The Last Guardian - PlayStation 4

I have been looking forward to this game for quite some time and I am so happy it was worth the wait. First a warning to anyone who isn't totally familiar with the game, it doesn't have fancy "next gen" graphics and there is no English dialogue, only subtitles. BUT is you like the idea of a heavily story based journey through a fantastic and beautiful world then you have to give this game a chance. I won't go too deep into the story because discovering the story is the whole point of the game, but the premise is you are a young boy who has woken up beside a massive creature called Trico. The creature is injured and chained to the floor and it is up to you to help it, once you have, you will gradually grow your relationship and you will have more control of Trico. Through the game you depend on Trico to help you cross distances that you can't and Trico will depend on you to help it as well. This give and take makes you truly develop an emotional attachment to this creature. I found myself trusting it and doing thing I would not normally try just because I felt confident that Trico would be there to help me. It is truly incredible how the creators of this game hit the nail on the head to make you connect with Trico in a real way. While this game (in my opinion) is incredible and I have absolutely fallen in love with Trico, the game is not without flaws. The first is that the controls can be a little.. finicky, especially with Trico. Now this is either just a slightly flawed AI making it not really listen to you or not doing what you want it to, OR it is the MOST spot on AI I've ever encountered. I say this because I feel like the way I would tell Trico to do something and it would either not listen at all or do something completely different, reminded me of being a pet owner, when you speak to an animal and tell it to do something it doesn't always go as planned unless of course you've taken time to train the animal, and this is sort of how Trico functions. Perhaps I just love this game and am making up an excuse for a bad AI but I sort of feel like it added some character to the game and to Trico. It also adds a bit of difficulty, when you have to really thing and provide the most basic of instructions to make Trico do what you want. Another flaw with the game is somewhat related to the animation, which to start is gorgeous, it looks beautiful and the way the boy moves is very childlike and interesting, but it can sometimes be a bit frustrating, he moves at almost a constant run so sometimes doing more precise movements don't work well or you have to position a jump just right otherwise he will jump in a completely random direction. But overall I genuinely love this game it is beautiful and fun and wonderful, but in truth it is not for everyone. There will be people who will hate this game for any number of reasons, but if you think you make enjoy it then it is absolutely worth a chance, even if you wait until the price goes down some.

Pros: -This game is visually stunning. While some of the textures are clearly remnants of its original PS3 development, the lighting system is gorgeous, as is the art direction. -Trico (the chimera creature). The way it moves is amazing. At times I would just watch him wander about, awed, and wonder how many thousands of collective development hours the game makers spent making him seem so alive. It's obvious that they observed birds, dogs, and cats to figure out the movements. Most impressive of all is how they managed to blend all of those animals mannerisms together while at the same time keeping them obviously distinct to the specific animal that they were taken from. For example, the way Trico's head moves on his neck is very bird like, his facial expressions are very much like a dogs, and the way he arches his back when threatened is exactly how a cat's would be. Words don't do it justice. You just have to see it to understand what I mean. It really is an amazing technical achievement and something that seems to be going underappreciated by most reviewers. -The bond that forms between Trico and your character feels genuine and it is almost impossible not to care for them. Cons: -The frame rate can be pretty bad at times. I'm not sure if this is simply a coding problem, the lighting system, or simply a result of all those feathers on Trico moving about (or all three), but it can be distracting. I'm playing on the PS4 Pro, which supposedly plays this game better than the other models, and I can say that while the frame rate dips are annoying, they aren't so bad that they hinder gameplay. I wouldn't be surprised if there is an update in the near future that addresses this issue. -The camera isn't great. It gets the job done, but it can end up in places that make it hard to see what you're doing. Overall, it's a wonderful game and a nice change of pace from games that have you shooting or killing things all the time. This is a puzzle game, first and foremost, so if wandering around and trying to figure out what to do next bugs you, or you just really like that shooter/hack and slash action, this game may not be for you. If you like to problem solve, enjoy looking at game environments, and love animals, you'll probably enjoy the heck outta this game. It does have a few ever-present minor problems, but if you are willing to deal with them, you'll have a blast. EDIT (Jan 7, 2017): As a commenter pointed out, there has been a patch to address some of the camera and frame rate issues. I finally got a chance to play the game again last night and I can tell a slight difference in the FPS (again, I'm on the PS4 Pro, so it may be more of a substantial improvement on the original PS4). However, it's still not perfect and there can be a little bit of stuttering in brightly lit areas when playing in 4K. On the other hand, in the section I played through the camera gave me no issues. That was one of the main issues, so because of that, I'm raising the rating to 4.5 stars (rounded up to 5).

Take the absolute best elements of Ico and Shadow of the Colossus, add an emphasis on the themes of loyalty and companionship, and you have The Last Guardian, the long-awaited follow-up to Fumito Ueda's now classic games. Worth the wait (although I really wish we didn't have to wait THIS long), this game perfects the story and gameplay elements introduced in the previous works. The graphics and lighting details are stunning, falling right in line with what we've come to expect from this team. The gameplay tops the previous two games in almost every way, and that's if you combine Ico and SotC. I feel that is saying a lot. The puzzles are smart, the action sequences are thrilling, and the soundtrack makes you feel instantly at home if you are already a fan. If you have no idea who Ueda is, this game will make you a fan and immediately want to look him up on Wikipedia. Ueda has created a universe that makes you want to dive right in and binge play his game to its conclusion. It feels like all three games complement each other so well, as though the stories all take place during the same time period on the same planet (which is definitely not Earth lol). If you were on the fence about this one because it's been such a long wait, I'm telling you now, get this game, you will not regret your decision. Ueda has reached master status with this one. The only fault I'll afford this game (and I'm nitpicking) is the controls are still a bit loose. If you were alright with that for the first two games, this won't bother you at all. If you're new to Ueda's style, the slippery movement will grow on you, even immerse you in his world a bit more, as it adds to the realism of being a kid trying to escape a giant castle with a huge dog/cat/bird beast (in the most dumbed down way this game could be described). Really, there is so much depth here. If you played either of the first two games and walked away with a lump in your throat, you owe it to yourself to experience this adventure. From the bottom of my heart, I really hope this isn't the last we'll see of Ueda and his crew. Games like this are so important, and a game like this comes along maybe once during a console generation.

This game is a lot of fun. The creature is so stinking cute I can't stand it, sometimes, and I've spent upwards of thirty minutes just petting him. The story of the game is so much fun, and so tender and heart-warming, and the detail and texture and landscape is so, so, so gorgeous. It's hard to believe this game came out in 2016. I will say, though, that the controls can be a bit jerky at times. Like if you ease up with the move stick, you can tiptoe, but if you ease up even the slightest bit more, you'll charge forward. I've run off cliffs and bridges more times than I can could because of this. Also, the camera has a tendency to get stuck. It's not as fluid as other games I've played, like, usually, if you're stuck in a corner, usually it'll zoom in on your back. This will clip through the wall and basically just spaz out and it's confusing and disorienting. Also, there's not a lot of guidance when playing. Like, most games will help you, point you in the direction you need to go. This one, you pretty much have to figure it out by yourself, which can be frustrating. But it makes those moments of "AHA!" even more rewarding. Despite the difficulties, despite the frustrated screaming, despite the dying many, many times, I really, really do enjoy this game. It was so worth buying.

Let me just start by saying I LOVED this game. Loved it. I even turned right back around and started re-playing it after I beat it the first time, I was just so interested in it. It's a puzzle/exploration game before it's an action game. You play as a boy waking up to find himself in a place he doesn't know beside a great beast he's only heard tales of. You spend the game trying to get home with the help of your giant animal sidekick. So those of you who are suckers for animal sidekicks and big flying beasts, puzzles, fantasy, world exploration, this game might be right up your alley. That being said, I can understand that this game won't be for everyone. The controls, as other people have said, are a little janky. The camera drags a bit, and a couple times it took me out of the game and was distracting, but never during a time when tensions were high and I had to move fast and precisely. Despite one or two parts where I repeatedly died because of bad controls, they did not lessen my enjoyment of the game because I was too interested in the story, so I didn't really care. But for a more fussy player it might be a deal breaker. I feel like most of the negative reviews I've heard of this game, controls/camera aside, are from people who are just plain impatient, who are easily bored or used to games with more action. This game wasn't designed to make you move fast (some parts maybe, but not most), I really think you're just meant to sit back and enjoy in between bouts of sudden tension and action; think, explore, and occasionally help your companion help you fight off enemies as best you can. Enjoy the scenery, which is phenomenal, interact with Trico, who is adorable, and unravel the mystery behind why you're in this weird place, and how you're to escape. So, loved the game. Only flaw was the controls, but I'm playing it again anyway because it's an emotional, enjoyable experience.

If you've played Ico or Shadow of the Colossus you will love The Last Guardian. The plot is gripping, the bond between yourself and Trico is incredible to experience, and the atmosphere created by the sound and graphics is amazing. If games can be art, then this is art. The game is fairly linear without a lot of replay value and Trico's AI can be frustrating at times, but the experience is absolutely worth it. It took me about 15 hours to complete which is admittedly short, but I can easily say this is one of the most memorable games I've played. Ico and Shadow and the Colossus each left a big impression on me and The Last Guardian very much does the same. Unlike Ico this game has very fair difficulty and is well balanced. Anyone who plays it can complete it, the challenges are reasonable and take practice and skill but are not impossible. What would have made the game perfect would have been multiple endings, more places to explore (you see a lot of interesting areas but visit very few of them), and more in-game lore such as tablets/books/scrolls to read. The developers took a 'subtractive' approach to development where everything unnecessary was thrown out, and while it left room for the essentials to flourish, it does result in a more minimalist experience that keeps the game from being perfect. But I can't recommend this game enough. It is a must-have for PS4 owners.

My wife and I have been waiting a long time for this game. Three weeks ago, we pre-ordered this game and then we bought a PS4 to play it on. Last night, we finished it, in tears, complete emotional wrecks. It takes a carefully crafted game to cut through my cynicism and make me lose myself in the emotion of a moment. This game fits the bill. The boy and his giant catdog companion are the heart of the game. If you need constant run and gun action, this story isn't going to do it for you. If you want puzzles, occasional action, humor, sadness, joy, and mild frustration with a disobedient pet, then you will be satisified. Like ICO and Shadow of the Colossus before it, The Last Guardian is a beautiful game. You just want to stop and look around at it. Watch the birds, wonder what or who built the ruined castle, and just have a quiet moment of reflection with your friend. Despite reports to the contrary, we found the controls easy to grasp, if sometimes not always easy to apply. The only moment of frustration in 10 hours of play was trying to direct Trico to dive. Non-intuitively, you point to a wall and tell him to go that way, then he dives. Other than that 15 minutes of frustration, the game went smoothly. Trico did sometimes take a moment to figure out some jumps, but it made sense for an untrained animal to not instantly get it. All and all, this was a beautiful, fun, and ultimately heart-warming game. If Ueda makes another one, I'll play it, even if he is a manipulative, heart string pulling puppeteer.

So let me start by saying: I gave this 4 stars based on my opinion of the value of the product overall, to everyone. And some people are NOT going to like this game, for reasons I'll go into later. But for me, my experience of playing the game was worth 5 stars, 10 stars, 371 stars... Because I got to have a new adventure in the world inside Fumito Ueda's head. And I love that world very, very much. For those who've played Ico and Shadow Of The Colossus... Well, Yorda's become a bird/dog/cat colossus... And while she can now defend herself (as long as there aren't any stained-glass eyeballs around), she doesn't take direction any better than she ever did, and if the right piece of machinery pulses blue circles at her, she might bite your head with her giant beak. Bummer. The game is every bit as gorgeous as Ueda fans would expect. Everything (EVERYTHING) in this world is beautifully designed and executed, and well worth your taking the time to look at. (Incidentally, some people have reported frame-rate trouble... I had that happen maybe once or twice, for just a moment. NBD.) And the story is a Team Ico story. If you love those, you'll love this one. If you love Yorda and Agro as much as I do, you'll love Trico just as much. As to the controls... Um, the controls. They're not what you'd call... Good, actually. They're probably the worst in the series, in that they just don't always respond properly; occasionally the "climb" button will cause you to "drop," or vice-versa. This is something I can look past, but for some people who aren't as susceptible as I am to the game's other charms, it's going to be a big problem. Likewise the camera, which is about on par with Ico's, and occasionally worse. I attribute that to the realism that Ueda tries to bring to his games: If you really were somewhere with a giant, clumsy beast and a camera was on you, you can be sure that beast would sometimes (or often) get between you and that camera, such that you couldn't see anything else. As well as step on you now and again, which also happens in the game. :) Speaking of realism, what I think will most bother many fans of today's AAA games is the speed at which the story and gameplay move... Which is that of the boy who is the protagonist of The Last Guardian. He stumbles a lot, he can't jump as far as Nathan Drake can, he doesn't have a hyperspace arsenal like Ratchet, and he gets confused and has to figure things out. And you figure them out with him, in real-time. To me, that's immersive and sometimes contemplative. To some, I'm sure, it will seem incredibly boring. I'll end this by emphasizing that I REALLY LOVE THIS GAME. There are a few "auteur developers" whose work I follow: Tim Schafer, Ken Levine, Atsushi Inaba... When you buy a game made by these people, you know that it will have a particular sensibility behind it. Though many people are involved in making them, these games come across as the product of a singular artistic vision, rather than that of lowest-common-denominator focus-group testing. Nowhere is this more true than in games directed by Fumito Ueda. I was blessed by this opportunity to enter his world again in The Last Guardian, and I expect to return many times on future playthroughs. EDIT: I just finished my second playthrough (I wanted to show my family the ending), and decided I had to bump this up to 5 stars. Yes, the controls are crap, and so is the camera. But what the game IS is, and its "soul," if you will, are just SO DARN BEAUTIFUL. My heart brims over.

Tiempo de entrega excelente

Ein tolles Spiel, mit guter Stimmung und wirklich donnern Sound! Die Interaktion zwischen den Beiden ist so harmonisch, die Rätsel teilweise ziemlich knifflig!

Disc undamaged and works well. Very pleased

The Last Guardian offre un gameplay orientato al platform/puzzle come I precedenti Ico e Shadow of the Colossus. L'inizio è un poco "lento" ma crescerà in modo esponenziale andando avanti. Le atmosfere sono idilliache, il rapporto tra il ragazzo e Trico e la loro interazione vi rapirà e arriverete a desiderare una di queste creature vicine a voi, ma potete accontentarvi di adottare un cane. Esplorate, date da mangiare a Trico, lo coccolate e risolvete enigmi per andare avanti in una ambientazione favolosa. La grafica non è il massimo, essendo iniziato il suo sviluppo su PS3, ma non ve ne importerà nulla, lo amerete e vorrete giocare a Ico, se non lo avete già fatto, perché tutto nasce da lì.

Enjoyed this game. Amazon gave it to me in good condition and delivered it on time