type of art. ICO really doesn't try to be super awesome explosive blockbuster movie atmosphere with fireworks all over the screen, and that is part of it's charm. The only part that might qualify as epic would be the end of the game, though epic might not be the right word. I think impressive and dramatic would be a better way of wording it. The whole atmosphere thing does seem hard to pull off to me, though - getting all those small things perfectly tuned to be compelling enough. In short: I think we can learn learn a lot about immersion and optimizing atmosphere without overkill from ICO. Of course, this doesn't really apply to games that are more like Tetris or Pong. I have about 10 that I consider vitally important to me, for now I'll start with one. Shadow of the Colossus A. Subjective: Originally reading about the game concept I was blown away. It was such a simple idea, a game involving only 16 "boss" fights and nothing else. There is something about the idea of taking on giants in a fantastical, empty world that created a sense of wonder inside that I hadn't experienced before. I was obsessed with the idea of how much that simple idea, dreamed up by a designer, could affect me in such a way and I hadn't even played the game yet. It heavily inspired me to want to create games myself. Playing the game, again, blew my mind. I'll never