Mr Gaudy I always wanted to play a game from Team Ico, and was almost going to buy this game, but the review of Yahtzee and Jim kept me away from it, meanwhile YTs like pewdiepie were promoting the game without even playing it and bashing other games, it was sad
Mr Gaudy I always wanted to play a game from Team Ico, and was almost going to buy this game, but the review of Yahtzee and Jim kept me away from it, meanwhile YTs like pewdiepie were promoting the game without even playing it and bashing other games, it was sad2
yeah, but in the first video, without even playing more than the demo, he said, Ignore CoD and Final fantasy and those other games, and play this one, it is better and we should support artsy games
I always wondered what the Cookie Monster was like before his addiction. Well here he is.
Um, he still has an addiction. This time to video games.
Cody Smith I guess we can call him the video game monster!
Cody Smith Video Games to Cookies, thats one hell of a transformation.
Wow, that's pretty racist dude, not all blue furry people are related to the Cookie Monster. People really need to let go of that stereotype.
Looks more like Grover.
So, is the beast's name 'Trico' because it's the third game by the Ico company?
Ayyy I see what you did there
Ilpaca Blank Yes. He's named Toriko in Japan, which means both prisoner and bird-cat.
He looks more like a....Cat/bird/dog/dragon.....
Ico is Ico, SotC was meant to be called Nico which is a play on the word 2 in Japanese and Ico and finally TLG has the beast Trico and Tri is three in Latin I think. Also it rhymes on Ico.
Incidentally also a portmanteau of 'bird' and 'cat' in japanese.
"Like wrestling a soapy ferret into a box." Such a great quote.
TWIST: We're all apart of Arlo's imagination, Arlo lives in the real world, where there is no "The Last Guardian"
JoJo Banks holly fuck my life is sh...a lie it's a lie
***** best story of aaaaaaaallllllllllll time
Watermelon Meme Here this comment killed me. It is fucking hilarious.
good review! cant deny i could see someone taking their thoughts in that direction if they felt that adamanently about the control.
i would say all of those facts against the game only hampered my experienced aomewhat, and that like you said, i was REALLY jazzed about what made it good so i walked away incredibly satisfied
This game is super flawed for me yet somehow probably my favorite game of all time. I hope we get a remaster for the 10 year anniversary or something.
That last skit was hilarious, mostly cause I can relate. I remember years back I always had the dream of finally getting the xbox one and playing it, then I wake up and the release is 3 weeks away. Those dreams are pure evil.
Superior Being I had a dream that my dad won the lottery and bought me a Playstation VR XD
crapvile I've had that dream
When I was young I dreamed I was playing Kingdom Hearts 2, then woke up excited, and it took like ten minutes for me to finally realise it was a dream and I hadn't been playing "before bed". Baaah.
crapvile boi fight me
Dunno, never happened in the timeline I am native to.
Man, how i fucking love your videos, that last part deserved a like
Incredible Review as allways
Something about this channel is super endearing and cheery. Its brings almost a childlike felling of joy, especially the outro. Thanks for that.
i could be wrong on this, but i started playing this game a few days ago, and while I'm not done, i think the one second delay on inputs might be intentional. when you are in mid run for example, the jump is immediate to response. but when you are standing still it has that one second lag
i think this was intentional so that when you give commands (r1 + direction) that it doesn't accidentally move off the doge. but who knows i could just be giving it the benefit of the doubt.
i will say though, walking into this knowing the controls were bad has been making this a lot more enjoyable of an experience for me. it allows me to just accept it to enjoy the world for what its worth.
You Arlo, are the best thing I've seen on TH-cam in years. I lost it at the very end there, you just have a tone in your voice that just sucks you right into your perspective. I immensely respect that effort.
11:26 That animated grading system little things like that are what makes this my favorite channel. Great review Arlo!
Maybe the issue with the controls has something to do with the fact you have GIANT HAIRY MUPPET HANDS
Perfect example why gameplay is more important than the graphics.
The same thing can be said for animated films due to how pretty and stunning visuals can't hold an entire +80 minute film. The best example I can think of is the Good Dinosaur by Pixar. That movie looked freaking gorgeous however the story is clearly a ripoff of almost every Disney film and some of the characters are just a bunch of one-dimensional stereotypes. These cons are what caused the Good Dinosaur to be a failure at the box office and is even regarded as one of the weakest Pixar films (even up there with Cars 1-3). This is proof that you must have a decent story, lovable characters, original ideas, etc. in order to make a great movie and not just show something pretty on the screen. And the same thing definitely goes for video games.
I keep laughing every time Treeko shows up. xD
Joeynator3000 *Trico
Treecko.
Tr-Ico
Mikayla Miller it's spelled treecko not trico look it up
the creature in the last guardian is "trico". the pokemon is "Treecko".in this case "Treecko" is correct.
No thumbs down! As you can see Arlo, we appreciate your honest reviews. So many people say good things to games just to get views, but you say freak that!
Yeah when I saw his walk cycle I knew what you meant with the controls. A+ review.
Treecko also eats you sometimes. I learned this from Dunkey.
That's only when he he gets controlled or something.
System Error *Trico
Sorry I don't actually care about the game enough to try and spell the names right
Not really. This only happens on two specific occasions when it's vital to the story progressing. You can never trust the dunk to accurately represent a video game. I'm not taking shit though, he's the best TH-camr.
Amen
So chronologically, the team ico games go from fighing collosal creatures alone with a sword to lost orphans who can't solve a puzzle on their own.
More PS4 stuff would be cool even if just from time to time!
darkchamberofdark666 dont forget crash bandicoot and spyro
darkchamberofdark666 it's because Playstation doesn't have dedicated franchises with a long history of awesome games... well, they're getting there. it's only natural that people will be there eventually. whereas people have loved and hated Nintendo games for 30+ years.
Playstation has just been a good platform
DevinAK49 I disagree, even as someone who grew up on Nintendo. They obviously aren't on the level of Mario, Link, and Pikachu (very few characters are as widely recognized as those three) in regards to how iconic they are, but Crash, Spyro, Tomb Raider, and Ratchet&Clank are all important to gaming's history- and I'd argue some of the best games ever made have been PlayStation exclusives. Final Fantasy VII, Klonoa 1, Persona 3 and 4, Crash 3, and so on. And I like Arlo's approach to critiquing, which is why I brought up that it'd be cool to get his view on some of the newer PS4 releases.
darkchamberofdark666 they totally are, especially within the gaming community. They just don't have the instant recognizability that series like Mario and Zelda have, and there's nothing wrong with that- they're entirely different
***** Are the cutscenes in the game the movie scenes?
"You gotta give him pets. I don't know if this is necessary or not, so I do it a lot just to be safe"
Arlo you are the MAN! thanks for such quality content!
I completely agree on you this one, +Arlo. This game is not for everyone.
Absolutely, a 2 month year old infant will not do much with it, and from the end of spectrum, an 80 year old dementic grandma with paraplegia will not do much with it either, so yeah I totally agree this game is not for everyone
You're being way too literal MythoVirus
Amazing review Arlo, thanks for no spoilers
Shame this guy doesn't have more subs
88k is... pretty good...
i Derp Nah man he deserves to be the most subbed game reviewer
I played this for the first time a few months ago and I have such mixed feeling about it. The landscape is beautiful and the story is gripping, but the jank can totally undermine the most impactful moments in the game. Like when the camera slows down as you jump towards Trico, knowing he will snatch you out of mid air, only to fall to your death. At first I brushed off the bad controls as an intentional choice to help get you into the mindset of a frantic child navigating a strange land filled with monsters, but the more I played the more I realized that wasn't the case. It's so annoying when Trico goes in the opposite direction you're pointing or when your character gets caught climbing aimlessly around one of his legs.
I think you are the first person I've seen that has made a pokemon reference in regards to the games animal sidekick. I was begining to think I wound up in some bizzare alternate timeline where pokemon didnt exist.
Damn Arlo , once again putting things into perspective and all around wording experiences I've been feeling my WHOLE life but never knew how to fully articulate . Thank you for bringing that experience to the table , if I ever was to explain a game to someone , I would HAVE to show them one of your reviews , especially this one . Amazing work buddy ! ;p
Once again, a great video by a channel that deserves even more love than it has. This is a game I'm definitely interested in trying out just for the fact the creature looks both intimidating & cute. PLUS THERE"S A PET BUTTON!
Man, the amount of code they put trico. Outstanding.
Yes and no, looking at it it's outstanding for sure, however remembering it was a 10 year old game in development, not so much
Holy shit i can't believe it took me this long to find a good video game reviewer on youtube. I love your commentary. Congrats Arlo you just gained a new subscriber!
I remember when a friend streamed this. He did complain about the controls a lot (along with a lot of other streamers), but he was really into and all of us watching enjoyed it. Everyone getting emotional at some points was an interesting experience.
Your vids showed up in my recommended feed today and I'm very glad that I clicked. You make really well done vids Arlo. Subbed :D
I'm a game developer, and the past week or so since I've found your work I've seen co-workers walk past my desk seeing Photoshop on one screen, and a talking blue puppet on another. I think they're worried about me.
The way I summarize the controls is that they are bad enough that the game's default setting is to constantly remind you about the controls.
sometimes I dream of getting an Arlo video before new years
It would have been funny if Arlo woke up sleeping on amiibos as his pillow
This was the most well rounded and fair rewiew of the last guardian I've seen to date. Most rewiewers I've seen either raved about the game or tore it down completely, calling Tricos Ai 'stupid' or 'bad', when the way he reacts is clearly a design choice, be it a frustrating one, much like the general controls and camera.
looks like the I've got one last video to add to "Best of Arlo 2016," and just in time too. :)
Lol the ending is like everyone else waiting for the Nintendo Switch to actually be out.😄
I can't wait to preorder it.
+Agu Fungus lol same although I probably won't be able to and then I'll have to wait like I still am with the nes mini
Slenderfoxx37 yes dude thats me I have been dreaming like that ever since January 12th
Don't worry about the cake Arlo, if I've learned anything from Stryder7x is that it's perfectly acceptable to bake it for years.
New Arlo video to cap off 2016? This warms the cockles of my heart.
The Last Guardian Review but every time Trico is named a Treecko flashes on screen and the Treecko become progressively smaller each time it apears
This is the video that brought me to this channel. It's also the one where I compulsively subscribed. Now, let's watch a bunch of old videos and let the confirmation bias prove me right.
But the bottom line is: Excellent first impression.
I liked that little part at the end. I wasn't expecting it! Nice job.
In the spirit of your "In Defense Of..." videos, I'd like to post my own for the controls of this game. Yes I absolutely agree it can lead to many frustrations, I no doubt had plenty of my own along with the camera. But for me it did add more realism and even attachment to the boy just because it felt like I was controlling an actual person and not just a video game avatar. The fact that he is a BOY that wouldn't have as much control of his movements as a full grown adult I think makes sense and makes you all the more anxious in keeping him alive, like how I would wince with almost every jump I made. There definitely could have been more tweaks, particularly in him climbing Trico, but overall having played Ico and SofC the controls, while somewhat archaic, just felt "right" and made me feel at home playing a Team Ico game. I just discovered your videos and love them :D
I had some issues with the game early on, but around halfway I feel in love with this game. I actually like it more than Ico, and it's pretty close to SotC (which is probably in my top 3 games of all time)
I cried a few times near the latter half of the game it was just that good for me, but I can understand a lot of people feeling off about it.
This is why I chose Mudkipz instead of Treecko
This is so sad to hear, I figured that after years of development, a product like this would've turned out better.
1005418 at least most of the flaws seem like they can get patched. you can't patch flat out mediocre core gameplay(most Triple a games this year)
It’s amazing, you gotta try it for yourself
I've been waiting for this review! :) I feel similarly about The Last Guardian (especially not believing it really released, haha) but I played it with the latest patch, so thankfully I didn't have as much problems with the controls, camera, or button prompts. I really appreciate you not showing too much of the game to avoid spoilers, though of course I beat the game before watching this. I'm glad to hear you experienced the same wonder playing though the game as I did, though it's too bad about some of the control problems you had. Thanks again, Arlo!
LOL'ed at the end. Arlo, your're a true fan!
the description says "we've waited a decade for this cake"
you waited for a cake longer the stryder. thats an achievement
I was going watch an IGN review of this, but then I saw Arlo had one so there was no question about it! Arlo top 1 reviewer by far.
I'm finally playing this. Holy shit yo. This grabbed me harder than shadow of colossus. Why did I hesitate for so long.
I'm surely not the only one who originally read "A boy and his junk", right? Right???
Is “the boy and his jank” a reference to the third Narnia book?
I've been hearing that the opinion on Trico's AI is rather controversial. Some say that the beast is really immersive in its idiosyncrasies, while others say that his misbehaviors are distracting and frustrating. I can understand the reasoning behind both though
khdayskh1314 I view Trico like a wild animal in nature. it's beautiful to look at, but don't touch it or try to control it or else you're gonna have a bad time
Jon Jacob Jinglehimer well, you're going to have to control it if you're going to progress in the game.
Sorry to break kayfabe, but the dedication you have to "this puppet is playing games" in your videos is wonderful. Never change dude!
I have to be honest, the control and camera issues are really ... REALLY overexaggerated. Could it be better? Ya, a lot. But I thought it was going to be terrible from all the negative reviews and it turned out decent for the most part. Beyond that, you can't die from the controls or camera(mainly because every time you go near a ledge your character stops). So it's not game breaking at all, just an annoyance. I have never played an ICO game before but I loved this, and I feel people are really over doing the problems of this game. Literally the only time you can die because of the camera in this game is when you have to jump onto Trico's tail, and let's be honest most players probably just pressed the triangle button thinking it was a quick time event instead of taking it like a logical real to life situation.
To me, they could have been better, but the biggest problems were the button props, narration, and frame rate issues. You didn't mention that the narration literally ruins about one or two huge moments in the game where I actually thought "Wait....IS THIS THE END OF THE GAME?" It was totally crazy how sad I got during those moments and yet I remembered "Oh....but he's the narrator". Also the button props aren't fixed at all, at least as of December 28th when I finished the game. The frame rate issues are bad as well but luckily about 70% of the game is a smooth-ish 25-30.
Also Arlo, thanks for not bringing up the Trico "command issues". I've heard so many people say "But he doesn't instantly respond to what i'm saying" ...even reviewers, which shows a total lack of understanding and respect for what the game is. There's literally animations that play when Trico is confused or trying to figure out what you want him to do, how can people not understand his delay is intentional?
The Angry Little Alchemist i honestly don't understand how you could be so forgiving to the controls and camera. i had the same issues as Arlo and i have already returned the game due to those issues and a few more. if you can navigate the landscape with the strange lag and lack of speed control, thats fine and more power to you (im actually kinda jealous) but after playing Uncharted , Ico , hell even Knack, to have a "two gear" movement system in an action adventure platform game is crazy jarring to someone like me and even, sadly, a deal breaker
Personally, i feel Arlo's review is a bit more forgiving than what i would have scored it but Arlo is a hell of a lot funnier than i am :)
Stubby28182
Well that's your opinion and your loss. I don't care that the controls can be weird and there is lag I made it through Killzone 2. Killzone 2 is how I was Introduced to the series and I played every game since. The original Ratchet and Clank on PS2 also had some super unresponsive controls and once again I was introduced to that one via a promotional demo well before the game launched. I have played every game since (sans the Ratchet and Clank mobile phone game and yes that was thing before The iPhone even existed).
A ton of games had really terrible controls and I still made due most people do. I guess that's part of what being "Hardcore" is and we are rewarded for our persistence. I actually didn't get mad at The Last Guardian over it's controls as much as I did over nearly getting stuck which wasn't too often. I still earned a silver trophy beating the game in 15 hours, but the biggest reward was actually experiencing the story firsthand. I really do think you'd be doing yourself a big disservice by just watching a playthrough of this game without first experiencing the story in it's entirety for yourself.
The only review where a muppet tries to dream up a Borg woman delivering him a bbq pineapple chicken pizza.
This is one of those games where EVERYONE will have different opinions about.
Based on this review, it seems like a good game with massive issues, which isn't suprising then game had such a massive and long development cycle. Even more sad is the fact that this game killed that studio, which means that the troubled development really wasn't worth it in the end. A sad story about such a artistic mess.
"What sound should the guardian make?"
"Eh, just throw a bunch of shit together."
According to Paper Mario, baking a cake for 4.5 years is perfectly A-OK
"Wrestle a soapy ferret into a box." That line had me rolling :)
Disappointing to hear about the controls, was prepared to buy this on day one, but will have to hold off at this point.
Another very good and funny review!
You know, I never really had issues with the controls, apart from jumping off of chains/tails and climbing Trico. This is from someone who never played Ico or SotC, they felt perfectly fine for me. I didn't have any issues with delay.
Even the entire controlling Trico isn't that hard, you can specify command based on the buttons you press.
I guess I just don't see some people's issues with the controls. I play a lot of faster paced games, including racing games. There was never a real issue for me though.
Yup. Get it. Even if u don't like puzzle games. Try to work it out yourself like I did. Very rewarding. Forget about the little things that annoy you. Sweetest game I have ever played. A must play game. 😂
Awesome review. I love your vids man
you rock Arlo. keep up the good work
Description: "We waited over a decade for this cake...so how can it still need more time to cook?"
Me: 4.5 years. What, you've never glitched Paper Mario before?
Hey, we finally got a game about a griffon you don't kill. Sweet.
It isn't a Griffon though
AstrosGamer A rose by any other name.
I mean Griffons aren't cat-like though are they?
MrServantRider They are.
@@MrServantRider 5 years late, but a griffon is half lion, which is a cat.
This game in my opinion is near dam perfect. Amazing story, amazing puzzles, amazing art direction, amazing soundtrack, amazing sound, amazing almost everything. Problem is that its being held back by wonky controls and camera. Definitely feels like a ps3 game in that sense. Other than that it's God dam amazing. Definitely in my top 5 games of all time.
I personally am loving the game. I'm not done yet, which is why I'm saying loving.
I played it later though, so the button pop-ups that you talked about really only occurred in the beginning for me and barely took place at any time later in the game.
I love how the boy (who I shall dub Mark) controls. Maybe it's just how much I love Team ICO that's blinding me, but I think he controls awesomely. I like to think that Mark is a kid going through puberty and his limbs have grown, and he's not quite used to them yet.
Trico has barely given me any trouble. Heck, the few times that he has is because he's gone ahead without me.
I think I'm just one of the luckier people out there when it came to experiencing this game.
Am I the only one who thought that it's weird people would name a species of giant, dangerous man-eating beasts as "Tricos." The name doesn't really make them sound very intimidating.
Chromasus I haven't finished the game but is that the species or just the individual creature? Because I see your point but I think Trico as just its name works
From what I hear, it's a combination of the words 'Tori' (bird) and 'Neko' (cat) :)
Na Trico is the species.
I love your videos Arlo great review, Happy New Year's! Here we come 2017! and the Switch!
The most frustrating part for me was trying to get trico to dive at the water sections, bloody infuriating!! other than this it was an amazing experience
My Dad about Arlo: "Is that a Muppet?!"
I more or less agree with a lot of the criticisms you have (with one big exception), but the big difference is that these issues impacted my experience with the game to a much lesser degree. The good far outweighs the bad for me, but I nonetheless sympathize with your frustrations with the camera, the intrusive button prompts (though for me, they were far from immersion-ruining; a problem, absolutely, and I'd even go so far as to say probably my personal biggest issue with the game, but my mind began to filter them out as the game went on...that's fantastic news if they were patched out though, I had no idea), and some isolated issues like the awkward climbing getting in the way sometimes. I also think you pretty much accurately described my own experience with Trico's occasional unwillingness to obey commands; I admire Fumito Ueda's outside-the-box thinking and dedication to realism in his games and overall I'm glad this is an aspect of the game, but I'd be lying if I said there weren't times when Trico's unwillingness to move forward or my own ineptitude or perhaps most importantly my inability to distinguish between the two pulled me out of the experience, at least for a moment. At the very least, I think it's a valid way to approach designing the game that demonstrates some unconventional and refreshing thinking, and while ultimate opinions on how it affects the experience will definitely vary, it troubles me that some people seem to be unwilling to even consider that something like this could be a valid design approach, saying things like "intentionally bad design is still bad design" and seemingly shutting the door on such a concept being explored at all.
Anyway, the one big exception I mentioned earlier is simply the overall control of the boy, which I actually love. I can see where you're coming from, but the boy's scrambling, wild motion actually pulled more into the experience than the opposite, especially during the game's many absolutely thrilling action sequences. The animations and motion perfectly fit the panic I felt when being hunted by the suits of armor and I literally caught my breath with every precarious jump I landed. I really felt in the role of the character and overall this coupled with the game's potent atmosphere drew me into the experience in a way few if any games have. I also simply adore the game's animation and I think overall these aspects felt like a natural evolution from Team Ico's previous games to me, which I replayed shortly prior. I also wish there was a third movement option between "tiptoe" and "run", and there were a few occasions where the boy might fumble a bit too much or I might miss a jump that may or may not have been my fault, but overall I personally love moving around in the game.
The Last Guardian is definitely going to be a polarizing game, but it's definitely one that should be at least interesting to discuss for all involved. While I still need to replay it, just from my initial playthrough during launch week, even with some issues and blemishes, it was still an incredible experience that I would say easily lives up to Ueda and his team's previous works.
This game has really aged amazingly well tbh. The animation and ai are insanely good and it feels like a miracle and we havent had anything quite like it since. It's a reminder of how little the industry has evolved sijce then
Why are your videos so rare. I want more!
Aside from the command feature and climbing on Trico, I never really had a problem with the controls. They felt perfectly fine to me. However, I was pretty disappointed with how it felt like certain game mechanics went unused. There were clearly several more commands that you could give Trico, and yet they never actually did anything. Still, this is probably my favorite game this year. I don't think I've ever played a more heartwarming game.
I think this is probably the most charming yet clunky at the same time game I've ever played. But I couldn't help but love it for all the high notes it hits
Ok Arlo, you have made it.
I WILL break my rule for you.
I ussually watch EVERY single video i missed before I decide if a content creator is worth the subscription.
BUT THAT INTRO...
That intro (and the fact that i come from the RE7 review) DESERVES IT.
Sir, you have my subscription and my support. Keep on making great videos like the boss you are.
I don't think I'll ever quite get over the fact that one of the best and most insightful video game reviewers on youtube is a fucking muppet.
Hey, you're pretty good at this. I think I'll stick around, ya big ball of fur. The quality of your videos are pretty good. I think your quality might even compete with Angry Joe one day so keep it up man!
I gotta admit this is the first time I see a review on this channel but... grades on a seven scale? who does that
Arlo 100k subs on 2017! Make it happen!
Soon Arlo will be at a 6 digit follower count :)
That's exactly what i thought... That's a bummer 'cause the scenary is wonderfull, simply looking Trico moving is majestic!
But damn that camera is broken, and damn can't that boy walk properly???
I love your Nintendo videos, but it's nice to see you branch out to some other stuff now and then. Keep it up!
Is it just me or is that a new intro... either way I love it :')
I love your videos and good luck this January
thanks arlo for the review
I agree with Arlo and + and - about Last Guardian, and yet...I still love this game. What it does well is just spellbinding to me. I have rarely been as immersed in an experience as I was solving puzzles with Trico. Maybe it is because I have a cat that I love, but Trico's habits and animations felt incredibly real in a way I don't think I've ever seen in an AI companion. It made me realize I can put up with camera issues and occasional control hiccups if I feel transported somewhere else.
Odd case of one of my favorite games of 2016 that I'd be hesitant to suggest without discussing it in detail. I has its faults, but I'll remember my time with Trico for years to come.
The hint thing was also in shadow of the colossus, but it was mostly waaay more well timed.
I like Arlo...
god I miss this stuff
If they make the camera right and make a first person view possible with the oculus rift, this could be the VR game I've been waiting for.
I like what you did at the end with the "dream" review. Wonder if you will do Kingdom Hearts 3 like this.
I never played their other two games, and really didn't know bout this game until a month before release, but I'm enjoying it so far! Trico is like a big puppy, and i can never bring myself to be more than slightly irritated about him not listening. Though the camera is just as bad as you say. ugh that camera.
Reported by digital foundry, if you play it on the PS4 (slim or OG) the framerate dips in certain areas below 10 fps
Yeah, I was expecting it to be the traditional console 30 fps with dips to low 20s
Mr Gaudy and having to go through 3 console specs, 2 architectures and different teams
Mr Gaudy I always wanted to play a game from Team Ico, and was almost going to buy this game, but the review of Yahtzee and Jim kept me away from it, meanwhile YTs like pewdiepie were promoting the game without even playing it and bashing other games, it was sad
Mr Gaudy I always wanted to play a game from Team Ico, and was almost going to buy this game, but the review of Yahtzee and Jim kept me away from it, meanwhile YTs like pewdiepie were promoting the game without even playing it and bashing other games, it was sad2
yeah, but in the first video, without even playing more than the demo, he said, Ignore CoD and Final fantasy and those other games, and play this one, it is better and we should support artsy games
Glad to see you getting more views and subs..