Some argue that videogames can’t be art. Most of those people haven’t played a videogame designed by Fumito Ueda. His last game, the utterly beautiful Shadow of the Colossus, was a deeply affecting emotional experience. The fusion of narrative and gameplay created something truly unique. Ueda, along with his talented develpoment team, was also responsible for Ico, a game that genuinely made you care for the AI NPC. Both these games are hailed as defining moments in videogames. I would argue that they are defining moments in the art of story-telling in interactive media. I cared more about Agro, the horse in Shadow of the Colossus, than I have about most characters in conventional literature. That this is done through use of gameplay than visual story-telling or lines of script make it even more remarkable. 

Why do I bring this up? Because Ueda-san has finally unveiled his latest opus, soon to launch on PS3, ‘The Last Guardian.’ Judging by the trailer this game will be as unique as his previous work. This short trailer already displays the characters of the two protagonists through their actions rather than having lines of script explain the bond between the boy and his eagle-cat-thingy. Its Ueda’s use of the oldest of writer’s advice ‘show-don’t-tell’ that makes his work so unique. It’s this that makes his games so great.