There are so many games that go unnoticed. People get obsessed with what others think is "good" and they overlook some of the finer things. ICO is one of my favorite games of all time. The reason I believe it didn't get the attention it deserved is because of how low key the action was in the game. It's an adventure game that revolves around the surreal sense of loneliness within a mysterious enchanted castle. You play a young boy who was exiled from his home village because he was born with horns. Escorted to the castle, you are left there to die until you manage to escape from your coffin. Soon enough you meet a quiet young girl who is also stranded within the castle. Together you search for a way out of the mysterious, yet beautiful prison.

To me, ICO is more of an animated piece of art than it is a game. The plot consists of an overwhelming evil within the castle, which carefully unfolds as you progress through the game. However, the scenery around you is so soft, so tranquil, so easy on the eyes that you may find yourself just walking around observing the sights rather than progressing through the story. As you search for a way out of the castle, you will need to solve puzzles and fight off baddies while defending the young girl. It's different yes, but change is good. So yeah, ICO, it's a must-have.

If ICO is a piece of art, than Shadow of the Colossus is a masterpiece. For myself and many others, this game changed the way I perceived the platforming gaming genre. Shadow of the Colossus follows the same type of over-exposed, gentle, ethereal art direction as ICO did, but expands on it immensely. The game looks good, period. As you venture through the game, you'll come to realize that the environment is vastly enormous and seamless, making it difficult to find time to put the controller down and take a break. The main premise of the game is obviously the mythical giants, the colossi. You're a young man given the task of slaying these formidable beasts who wander the land. With only your horse, a bow, and a magical sword, you embark on your quest to rid the enchanted land of the colossi and revive the one you love.

Finding the colossi is generally easy, though some colossi are so far from the main temple that it can be a daunting task in itself to travel to them. However fighting them is a whole different story. They come in all shapes and sizes. Some colossi are monstrously tall, some are no bigger than the size of a large animal. Some soar high in the sky, some swim in the depths of the lakes. Either way, you'll come away with an exciting and unforgettable experience after scaling these moving behemoths.

Both games were developed by Sony Computer Entertainment. While Shadow of the Colossus was released around two years ago, ICO was released more than seven years ago, making these games quite cheap now. Both games come in at a mere $20 US dollar price tag at most video game stores. You may even find them cheaper online. Whichever way you locate them, they should both make their way to your gaming shelf.