BEST Adventure game of 2005!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

User Rating: 9.3 | Shadow of the Colossus PS2
I find Shadow absolutely captivating -- a great game despite its faults. The why of it was a little hard for me to pin down at first, but I believe my appreciation of Shadow stems from it subtly delivering not just the excitement associated with death defying acrobatics (of which I am a great fan), but also the wonder of facing the unknown as well as the sense of triumph that comes from toppling a titan with little more than sword, bow and steed.

The struggle between man and walking building and the portrayal of this conflict as an enormous reflex-intensive puzzle is brilliant. This design instills in me great wonder and fear and apprehension, but then becomes wholly satisfying as each colossal battle eventually climaxes. I don't believe any other game in all of history has so compelled me to conquer its foes. And yet in a very strange way, I felt genuinely sad about winning in Shadow. The sights and sounds of the game really helped me develop an emotional connection to the hero, horse and ancient lumbering beasts of the game world. And every single time I vanquish a colossus I feel as if I should explore more, see more and battle more. I feel as if only Agro were by my side I could raise my sword high and spite any dark lord of any game's land. I actually feel like the hero. For that alone I can do nothing but adore Shadow of the Colossus, for without beating me over the head with its fiction, it has still managed to envelop me in its world.