13.2.2018

I have enjoyed video games since the late 1980s, and I rate only a handful of games to have made the transition from being simply a 'game' to an 'experience' that have left me with a lasting impression. For me, Shadow of the Colossus is one of these games.I initially stumbled upon this little known game back in 2006 on my friend's Playstation 2. After an hour of gameplay, I was utterly hooked, but unfortunately didn't get a chance to play anymore. During the intervening 12 years between then and now, despite university, career, marriage, child taking evermore of my time, I keep on thinking back to the brief experience I have with this game and each time secretly vowed to complete what I started all those years ago.With this complete remake of Shadow of Colossus by Bluepoint Games, my opportunity has finally come to continue where I left off.The premise of this game tells a simple tale of a boy warrior named 'Wander', who accompanied by his trusty steed Agro, must traverse a foreign and mysterious land to slay colossal magical beings of immense power and stature in order to bring a girl back from the dead. There's no text heavy exposition of the story, or longwinded backstories, instead the game relies on crafting a world that shows rather than tells, whilst leaving some questions to the imagination. As you explore the vast landscape in search of these Colossi, the game simply oozes atmosphere in a subtle and serene way. I really felt like a lonely traveller, who is never quite sure of what is beyond the next hill or down the valley, but know that the peace will inevitably be shattered upon discovering the next Colossus foe. When this occurs, the game switches up to 6th gear and presents an exhilarating fight that easily rivals and exceeds the final boss fight found in any other game. Defeating these Colossus is more like an environmental puzzle, requiring you to evade been squashed whilst finding a route to climb to the top of the Colossus to deliver the fatal blow. The Colossi are varied in their appearance and behaviour, and a different strategy must be devised for each encounter. I was surprised to find that fighting each Colossus to be a really satisfying game experience, with a challenge that is not brutally unforgiving (not Dark Souls/Bloodborne), whilst presenting enough visual clues toward a solution. This is a refreshing change from many modern games that either require mindless grinding down of an enemy health bar (ahem..Destiny), or walking simulators that leave little room for player imagination (e.g. Uncharted series, Call of Duty series to name a few).For a 12 year old game, the graphics have been completely rebuilt. The result is simply fantastic as I notice subtle details such as the footprints in the sand, or the water dripping off Wander's clothes in the rain. Strangely enough, looking at this game now is just how I remembered when I first played this back in 2006. Perhaps this reflects the masterful work done by the developer Bluepoint Games, showing their ability to update the graphics for a modern era whilst preserving the feel of the original game.Lastly the sound effects and the accompanying music is beautiful, and shows that in this case, less is more. During the majority of your traversal across the the desert or the grass plains, there is only the sound of the wind and the hooves of your horse with no music. I found this to only heighten the sense of loneliness and the mystery in this land. Once the music kicks in at appropriate moments, it plays a soothing yet mournful melody, making me question whether my decision to slay these magnificent creatures, and in many instances left me with a sense of regret and guilt.Finishing this game took me around 9 hours, which is the perfect length for someone like me with very limited free time to enjoy gaming these days. For those looking to get more enjoyment time, there is a 'Timeattack' mode and 'Hard difficulty' that offers greater challenge leading to a range of in-game rewards such as cosmetic items, picture gallery etc. There are also items to collect around the world that require exploring every nook and cranny. My only objective criticism is that once your know where to find and how to defeat the Colossi after a single playthrough, the challenge and the wonder is gone, which will no doubt detract from further playthroughs. However for me, this game is not about offering excessive playtime, instead it offered me an experience and a journey. I probably won't play it again, but I don't need to, the game has left its mark on me and I am sure I will fondly reflect on these memories for years to come.

8.2.2018

Shadow of the Colossus is widely regarded as one of the greatest (and most critically acclaimed) games ever made. I bought the original release in 2005 for the PS2, played it solo and with friends and completed it. Now, over ten years later, it's been completely remade (yes remade, this is a remake not a re-master), from the ground up for the PS4. If anything needed fixing, the shaky frame-rate and performance slowdown from the original version are gone; the controls have been remapped and for the purpose of my 'new' play-through I'm using the 'modern' setting.Even without a PS4 Pro or 4K/HDR capable television, this is one of the best looking PS4 games released yet!It really does look stunning; from being able to tell apart individual blades of grass, to sweeping vistas that stretch out beyond and below you, to distant bridges, towers and structures, or the fully realised fur which makes each colossi seem more animal-like than ever before. It's beauty is in the details; hoof-prints left in sand, the way everything else goes dark when you hold up your sword to focus its beam of light, waves that knock Wanda off his feet...After 10 plus years of waiting, I'd all but forgotten the soundtrack - it is as heart-wrenching and perfect as the opening introduction. The music always seems to synch, ebb and flow exactly with what's happening on screen. The threat of an impending Colossi battle building up tension and apprehension just from the way there's a sudden accompaniment of booming orchestral sounds. Not to mention sound design within the game itself; whether it's Wanda's shouts for Agro, the way he clicks him to run, environmental sounds, or the earth shattering stomps of walking giants.In 2005, many people didn't get it. They didn't 'get' the sense of loneliness and isolation the game world deliberately immerses you in. They didn't get the navigation, freedom of movement, or sense of awe-inspiring wonder few other games manage to achieve. They didn't get these giant, moving, 3D platform puzzles, that gradually become more difficult and challenging to defeat. It's a shame for those people, because I'd never played anything like Shadow of the Colossus before its release and I haven't played anything as original, unique, ingenious or imaginative since.This is a world to get lost in, although on the surface it may seem like there isn't anything to do other than slaughter giant beasts, it's well worth exploring. And if you aren't one for exploring, then the new photo mode just might convince you otherwise! Pausing the action to take an epic screenshot mid-slaying is sublime; or applying a filter on a beautiful vista that you can then share and upload to your heart's content. Photo mode is gloriously satisfying and before long you'll have an entire album to show off your colossal beast killings skills. Stabby stabby away...Bluepoint Games have done a phenomenal job in bringing what was already a phenomenal work of art to a modern gaming audience. Shadow of the Colossus is every bit as good as I remember it, if not even more awe-inspiring than before. In every imaginative vein it works its magic until an hours playtime seems almost like minutes. Throw in New Game Plus and Time Trial modes and it isn't simply a case of one play-through and you're done. And why wouldn't you come back? Why wouldn't you want to relive each epic encounter again and again? This is, after all, one of Sony's best exclusives!

7.2.2018

For those new to Colossus, this is an unusual, eerily beautiful, surprisingly emotional game (that I'm sure will polarize players!)In a hopefully non spoiler nutshell, you control a young guy who brings the body of his loved one to a forbidden strange land where its said the souls of the dead can be brought back. On arriving at an ancient temple, ethereal voices inform you that by taking out a bunch of Colossi, you can indeed reclaim her soul - but there's a sinister warning that this comes at a price... The game then begins proper as you set off to hunt down the first of several of these creatures.The game here on combines a lot of riding your horse, Argo, across vast,stunning environments to a hauntingly beautiful soundtrack - interspersed with taking down the giant colossi; a visually arresting cross between animal and environment, with each acting as a weird combo of puzzle and platform level.Action is limited, with a simple and systemic process of first finding, then getting on to the colossi, and then figuring out how to stay on and kill it, without dying yourself.And there's something profoundly, heartbreakingly sad about this process. The colossi are beautiful, enigmatic and graceful creatures, most of which seem to be benign and peaceful until you attack them - but to progress the story you have to kill them. It's actually got a genuine sense of unease and wrongness to it - especially as the game unfolds and you quickly realise that perhaps murdering off these seemingly innocent creatures isn't the best idea you had today...Its a great and fascinating concept, which carries a smart and somewhat sinister story inside it - but it won't be for everyone. There are long stretches of scenery admiring with zero action, and a definite risk of a sense of repetitiveness. However if you enjoy games with soul, and or have played and enjoyed games like last guardian, it's definitely worth picking up.Now - If you've played the original, then it's worth noting that the only thing that's changed in this updated rerelease are the graphics. This is both good and bad, in that its like a wonderful trip down memory lane but in Technicolor, and its great to see that nothings been "broken" or changed for the sake of it - but frustrating that the same issues remain; specifically that camera panning movements are erratic and unpredictable, controls are a little unintuitive and feel a bit slack and awkward at times, and driving Argo the horse gets to be a major chore of repetitively tapping triangle to keep galloping - and then becoming frustrated with the poor response and directional control. None of it is game ruining, but it seems very weird not to tweak these factors during a rework - and its this reason I've given 4 instead of 5 stars. I was very tempted to go the full 5, but not updating the annoying aspects was a missed opportunity in my opinion.So in all, it's not a perfect reincarnation, it's a pretty short game still, and its a shame that this launch comes down to basically a graphics clean up instead of the revamp it could've been - but it's still a wonderful, unique and unusual gaming experience that will stay with you.

3.3.2018

This is either a remake or remaster of Shadow of the Colossus depending on your definition of the term. I like to call it a remaster since the gameplay/main design of the original PS2 classic remains untouched.It's also the second remaster after the PS3 version. This time however the graphical assets have under gone a complete overhaul by remaster experts BluePoint Games, who have remastered other classics like the PS3 Uncharted trilogy series and Gravity Rush among many others. Purists will quite rightly question if something has been lost in translation, but if it let's you experience this classic in another way then it can only be positive,

18.4.2018

I really loved the PS2 original and subsequent PS3 HD remaster. I consider SOTC to be a gaming classic. At the time I really loved the art, emotionally evoking story and feel to the world. I had mixed feelings about a remake on first hearing of its release. I didn't want it to be a sacrilegious, messed around with, poorly done caricature of my beloved game.This game is certainly not that. It delivers a truly beautiful version, especially in 4k HDR. The game is just spectacular to look at and the game-play of the original is completely intact and unadulterated. The controls are perfectly fine as far as I'm concerned, but will probably need some getting used to for newcomers.

8.2.2018

Reading the reviews from people im disappointed. This game is a classic retro relic. I cant believe a 12 year old game is being put under the scope of a modern title. The game is a slow philosphical experience about the role of the classic silent protagonist and feeling lost in a dying world carrying the weight of his destiny on his shoulders all coveyed through cutscenes and gameplay. Theres a reason its half the price if a normal game and the lazy reviews are going to put new comers off a once in a lifetime experience. Its akin to watch 2001 a space odyssey the experience is in its slow paced delivery and its purpose isnt to excite but to make you feel small and alone.

9.2.2018

A classic in the truest sense of the word. Being over a decade old, it would be fair to say that aspects from the PS2 days might be noticeable to some newer younger players, such as the control scheme and camera. However neither of these issues detract from what is still a haunting and beautiful experience.This is NOT a game about in depth lore with hours of needless exposition and its open-world isn't the run of the mill sandbox filled with repetitive busy work. It may be an empty world but dare I say an old cliche "that's the point". It's supposed to feel like a land cut off from the rest with a pure visual beauty while still showing signs of something greater (and on a functional level it doesn't even take long to get anywhere anyway,

16.3.2018

This one is hard to review objectively. I will hold my hands up and say that I hadn’t played an Ico game until The Last Guardian. I will also admit freely that TLG was the first (and only) game in 30 years of gaming which brought me to tears. I’ve never been so emotionally involved, and the difficult camera angles and tricky controls only added to the sense of achievement when Trico FINALLY did what you wanted him to do. So off the back of that I think Shadow of the Colossus was perhaps always going to fall short. Visually it’s stunning and each colossi entirely individual. It’s difficult enough (especially factoring in those tricky controls) that when I finally beat them I was literally raising both fists in the air.

4.2.2021

Well what can I say about this game.Wow It really is a true masterpiece of a game,this ps4 version enhanced for ps4 Pro,looks so beautiful especially on ps4 Pro which I own myself,every little scenery detail & sound really does blow you away. It's so nice to see this game enhanced & remade for ps4 that's for sure. I have to say I have been a gamer since the 80s and as you can imagine I have played thousands of games over my many years as a gamer. This is definately up there with my most favourite games ever created. A must have game if you ask me. I have this on all formats it has ever been released on and this ps4 version is on a whole new level of beautifully stunning epic gaming.they have also added many other features extras to the game.

11.5.2018

A unique and beautiful looking game let down by occasionally frustrating controls, animations and physics. It's understandable that they didn't update the game play to preserve the original experience, but the controls feel unnatural and are stuck between being realistic and arcade style while not doing either particularly well. Animations are prone to freaking out when doing something other than exactly what the game intended and don't blend well creating a disconnect between the player and the character. My progress was rarely impeded however as it's really a puzzle game with minor platforming elements, once you've worked out how to down each colossi its a fairly trivial matter to put that plan into action.Perhaps these criticisms may be a little harsh for a PS2 era game.

8.2.2018

This is easily one of the best remastered games of the last decade.Its not just a HD makeover as all assets have ben redone making the game look stunningly beautiful and on par with other games made for this generation.It plays beautifully and anyone who has played the original release knows how low the frame rate was for this game at times. But now its all running smoothly on top of the gorgeous visuals and sound.The only downside here is its a remaster and not a remake so very little has been added to the game.Controls are still sluggish at times and the horse a bit of a chore to use but still its not enough to take away from the experience.this is still a great game which tasks you on figuring out where and how to take down each colossi.

3.3.2018

I remember when I was a kid, that was one of my favorite games. I didn't finish it though. It was a bit difficult for a 7 year old kid. I always wanted to replay it and get the full experience. The PS3 version was not encouraging. I couldn't swallow the outdated graphics. But now the game was fully redmade from the ground up as a new game. The amount of work and attention to details really amazing.Here's a look at pros and cons from my opinion.Pros:1. Amazing graphics and solid performance2. Controls and camera greatly3. The story and atmosphere4. Gameplay and puzzle solvingCons:1. Short (8 hours on hard)2. Some boss fights share the same puzzle3. Post end value is4. Night filter is very dim.

30.3.2018

Loving recrafted, this game should be considered the standard for a remaster. The core game here is identical, but graphically has been completely rebuilt. You'll find yourself stopping just to stare at the scenery, or wandering (no pun intended) around just watching how the light pierces through the canopy of trees in wooded areas.Remasters often prove difficult to review - they'll never remaster a bad game, so you're left to review the remastering. Needless to say Shadow remains the bleak masterpiece it was back two console generations ago, a calm and collected adventure game that mixes platforming with puzzle solving, exploration, and moments of desperate tension as you clamber across the titular colossi.It's a deeply affecting game,

7.3.2020

First of all I never played this on the PS2 or PS3. At first the controls and camera were awful but after playing a while you get used to them. The game world is empty and you just travel to parts of the map to basically kill colossi, that’s it.But what makes this game so good is that it is so different from other games. Even the controls and camera being so bad, in a strange way makes it so good. The atmosphere is brilliant as nothing else exists in the world as in all the other games it’s packed full of stuff. It makes it unique. The emptiness really adds to the atmosphere as we are not used to it.People have compared it to art and I know where these people are coming from.

9.2.2018

Sorry for the first timers who didn’t like this. Each to their own. For me this is a landmark game that is much more than the sum of it’s parts. At face value it is just a boss rush with a bit of horse riding. It is the atmosphere, feeling of existential dread at killing each colossi, who you know are part of a dying, empty world. As you progress, you start losing more and more of yourself. The stinger twist at the end is brilliant too. Wonderful graphics and music, a deliberately hard to handle horse (he is young and an inexperienced rider), brilliant designs of the puzzle like colossi (wait for the flying one - just superb). If you like just shooting stuff and don’t think too much about what you play you might not like it.

Shadow of the Colossus (PS4) - Reviews

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