11.8.2006

Shadow of the Colossus is an amazing game, brought to us by the same team who brought us ICO. It deserves to be played by anyone who owns a Playstation 2.The story is as follows: Wander, the protagonist, (of whom you play) enters a forbidden land to reach a temple, where it is believed a mysterious power can help revive those who have died. Wander, who travels to this distant land on his trusty steed Agro, brings the deceased love of his life (Mono) with him, and upon reaching the temple, places her body on an altar. A disembodied voice emanating from a bright light in the ceiling explains to Wander that in order to revive the girl, he must destroy sixteen creatures, the Colossi, spread across the land.He is warned however, that the consequences of performing such an act may lead to terrible consequences. Wander doesn't care, and sets out to do anything it takes to bring back his beloved from the dead.While the story is fairly basic, it is unveiled competently during the game via infrequent cut-scenes. I won't spoil anything, but the ending is possibly the longest video game ending I have ever seen. It's somewhat emotional and it's one of those endings that leaves you thinking, which is great.The gameplay isn't too complex. You only have two weapons: a sword, and a bow. The sword has three main purposes, to lead you to the Colossi arenas (by holding it in the air and heading toward where the beams of light converge), to identify weak spots on the Colossi (again, by holding it in the air) and to deal damage to the Colossi by stabbing their weak points during the battles. The bow isn't used quite as much, and is normally used to attack certain weak points on the Colossi in order for you to progress further. You can move throughout the vast landscape by foot, but for the most part you travel by riding on your horse, Agro - and you may even find yourself getting quite attached to him. During a couple of boss fights, you have to be riding Agro at full speed in order to defeat the Colossi - these battles prove to be exhilarating experiences.The focus of the game is purely the objective of defeating the sixteen Colossi - there are no other enemies. In most cases, the Colossi are hulking giants, although there are a few smaller Colossi, too. It's not clear whether they are mechanical or biological entities, or perhaps a mixture of both. Every Colossus has fur and the larger ones have platforms attached to their bodies as well; both of these enable you to clamber onto and around the beasts. Every Colossus is unique, and the fights take place in a variety of settings, such as on land, in water, in some ancient ruins, and even in the sky. Colossi are defeated by attacking their weak points, which are usually high up on their bodies. Some bosses are quite easy and don't take long to figure out how to defeat. With others, some lateral thinking is required; often you are required to take advantage of your environment in order to scale the Colossi to attack their weak points.Graphically, the game is stunning, for the most part. This game squeezes every last drop of power from the PS2, and features some impressive effects such as HDR, Light Bloom, Motion Blur, and a huge Draw Distance. Every single Colossus is a work of art; beautifully animated and most of them are simply, well... colossal - the sense of scale is palpable. A few textures look a little indistinct close up, but that's to be expected with the PS2's age.The orchestral score is used sparingly - it only plays during the battles and cut-scenes. However, it complements the game very well, and it is especially rousing to be climbing up a flailing Colossus, hanging on for dear life, with the music adding to the sense of urgency. The sound effects are decent enough and serve their purpose well.There are a few niggles with the game. The two major ones are the dips in frame-rate and the camera angles. While the game looks beautiful, it clearly puts strain on the console. Frame-rate drops are quite noticeable but fortunately don't seem to seriously affect the gameplay. The other major issue is the automatic camera, which occasionally spins in the wrong direction giving you a poor view of the action when fighting a Colossus. While the camera can be rotated manually, it often spins back to a bad position afterwards. It's quite a rare problem however, so it isn't game-breaking.Lesser issues include the control system and the game's length. While the controls can be picked up within an hour or two of play, they probably could be simpler. This isn't to say they are bad - they just aren't as intuitive as you might hope. Also, the game isn't too long. For most gamers it will probably take only 8-10 hours to complete, perhaps a little more if you like to take your time and explore the game world fully, or struggle to figure out strategies on some of the bosses. To be fair, the game offers some replay value after you complete it. A hard-mode is unlocked, as is a time-attack mode. These modes can be played to unlock items that improve your character on subsequent play-throughs.Overall, these flaws cannot detract from what is a fantastic gaming experience. It's generally quite unlike any game you've ever played, although it perhaps in some ways resembles the Prince of Persia games, in that you will be spending a lot of time leaping from platforms and hanging from or shimmying around ledges. The boss battles offer a more cerebral challenge than you might otherwise be used to. If you're looking for something a little different, this game is it - and earns my seal of approval.

23.3.2006

Shadow of the Colossus is the second game to come from Sony's Studio 1, the same team responsible for 2001's cult hit ICO. Whilst the jury is still to whether this is a sequel or a prequel to ICO, it can be seen as its spiritual successor as both games share a similar style, theme and control dynamic.SOTC begins with a cut scene portraying the journey of Wanda, our main character, on the back of his sturdy steed Agro. The landscape Wanda must traverse is flanked by deep chasms, towering mountains, he passes through a dense forest which gives way to reveal a expansive bridge, leading to a lofty shrine in the middle of an ancient cursed land. In the shrine we discover that Wanda is not the only burden that Agro has had to bear.He also carries the body of a girl, Mono, who has a 'cursed fate' as she has been sacrificed for unknown reasons. Wanda takes the lifeless body of Mono and lays her on an altar. We discover that Wanda has travelled to these cursed lands after stealing the body of Mono and a powerful 'ancient sword' in an attempt to restore Mono to life. What stands in Wanda's path to his objective are 16 giant creatures scattered throughout the capacious land: The Colossi.At this point control is handed over and Wanda sets out with Agro, guided by his magic sword to find his first Colossus. These huge lumbering beasts are the main attraction in this game. Most totally dwarf Wanda, and the prospect of attempting to take them down armed only with a sword and a bow is an intimidating one. But Wanda does have other tricks up his sleeve; At times the environment can be utilised, and Agro can also be an essential companion in your fight. The Colossi take on many forms, most are bipedal, some are aerial, and a couple of battles take place in water. They are armoured creatures, some bear weapons and they will normally attack you on sight. Each of the Colossi have a different weakness and each battle generally involves trying to find ways to climb onto the Colossus, and then searching that weakness. After each battle Wanda becomes infused with the dark wraith-like essence of the Colossus and is transported by to the central shrine, ready to set out again to search for another Behemoth.Visually the SOTC is an amazing achievement. The character models of the Colossi are well rendered and animated, but probably the most amazing achievement is the landscape that provides the backdrop for Wanda's quest. The area of the wastelands is enormous with a draw distance that stretches as far as the virtual eye can see. The look and animation of Wanda and Agro are also very fluid and realistic and they somehow invokes memories of the original Prince of Persia. The general pallet of the game is subdued, with washed out greens and browns providing most of the spectrum. There are also some pretty neat light glare and heat haze effects. But this is on the PS2, it is 5 year old technology and the strains are starting to show. Textures can appear flat and lacking in detail up close, and at times the frame rate can suffer as the PS2 tries to keep up.SOTC sound design is also quite strong. The roars and stomps of the Colossi provide them with a great sense of weight, and the stabbing 'splut' sound has Wanda jabs the monsters with his sword is extremely satisfying. The score feels grand and epic with sweeping chorales and rousing orchestration that provides the perfect background for these colossal battles.There is an ambiguity in SOTC which instils a sense of emotional empathy with Wanda. Wanda is simply told where to go, much like you as the player, but he is never given a reason why the Colossi should be killed. And the Colossi themselves, although they are aggressive when they become aware of you, they are passively minding their own business when you find them. You/Wanda are the aggressor. Half way though the game I found myself asking, 'who is the bad guy here?'. Additionally it is not clear who Mono and Wanda are, what their relationship is, and why she was sacrificed. And the majority of the story is related in the first five minutes before you pick up a controller. What this provides you with is a blank canvas for you to paint your own emotional background, your personal experience with this game will colour it.It also should be noted that SOTC is quite short. Completing it for the first time can take only about 10 hours. There is some replay value though, as completing it unlocks alternative game modes such as a time attack mode, and a hard mode. This is a game that is easily recommendable to anyone with an interest in the action adventure or environmental puzzle games, but whilst SOTC cannot be described as 'adult' in the same way as the GTA franchise it is definitely a 'mature' game, so it may be unsuitable for young children. Not because of anything offensive, but if this was a movie, it would be a French art house movie on Channel 4 at 3 o'clock in the morning. With giant monsters of course.

9.8.2006

With the PS2's life coming to an end, I was expecting developers to churn out average titles to kill time till the PS3's release. Shadow of the Colossus had a lot of hype behind its name with help from the under rated cult classic Ico. So having played Ico i was psyced to see the developers had made another game. To start, this is one of the greatest games iv ever played and easily the best game for me in 2006 (resident evil 4 just misses out) However a game that is so critically acclaimed is surprisingly not mainstream at all. SOTC is for a very unique audience, this game wont appeal to everyone.Some say the game lacks action and has too much exploration but that very feature is what some gamers find so fresh and appealing about this great game.The game is set in a desolate wasteland that is inhabited by by towering creatures called "Colossi". Along comes the hero of the game, a nameless traveller known as "Wander" which is derived from his japanese name. On horseback he arrives with a cloaked body who he later places in a shrine in a castle he finds in this wasteland. The girls' body lies their lifeless, and a haunting voice gives the player the quest of slaying the 16 colossi that wonder these lands and the girl could possibly be revived. This is where the game begins...Only armed with your bow and sword as well as your trusted horse Agro, the player sets out to find and slay one by one these colossi. The game really gives you a lonely feel with the atmosphere it creates as world you explore is so empty. However this game has no levels, The colossi are the levels. Another great technique that this games employs is the whole "do with what you got" when you slay a colossi, you really feel a sense of accomplishment thinking "wow i only had a sword and a bow".The music is some of the best iv herd in a game for a long time and really suits the intense battles with colossi and also the more serene exploration moments of the game. The music changes from thunderous orchestral fast paced, dramatic music, to calm and melodic flutes.Graphically this game has some stunning visuals and at times when your fighting a colossi you think to your self that this kinda game could only run on the 360. The colossi look awsome and the way they've been animated really gives you a sense of their size and weight. They range from regular human like colossi to flying colossi and even amphibious colossi. Each design is just oozes originality.The game eases you into the style of play from the first colossi. The controls take about 30 minutes getting used to at most, but work well. Each colossi has to be scaled and then stabbed in its weak spot to kill it, thats the general idea from Colossi number one. However the game then begins to vary the game play making you have to first think how to get onto the colossi, this sometimes involves having to use your enviroment to aid you. Then you have to figure out where the vital spots are, the first colossi only has 1 but then the game starts throwing in multiple weak spots. This technique adds depth to the game.Writing a review for a game like this is hard because to be honest, there isnt much to it. You find a colossi and slay it, but the amount of depth there is to doing it makes this such a unique game, and so i have to restrain my self from saying too much to avoid ruining what is a beautiful story line. I found my self watcihng my friends play, their jaws dropping to the flaw at every clossi they fought and all i could say was "just wait and see...." However i do reccommend you purchase and finish Ico to really get a good understanding of the story as they are loosely linked. As i said earlier this game isnt for everyone, but really it deserves to be played.It really isnt a game but an experience.

3.10.2014

S T O R YYou play as Wander, a young boy from a distant village, who has come to a forbidden land to perform a special ritual. Wander has brought a girl along with him, whom he must perform the ritual on in order to save her life. The forbidden land holds Dormin, a powerful spirit that can bring the dead back to life. However Dormin's spirit has become fractured into 16 entities in the forms of giant Colossi, leaving it up to Wander to destroy each of these and save the girl.The story is powerful, emotionally driven and gives the protagonist unparalleled depth. It is the bond between Wander and his trusted horse, Agro, which really pulls at the heart strings.G R A P H I C S & S O U N DThe scope of SOTC's world is a remarkable achievement.The forbidden land is vast, yet, it simultaneously showcases barren and ancient locations. The level design is smart, presenting players with plenty of empty land, and then flipping that on its head when introducing the lairs of the Colossi. The architecture takes inspiration from Aztec and Native American influence, presenting striking designs and towering structures.The art direction is beautiful, utilising a number of pastel-like colours to paint the land. The Colossi are the stars of the show when it comes to the character models. These giant beasts are immaculately designed from head to toe, ranging from water creatures, to aerial threats and land- based savages. The soundtrack is excellent, filled with suspense, poignancy and feeling.G A M E P L A YSOTC is essentially an experience filled with boss battles. Players will have to defeat all 16 Colossi, but this is far from easy as these beasts present complex challenges to overcome. Players will be based at a temple, which is filled with statues of all the Colossi. Dormin will give instructions on where to find each beast, and you go hunting along with Agro for some much needed transport assistance. The Colossi are scattered all over the land, but they are relatively easy to find.When engaging a Colossus in battle, the experience is just a pure thrill ride. Each Colossus acts as a large platforming tower, which the player will have to climb and find the creature's weak spot(s). This isn't as simple as it sounds, since Wander's hold strength is limited, which will cause him to fall off the beast. Many of the Colossi will require completely different strategies. Wander's sword will do plenty of damage, but he also has a bow to shoot distant enemies. In some cases the Colossi will use aggression and speed to take the fight to you, whereas others use the environment to attack you. Each battle is intense, always throwing danger at you and making you realise that these things can kill you in a flash if you aren't careful.There are no other enemies in the game, which does leave little else to do. However, it is just so easy to become engulfed by the environments when riding Agro. He is very easy to manoeuvre and mastering his lightening speed will become most handy when going up against many of the Colossi. There are collectibles scattered across the land, a Time Attack mode is sure to test your lust for carnage, and an additional difficulty mode if you truly feel like being punished.The platforming elements of the game are undoubtedly fun, but the camera can be a little stubborn upon movement and occasionally presents awkward angles.O V E R A L LSOTC is a unique experience. The story is engrossing, the visuals are a technical splendour and the gameplay just builds momentum right through until the end. Wander and Agro have brought an unforgettable and memorable journey to the gaming world.

3.9.2006

Before I go into messing my pants on how addicting and incredible this game is, let's go through the flaws.1) Controls take a little getting used to. I didn't quite figure them out to the point of being comfortable with them until I was forced to with the last Colossus. To aid those in need, here's a tactic: The way to leap from one hanging spot to another. While holding R1, hold the triangle button. While holding triangle, rotate the control stick slowly to find the direction that causes Wander to face outward. I found it difficult to make Wander face outward whenever the camera was in an awkward position, and this helps solve that mess. Originally I assumed you could just tilt the control stick in the direction you want to jump,but when the camera moves into awkward positions that direction doesn't necessarily translate correctly, so you just have to rotate the stick slowly to find what the game considers to be "away from wall." Once you get Wander in position to jump, release triangle, but continue holding R1. If you release R1, Wander will fall straight down instead of jump off. Pretty complicated, eh? That's my biggest gripe. But hey, once I learned how to get around it I proceeded to have immense fun again!Second problem: camera. As previously stated by other reviewers, the camera will often swerve around into an undesirable position after being user adjusted. This just plain sucks. This is also a problem that occurred most frequently with the last Colossus.Now on to the goodness! I adore the fact that this game didn't become the hack n' slasher that it could've. It's clear that having sub-enemies in this would ruin the experience. I feel that there's no other way to make this game great than do exactly what the developers did and make this just you and the colossi and nothing else. You journey through an immense, lush, and beautiful environment on horseback trying to find the whereabouts of the next Colossus. This is accomplished by a combination of a clue from Dormin (the disembodied voice), and the aid of light. You can hoist your sword in the air and use the rays of sunlight that bounce off of it to find your way. Where the rays convene is where the Colossi is located. It essentially works like a compass. What this does is make the journey to get to the Colossus much like its own puzzle. There's often large crevasses to find a way over, and bits of platforming mixed in.Another great thing about this game (and most obvious) are the various Colossi. Often you find yourself employing a combination of platforming and climbing, all in a timely manner, and all on the Colossus itself. It's a thrill to watch Wander being thrashed about while hanging for dear life on a Colossus. All the while your "hang" meter depletes and you start to incorporate the budgeting of how much "hanging ability" you have left before you fall. This creates an awesome sense of urgency as you only have so much time to scale part of a Colossus and find some way to rest atop the Colossus and regain some hanging energy. There's a whole mess of tactics and strategy to employ in successfully slaying a Colossus, and then when it's all done you feel both a sense of accomplishment and a sense of sorrow. Watching such an astounding creature once alive now stumble to the ground or come crashing into the ocean is really sad! Kudos goes out to the animators that designed such convincing death animations!Alright, I'm done yapping. Go out and play this now and avoid the naysayers! You'll find yourself coming back again and again to relive all of your favorite moments!

9.4.2007

Every gamer, young and old, is familiar with the concept of "Boss Battles". Extra hard, stand out enemies that usually appear at the end of a game level. They're impressive, they're challenging and they stand between you and success. Then how about this for a game concept, 16 back to back boss battles. No sub enemies or weak flunkies, just the bosses. It's a daring move made by the developer and I for one am hugely greatful they made this gamble. Because Shadow of the Colossus is one of the most epic, beautiful, impressive and down right memorable experiences in the world of gaming.The storyline is fairy tale simple. You play an unnamed character (Although the manual refers to him as Wanda)who has to kill 16 massive creatures called colossi in order to restore life to his deceased girlfriend, no matter what the cost to himself. Your not alone though. You are constantly acompanied by your loyal steed, Argo, who is your key to traveling around the incredibly detailed landscape. Finding your targets is a case of holding up your mystic sword and following the beam of light it gives off. These parts of the game are relaxing as you can admire the sun kissed fields, misty mountain paths and gaping canyons.Once you find your colossi, there is a sense of awe that you won't find anywhere else. These beasts are simply huge (The game isn't called Shadow of the Colossus for nothing) and the sense of insignificance you feel at times is incredible. The colossi are brilliantly detailed with fur, armour, horns, wings and the like. They are superbly varied. Some can fly, some can swim and some can charge you like an enraged ox, trying to smash you against the wall.Working out how to kill each colossi is the most fun and challenging part of the game (which is why I recommend you don't use any walkthroughs). Each colossi have weak spots which must be stabbed with your sword in order to bring them down. Reaching these spots is another matter entirerly. The hulking bodies of each colossi feels like the levels themselfs as you climd on up them, clinging on to fur and ledges covering the monsters bodies. When you peform that fatal strike (viewed in an awsome slow motion effect) and your oversized enemy collapses to the ground, you will be enveloped in satisfaction and self acheivement.For me, one of the stand out features of this game is the suitably epic emmersive soundtrack which adds real drama as you hang on to the back of a soaring winged colossi and the wind batters your face at a hundred miles an hour. The game triumphs at being the most emotion fuelled title on PS2. The ending itself is a good enough reason to buy the game. Trust me, it really is a tear jerker. Shadow of the Colossus is like no other game on PS2. There's no "levels", no health packs, no upgrades and as I mentioned before, no lesser enemies.If I have ant complaints, its that the game is too short (5 - 6 hours) and the player controlled camera can be irritating. But you'll eventually ignore the faults. One of the best acheivments on PS2 and a absolute masterpiece. Perfect.

18.4.2006

Shadow of the Collosus is a original concept for a game, which is quite a rare thing these days. The game has you riding accross a huge landscape on horse back, guided by sunlight reflected off your magical sword. You must find and destroy 16 massive beasts which roam this massive land. Why? To revive a dead girl. And repeat. You follow the same routine for each and every collosi, with no other foes inbetween, which is just as well. If the developers would have tagged on some enemies inbetween the main battles it just would have been an unneccessary diversion and would have fractured the pace of things.Dont expect the game landscape to be anything like, say, San Andreas for example. It is huge,yes,but your not going to be compelled to explore every nook and cranny of this environment.It can be a pain to find the collosi too, you are often led to sheer cliff faces or immpassible gorges and get lost in this enormous world which can be a chore to get out of. Your trusty steed is a joy to ride and feels like you are actually riding a horse.The game really comes alive when you eventually come across one of the various collosi, which range from massive lumbering, hairy trolls, to giant birds and smaller bull sized terrors. You somehow have to mount these beasts, which is where some of the puzzling elements come into the game. For example you might have to scale some ruins and jump onto the collosuses' sholders from above. You then have to grip on for dear life unless you will fall off for sure. The collosi have various weak points dotted around their bodies which wou must stab to kill the collosi. When you see one of these magnificent beasts falling heavily to the geound with bone crunching force, dead, you actually feel sorry for them and you actually question yourself about killing your enemy. How many video games make you feel like that?There are some slight gripes though, like getting lost in the huge world (the horrifficly bad map doesn't help things) the controlls feel alien at first (but you soon warm to them) and the frame rate makes the game look jumpy from time to time. Oh, and the last collosi (without wanting to reveal too much) is a an absolute nighmare to defeat, with a hugely fiddly section where you have to climb on its hands. Be warned.Overall, in a market which is dominated by gritty urban tripe like the utter rubbish 50 cent bulletproof, its nice to leave behind the drab, grey, urine soaked, carbord box inhabited alleyways. Its nice to say "save it for another day, homie" and wave good by to modded up sports cars and sweary "adult" cutscenes and a cast of cliched characters who no one even cares about. Dont get me wrong, San Andreas is my all time favorite game, but isnt it nicer, for once, to play a beautiful magestic labour of love? And not some second rate unoriginal GTA clone? I think so.Graphics 10/10Audio 8/10Gameplay 9/10Lifespan 9/10Overall 9/10

8.2.2012

Shadow of the colossus is my all time favourite game for several reasons, but I would not recommend it to everyone.The premise:Basically this game puts your character in a beautiful open world without giving you much of a backstory at all and tells you to go and kill 16 collosi. You then have to travel to each chronological location one after the other and take down these things. That's basically it.Why I love this game:The game is completely captivating, I can never quite put my finger on it but the sound and the world during the travel sequences are just magical and beautifully peaceful. The fights are all not only a lot of fun to figure out how to take the beasts down,but also some of the best set pieces in any game I've played. All the collosi are incredibly lifelike and move with such realism that I feel an emotional attachment to them often, it sometimes makes me feel sad when I kill them, which I think is a great reflection on the atmosphere of the game and it's beauty. Each collosi is also beautifully designed and none of them feel alike during the fight, so much so that I think it harbours a huge replay value and is partly why I have played through this game over 15 times. Most of this games challenge doesn't come with the gamers technical ability, but rather their mental ability, as the fights are not hard in the sense that you have to button mash and hack and slash your way to victory, but you need to observe your surroundings and target and figure out how to emerge victorious.Why this game isn't for everyone:The game is slow paced (this aspect is actually a reason why I love it so much) which may deter some people as although it doesn't really get boring as you will have to to think and brood over the magic of this game. Also if you're looking for fast-paced action here, you won't find it, but what you will find is a game which makes you use your brain a bit more than most games and you should love every minute of it.Even though I hope to have aided your decision on whether or not to give this game a shot, I do not think a written review can fully do SOTC justice and I would recommend watching gameplay videos of a few fights to see the art style and how the game works. Do not watch too many videos as it would definitely ruin your experience if you knew how the fights played out before you played them, I think you should watch a video of the first fight and the fifth fight and no more, to see the variation between some of the colossi.I will not tell you to buy this game, but I recommend you at least read more into as being my favourite game of all time, I want as many other people as possible to experience it, make the right choice.

2.3.2006

If you're a person that has little patience, don't buy this game. If you're a person that likes to stick the disc in the machine, start a game and get straight into the action, don't buy this game. If you're a person that likes platform games with quirky characters or always buys the latest releases because everyone says they're good, don't buy this game.Shadow of the Colossus (SOTC) is a landmark in gaming history. It is "nothing" like any other game, ever, period. It's clear from the mixed customer reviews that this game will be a cult classic as opposed to just a classic in the sense of the GTA series. Which is a shame, because all the effort that went into making this game means it deserves to be a true classic.

8.11.2008

Imagine a game the "Ico" looks with just the boss characters from a Zelda game. Drop this into a overly large Hyrule field and volia, it's Shadow of the Colossus.The Colossi are not as big or complex as one would have hoped. I was expecting more of a level in the shape of a massive monster, not a standard boss. I was expecting a mechanic more like the Ico puzzle castle, with colossi as segments of the 'castle'.Yes, underneath all the jumping and holding onto fur, it's just a boss. The glowing weak points and the puzzle element have been done before. It's not as orginal as people wish. But it looks good, well, if you liked Ico that is.Ico is the far superior game, although this is fairly enjoyable.

24.6.2008

I feel I owe this game a great deal, for it has restored my faith in gaming on the basis of art, storytelling, an epic sountrack and, of course, superb gameplay. Too much of what we see in the gaming charts nowadays are the hallmark of generic mediocrisy. Flashy games with impressive graphics and lots of guns, trying to hide their abysmal lack of depth. Well, SOTC breaks the trend.You play as Wander (Wanda), a young swordsman from a small rural village. The game opens with him and Agro (his horse), and an unknown woman wrapped in cloth (dead, as we shall soon find), making their way across an immense bridge towards a temple. The original premise of the game is deceptively simple; that Wander falls in love with the maiden,

11.7.2013

This is a game unlike any other on the PS2 in a very good way. I'd played it some years ago on a friend's PS2 and never got my hands on it till it was bought for me as a gift recently. I loved it, and here's why:It does not have a particularly deep story or explanation of the world through which your character travels, however when playing you don't particularly need it.Graphically the game is outstanding for the PS2. It does an excellent job of rendering the vast world and the intricate colossi. There are occasional texture problems but this is forgiveable. Environments are varied and nice to look at including desserts, vast open plains, mountainsides,

6.3.2006

Firstly, I have to respond to the reviewer who states Ico as crud: yes maybe there are no 'bosses' or other traditional devices that make up a game, but Ico is one of the greatest and most original games ever to grace the beloved console. The game is ALL about the relationship between the protagonists and it IS a primarily a puzzle game (albeit a strikingly beautiful and heart-wrenching one). Anyway onto its worthy successor...SOTC is not a direct sequel, and I'm still debating whether its a prequel... but anyway, all you need to know is that it truly lives up to all the hype. The premise is pretty simple, roam around the land on your horse seeking out 16 gigantic foes to battle and destroy.

16.7.2010

I would recommend this game to anyone who enjoys both a fantastic gameplay and storyline. The game's battle and landscape experience is really amazing and detailed, not only does the game focused on the colossi and landscape, but through the game you will different emotional feelings with fighting each colossi due to the landscape its in and the type of music used. This is really done well, how the music is relating to each colossi. I can't say much or i'll give the game away! But at the end you will realize and understand why the colossi are there, what each character is about and why, the type of music used will relating to the ending. The storyline is shown at the end, but not fully!

26.1.2007

I've seen one or two reviews posted here that complain about the lack of variation and the simple ( and sometimes clunky ) control mechanism. Those people are very fair in their comments and are not wrong. It is a simple game: Kill 16 Colossi by finding them, working out a strategy to climb to their weak points and impale them with your sword. Yes...it is pretty simple. I believe that is where the beauty of this game lays.I have been playing console games for over a decade, yet I'm unable to compare this to anything I've experienced previously. It's not a traditional adventure game at all. Hardly any fighting, no orbs and power-ups and the like. No extra weapons to earn, etc etc. Neither is it an RPG.

Shadow of the Colossus (PS2) - Reviews

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