**** man, I have the same problem too! Just when it got so exciting with all the pillars jumping...

For the 1st GOW, I rem it happening during the transition between 2 maps towards the cliff of madness and some lens cleaning did help, haha, but what can we do if the game runs but Icarus ISN'T there?

Faints...

I used to play 2D fighting games, and are quite good at most, esp the KOF series. Until recently, got a copy of Tekken 5 on my PS2 and . . .

It is THE fighting game. Enough said.

(And I'd being playing fighting games for more than 10 years, since the early days of Street Fighter 2 on Sega/Nintendo... )

Somehow it reminds of an old game called Samurai Shodown 2, coz the gist is: Once you MISS an attack, you'll get punished . . .

My TK Lords are Jin, Kazuya & Heihachi... Now working on Asuka, and a few others...