Passing up this game should be considered a crime against video game humanity, yeah...it's that good.
By: Cain
Before I start with my review, I would like to point out that this game is definitely something that should be experienced by everyone from the hardcore gamer to the newbies. Normally, a game will have just a few qualities that make it great, this game has way more than just a few. Anyway, now that I'm off of my soapbox, let me get on with the review.
GAMEPLAY
Going into the game, I didn't really know what to expect since this game is really the first of it's kind that I've ever come across. From the opening movie, you will pretty much not have a clue what is going. Basically, you take some girl to a temple in hopes of reviving her. In order to revive her you will need to destory the idols of the monsters. To do that, you will have to go into battle with some of the most innovative and best designed enemies ever. Sounds like your everyday game right? Kind of like the save the princess type game that seems to never get old. Well, that's what I thought too. After reaching the first of these giant beasts, that theory went completely out of the window. When they were described as "collosus", I didn't really prepare myself for how big these creatures really are. Imagine yourself as one of the old G. I. Joes, then imagine that you had to do battle with a full sized human. That's probably the best way I can describe how truly gigantic these things are. I am still blown away by this factor and from this day forward, I will never classify a battle as epic unless it is able to produce a boss that could truly put itself on the same page as one of these things. Alright, enough of that. Your character is equipped with a magical sword that inevitably points you in the direction of the Collosus. He also comes with a bow. At first this seems to be useless but as the game plays out, it becomes invaluable. As for his inventory, that's it. There are no new swords, new bows, armor, nothing. Just you, your sword and bow, and your horse Agro...who also plays a key role in many of your battles. To actually defeat these giants, you need to somehow scale the monster, expose it's weakpoint, and then stab it with your sword...sounds easy, right? Well, then if that's the case...why don't you go find out?
GRAPHICS
I'm sure if you are reading this review, that you've probably already come across a few of the screenshots for Shadow of the Collosus. I'll be the first to tell you that they do not do this game justice. Each one of the monsters you will face look amazing. Yes, that's right I said each one meaning from the first one to the last one. There wasn't a single one that didn't look stunning. Every one has hair on some point of their body that allows you to cling to them. Hair seems to be one of the hardest things to reproduce but this game nailed it. The only thing in the game that rivals the monsters themselves is the world that they live in. I don't know what mythical place this game takes place in but I must say that it would be first on my list of vacation spots. The world that you are in is huge just like it's inhabitants. There are huge mountains, cliffs, lakes, waterfalls, tree, deserts, and much more. Every location looks completely stunning. Another fine point is your horse. While he seems a little big compared to you, he is completely beautiful. He runs and leaps just like a real horse. One thing that I noticed that gave the game huge point in my book is the realism of his movement and the way he stands. For example, at one point in the game I was sitting on my horse, looking over this huge cliff at the waterfall beneath me. I just so happened to look at the horses feet and noticed that they were standing evenly with the curves of the terrain. The framerate is also really solid as I didn't notice a single instance of slowdown in the entire game. There have not been too many games that have had this level of detail. I was truly impressed. We've touched on nearly every graphical aspect of the game except for the movies. Unfortunately, they are not as great as the rest of the game. After seeing the beautiful movies of something like God of War or the Final Fantasy series, it's hard to like anythng different. I'm not saying they are bad because that is most certainly not the case. They just aren't as great. For example, the hair in the game looks better than the hair in the movies. Other than that, the game is a graphical masterpiece.
SOUND
I'll make this section very short as it doesn't need more than one word to describe it. All aspects of thesound are amazing but the best word to describe the sound? Epic.
VALUE
This game is great and the fact that it only costs 39.99? You really can't beat that. Even if it wasn't that price, it would still be worth the money. If you are looking for a game that will keep you entertained from start to finish, look no further. Shadow of the Colossus is a game that should be on the shelf of every PS2 owner. I even would go as far to say that this gameis a system seller, which sounds silly since the PS3 is just around the corner. Even still, I stand behind my claim that this game is worth buying a PS2 just to experience it's unique charm.