Shadow of the Colossus - PS2 Review
Nothing, in the entire scope of the media, has ever captured the feeling of overwhelming odds, combined with the gutsy, David vs. Goliath adrenaline of being the underdog against the unbeatable, than Shadow of the Colossus. You’ll also be challenged if you try to find a video game experience that summons so much courage, danger and awe without a single explosion, power-up, bonus weapons or even a single word of trash-talking. This is serious, adult, mature gaming, and it rules so frickin’ hard.
Often mistakenly referred to as Ico 2, this is another masterpiece from the creators of its spiritual (but not actual) predecessor, Ico. You play a mysterious young man, Wanda, who rides his steed to a far-away land, carrying the body of his deceased beloved. This land supposedly contains the secret to bringing back the souls of the dead. You can see what he’s going to do here.
When he reaches this magical world, he meets (well, hears) a god, who tells him that he can breathe life back into his love if he slays sixteen giants who roam the lands. Thus, the adventurer climbs back on his horse and explores the absolutely stunning environment to hunt down these phenomenal beasts.
Shadow of the Colossus takes the over-worn and tired third-person action/adventure genre, rips it open and rebuilds it from the inside. What is, technically, a series of boss battles separated by some mostly event-free exploration, is turned into something much more than that.
There are no random battles to irritate you. In fact, the world in which the colossi live, there is nothing at all out there - just rocks to climb over, rivers to swim through and natural puzzles to overcome, such as the scaling of a cliff. Sound boring? Shockingly, it's not. It's a bit unexpected and unusual, but you soon grow to love this new, refreshing approach. Not everything in gaming has to be arcade hack'n'slash, or about earning experience or finding power-ups. It also makes the game very haunting indeed - the laidback nature only serves to enhance the tension and the feeling of impending doom. Somewhere out there, there is a colossus about to jump out at you - and probably crush you.
So, what’s the colossus fighting all about? Each colossus has to be defeated in a unique way, and this usually involves finding some way of climbing up the gigantic thing, clinging on for dear life and trying to stab him. Relentless fury or leaping up and down on platforms will not help here – you need to outsmart, outrun and, eventually, overcome your enemies in some very different ways. This is very difficult, and you really are struggling against these beasts. You have to scout them out, study their movements, spot and anticipate their patterns, steer clear of danger and, when you finally get close enough to attack, they will try their best to get rid of you. Good luck clinging on to them as they soar at breakneck speeds, dive into the ocean, and throw electrical bursts at you!
Each boss is a challenge and a joy. They are all of different shapes and behaviours. One of them will charge you and you’ll have to outrun it while trying to trick it into headbutting something detrimental to its health. The other will dip in and out of the water, torturing you with electric waves if you’re not quick enough. Another will scale the walls of a colosseum and you must use the building to hide from it. There’s a gigantic bird that you have to shoot down, and… well, I could go on. Bear in mind that I played this game from beginning to end about four months ago, and still remember all of these vividly. That’s all timeless this experience is.
Colossus will stretch you to your limits. Yes, you will be forced to repeat yourself and spend half of it standing/running/crouching around the place, healing wounds and appraising your opposition, but not a second will pass where you feel frustrated – such is the addictive quality of the title. Each colossus is emotionally and physically draining, and you will be able to sit back after each one, truly satisfied. Unlike 99% of the games out there, you have to think strategically here. And once you get into that state of mind, you can't help but look down on the primitive style of games before it.
Its only problem is the somewhat infuriating camera. It can play silly buggers when it wants to, and is more prone to do it at the moments where you are short of breath and fighting with your control pad and senses to lay that fatal blow, or prevent yourself from annihilation (the rapid movements of both yourself and the colossus you are facing throws the camera about, and the size difference between the two makes for some odd angles). In addition, the atmosphere effects of the game (dust clouds and fog hanging stagnant in the air) occasionally make it difficult to see what’s going on. However, these are minor flaws that have not stopped me from enjoying this excellent adventure. It’s destined to be a classic. Be prepared for heartache, for triumph, for hatred, for glory, for victory.
Shadow of the Colossus - PS2
Shadow of the Colossus - Strategy Guide
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