It wouldn’t be an E3 showcase without sifting through some pre-emptive hype about Team Ico’s long-long-gestating The Last Guardian now would it? Original unveiled in 2009, Sony’s colossal white whale has evaded the limelight for an obscene length of time, but reports are once again bubbling to the surface that this is the year it will finally – finally! – be re-revealed.
That’s according to The Guardian, at least, after the British newspaper published a speculative feature about its 15 most-anticipated titles ahead of the main event next week. Within the report, the outlet states that is had it on good authority that 2015 will herald the return of Team Ico’s prodigal son.
Yes, we know it has been in development hell since 2007, but we have it on very good authority that this will be the year that Team Ico finally presents its follow-up to much loved classics Ico and Shadow of the Colossus. Whether it’ll bear any relation to the game last shown at E3 in 2009 is anyone’s guess.
Though it has almost reached the point of caricature at this stage, there’s still an crackle of excitement for the adventure title. As the spiritual successor to ICO and Shadow of the Colossus – two games held near and dear to PlayStation fans – The Last Guardian harbors a significant chunk of promise.
It’s been a full four years since founding father Fumito Ueda departed the studio to work on the troubled title in a freelance capacity, and since then numerous reports have surfaced year after year ensuring that despite reports to the contrary, TLG remained in development. Earlier this year we brought you the news that Sony let slip of the game’s trademark, though quickly put out the fire and hinted that Team Ico’s lost title is being overhauled for PlayStation 4.
A logical decision, no doubt, but you have to question whether the demand still exists for The Last Guardian given that the creative mind behind its predecessors remained dormant the entire PS3 generation. Will E3 2015 mark its second coming?
