Posted on 10.28.05 by A 47 Danger @ 1:53 pm
 I finished Shadow of the Colossus last night. While the game clocked in at less than 10 hours, I can’t say I feel cheated. To make a game feel as epic as Shadow of the Colossus did in just 10 hours is quite an accomplishment. Plot? People will say it matters. It really didn’t. You are a young adventurer who takes on an impossible task to bring your love back to life. The impossible task is to kill 16 giant beasts. Not just big guys, but skyscraper sized guys. Or girls. I’m not sure, I didn’t see any colossal wang. That is pretty much the whole game. 16 giant battles where you find a way to take down these huge and majestic creatures. Not like a giant unicorn, mind you. Even though a giant unicorn might be majestic. These are giant monsters made of hair and mortar and maybe some sulfur. The feeling you get when climbing over a colossus is fantastic. The sense of size is perfect. You feel like you are perched on top of a gigantic living breathing being. The music adds to the heightened emotion as you are struggling to keep from being tossed to the ground below. There are colossi that will take your breath away, and there are some that are just okay. With only 16 creatures, you would think it would be easier to make every one of them dynamite. The methods in which you kill the colossi are also very limited. I would have liked to see more puzzle solving and MacGyver style tactics. Instead, you find a way to get on, climb around, and stab. Not much variety. Shadow of the Colossus is a feast for the eyes. Yeah, there is slowdown. Yeah, there are lots of shimmering pixels. It’s still a great looking game. The scenery is alive with light. A festival of lights, if you will. The controls are fine too. They take a little time to get used to, but they are easily mastered. The camera is fine as well. Anyone who complains about the controls is a baby. You know how much babies hate controls. Shadow of the Colossus was a great experience. I am happy I played it. My complaints still remain. I can always be happier. I want to get to the point where my belly glows I’m so happy. Is that possible? ET’s belly glowed. Make my belly glow, game studios. Make it shine! Filed under: A 47 Danger and PS2 and Review Comments:
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I have also finished the game. Just under ten hours. I’ll get around to the extra modes sometime later.
My verdict? Fantastic. I really liked Shadow. I’m glad I bought it, as it’s a title that will get played every once in a while.
Two things stood out as issues that kept this game from being absolutely perfect:
1) The camera control. I guess this makes me a baby, but every once in a while (colossus #12 in particular), the camera control led to a lot of frustration and falling from high places. It made me sad. Luckily my blanky-wanky was there to comfort me.
2) Variety in the battles. I noticed that when the main character was low on health, he would show that in his physicality, what with the bending over and looking pained and all. However, the colossi acted exactly the same whether they had 100% health or 10% health. An opportunity for more puzzle-solving was missed by not reflecting the colossi’s health in the colossi’s physical activities.
Is this game for everybody? Probably not. But if you consider yourself a fan of video games and enjoy a good challenge, then I can’t recommend this game enough. The issues I have with it are more than made up for by the epic feel of the game and the satisfaction you experience when each colossus falls to the ground.
Comment by ClackyJ — October 29, 2005 @ 12:36 pm