great game and here's what i think of it
Cons: Fairly simplistic; PS2 graphical limitations are evident; could be longer
A young warrior stands atop a spire planted in the middle of a large lake. There is little sound but the gentle lapping of water below and a whisper of wind above. Looking into the water, the warrior sees a giant creature with three electrically charged spines, languidly swimming. No emotion can be read on the boy's face as he prepares to jump into the water. The beast has to die, like all the others. This is Shadow of the Colossus.
Colossal Design
Designer Fumito Ueda is to games what an art house auteur is to filmmaking. In Ico, he created a moody world that resonated with nearly everyone that dared commit to its grey palette and lonely action. His unrelated follow-up is Shadow of the Colossus, which strips the action genre down to a few elemental aspects. It's a mesmerizing and thrilling game that does something almost no other game dares: question why we willingly, even eagerly take up arms against unknown beings.
The warrior is unnamed. He has come to a temple at the edge of the world, a dead girl in his arms. From within the temple issues a voice, telling the boy that life can be restored if he kills the colossi which roam surrounding lands. Without question, the boy jumps on his horse and rides off to begin the hunt.
Pure Austerity
There is almost nothing in Shadow besides you, your horse, and the colossus which is your current target. The game strips away all other distractions, and to some, it may be a little too simple. You find the beast, and you kill it. That's about it. A hint is given at the beginning of each hunt as to the location of the next beast, and the exact location can be found by watching the reflection of the sun off your sword blade. There is no music, save for an occasional chord. The sound of wind and horse is all that fills the empty, shifting plains.
The interface is just as minimal as the game's design. A life bar and weapon select icon serve obvious purposes. There's also a circular gauge which fills with a pink light. This is energy, and it represents all manner of possibilities. While swimming, the pink light will drain to represent fading oxygen. While desperately grasping the hide of a colossus trying to shake you off, it represents tenacity. Raise your sword to strike and a pulsing ring will enlarge to fill the circle, showing how much power is in the strike.
At every turn, Shadow is at once beautiful and ugly. All the foibles of the PS2 are on display--muddy, blurry textures, plenty of jagged edges, and despite all these cut corners, the graphics engine still gets bogged down on a regular basis. All those problems only highlight some of the art in the game, however. The colossus designs are often mesmerizing.
Adaptive Tactics
Once each colossus is found, battle begins. Each has a handful of weakpoints, highlighted by a sort of glowing rune. These can be shot with arrows or stabbed. Sometimes the beast must be scaled to reach a point on top of the head. Others must be toppled or distracted using elements of the environment. Each of the 16 colossi is slightly different, and requires new tactics.
Frequently, your character's energy will begin to fail. It can be restored by finding a place to crouch and rest for a moment, even if still on the back of a colossus. Physical damage also evaporates with a short amount of rest. The game wants each player to focus not on squabbling for hit points, but on toppling each enormous creature.
Titan's Lament
More than anything else, Shadow of the Colossus is desperately sad. These colossi are immense, unique beings that must be thousands of years old, and you're killing them…for some chick. Can it possibly be worth it? We found it impossible to take down these massive entities without feeling sharp pangs of guilt and confusion.
After all, it's not as if you're fending off attacks in order to save a civilization or something. The hero merely rides into a temple on the edge of the world with a dead girl and listens to the first vaguely powerful voice he hears, commanding him to kill the titans of yore. How crazy is that? But there is a reckoning, and the game's final meaning is as powerfully delivered as any game before it.
The Art of the Video Game
Technically underwhelming yet artistically stunning, what Shadow of the Colossus manages to achieve is remarkable. Not only is it an engrossing, very playable game, it delivers a thunderous emotional punch with only a handful of characters. If you're the Halo-playing, kill-or-be-killed type, this one will be far too subtle for your tastes. If you demand dozens of hours from games you purchase, you also might want to consider a rental. Yet, those who enjoy some introspection coupled with simplicity will simply adore it. We've all wondered if games had the power to tell stories alongside movies and books. This is the proof.