The animation and character physics were equally good in Ico and SotC, so I'm still not impressed. Yes, it does look fluent, but it's nothing groundbreaking. Just like the graphics. That's all I'm saying. It's like when Tekken 6 came out. Oh! A new Tekken! Cool, cool ... Not much different from the previous one, moving on. You won't hear how bad ass the mocap in Tekken 6 is, because it hasn't really changed since Tekken 5. Am I right?
Personally, I find Team ICO's (if that is what they are called) games lacking. Shadow lacked gameplay and a story, and Ico was a glorfied fetch quest.
It featured a lack of a story. Considering 99% of games contain a story which is complete and utter bull cock, this was a very welcome addition. And that's worse than a 40+ hour one (read: any recent RPG)?
Ive played Tekken 6 in America (NYC of course), and here in London (Blood Rebellion). It's out there, thats for sure.
You and me both. Arcades have it tough these days, except in Asia. Most parts of Europe are a damned arcade desert. And even if you find an arcade, it's usually still mostly Naomi 2 and such. No brand new stuff. I guess it doesn't pay to import a state of the art cabinet for those few who are willing to spend money playing it.