Shadow of the Colossus (Sony PlayStation 2, 2005)

Gameplay (4.5/5)
Story (3/5)
Navigation (4/5)
Graphics (4/5)
Overall/Replay (4/5)

The point of the game is clear from the first 15 minutes of the game, which takes place almost entirely in an ancient temple. The player controls a nameless wanderer, who must find all 16 colossi and destroy them. It may seem a little mundane yet this seemingly repetitive journey became addicting and exciting.

The main gamplay is traveling across the world and battling the colossus. Battles never get boring, because each colossi requires a different strategy and approach. In order to actually battle a colossus, the player must find a way to climb it. The atmosphere of the game is so well captured in the battle, as the colossi not only does major damage to the player but even affect its surroundings, which can give you clues on how to climb or damage the colossi. Upon climbing onto the colossus, the colossus will hurl its body back and forth to get the character off, which actually makes the player feel the panic and excitement. This game truly pulls you into the world and into the battle scene, a quality not many games can bring today.

The story of “Shadow of the Colossus” is actually the prequel to the story of “ICO.” Like the story in “ICO,” there are many holes and missing links in the story of “Shadow of the Colossus.” This trait, however, is what the developers intended. There were times when I was edgy on my seat, hoping to actually find out more about the characters every time I defeated a colossi, but there barely any special cutscenes, flashbacks, and such. In that sense, I felt there was a some lacking within the story.

There is a slight learning curve to the controls, but after a few minutes of traveling on Agro, the horse, it’s relatively easy to pick up. It’s easy to control the speed of Agro, getting him to pick up pace, slow down or make an instant stop. The character can perform basic movements such as running, jumping, climbing, kneeling, and rolling away. Before your first colossus battle, the game actually goes through how to perform each movement, which also makes it easier for the players. There are certain instances, however, when you jump onto a wall, thinking you can hold onto it, but find yourself falling a small distance. The environment can be a little deceiving in that sense.

The game is not complex with menus and sub-menus. It only has one portion on the bottom right side of the screen where the character’s health, stamina/ power, and current weapon show. The way the information was portrayed was simple and enough to tell the player what he or she needed to know. My one complaint is the main map. The main map was extremely small (ironic, since it takes up the whole screen) and hardly readable. The environment, however, is beautiful. Graphics truly played a large role in the game since your gameplay and navigation required you to really know and take advantage of your surroundings.

The game was unique and unlike any action/adventure game I’ve played before. Even without playing “ICO,” this game can easily captivate the audience. Upon finishing the game, you have a chance to replay it with new features and hidden items. Though these special features are incentives to play again, I think most people would want to replay this game just for re-battling the colossi and re-exploring the world. Yes, it’s just that fun. It's worth it.

(Note: This review was taken from my official review at Epinions.)

The story of Shadow of the Colossus is a fairly simple one: You must bring down 16 giants so that you can revive the woman you love. The concept of the game is also simple. There are no lesser minions to battle through and no skills to upgrade (although you can increase your health and stamina, and unlock special items by completing time trials during a 2nd play through). You need only to take your horse, your sword, and your bow to locate the colossi one by one, determine how to get close to their weak spots, and kill them. All of this simplicity is executed beautifully to create memorable battles as epic as the foes your hunting. The concept itself deserves due credit, as it brings such a fresh gaming experience.

You will battle each unique colossus on a terrain exclusive to them. These locations include barren landscapes, temples, and lakes. You'll find that you will often be using the terrain to help you expose the weaknesses of each behemoth. You will scale them until you've reached the desired area (of which there are sometimes more than one) into which you can thrust your sword and bring them to the ground. Each fight carries with it elements of puzzle solving, platforming, and of course, action. The altercations are intense, and had me gripping my controller tight as though it was I who was trying to hold on for dear life while these giants did their best to throw me from their backs.

While trekking in the wild, you will enjoy the view. Everything looks fantastic. The ever changing land you travel across, the temples and ruins you visit, and of course the Colossi you face. I'm usually not one to go on about visuals, but there's a particularly impressive job done on this game.

Accompanying the glorious visuals is an equally impressive sound track. The music matches the rest of the game: big and beautiful. The sounds the colossi make are matched in stature to the beasts that make them, and one of my most favourite sounds of the game is that when the monument for each colossus crumbles after your success.

As wonderful an experience the game is, it is not without it's imperfections. The biggest flaw in my opinion is the camera. There are times when you feel it has been designed to be as troublesome as possible. The angles it chooses can be frustrating, and will move suddenly at the most inconvenient times. You can move the camera at will, however saying you have control is somewhat of an exaggeration, as it's not uncommon to feel like it's fighting you. The lock-on feature can often be forgotten, as it tends to lock on the head of the colossus. This doesn't help, when you're trying to get a good look at the feet dozens of meters away.

Many people also complain about your quadruped companion Argo. I was content with the controls for when your riding Argo, at least when you're using him merely as a conveyance. There are times when using him in combat however, that you feel less appreciation for what the design team brought to the table with this control concept.

There were also a few other irritable moments during the colossus battles which caused me some frustration, which is too bad, as it took away from an otherwise engaging conflict.

These few issues aside, the game does unmistakeably deliver a unique experience that can be appreciated by anyone looking for an adventure.

Shadow of the Colossus is an unusual game that many won't take kindly to. For one thing, you play as a boy with only a sword (which he can only swing once and stab with attack-wise)and bow as his choice of weaponry. Another is the fact that the only objective you have in the game is to slay 16 giant beasts known as colossi. There are no other enemies around (or people other than the girl you're fighting for). You're just on you're trusty steed traveling around this giant area in search of a colossus to vanquish (the sword is used to help show the way to the colossus by shining a light in the direction of the giant). There's not much plot to it or much action.

At the same time though, these 16 colossus fights will probably be some of the best boss fights you've played in your current gaming life. Each colossus is pretty much a huge puzzle that you must solve to get on in order to bring down (which you do by stabbing the vital points of the creature). There are many cases where you have to make use of your environment, other times you just have to grab on to the right starting point of the beast. Some of these battles will take a good eye and common knowledge of physics to solve. None of these, however, involve mindless killing as so many games have these days (which would also put off many due to them being so used to that). Once you're on the massive giant you must hang on for you life as the beast tries its best to shake you off. When you are by a vital point (indicated by a glowing symbol) you must stab it in order to do massive damage to the colossus (blood will naturally gush out). This is pretty much the only serious violence shown in the game.

In the visuals department, many would agree that the game looks impressive (especially the giant colossi which no doubt reach the limits of the PS2). The 3D models move very well and the environments are simply breathtaking at times. That's not to say the graphics are flawless though. Upon closer (and sometimes not so close) inspection you can find many less than stellar looking things. This game is by no means ugly; It arguably has some of the best graphics for the PS2. It's just that some parts look a bit rushed.

As for the music, one word can wholly describe it: epic. Though not chock full of background music (in fact, 99% of the music only plays during a battle against a colossus. most of the time there's just a realistic silence as you wander around the place) each piece is masterfully orchestrated. It really brings out the mood of events in the game.

All in all, Shadow of the Colossus is a very unique game that is so unusual that many won't touch it with a 10ft. pole. But if you have patience and get to appreciate the different atmosphere and strategic boss fights of the game you will probably find it a video game experience like no other.

After hearing all the praise and watching numerous video clips of the game, I decided to give this game a try, and I'm pleased to tell everyone that it was worth every dollar. Here's a list of my likes and dislikes:

LIKES:
1) Amazingly detailed graphics.
2) The soundtrack is, in my humble opinion, one of the best in video game history.
3) The boss battles are all-around epic (albeit frustrating at times).
4) The story is simple, yet powerful.
5) Excellent longevity/replay value.

DISLIKES:
6) Unstable framerate.
7) Camera controls take a while to get used to.

1) For a PS2 game released in 2005, this game had mind-blowing graphics; even today, it still has that "wow" factor. The scale of... well, everything... from the land, the colossi, the temples, everything is massive and detailed and demonstrative of living in a forbidden and forgotten world.

2) The game's music has the uncanny ability to intensify the mood of any situation. Whether it'd be happy, sad, fearful, or anything in between, there's a soundtrack for all of them. However, it should be noted that the music only plays during cutscenes and boss fights, so all you'll hear during the rest of your travels is the ambient noise of the world around you (which is amazing in its own right).

3) Every one of the sixteen bosses has the same basic principle: get on them and stab their weak points. What makes them unique is trying to figure out how to get on them and/or expose their weak points. The first colossus is just a matter of jumping on and stabbing it, but from the second boss and onward, it gets progressively more challenging just to get on the colossus.

4) The game doesn't go too in-depth about the history of Wander (the main protagonist) or Mono (his presumed girlfriend). The game focuses more on looking into the future, instead of dwelling on the past; trying desperately to bring Mono back to life. Slay sixteen colossi to bring back the girl you love... simple, yet powerful.

5) It took me almost 13 hours to complete the game on Normal mode (including maxing my Health and Stamina). After the game is completed on Normal mode, Hard mode is unlocked, as well as a Time Attack mode in Normal mode. Beat the game on Hard mode, and there will be a Time Attack mode for that as well, with various upgrades if you can defeat the colossi under the required time. In effect, you can quadruple the number of hours you play to complete this game in its entirety.

6) Anyone who's watched video clips of the game is aware of the unstable framerate (which is drastically improved in the Ico/SotC HD collection for the PS3). I, however, don't really mind because the graphics make up for the shoddy framerate. Also, it is still very much playable, even at the worst of times.

7) Camera controls were a challenge to master (but they can be mastered). My biggest annoyance was that it kept wanting to center the camera when I didn't want to, so you have to manipulate the right analog stick and then hold it in place to inhibit the camera's auto-centering. (On a slightly unrelated note, the controls can be mapped to different buttons if you don't like the stock configurations, but in my opinion, the default configuration is the most intuitive for the game.)

BOTTOM LINE:
Shadow of the Colossus is one of the most emotionally-engaging video games ever made. If you don't have a PS3 to buy the Ico/SotC HD Collection, get this game for the PS2. You won't be disappointed.

Review c/o http://gnadegames.blogspot.com - visit us to see videos and screens of the games we review.

Released in October of 2005, Shadow of the Colossus was a sequel of sorts to the cult classic, and PS2 launch title, Ico. I never played Ico, but Shadow completely stands on its own and is absolutely enchanting. Here I am 2 years later, and I am yearning to play the title all over again (the only question is where is it). Describing what makes Shadow so good is difficult because the game is more a piece of artwork and an experience than a game. It's truly breathtaking, both graphically, in scale, enjoyment etc. One of the true gems of the Playstation 2 and a title that probably sold a third as many copies as the disappointing and rather abysmal Devil May Cry 2. I do not want to ruin any of the majesty and wonder of the title, but the basic premise is that to save your love, you have to defeat these colossal beasts of the land. Shadow is really just a series of Epic Boss battles and mythical land traversing and exploring. There's no real point in breaking down what makes Shadow work and what doesn't work. The only complaint I had (still have) is that the adventure is over too quickly. A true gaming masterpiece that would make even the harshest anti-game senator admit that videogames can be works of art. A must play for any Playstation 2 (or 3) owner.

Verdict: 99%