The Last Guardian: Delayed AGAIN?!? Now Releasing Dec. 6th.

     Mere weeks before the game was set to arrive (Oct. 25th), Playstation has announced on their official blog that- surprise, SURPRISE- The Last Guardian is receiving yet another delay.

     SCE Worldwide Studios President Shuhei Yoshida himself posted this message:

"Fumito Ueda, gen DESIGN and JAPAN Studio have a wonderful vision for The Last Guardian’s touching, emotional journey of friendship and trust, and we want to deliver the most polished experience possible for our fans who have supported us for so long. A delay is a difficult decision, particularly with this game, but we have encountered more bugs than anticipated while in the final stages of development. To ensure that The Last Guardian delivers on the experience that the game’s creators have envisioned, we need to take the extra time to work on those issues. 

Our development continues to push itself to the fullest and we look forward to revealing new content toward launch. 

We appreciate your continued support."

     Honestly, this is something that is definitely souring my taste for the game.  Announcement after announcement gets followed by disappointment and delay.  Everyone watching the development knows that it began in 2007, was initially announced in 2009, and reintroduced in 2015.  It's getting to the point where the game may not be able to live up to its own hype.
     Team Ico has yet to make a bad game, but this feels like it's going to be too short or too small and might feel like a decade of wasted potential.  Ico and Shadow of the Colossus still stand as two of the most creative and innovative games ever.  Something just feels off about this, and that in itself seems like an ill omen.  Granted, I could be very wrong about this, and The Last Guardian may become the triumphant final installment to the Team Ico saga.

     The Last Guardian's newest expected release date is Dec. 6th.

     For related posts [ The Last Guardian ]

     Source [ PSN BLOG ]

The Last Guardian: Release Date & E3 2016 Trailer!

     After nearly a decade, The Last Guardian has now received a release date.  October 25th, 2016.

     Beautiful.  Just beautiful.

     And it looks like there are now more than one of the Trico beasts out there...

The Last Guardian: Update from Ueda Interview in New Edge Magazine

     It's been a very, very long wait for all of Fumito Ueda's fans since the 2009 announcement of The Last Guardian until today's confirmation that yes, it will indeed hit Playstation 4 this year.  With only a month until E3, this has reinvigorated the hype for us.  Sadly, it isn't all great hype.
     In Edge Magazine's issue 294 issue, Ueda himself says, "Since this is the year we will see the game's release, I do have some worries, but I'm also very excited."

     What concerns me is this new mechanic that has been mentioned.  Their preview mentioned the human boy character using a mirrored shield while Trico (the bird-cat-beast) fires a beam of red lightning from its tail at what you aim the shield towards.  It's stated that it'll be used for puzzle solving mechanics, and presumably as an attack at some point.
     There's just something slightly off-putting about the tail beam.  I get the shield.  Previous games had magic swords, so having some kind of magically imbued shield would be plausible as well.  But the creatures shooting lightning from their tails is something that feels a bit too strange.  I won't judge it yet though, because with Ueda still on board, I'll wait to see how it's handled in game.

     What does keep me highly excited is Trico itself.  As Yorda from Ico was independant and would frustrate players as well as help, Trico has been modeled as its own being, with its own will and wants and desires.  Ueda goes on in the interview to say,

     This creature isn't like the cute pets that exist in other games, or an ally that's really useful. The role of the creature is ambiguous; that's something we wanted to express in the game, and it doesn't always do what you ask it to do. That's one of the themes of The Last Guardian. It's something that's difficult, and completely different. I want to create the next thing - an experience that people have never had before.

     I find it so amazing that we'll be getting a character that will be doing things for itself, and not just what we want it to do.  It'll follow its own nature and do what it wants, and that's a very refreshing take on companion characters.  That's also coming from someone that at times wanted to shove Yorda off a ledge for her stubborn refusal to follow where I needed her to go.  It was a chore just to even convince her to sit on a save couch so I could save the damn game.

     For my related posts [ The Last Guardian ] [ ICO ] [ Shadow of the Colossus ]

     Source [ EDGE Twitter ] & [ IB Times ] via [ Gematsu ]

The Last Guardian: Has Been Officially Re-Introduced and it is Breathtaking (Releasing in 2016)

     Well, Sony kicked off their E3 2015 press conference with The Last Guardian, the spiritual successor to Ico and Shadow of the Colossus, and it was well worth the wait.  The graphics have been cranked up, and the movements and animations are so much better than the last time we saw footage years ago- in 2009.

     The footage looks to be actual in-game footage and it is spectacular.

     The Last Guardian will be shipping in 2016.

The Last Guardian: May be "Re-Introduced" at E3 2015

     The UK paper The Guardian has posted an interesting item in their "Most Anticipated E3 2015 Games" list, it lists long-awaited spiritual successor to Ico and Shadow of the Colossus- The Last Guardian as possibly being shown at E3 next week.


Will The Last Guardian finally make an appearance?

     Obviously, this game has been in development limbo since 2007 and not seen again since E3 2009- so I'll be taking this as rumor until it is actually shown.  There's been only a trickle of official information released over the years and this might amount to nothing... 
     ...though this is written on the site:

"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."

     Over at Gamnesia, they mention that the author recognized and acknowledged one mistake in the article and corrected it, but left The Last Guardian untouched- so does this author truly have some good intel on the game finally making a reappearance into the world?  And if it does, how different will it be from what we last saw?

     Will Sony and Team Ico finally re-introduce The Last Guardian at E3 2015 next week?

     Source [ The Guardian ]

The Last Guardian: "Still in Development" Sony Reassures Us

     After Monday's news that Sony had apparently abandoned The Last Guardian trademark again some people were worried.  I wrote a small piece about it and figured they were possibly renaming it to avoid the long term negativity tied to the title.  But, as they had previously "abandoned" it and revived it, there really wasn't much to worry about.

Still Holding On

     The continually troubled development period The Last Guardian has suffered has been nerve wracking, but Sony has assured us that it is indeed progressing.  Creator Fumito Ueda has said that his part of the game was done long ago, but the game is currently undergoing something in "completely new conditions."  That may have been a hint towards giving the game a complete overhaul and bringing it to the Playstation 4, being a potential change from the 2009 announcement that it would be for the PS3.  This is insinuated from the wonderful way Sony deflects and dodges comments when asked the console question.
     Personally, I think they might have something much better in store for us.

     Source [ Gamespot ]

The Last Guardian: Sony's Trademark Abandoned... Again

     Today, we get some outwardly sad news about Team Ico's long awaited project The Last Guardian.  As of today Sony has let the trademark lapse and they have decided not renew it.  And if I recall correctly, this happened previously in 2009.

     [ Official Trademark Page ]

     Fortunately for us, Sony has made it very clear on numerous occasions that the game is still in the works- according to Sony Worldwide's President Shuhei Yoshida, with the added comment that it is being "re-engineered" and that they are waiting to "re-introduce" it.  Could the reintroduction include a new working title?  I would definitely think so.  Giving the The Last Guardian a new name might be a good idea because of all the issues it has been suffering of for more than the past 6 years.

     Sony must see something still in this long term investment to keep sinking time and effort into it.  After years and years of perpetual delays, and an official "on hiatus," there must be something really magical in there for it to continue.  We also know that Fumito Ueda is still on board in a way and still tied to his created universe.  Speculation is rampant as both parties seem to be elusive and always deflect comments in secretive ways.  I, for one, am eager to see what eventually becomes of this project.

     For more posts [ The Last Guardian ]

The Last Guardian: Progress: Dec. 11, 2014 News Update

     It's a strange thing to still hold high hopes for The Last Guardian.  The production woes it has had since the original announcement at E3 in 2009 are huge.  In late 2011 both the executive producer (Yoshifusa Hayama) and the Team ICO founder and director Fumito Ueda left the project.  But the game is still progressing.

     Sony's worldwide President Shuhei Yoshida has confirmed many times that the game is still coming.  But it has been the slowest burn possible.  Today we get some decent news that makes the wait much more tolerable.  Well, at least a little bit easier.  I've always said I'd rather wait for a heavily delayed good game, than a rushed pile of crap.

     According to creator Fumito Ueda, The Last Guardian is not only still being developed, we get a curious new statement to explain the long years of delays.  He says that the progress is "under completely new conditions."

     Ueda had this to say to Kotaku Australia:

“Talks with Sony Computer Entertainment on The Last Guardian have been ironed out, and we’re making progress under completely new conditions. I’m also working on some other things that I’ll hopefully be able to show in time if progress is smooth.”

     I can only speculate here, but I've long thought they have been cranking the graphics up as far as possible and porting it to PS4, with perhaps a multiplayer function with the PS Vita.  I've mentioned it in plenty of other posts, I just wish we'd get a little more information.

     Some other posts [ The Last Guardian ]

     Source [  Dengeki PlayStation via Kotaku via IGN ]

The Last Guardian Update: Big Surprise: Won't be at Tokyo Game Show

     This game should be retitled "The Lost Guardian" due to its inability to seen anywhere despite Sony's repeated assurances that is still on the way.

     Eurogamer questioned Sony Worldwide Studios' Shuhei Yoshida if we might catch a glimpse of this elusive beast at the 2014 TGS.  We of course get a no- but with the extra comments:

     "When we are ready. I cannot confirm any timing because we are waiting for it to be in a state where we are happy that this is the game. We have a certain time frame in our mind, and the team is making great progress, but still not to the point that we can say that, here you go."

     A mere 5 years after being first announced at the 2009 E3, it has been in a perpetual state of delay.  I don't mind because if Sony has enough faith in Team Ico's game, it must be something amazing.

     A part of me hopes they'll incorporate some elements like Journey's multiplayer, or that the world of The Last Guardian will make Shadow of the Colossus' map look like a single room.  In a long shot- if they ported this to the PS Vita, sales would skyrocket for the portable wonder.

     Why all these setbacks?  Yoshida commented on that as well.

     "The technical issues on PS3 and the way it was engineered didn't work.  It worked to some extent, that's why we had a date in mind."

     "That was a mistake," Yoshida admitted, "but at one time it was looking possible. It has been totally re-engineered. They're still working on it. I've been seeing the progress."

     The reason behind all the postponements does make sense as it sounds like they completely rebuilt the game.  While infuriating to have to wait, the next time we see The Last Guardian it may be a whole different game- better graphics, better system, and much more than we originally thought we were going to get.  But can that compete with our expectations?  We shall see.

     Source [ Eurogamer ]

The Last Guardian: Amazon Lists Placeholder and Release Date

     I saw this last night, and have been thinking a lot about it.  After being in developmental hell for something like 7 years, Amazon has put up a placeholder site and lists a release date as December 31, 2014.  I know many stores previously had placeholders like Gamestop, but they refunded my money for it long ago, so I take this new one lightly.

     Because there's been so much trouble and a huge lack of any real information about the game I think many gamers have lost hope or have severely reduced expectations for it.  Even Ueda's rare comments about how it's still coming and Sony's assurances haven't really helped either.  If this is shown at E3 and is coming then I'll prepare to fangasm over it.

     Personally, if this is really true, I hope they've fully updated the graphics to be PS4 level quality, a complete overhaul to make use of the new system (which would help explain at least some of the years of delays) and have it be staggeringly beautiful, otherwise we might get a horribly underwhelming release.  No one that's waited this long wants it to be a disappointment, so we can only hope for now.

     Source [ Amazon ]

The Last Guardian: Release Date News: Soon...

     Ever since Team Ico's The Last Guardian was announced in 2009 at the E3 Expo, fans have been kept in the dark about this game.  Rumors abound causing speculation that will it be ported to PS4, or might be officially cancelled.
     Fumito Ueda and Sony have both stated many times that it is "absolutely" still coming, leaving us fans anticipating this game forever without news or pictures.  Any news is sort of good news, even if it would be that it got cancelled- at least we'd know.

     Well, I think that Sony will play their "Re-introduction" card at this year's E3 show.  Famitsu Weekly claims that Sony might be ready to release information "soon."  If I recall correctly they announced upcoming news for The Last Guardian before and failed to deliver anything.  So hopefully we get something, anything really- screens, a new trailer, anything!- but until Sony officially announces something I'll be keeping my hopes low.  The only things we have really gotten info about is the fact it's still in active development and is awaiting the right time to be reintroduced.

     We can only guess at what has become of, or changed with, Team Ico's Last Guardian.  If they can pull off even a part of the magic they had with Ico or Shadow of the Colossus they'll have something great.


     Source [ Famitsu via GameRant ]

The Last Guardian Update: Still Absolutely Being Made

     Since it was first revealed at the 2009 E3 by Team Ico, The Last Guardian has been one of the most highly anticipated games ever.  Due to many delays including team founder Fumito Ueda leaving (but maintaining creative direction of a sort).  

     Now IGN has gotten at another small answer in an interview with Scott Rohde of Sony:

     When asked whether it was still a PlayStation 3 game or if it’s migrated to PlayStation 4, Rohde said that he’s “not going to announce what platform it’s coming on, who’s working on it, who’s involved. But that is still a title that’s absolutely in the mix at Worldwide Studios. That’s the most you’re gonna get.”   

     So- we are getting the most minimal information possible.  Essentially it's something that's already been confirmed by Ueda himself as well as Sony's Shuhei Yoshida saying it was making progress, and we already heard Sony was waiting to to "reintroduce" the game.  But, hey, at least we know it's still on the way.  The likely thing is as many have thought is that the game is being ported to PS4.

     Source [ IGN ]

The Last Guardian: Ueda feels "Terribly Sorry" for the Delays

     Fumito Ueda, the brilliant mind behind Ico and Shadow of the Colossus, had an interesting small interview with Edge magazine.  In it there is a pertinent question about the continually delayed Last Guardian.

Given your impatience, how taxing have the past eight years been on you as a creator? 

Putting aside the short-term output, more than anything I feel terribly sorry that for various reasons I have kept my audience waiting for such a long time.

     And a slightly longer, more informative answer:

How do you keep your team motivated over a production cycle of five years or more? 

Maintaining motivation is all about producing something great. A hobby or alcohol might help to refresh you temporarily, but they won’t motivate creativity. Also, the original staff members on Ico and SOTC are just as fussy over details as I am. I always want to create quickly, and I always want to increase the rate of production. In the case of The Last Guardian, my creative work was mostly finished a long time ago, but the details of when, where and how it will be completed are beyond my control.

     So these answers sound like Sony is holding something back, but for what secretive reasons we don't know.  I also read somewhere that Sony's worldwide president Shuhei Yoshida has mentioned the game was being "re-engineered" and that he has played it.  No mention, however, of what platform (PS3, PS4, or maybe even the Vita???) the game would be released on.
     Considering the fact that Sony is still waiting for the "right time" to "reintroduce" the game, I wonder what has become of the original game we were shown footage of 5 years ago- and how it has grown and changed during the span between.  Surely the magic of his creation won't be lost.


     And this last thing has me very curious indeed:

What are you working on now? 

The Last Guardian and the rest is secret.

     Could he have some more small work already started for the wonder filled universe he created?  Could there be a multiplayer/co-op PS4 to Vita remote play content added to The Last Guardian?



Source [ Edge ]

Sony to "Reintroduce" The Last Guardian

     After years of speculation and getting only the most vague answers, we've been let in on small updates about the future of Team Ico's The Last Guardian.  Supposedly it was going to be released on the PS3, but with the arrival of the PS4 so close and the fading out of PS3 games, many fans are wondering if we should abandon hopes for seeing this title, but...

     Game Informer had asked Shuhei Yoshida about it and here is his reply:

"With the curtain soon to close on the PlayStation 3 generation, is time for fans to give up hope on The Last Guardian ever coming out? 

The team is still there in SCE Japan Studio, [Fumito] Ueda-san is still there, but we are still waiting for the time to reintroduce it."

     So we know for sure that Ueda is still working on it.  We know it's on it's way and with the word "reintroduction" we may be getting a completely overhauled game.  I've mentioned plenty of times how I believe that the graphics may be given a massive increase and it'll probably be ported to the PS4.
     We're only assured that it is still on the way, but will it live up to the years of anticipation and hype?


Source [ Game Informer ]

The Last Guardian News: Fumito Ueda Comments: Still in Progress

     Over a decade after Ico and almost as long after Shadow of the Colossus, we fans are still wondering about any news of the much anticipated, yet nearly cancelled (rumored) title- The Last Guardian.  We want to be fully immersed in this beautiful and tragic world again.  So what's going on?

     On the good side, we know it's currently being worked on, in quite possibly the slowest development ever:

"It's under earnest development," Ueda said. "However, SCE Japan Studio, who's working on The Last Guardian, also has titles like Puppeteer and Knack, and those are only the ones currently announced. Those are taking priority right now."

     Which, considering what Team Ico at SCE's Japan Studio is capable of is a good sign, but on the down side no one wants this to turn out like Aliens: Colonial marines or Duke Nukem Forever which suffered greatly from production hell.  It's just super disheartening to know it's been so long that it may not be able to live up to it's own hype.
     And if I recall correctly, Scott Rohde (Sony Senior VP of Product Dev.) said that the game will ship "when it is absolutely ready" with no deadlines listed way back at 2012's E3.  So while it's continuing on the path to release, it has no end in sight.  Or at least a stated release date.

     The only things that would keep me going here is giving the graphics a massive overhaul, this has to look far better than the videos we saw years ago.  Put it on PS4, make this as beautiful and amazing as the new console will allow.  Push the envelope and make the game like 100 hours long.  It doesn't have to be fully open world, but at least vastly explorable.  Wonder, mystery, intrigue.  These are the experiences we want to feel in the game.

     In a Polygon article, Ueda mentions The Last of Us as a great way of working with companion characters like Ellie and:

"We don't want to lose out to them, and we're working on The Last Guardian so it works in similar ways." 

     So- we know it is still on the way, we know Ueda is still involved, we know Sony has control of it, and now we know that they are reworking the boy and beast's companion system.  The team needs to make this a grand slam, not just a home run.  Make this happen.  And maybe make it happen on the PS Vita while they're at it.

Source [ Polygon ]

E3: The Last Guardian- Confirmed "On Hiatus."

     Sony Computer Entertainment President and CEO Jack Tretton confirmed the "on hiatus" status of the long awaited The Last Guardian to video game journalist Geoff Keighly from GameTrailers TV.

The Last Hiatus.

     Team Ico at SCE Studio Japan originally announced it as a PS3 game during the 2009 E3 show.  Much speculation had many believe it would be pushed to the PS4.  After all these years of setbacks will the game get the overhaul and enhancements needed to compete with the staggering competition growing in the mean time?  I hope so.

     Each bit of news dashes what little hopes I have remaining for this.

     They should hire another company to just boost the visuals, as they are starting to lag behind- not unexpected as the game is 5 years old even before a release date is set.  

     Seriously, at this rate it'll be out on the PS11 some time in 2038.

The Last Guardian Appears on the Official E3 Site

     Ever since hearing about Ico and Shadow of the Colossus's creator Fumito Ueda's newer game Last Guardian in 2009 announcement, we've been on a downward spiral of setback after setback.  Years of delays and the disappointment that comes with it. 

"The image above was grabbed from the E3 Insider, a site operated by the ESA, the organization behind E3. Of course, don't take it as anything close to confirmation for the time being."-Jeff Cork (Game Informer)

     After years of anticipation, we now get news that it may arrive at E3.  I've been thinking for a while that, Sony was saving it for PS4. (Click to see other Last Guardian posts)  If this is true, and it does show at E3- I hope all the secret work they've been doing is graphical enhancements and a porting it to the PS4 as a launch title.

     My last blog post about it was about Ueda's own blog where he says:

"While it’s been a long time coming, THE LAST  GUARDIAN remains under my creative supervision and is still in development by an incredibly talented team.

I should also mention that details regarding THE LAST  GUARDIAN's release is solely decided by Sony Computer Entertainment, not myself. Please keep an eye out for their official announcement."

     Is this the actual announcement we've waited 5 years to hear?  I certainly hope so.

[Source]

The Last Guardian: A Possible Update

     Here's some decent news about The Last Guardian being released.  All right, not really news, but at least a tidbit of info.  At least a possible hint.  According to Fumito Ueda's recent blog post- http://www.fumi.to/ - Sony is possibly withholding information on the game's release.  Maybe not purposely to ruin anything, but as a waiting-for-the-right-moment official statement.   Perhaps the with all the crazy problems, I personally would think that Sony brought in another game studio to possibly revamp the already spectacular graphics.  There were also rumors about game breaking problems requiring additional help to fix.  Regardless, a bigger team means a bigger and better game.

"While it’s been a long time coming, THE LAST GUARDIAN remains under my creative supervision and is still in development by an incredibly talented team.

 I should also mention that details regarding THE LAST GUARDIAN's release is solely decided by Sony Computer Entertainment, not myself. Please keep an eye out for their official announcement."

     Mr. Ueda, despite the reduction to a creative consulting director, perhaps it's for the better.  Sometimes people need to be pushed to finish things.  Really I don't know if Fumito Ueda's recent blog post is truly pointing to a hint of Sony releasing a statement in addition to the Orbis/Playstation 4 announcement or not, even though previous statements said it would be on PS3.  But it kind of feels like it. 
     In truth, I would believe that Santa Monica Studio may have brought in to reskin or enhance the graphics and fix bugs to help speed production on The Last Guardian and port it to the PS4.  Did another company update Ico and Shadow of the Colossus from PS2 to PS3???  Team Ico is good, but ultimately a VERY SLOW company, and it would totally make sense to bring in a group to improve/finish a game that has kept people waiting for years.
     Dear Sony, please tell us what's going on.  I eagerly await whatever announcements are coming on the 20th, and can only hope that this will be one of them. 

Shadow of the Colossus: The Last Big Secret (The Short Version)



Before arbsorbing shadows/fruits

    One thing that's always nagged my mind about Shadow of the Colossus is the fact everyone KNEW you could climb the tower at one point.  How would that be considered a secret?

     It was one of my immediate goals when playing the first time back on PS2.  I spotted the moss trail after circling the Shrine of Worship immediately and knew there had to be a way to scale it.  It was an accessible location. So I figure there'd also be a reason to climb it.  After many playthroughs and eating an absurd amount of fruits and magical shining lizard tails.  You have to put forth a massive amount of EFFORT and WORK to get enough stamina to ascend the Shrine of Worship.  So why would the fruit in the "Secret Garden" return all that work to base level?

  Why would the game's creators make it possible, I'd say- inevitable, to allow players to gain enough power from the Forbidden Lands to scale the tower just to return you back to human?

     So here's a bit of backup for my thoughts on the speculated "Last Big Secret" of Shadow of the Colossus.
From a 1UP interview:

1UP: Are there any secrets in the game that still haven't been found?

Fumita Ueda: I wonder about that, but there seem to be many enthusiastic players so I believe all of the secrets have been found already.

1UP: Why does the fruit in the secret garden take away your stamina? Is there any specific reason for this in the story, or is it just a way to reset your stamina meter?

Fumito Ueda: The fruit in the ancient land was set to get you closer to non-human existence. The [secret garden's] fruit was set to return you to a human one.

From an IGN interview:

Kyle Shubel: Hmmm…I dunno, that sounds like an exclusive. Hmmm…well, everyone is talking about the secret garden. That is pretty much the most popular secret in the game that everybody gravitates towards because you have to do a certain level of time investment to be able to get strong enough to get there and, yes, that was there for the ending movie. They left it in the game for a reason.

After the shadows/fruits

     Well- What exactly is the purpose of returning the character IN GAME to human status???  What is the reason for the garden and what is the true purpose of the fruits???  If I wanted to do that I'd simply start a new game.  Besides which fruits are the forbiddon ones?  The garden's or the land's?  Who forbids it?  Dormin or the Priests?
 
     What if there is something you can ONLY do as a "human." Something that only people untainted by Dormin's power can do.  So it would be something later in the game, but necessarily without the increased health or power. For instance, the Shrine of Worship's front doors seem to only open under specific conditions, is it because the users are merely mortal. 
     Are the fruits designed to lessen or subvert the powers of Dormin?  They purposely deprive you of stamina and health to the lowest level- a regular human- ridding the player of Dormin's influence and that of the land itself.  Kind of like a preventative measure to keep the powers of Dormin from escaping the lands? 
     I really wonder why they would include this feature with the fruits.  Is there something still not noticed in the secret garden itself that requires an untainted human to occur. 

     One important thing, at least to me, is to notice that only "humans" are able to come and go from the Forbidden Lands.  Once you have built your health and stamina gauges to the maximum superhuman level is the first real time you can make it back to the Forbidden Land's front gates again.  Now I'm not saying that it'll become possible to leave, but it is an idea, and I don't know if anyone has tried. Eat the fruit of the garden, then try doing things.  Try exiting the Forbidden Land after the fruit.  Try the Shrine of Worship's front door after the fruit.

     One person suggested the parachute was necessary for the last secret.  I have no clue where that idea came from but - what if?  What if you need the parachute to safely reach the ground again after becoming human again to do something?  Try parachuting through the big hole in the garden after eating the fruit.

     Has anyone tried to beat Malus after eating the fruit?  Is it even possible?  While it is extremely doubtful a different ending could happen, would it be under this type of condition that it might exist?  One where the Wanderer doesn't contain enough shadow material to manifest Dormin himself during the ending.

     Another possibility is the Shrine of Worship's pool.  It seems to act as a gateway throughout the game.  A doorway to somewhere or something otherworldly.  It's the place all the bestowed weapons and items appear after the challenges as well as the gateway that drags Dormin into after Emon's spell and magical sword are cast into.
    Maybe there's a prayer to activate something in the pool.  Although the argument against the pool idea is that you start as a human next to it and nothing has been found to happen yet.  A potential portal waiting to be opened.  Once again, I'm not saying there would be something huge.  But maybe, just maybe...

     I personally would like to find maybe a small room or niche that houses a portion, or whole remains, of Dormin's previous encasement.  I would absolutely LOVE to find a skeleton of Dormin's previous incarnation on a throne.  Perhaps even parts of his ancient self strewn about the land in it's crumbling state.  Even a view of it reflected in the pool while praying would be great.  But, alas, it is just wishful thinking.
     I'd like to leave fellow Shadow of the Colossus players, and "last big secret" searchers, with the question I stated earlier-

  Why would the game's creators make it possible, I'd say- inevitable, to allow players to gain enough power from the Forbidden Lands to scale the tower just to return you back to human?

Shadow of the Colossus: The Last Big Secret (The Long Version)

     With all the Last Guardian hubbub going around I've been replaying these games(Ico and Shadow of the Colossus) over the last couple months.  Both games are short and emotionally moving, they can be beaten quickly then replayed for simply for the joy of a beautiful game.  I like just wandering around looking at parts of the castle in Ico and roaming the Forbidden Land in Shadow.  A wonderful experience.
     So I've been looking around for secrets in Shadow of the Colossus.  Little things that I may have missed.  Along the way I stumbled across a "Last Big Secret" theory that there is something that no one has found in the game yet. 

-WHAT OTHERS THINK ABOUT THE LAST SECRET-

     I don't know how the rumors of a last big secret started, as I couldn't find an interview explicitly stating it.  But there seems to be a large following of secret believers.  After lots of searching I was coming across many theories on the internet, including a MASSIVE theory about hidden map symbols leading to a possible secret doorway.  I've seen mentions of a 17th colossi (which I doubt considerably), notes about the only other item given to you in a battle (the stick that you light on fire to fight Celosia), and a bunch of other theories and ideas.  A great read even if a lot of the ideas are a bit far out there.  Kind of akin to a conspiracy theory for the game. 

http://community.us.playstation.com/t5/Shadow-of-the-Colossus-PS2/Quest-for-the-Last-Big-Secret-Mysteries-of-SotC/td-p/20178777 

     After reading a bunch of those pages I would guess that it isn't something in the right direction if there is still one big remaining secret in the game.  While a bunch of these ideas are absolutely brilliant, I would hesitate to believe them because of the game itself.  Mr. Ueda likes the simplicity of gaming, not a giant super-secret that needs to be deciphered through ludicrous little clues like The Da Vinci Code.  It seems highly preposterous to have such a complicated "secret" in this game.

     This next link is to me much more plausible:

http://www.1up.com/do/blogEntry?publicUserId=5533646&bId=8882265

      I could believe that point with the view of the blurry mountains on the bridge possibly being a view to the "possible Ico castle."  Which might be possible if the "Ico Beach" is a truthful location to connect the games.  It could be true because, I don't know for sure, but they might line up. (see map and images below)  I haven't located it myself so I don't know if they actually line up or not.  Although I do think it is a great find on it's own, as no other lands seem to be visible from within the Forbidden Lands while playing.  (With the notable exception of the intro video and the flying hawk clips)  It would be neat if, story wise, the blurry mountains/castle was coming into being as the culmination of Shadow was occurring.

Map from videogamesblogger.com



Burry mountains/possible castle



Ico (Queen's castle)



Mountains and blurred castle compared.



     Ueda likes "simple" games.  Think of the secrets in Ico.  The hidden mace and lightsaber weapons are in a hidden room.  It's visually set off by one wall being a different color.  While the key to the room's puzzle is a bit further in the next area- hit a tree with whatever weapon you're holding and an orb falls out.  Once you find the room with the visual clue, you must search for the object to solve the puzzle.  Simple and effective.  No extra music tracks needed.  No extra bosses or enemies.  Just a small room with a little extra something.

     The next secret is the watermelon ending.  On the second playthrough after the credits if you just wander the beach you can find watermelons.  The only real thing you can do with them, besides smashing them is walk one down to where Yorda is at.
     These are simple things that lead to the secrets.  Not some huge mystery to be deciphered leading to an intersecting point on a map.  If Shadow of the Colossus still has a hidden something there it'll be hidden in plain sight.  Not something to be glitched into like that Pikol fellow's videos.  Although they are quite interesting, it's VERY doubtful whatever possible "secrets" remain would be found only through glitches.  Especially since the entire "I" column on the map is unused due to the game being shortened for release.  (I would also like to note the fact there are PSN trophies for the hidden things in ICO, and no unknown trophies for Shadow)   
     I also doubt the game's creators would be trolling millions of fans. 

-MY THOUGHTS ABOUT THE LAST SECRET-

     One thing that's always nagged my mind about Shadow is the fact everyone KNEW you could climb the tower at one point.  It was one of my immediate goals when playing the first time back on PS2.  I spotted the moss trail after circling the Shrine of Worship immediately and knew there had to be a way to scale it.  It was an accessible location.  So I figure there'd also be a  reason to climb it.  After many playthroughs and eating an absurd amount of fruits and magical shining lizard tails.  You have to put forth a massive amount of EFFORT and WORK to get enough stamina to ascend the Shrine of Worship.  So why would the fruit in the "Secret Garden" return all that work to base level?

  Why would the game's creators make it possible, I'd say inevitable, to allow players to gain enough power from the Forbidden Lands to scale the tower just to return you back to human?

       So here's a bit of backup for my thoughts on the speculated "Last Big Secret" of Shadow of the Colossus.
From a 1UP interview:

1UP: Are there any secrets in the game that still haven't been found? 

Fumita Ueda:  I wonder about that, but there seem to be many enthusiastic players so I believe all of the secrets have been found already.

1UP: Why does the fruit in the secret garden take away your stamina? Is there any specific reason for this in the story, or is it just a way to reset your stamina meter?

Fumito Ueda: The fruit in the ancient land was set to get you closer to non-human existence. The [secret garden's] fruit was set to return you to a human one.

From an IGN interview:

Kyle Shubel: Hmmm…I dunno, that sounds like an exclusive. Hmmm…well, everyone is talking about the secret garden. That is pretty much the most popular secret in the game that everybody gravitates towards because you have to do a certain level of time investment to be able to get strong enough to get there and, yes, that was there for the ending movie. They left it in the game for a reason.

     Well- What exactly is the purpose of returning the character IN GAME to human status???  If I wanted to do that I'd simply start a new game.  What if there is something you can ONLY do as a "human."  Something that only people untainted by Dormin's power can do.  So it would be something later in the game, but necessarily without the increased health or power.  For instance, the Shrine of Worship's front doors seem to only open under specific conditions, is it because the users are merely mortal.  Are the fruits designed to lessen or subvert the powers of Dormin?  Kind of like a preventative measure to keep the powers of Dormin from escaping the lands? 
     One important thing, at least to me, is to notice that only "humans" are able to come and go from the Forbidden Lands.  Once you have built your health and stamina gauges to the maximum superhuman level is the first real time you can make it back to the Forbidden Land's front gates again.  Now I'm not saying that it'll become possible to leave, but it is an idea, and I don't know if anyone has tried.  Eat the fruit of the garden, then try doing things.  Try exiting the Forbidden Land after the fruit.  Try the Shrine of Worship's front door after the fruit.  
     One person suggested the parachute was necessary for the last secret.  I have no clue where that idea came from but - what if?  What if you need the parachute to safely reach the ground again after becoming human again to do something?  Try parachuting through the big hole in the garden after eating the fruit.

     Has anyone tried to beat Malus after eating the fruit?  Is it even possible?  While it is extremely doubtful a different ending could happen, would it be under this type of condition that it might exist?  One where the Wanderer doesn't contain enough shadow material to manifest Dormin himself during the ending.

     Another possibility is the Shrine of Worship's pool.  It seems to act as a gateway throughout the game.  A doorway to somewhere or something otherworldly.  It's the place all the bestowed weapons and items appear after the challenges as well as the gateway that drags Dormin into after Emon's spell and magical sword are cast into.

     Maybe there's a prayer to activate something in the pool.  Although the argument against the pool idea is that you start as a human next to it and nothing has been found to happen yet.  A potential portal waiting to be opened.  Once again, I'm not saying there would be something huge.  But maybe, just maybe... 

     I personally would like to find maybe a small room or niche that houses a portion, or whole remains, of Dormin's previous encasement.  I would absolutely LOVE to find a skeleton of Dormin's previous incarnation on a throne.  Perhaps even parts of his ancient self strewn about the land in it's crumbling state.  Even a nice view of it reflected in the pool while praying would be great.  But, alas, it is just wishful thinking.

     I'd like to leave fellow Shadow of the Colossus players, and "last big secret" searchers, with the question I stated earlier-

     Why would the game's creators make it possible, I'd say inevitable, to allow players to gain enough power from the Forbidden Lands to scale the tower just to return you back to human?