Famitsu: The Last Guardian is 'real that exceeds real'

The Last Guardian is "real that exceeds real," according to a four-page Famitsu feature which has been translated by Andriasang. The Japanese mag offers new details on the game's character animations, AI, gameplay, and the griffin-like Trico (a.k.a. Torico), as well as impressions of its play session. The full list of bullet points, as published by Andriasang, is below:

You initially can't communicate with Torico, so he'll quickly fall asleep.
Torico can't eat everything. If he eats something he doesn't like, he'll spit it out.
The game uses a collision system with similar capabilities to that of Shadow of the Colossus.
Even if you're caught by the guards that fill the dungeons, the game doesn't immediately end.
Torico may have a life gauge.
They're currently looking into the possibility of showing gauges to support the player -- this is one area that Ueda is worrying over.
In its impressions of the game, Famitsu commented that it exceeded expectations -- it's real that exceeds real.
Torico actions are very detailed -- down to the level of his reacting differently depending on the sound in the area.
The game uses a fake language
Famitsu commented that the boy main character's movements are also incredible. Ueda responded that when the boy approaches a wall, he will naturally extend his arms out, and as he approaches Torico, he will touch the creature. To show the feeling of existence for the characters, you need to show such actions that make it look like the character himself knows that there's a wall there.

The Last Guardian is scheduled for a late 2011 release. We've expressed some skepticism over that tentative timeframe, and Ueda's comments in the PSM3 interview (that the game will be released this year, "at least in Japan") lent a bit of credence to our fears of a 2012 push. Either way, we 'can't wait,' but we'll wait.