Why does everybody like Shadow of the Colossus?

I'll be honest with you guys. I did not like that game at all. My opinions aside, why does everyone like this game? I thought it had the foundation of being a really cool game but I thought the controls were really messed up and unwieldy. The game also had a really bad framerate and the graphics weren't very good either. So how come I always see high scores for this game? I know everyone has their own opinions but I just don't understand why everyone loves this game. It is one of the only PS2 games I've ever played that I didn't like. Am I like the only person on the planet that doesn't like this game? I see so many people in their reader reviews saying how the graphics are beautiful but to me it looks like it has PlayStation 1 graphics.

Again, I'm not trying to start a flame war about this game, I'm just curious as to why people like it. Please actually leave valid reasons instead of just "ZomG DiZ GeAm is AwEzume!"

I think a lot of people like it simply because it reminds them of Zelda and they also liked ICO.

well everything you stated is the opposite of what everyone likes about SoC.

It's ok, i feel the same way about FFVII... i don't see the big deal.

well everything you stated is the opposite of what everyone likes about SoC.gokuofheaven

That's exactly what I don't understand. When I look at this game I don't see beautiful graphics and I don't understand why am I the only person who thinks this way. Even the GameSpot review gave the graphics a 9 out of 10 and my mind just can't comprehend it.

[QUOTE="gokuofheaven"]well everything you stated is the opposite of what everyone likes about SoC.KnightsofRound

That's exactly what I don't understand. When I look at this game I don't see beautiful graphics and I don't understand why am I the only person who thinks this way. Even the GameSpot review gave the graphics a 9 out of 10 and my mind just can't comprehend it.

Don't know what to tell you then. Reviews show the praise, being a 'Greatest Hits' title shows the praise. Most likely just not your cup of tea.

Messed up unwieldy controls, bad frame rate, empty environments and so on so forth I agree BUT it was fun to play. There are many others that hate this game and it is ultimately a matter of taste. Something about it was so charming that I could not put it down, despite its many obvious flaws there is an X-Factor in there that I cant point out. Fighting some peaceful creatures for some abstract notion of love/loyalty or whatever it may be really clicked with me and I wanted to find out what happens next. The game ended leaving so many questions unanswered and threw in a couple more for good measure but I cant say I was disappointed.

Maybe it was the simplicity, few buttons and nothing to do beyond locating and fighting the colossi. It is much like stripping off the beginning and ending of a book and heading straight to the meat and for it to be enjoyable for so many is quite the feat. The single minded focus on these missions if you will was again something intriguing to me. What makes it all even stranger is that a game this simple would normally generate more scorn and laughter than anything yet this game managed to be more than the sum of its parts. I guess I didnt answer the question but it seems I am not sure why I enjoyed it in the first place, I just did.

I am not sure why I enjoyed it in the first place, I just did.mohmaaytah

It seems like a lot of people like it but they can't really pinpoint the exact reason why like yourself. I guess it is just one of those things that either "clicks" with you or it doesn't.

The one thing that bothers me though is that when people bring up the noticeable flaws in the game like the stuttering framerate people flat-out deny this and say that my PS2 is just messed up. They even mention the framerate issues in the GameSpot review so I know it just isn't my PS2.

Anyways I appreciate your well-thought out reply, it sheds some light on the game in general for me.

I thought the controls weregood and reasonable. It worked and I got around. It never frustrated me and seeing as how the main character isn't some crazzy maxed out super warrior it made sense as to why he didn't preform combat like a pro. I thought the graphics were the best part. I've never seen such a beutiful game. What was wrong with the graphics. And while the frame rate did chug a little, it was only a little. It never really got in the way for me.

There are people who dislike it. I've seen plenty, so don't think your alone.

But personally, it's one of my favorite games ever.

the game is just screaming "PUT ME ON THE PS3!!!"paranoiasurviva

I completely agree. I think the biggest flaw of the game was that the developers were too ambitious given the limited hardware they had to develop this game with. I think if it was developed on a more powerful system it would have been a much more entertaining experience for a broader audience.

[QUOTE="paranoiasurviva"]the game is just screaming "PUT ME ON THE PS3!!!"KnightsofRound

I completely agree. I think the biggest flaw of the game was that the developers were too ambitious given the limited hardware they had to develop this game with. I think if it was developed on a more powerful system it would have been a much more entertaining experience for a broader audience.

you can get LAIR if you want something similar on the PS3. And the ICO / Shadow of Colossus team is already working on a new PS3 game. Lets hope it's something interesting.

I thought the graphics were the best part. I've never seen such a beutiful game. What was wrong with the graphics. And while the frame rate did chug a little, it was only a little. It never really got in the way for me.vashkey

I will admit that Shadow of the Colossus has amazing art direction and great looking landscapes. The thing I didn't like was that I thought the character models were really jaggy (I think they looked kind of PS1-ish graphic wise), and I noticed a lot of muddy textures. I think the backgrounds in the game were great, but I think the models of the characters and the horse looked really blocky and oddly shaped. I think it was kind of 50/50. It's kind of like how FFVII was on the PlayStation 1. FFVII has amazing backgrounds, but the character models (on the world map) look like crap now.

I dont know if anyone can confirm this but I heard framrate is much better on the PS3 and with progressive it looks even better, anyone tried doing that?mohmaaytah

I do have component cables for my PS2 now as well as an HDTV, maybe I should rent it and see if it's better. For me it wasn't actually the gameplay itself that bothered me it was the graphical/hardware issues that the game had that ruined my experience with it.

[QUOTE="KnightsofRound"]

[QUOTE="paranoiasurviva"]the game is just screaming "PUT ME ON THE PS3!!!"gokuofheaven

I completely agree. I think the biggest flaw of the game was that the developers were too ambitious given the limited hardware they had to develop this game with. I think if it was developed on a more powerful system it would have been a much more entertaining experience for a broader audience.

you can get LAIR if you want something similar on the PS3. And the ICO / Shadow of Colossus team is already working on a new PS3 game. Lets hope it's something interesting.

Yeah I plan to get Lair (once I have a PS3). And I hope as well that the new game they are working out turns out to be something great.

[QUOTE="vashkey"]I thought the graphics were the best part. I've never seen such a beutiful game. What was wrong with the graphics. And while the frame rate did chug a little, it was only a little. It never really got in the way for me.KnightsofRound

I will admit that Shadow of the Colossus has amazing art direction and great looking landscapes. The thing I didn't like was that I thought the character models were really jaggy (I think they looked kind of PS1-ish graphic wise), and I noticed a lot of muddy textures. I think the backgrounds in the game were great, but I think the models of the characters and the horse looked really blocky and oddly shaped. I think it was kind of 50/50. It's kind of like how FFVII was on the PlayStation 1. FFVII has amazing backgrounds, but the character models (on the world map) look like crap now.

Well, I kinda half way agree. THe only times I noticed these jaggies was when I zoomed in othe characters and looked at em a bit. But in action and with out prolonged zoom staring it looked a bit better. And the jaggies only seemed present to me on the horse, a few of the colossai and the lizards. But all that aside, I thought the game was one of the better looking ones on the PS2. I mean, jaggies were common problem on PS2 games, so it was forgivable. If theres any game I think is a victim of jaggies though, it's god of War and GTA SA. You don't even need to look hard to notice there.

[QUOTE="mohmaaytah"]I dont know if anyone can confirm this but I heard framrate is much better on the PS3 and with progressive it looks even better, anyone tried doing that?KnightsofRound

I do have component cables for my PS2 now as well as an HDTV, maybe I should rent it and see if it's better. For me it wasn't actually the gameplay itself that bothered me it was the graphical/hardware issues that the game had that ruined my experience with it.

[QUOTE="KnightsofRound"]

[QUOTE="paranoiasurviva"]the game is just screaming "PUT ME ON THE PS3!!!"gokuofheaven

I completely agree. I think the biggest flaw of the game was that the developers were too ambitious given the limited hardware they had to develop this game with. I think if it was developed on a more powerful system it would have been a much more entertaining experience for a broader audience.

you can get LAIR if you want something similar on the PS3. And the ICO / Shadow of Colossus team is already working on a new PS3 game. Lets hope it's something interesting.

Yeah I plan to get Lair (once I have a PS3). And I hope as well that the new game they are working out turns out to be something great.

Beleive it or not all the reviews I've seen for Lair are sort of concerning. All of them were scores 7 and under. Somthing about crappy sixaxis control. Kinda disappointing since that was the only PS3 game I wanted other than resisitance and MGS4

Tomb Raider: Anniversary is really bad with the jaggies as well. It was one of the first things I noticed when I started playing it. Fortunately the framerate is good so I didn't really care.

Even though I originally didn't like it you guys are making me feel like giving SotC a second chance. I wonder if I played it on component cables and an HDTV it would make any significant improvements?

The PS2 jaggies never bothered me. Once gaming hit the PS2, graphics were no longer a problem to me. I'm content with PS2 graphics.

as for Tomb Raider Anniversary, I plan on getting the 360 version. But waiting has been really hard.

i just liked it because it left me on the edge of my seatin every colossus battle.

it also had the most simple yet unique storyline for such a short game.

It is only one screenshot but it is all I can find so far. Jaggies are reduced rather nicely on the PS3, assuming framerate is taken care of this would make for a much better experience, here is the link.mohmaaytah

It does indeed look better. I wonder if regular PS2 component cables could accomplish this. Does SotC support Progressive Scan?

I'm at work atm, but I've got a HDTV and SotC so I'll give it a go to see if the graphics are cleared up abit in terms of jaggies once I get home in a few days.

I'll also give it a whirl on the ol' PS3 to see if that makes any additional difference.RXHELL

That would be much appreciated. :)

Controls were terrible and graphics were god awful, but overall, I think it was just the feeling of the game. The atmosphere was the part that sucked you in along with the music and the awesome monsters. I mean you woke these peaceful creatures, and went around tearing up this barren, peaceful land that looked like it came from 1000 years ago, untouched, a natural beauty to it just to save this girl. It was just a super unique game that most hardcores would appreeciate and a lot of the casual audience couldnt stand because of those stated flaws. But the game had feeling and atmosphere and that made up for everything!ice_radon

It's funny that you said that because... I am a hardcore gamer and my friend who is a casual gamer (used to be hardcore but his GF whipped him into becoming casual) is the person who first showed me this game and he loved it whilst I couldn't be bothered with it. I'm willing to give this game another shot though, I think I might rent it or pick it up for cheap and if I still hate it then I'll just trade it back in to EB games.

The PS2 jaggies never bothered me. Once gaming hit the PS2, graphics were no longer a problem to me. I'm content with PS2 graphics.

as for Tomb Raider Anniversary, I plan on getting the 360 version. But waiting has been really hard.

vashkey

I'm at work atm, but I've got a HDTV and SotC so I'll give it a go to see if the graphics are cleared up abit in terms of jaggies once I get home in a few days.

I'll also give it a whirl on the ol' PS3 to see if that makes any additional difference.

And for the record, I loved the game for its simplicty and exploration :)RXHELL

[QUOTE="mohmaaytah"]It is only one screenshot but it is all I can find so far. Jaggies are reduced rather nicely on the PS3, assuming framerate is taken care of this would make for a much better experience, here is the link.KnightsofRound

It does indeed look better. I wonder if regular PS2 component cables could accomplish this. Does SotC support Progressive Scan?

well its either a love it or hate it game.

imo its amazing

Would an average HDTV be able to display this game in progressive scan, and would I need component cables (I'm assuming extra from what came with the PS2) to be able to use progressive scan mode?yakk_3

Yes, you need component cables in order to play games in progressive scan mode, and any HDTV should be able to display it in progressive scan.

Would an average HDTV be able to display this game in progressive scan, and would I need component cables (I'm assuming extra from what came with the PS2) to be able to use progressive scan mode?yakk_3

i think people like it because its a totally different experience. i have played and finished this game, and the problems i had were the terrible framerate and the lousy camera control.

This and okami were my most anticipated playstation games of 2005 and possibly ever. For me okami delivered on everything I hoped it would be and more. However SOTC ended up being rather shallow.

When I first threw the game in, the presentation knocked me off my feet, and killing the first few collossi was amazing. But then as I started to explore around the game world, I started realizing what a missed opportunity it was. There are many wonderful environments where there is absolutely nothing to do. Not having puzzles, quests, activities of any kind, really hurt the game alot. Not to say that it needed to be like other games, just that it needed to offer more activities. Not to mention that the boss fights themselves became a total bore and a total chore after the first eight or so.The camera was indeed hard to control (I would say that for the most part the archery controlled so bad it would have been better left out of the game entirely)

I would actually say (and I hate to) that as short as the game was, I wish it were even shorter, as the game only gets progressively worse ever hour you spend on it.

lol you are being influenced to try it again. I cant say thats a bad thing. Sometimes games deserve second chances. There have been a few games that I totally changed my opinion about upon playing them again and would never discourage people from giving stuff a second chance. Also you didnt even finish the game or even get halfway so thats definately kind of a snap judgement.

Dont you hate when everyone else likes a game and you hate it??? It eats away at you and and you start doubting yourself and even though you know better you give something yet another shot... Im feeling like that with DMC3 and god Hand. DMC3 was just difficult for me and I dont think i even made it past the first boss that big dog with ice all over it? God Hand is just god awful in every respect but did I give it enough time, would it have gotten better? I'll probably never succomb to god hand but I think I will be giving DMC3 a THIRD shot.

well if all u are concerned with are graphics and pretty looking ppl then this game isnt definitely for u..

i liked the whole atmosphere of this game. sure the character models werent good.. but riding on horseback on that deserted world (except for the gigantic ppl) the exhilarating battles.. everything felt good...even the whole grip thing.. u never knew when the colossus was gonna throw u down..

just cuz u dont like it doesnt mean others dont.

just cuz u dont like it doesnt mean others dont.strider1983

I already know that. Can't you tell by my topic title?

Dont you hate when everyone else likes a game and you hate it??? It eats away at you and and you start doubting yourself and even though you know better you give something yet another shot... Im feeling like that with DMC3 and god Hand. DMC3 was just difficult for me and I dont think i even made it past the first boss that big dog with ice all over it? God Hand is just god awful in every respect but did I give it enough time, would it have gotten better? I'll probably never succomb to god hand but I think I will be giving DMC3 a THIRD shot. _AbBaNdOn

Yes I do lol. I am like that with quite a few games but sometimes I think I should just go ahead and give some of those games a chance which is part of the reason why I'm starting to consider trying SotC again, but I honestly have no idea if I ever will. I might one day in the future but right now there are many other games that must take priority over it.

well i didnt play the game but thats exatly what i think of FFX

i really dont see why the game so good

Knights of Round - you make valid points about the actual technical graphics (muddy textures, blocky characters), bad framerate. I too thought it was almost unplayable because of those things. Trying to climb the colossi was a frustrating experience because the character moved horribly.

It gets good reviews because of its originality I think. I would compare my playing experience with SotC to my experience with the Getaway(which in most people's eyes is less original and thus a lower score?). Both games are a pain to control and play but there are other elements that make me continue on playing. SotC wouldn't be on my top 10 PS2 game list, probably not even on my top 20 because of those flaws. Ico was muchbetter.

I'll be honest with you guys. I did not like that game at all. My opinions aside, why does everyone like this game? I thought it had the foundation of being a really cool game but I thought the controls were really messed up and unwieldy. The game also had a really bad framerate and the graphics weren't very good either. So how come I always see high scores for this game? I know everyone has their own opinions but I just don't understand why everyone loves this game. It is one of the only PS2 games I've ever played that I didn't like. Am I like the only person on the planet that doesn't like this game? I see so many people in their reader reviews saying how the graphics are beautiful but to me it looks like it has PlayStation 1 graphics.

Again, I'm not trying to start a flame war about this game, I'm just curious as to why people like it. Please actually leave valid reasons instead of just "ZomG DiZ GeAm is AwEzume!"

I think a lot of people like it simply because it reminds them of Zelda and they also liked ICO.

KnightsofRound