Fan's Labyrinth: del Toro approves of Team ICO

by Ludwig Kietzmann { Aug 27th 2008 at 7:20PM }

In an interview with Edge, Pan's Labyrinth and Hellboy director Guillermo del Toro establishes two very interesting facts:

del Toro, who has been enamored with gaming's charming beeps and boops since the days of Pong, lavishes a considerable amount of praise on Sony's Team ICO. "There are only two games I consider masterpieces," he says. "Ico and Shadow of the Colossus."
The popular filmmaker has excellent taste in games.

Those are far from the only titles he appreciates, however, as he tells Edge that he "absolutely loved BioShock." In addition, he approves of Resident Evil, Devil May Cry and Silent Hill, which he likens in particular to a "Lynch, Polanski or Romero type of horror experience." It seems our only point of disagreement can be found in his "happy" working experience with Konami's Hellboy: The Science of Evil. Nobody's perfect, eh?

[Via PS3 Fanboy]

Tags: Guillermo-del-Toro, Ico, Pans-Labyrinth, Shadow-of-the-Colossus, Team-Ico

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

pkpk523 @ Aug 27th 2008 7:33PM

alright, his taste in games is enough to make me watch those Hellboy movies that I never got around to.

Phil @ Aug 27th 2008 10:20PM

...I think I have to now.

Damn del toro, I didn't imagine you'd have REALLY good tastes... Bioshock, Team Ico games AND Silent Hill?

*sighs and goes off to purchase Hellboy on iTunes*

Ryuukuro @ Aug 28th 2008 9:59AM

Hellboy? No. The movies are okay but they are not representative of del Toro at his best. What you need to watch are his Spanish Language movies. The pun at the top refers to Pan's Labyrinth, his masterpiece. And then Cronos is good too.

No whining about subtitles either. Both have English dubbed versions.

Phil @ Aug 29th 2008 4:26AM

Already watched Pan's Labirynth in HD.

He's got amazing visual ideas but... I find his writing or whoever he appoints to write, a little too off for my liking.

Kersh @ Aug 27th 2008 7:34PM

I've never played Ico nor SotC, and I hate myself for it, especially SotC. From what I can tell of Ico, it's one of those "save the drone" things with a whole bunch of unkillable enemies, the two things I hate the most in games.

However, with all the praise, it's still probable fantastic.

JoeTheBlow @ Aug 28th 2008 5:10AM

It certainly wouldn't have the same impact nowadays, its looking a bit rusty.
5 years ago though, eyes were boggled everywhere by the images of trying to take down a 300ft high beast, or clinging to the back of a flying snake-thing as it speeds through a canyon trying to shake you off.
And the music, oh the music, so awesome.

There are few games that demand a remake/sequel more.
Wrath of the Colussus please!

JoeArc @ Aug 28th 2008 7:30AM

Five years ago?!

theshaunz @ Aug 27th 2008 7:35PM

Sweet
the visionary director of hellboy 2 likes the games i like

zuburi @ Aug 27th 2008 7:38PM

Pan's Labyrinth is just incredible.

Hellboy, not so much.

censorman @ Aug 28th 2008 9:34AM

I really liked Hellboy 1. The scene with a cookie eating Hellboy and kid nails the atmosphere of 'offtime' in comics (think Xmen Mansion issues where they play basketball rather than battle baddies. Charming, perfect method for developing characters.)

Hellboy 2 was a barrage of cliches and tired climaxes, from start to finish. Sad.

Pans was good. Not amazing, but good.

Overall, del Toro rules for bringing the weird to so many mundane people. I am hoping he sets his sights on the Mountains of Madness again. If anyone can honor that racist bastard HP, it's Mr. DT.

riggs @ Aug 28th 2008 11:56AM

i love both movies, i wish the spiderman series as a whole was more like hellboy, in that the funny and action scenes were both evened out and the cgi being great. hellboy imo ranks among the top comic to movie adaptations.

Ranus Studios @ Aug 27th 2008 7:41PM

God I love that man.

Maverick Saturn @ Aug 27th 2008 7:43PM

I approve of his approval :D Team Ico rules supreme.

Bass Masterson @ Aug 27th 2008 7:45PM

SoTC was good, if repetitive and a bit empty (they really should have given you something to do between boss battles).

But Ico is possibly the most overrated game of all time. Seriously, it's nothing but a frustration simulator, hauling that waif princess around all day.

Desi_D @ Aug 27th 2008 10:13PM

Colossus battles in SoTC is the game. You do have stuff to do in between; what you do in between is that you figure out how to kill them, this part is the puzzle and the adventure. Killing them is always easy, figuring out how to do it is the game.

theturtle363 @ Aug 27th 2008 7:51PM

I agree. Science of Evil sucked. It didnt even have a full 1k achievement points on the disc.

Derek @ Aug 27th 2008 7:59PM

Anyone who thinks there are only two masterpieces in the annals of video game culture is an idiot..

Noshino @ Aug 27th 2008 8:17PM

""There are only two games I consider masterpieces," he says. "Ico and Shadow of the Colossus.""

"..I consider.."

could it be possible for a man to have an opinion different than yours?

turkeybaster @ Aug 27th 2008 8:21PM

Well, since he prefaced his statement with "I consider," that should be a dead ringer that he was just voicing an opinion and in no way making an objective statement about every videogame ever made. Context.

Mr Khan @ Aug 27th 2008 9:19PM

But its his OPINION. According to the rules of the internet, we must debunk his opinion and tell him, in no simple way, why he's wrong and stupid

That being said (puts tongue in cheek): He should play Metroid Prime. Best game ever, bar none.

j.howlett @ Aug 27th 2008 8:19PM

he does have great taste in games and i love his movies. hope the hobbit films surpass my expectations

Markez @ Aug 27th 2008 8:40PM

Well it's nigh impossible to take anybody seriously with a picture like that.

And saying those are the only two games he considers masterpieces just screams loud and clear he doesn't konw what he's talking about.

Granted he's entitled to his opinion, but saying there's only two games that are masterpieces is beyond an asinine statement.

chispito @ Aug 28th 2008 3:44AM

I have no problem with him singling out those two, and I don't think it's an asinine statement. They're the only two games that feel the way they do, and for me at least, that packed that certain emotional punch. If that's what it takes for him to consider a game a masterpiece, then that's fine.

He says he really likes some other games, so I don't see what your problem is. He just reserves his highest praise for those two.

totoro @ Aug 27th 2008 8:53PM

Ico, SoTC, Bioshock? I like this dude :D

ComradeTrotskii @ Aug 27th 2008 9:24PM

Did he only start playing games 5 years ago or something! (note: I know he didn't)

It's clear that his bias lies with the more 'cinematic' and storytelling experiences that games can offer - he finds it "unfortunate" that his daughter prefers Sonic and Kirby - and while he is perfectly entitled to that bias he is surely underestimating some of the masterpieces over the years - Tetris, Super Mario Bros, Total War are but a few - that don't borrow from heavily from cinema.

While it is great to see improved narrative and cinematic techniques being used in gaming I think we should be wary of these destroying the pure gameplay experience lest games lose their way and become just an extension of cinema rather than a unique medium which can do things in a wonderfully different way.

chispito @ Aug 28th 2008 3:40AM

No I think it has more to do with tone and theme:

"I rightfully said no to Se7en, because it was a great script but it was a very cynical view of the world. I loved it, I wanted to see it, but I'm a romantic, fat bastard and I don't subscribe to that view."

http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/dinner_and_the_movies/news/1739826/3/guillermo_del_toro_rts_dinner_and_the_movies_interview