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I just defeated Boss #9, but I think I'm ready to write my review. Pros: * the game feels like a motion picture. The landscape, the camera (most of the time), and the music all contribute to this. Some gamers may not like this sort of hands-off experience, but I don't think Colossus is "hands-off" so much as it is very linear and straight-forward: you start at Position A (every time), you locate Position B with no enemies or obstacles to stop you, and then you fight a boss for 10-30 minutes. * the colossi are very well-balanced artistically. On the one hand, each represents a different animal or combination of animals. There's some repetition for human-type colossi but that's about it. On the other hand, the colossi are really similar to one another artstyle-wise. Same colors, same eyes, same armor, same fur, etc. I like this sort of contrast juxtaposed with similarity. Thumbs up to the character designer. * You can die, but death is not something to be feared. A, the game lets you regenerate your health bar (albeit slowly) even in the middle of a boss fight. B, even if the boss does kill you (this happened to me twice), some weird things can happen. With the third boss (first time I died), my guy very clearly died but then he got right back up with full life. Cool. With the ninth boss (second time I died), I got a Game Over screen but was offered the chance to Retry. Selecting that, I was brought back to the boss's lair. Very nice. So by all means, just have fun with the bosses and don't be so afraid to die like you might in other RPGs. You have no items to lose, no money to lose, no EXP to lose, and -- thanks to the convenient spawn points -- no time to lose, either. Cons: * THE HORSE. Don't get me wrong, fans: I actually *like* the horse now. But he has a ridiculously high learning curve for effective use in exploring terrain that isn't flat. ;p * The graphics. This is not to be confused with art design. The art design is a-m-a-z-i-n-g. The game overall is a beautiful work of art. But the graphics (polygons, textures, etc) are very unimpressive for a 2005 release. And they hold up even more poorly today (2009). The graphics often remind me of those in the LucasArts game Indiana Jones & the Infernal Machine. The problem is, that game is 10 years old while Colossus is only 4 years old. For a game that is basically a beautiful, long, interactive film, I think it would be dishonest of the fans (myself included) to ignore this. It's a serious problem that the game has, one which will only be addressed only if they remake this game in the future. Neutral: * The replay value. On the one hand, once you figure out a Colossus's weakness, that takes out over half the challenge in the game. On the other hand, a replay could be that much more cinematic because of this! You could probably beat the game on a second play through in under 10 hours (is my guess), which isn't bad if you want to show the game off to friends and family during family vacation time. * the plot. On the one hand, it's absolutely enchanting. The moment I turned on the game I was hypnotized. Unfortunately, it's also quite predictable. This is just a theory of mine with zero in-game confirmation at this point, but I don't think it takes a rocket scientist to predict from the moment you meet him that Dormin is the villain, the colossi were seals that sealed him away, and our naive hero's been duped into doing Dormin's dirty work for him. I might be wrong, though!Read full review
Shadow of the Colossus is an unusual game that many won't take kindly to. For one thing, you play as a boy with only a sword (which he can only swing once and stab with attack-wise) and bow as his choice of weaponry. Another is the fact that the only objective in the game is to slay 16 giant beasts known as colossi. There are no other enemies around (or people other than the girl you're fighting for). You're just on your trusty steed traveling around this giant area in search of a colossus to vanquish (the sword is used to help show the way to the colossus by shining a light in the direction of the giant). There's not much plot to it or much action. At the same time though, these 16 colossus fights will probably be some of the best boss fights you'll play in your gaming life. Each colossus is pretty much a huge puzzle that you must solve to get on in order to bring down (which you do by stabbing the vital points of the creature). There are many cases where you have to make use of your environment, other times you just have to grab at the right starting point of the beast. Some of these battles will take a good eye and common knowledge of physics to solve. None of these involve mindless, ultra-violent killing as so many games have these days (which will put off many used to that kind of action). Once on the massive giant you must hang on for your life as the beast tries its best to shake you off. When you are by a vital point (indicated by a glowing symbol) you must stab it in order to do massive damage to the colossus (blood will naturally gush out). This is pretty much the only serious violence shown in the game. In the visuals department, many would agree that the game looks impressive (especially the giant colossi which no doubt reach the limits of the PS2). The 3D models move very well and the environments are simply breathtaking at times. That's not to say the graphics are flawless though. Upon closer (and sometimes not so close) inspection you can find many less than stellar looking things. This game is by no means ugly; It arguably has some of the best graphics for the PS2. It's just that some parts look a bit rushed. As for the music, one word can wholly describe it: epic. Though not chock full of background music (in fact, 99% of the music only plays during a battle against a colossus. most of the time there's just a realistic silence as you wander around the place) each piece is masterfully orchestrated. It really brings out the mood of events in the game. All in all Shadow of the Colossus is a very unique game that is so unusual that many won't touch it with a 10ft. pole. But if you have patience and get to appreciate the different atmosphere and strategic boss fights of the game you will probably find it a video game experience like no other.Read full review
Gameplay (4.5/5) Story (3/5) Navigation (4/5) Graphics (4/5) Overall/Replay (4/5) The point of the game is clear from the first 15 minutes of the game, which takes place almost entirely in an ancient temple. The player controls a nameless wanderer, who must find all 16 colossi and destroy them. It may seem a little mundane yet this seemingly repetitive journey became addicting and exciting. The main gamplay is traveling across the world and battling the colossus. Battles never get boring, because each colossi requires a different strategy and approach. In order to actually battle a colossus, the player must find a way to climb it. The atmosphere of the game is so well captured in the battle, as the colossi not only does major damage to the player but even affect its surroundings, which can give you clues on how to climb or damage the colossi. Upon climbing onto the colossus, the colossus will hurl its body back and forth to get the character off, which actually makes the player feel the panic and excitement. This game truly pulls you into the world and into the battle scene, a quality not many games can bring today. The story of “Shadow of the Colossus” is actually the prequel to the story of “ICO.” Like the story in “ICO,” there are many holes and missing links in the story of “Shadow of the Colossus.” This trait, however, is what the developers intended. There were times when I was edgy on my seat, hoping to actually find out more about the characters every time I defeated a colossi, but there barely any special cutscenes, flashbacks, and such. In that sense, I felt there was a some lacking within the story. There is a slight learning curve to the controls, but after a few minutes of traveling on Agro, the horse, it’s relatively easy to pick up. It’s easy to control the speed of Agro, getting him to pick up pace, slow down or make an instant stop. The character can perform basic movements such as running, jumping, climbing, kneeling, and rolling away. Before your first colossus battle, the game actually goes through how to perform each movement, which also makes it easier for the players. There are certain instances, however, when you jump onto a wall, thinking you can hold onto it, but find yourself falling a small distance. The environment can be a little deceiving in that sense. The game is not complex with menus and sub-menus. It only has one portion on the bottom right side of the screen where the character’s health, stamina/ power, and current weapon show. The way the information was portrayed was simple and enough to tell the player what he or she needed to know. My one complaint is the main map. The main map was extremely small (ironic, since it takes up the whole screen) and hardly readable. The environment, however, is beautiful. Graphics truly played a large role in the game since your gameplay and navigation required you to really know and take advantage of your surroundings. The game was unique and unlike any action/adventure game I’ve played before. Even without playing “ICO,” this game can easily captivate the audience. Upon finishing the game, you have a chance to replay it with new features and hidden items. Though these special features are incentives to play again, I think most people would want to replay this game just for re-battling the colossi and re-exploring the world. Yes, it’s just that fun. It's worth it. (Note: This review was taken from my official review at Epinions.)Read full review
I was checking it out this game and decided to buy it. When it came in i could'nt wait to try it. At first its a little hard but once i got the button figure it out it was easy. The game wont save progress untill you kill the first colossus, but its fun trying though lol. Glad i pick this up for my ps2. And for the price i got it for well worth it. Thank you.
Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: Pre-owned
This game is great. It requires puzzle-solving and careful execution. Ultimately it delivers a unique and enjoyable experience all of its own. While the graphics are impressive for the PS2, the game does experience noticeable drops in frame rate. Also, the view and camera control is not the best and sometimes results in a cramped and/or frustrating lack of control in direction. Other than this, SotC was well worth the minimal cost for such a beautiful and aesthetic experience. Hopefully the newer next-gen games can play on this winning concept.
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