So, all you do is fell enormous beasts, one after the other. Not the most complicated of set-ups, yet Shadow of the Colossus is one of the most beautiful, heartbreaking and imaginative experiences on PS2.
Here's PSM3's pick of the most epic moments from Team Ico's spectacular giant slayer.
1. When the first colossus appears Even if you'd seen screenshots before playing Shadow, seeing a colossus in motion for the first time is a humbling moment. This guy's not particularly threatening - he just lumbers around as eagles circle his head - but the moment you get his attention and the music pipes up, you suddenly feel small and powerless. Of course, all it takes is one stab to the back of the shin and a few in the head to end his days. It's a brave game that introduces you to such a bewilderingly huge enemy in the first ten minutes of play.
2. Taking flight Fire an arrow at the birdlike fifth colossus to attract its attention and grab its wing as it swoops down to attack. The beast squawks in panic and yanks you violently into the air as the soundtrack swells to a dramatic crescendo. It's an unforgettable moment, and one of the most terrifying and exciting 'levels' ever designed. To get to the beast's weak spot you have to cross an area with nothing to grip, meaning a death-defying sprint as it briefly straightens its wings. Don't time it wrong, now...
3. Scared of fire At first this tiny colossus seems unimposing, but all it takes is one hit-and-run to knock you over and lop a huge chunk of his health off. To defeat him you have to get creative. If he bumps his head into one of the flaming pillars in the arena, a stick will be revealed. Then it's simply a case of setting it alight and waving the flames at the colossus. He'll edge backwards until he ends up toppling off the edge of a cliff, shattering his armour and revealing his weak spot. Ingenious.
4. Exploring the Forbidden Land Shadow's world is just so darn nice to look at, and rich with character. The ruins of whichever civillisation once inhabited the Forbidden Land litter the plains; most impressive of which are the temple and its connecting bridge. The fragmented buildings suggest some epic cataclysm that cleared the land of its former inhabitants, which makes the world seem even more ghostly and eerie.
5. The Guilt Rather than the clumsy good/evil divide most games draw between player and 'enemies', Shadow lets the gamer decide if what he's doing is right. Is the life of one girl worth that of 16 creatures? When you see their gentle eyes as you stab at their heads you realise you might be the evil one.
6. The turtle colossus This turtle, with massive pillars for legs, constantly fires pulses of health-sapping energy at you and stomps on the ground to shake you off your horse. But thanks to some handy geysers, you can flip him on his shell and leave him defenseless. Lure him over the water and the power of the jets will flip him over. Then you can clamber up his soft belly and get on with finding his weak spots.
7. The sword colossus You have a sword and so does the third colossus - but his is the size of a petrol tanker and is made of solid granite. But there's a metal pad on the ground, and standing on it attracts a swing of the big guy's weapon, resulting in it smashing and forming a point. Perform the same technique on the soft soil and it'll get stuck, letting you run up the 'blade', crawl up his arm and then get busy with the head stabbing.
8. The giant eel How do you defeat a colossus that spends pretty much all of its time submerged in water? And has crackling electric spines lining its back? Well, it takes a while to figure out, but the fur on its spine is a big clue. Grab hold when it arches it back and you can edge your way across whenever it rises above the water line. The scariest moment is when it plunges deep into the blackness of the water, dragging you with it...
9. Grabbing the giant eagle Most things in Colossus can be grabbed. You can grab fish and be pulled through the water, you can grab a tortoise and be dragged across the ground... but best of all you can grab an eagle's talons and be flown through the sky. But don't try it with regular eagles - your weight will pull them down. You have to find a giant-sized one, near the dead tree in the middle of the map. Grab it for a spectacular flight.
10. Leap of faith After chasing it across the desert for ten minutes you soon realise that the only way to grab hold of the thirteenth colossus' jumbo jet-sized wings is to leap from your horse's back while he's sprinting at full pelt. Cue the game's most terrifying stunt as you attempt to time a precise jump and grab onto a moving target while hurtling across the level at high velocity. And if that wasn't enough, to lure it low enough for you to grab the wings in the first place, you have to fire your bow - while still moving - at giant glowing 'sacks' under its belly. Hardcore.
The ones we didn't pick... Battle scars As the colossi fall, the wanderer gets more and more dishevelled. By the time you reach the last battle, he's covered in scuffs, scars and bruises and his clothes are tattered and ruined - a good visual indicator of your progress. And it looks cool too.
The final colossus When you first see this enormous brute he points at you ominously before unleashing a barrage of what look like laser beams. During the battle, a storm brews and explodes in the sky as the score reaches its most epic peak yet. Shame he's one of the easiest to beat.
Definitely one of the best games I've ever played: proof that the specs of a machine are irrelevant to the quality of a game and that art direction is just as, if not more, important. I was never a big fan of the Playstation, but I'd happily go out and buy a PS2 just so I could play this again (and Ico and Rez).
The final boss being one of the easiest? I should slap you for saying that, considering for three hours I kept falling off the palm of his hand (it took me ages to figure out you had to shoot his shoulder).
Nevertheless, SotC is one of the best games ever made. Imagine a PS3 version
I dont think so in all honesty. Due to the linear nature of the quest its a poor game, but the music graphical style and nature of the quest make it a good game. Ico was fantastic, but this isnt in the same league. Wander over to boss, work out how to beat him, repeat to fade. Its just one boss battle after each the next and as a result it lacks any form of build up. The platform action from the first has mostly been replaced with aimless wandering following a swords glowing light. I understand why people can like this game, but best game ever? Its too flawed and basic for such a comment.
I don't think you have understood the game. The developers ignored all details relating to the pre-established game design of adventure games on purpose. Their goal was to create a game with impressive boss battles, so they achieved what they wanted to do. It is exactly like Robbe-Grillet's nouveau roman: it breaks free from the conventions of the genre. Also, the "aimless wandering" you refer to is extremely meaningful since it creates a very stricking contrast between the calmness of the discovery and the intensity of the boss battles. I think this game is absolutely stunning because it re-creates its own codes. You can't comment it like you would comment a "normal" game.
This is one of the few console-only games that I wish I'd played (and I will do at some point). For me, boss fights are an archaic and unwelcome relic of game design that somehow persist into the present day, based around repetitive & tedious mechanics involving hitting weakspots until they are stunned at which point you can do actual damage, blah blah blah. Tired, LAZY and (most unforgivably) BORING AND ANTI-CLIMATIC ways to end a level/game.
If this game cannot change my opinion of boss-fights, then they truly do need to be purged from gaming altogether.
I dont think so in all honesty. Due to the linear nature of the quest its a poor game, but the music graphical style and nature of the quest make it a good game. Ico was fantastic, but this isnt in the same league. Wander over to boss, work out how to beat him, repeat to fade. Its just one boss battle after each the next and as a result it lacks any form of build up. The platform action from the first has mostly been replaced with aimless wandering following a swords glowing light. I understand why people can like this game, but best game ever? Its too flawed and basic for such a comment.
An absolute amazing game. Looking at those screenshots brings back good memories. I loved the one where you had to chase him on Agro through the desert, and then leap off on to him. Once you did, he then soared high into the air - brilliant!
I don't think you have understood the game. The developers ignored all details relating to the pre-established game design of adventure games on purpose. Their goal was to create a game with impressive boss battles, so they achieved what they wanted to do. It is exactly like Robbe-Grillet's nouveau roman: it breaks free from the conventions of the genre. Also, the "aimless wandering" you refer to is extremely meaningful since it creates a very stricking contrast between the calmness of the discovery and the intensity of the boss battles. I think this game is absolutely stunning because it re-creates its own codes. You can't comment it like you would comment a "normal" game.
Well said. The wandering around the landscape and just general exploring, it all felt very spiritual, in a non-religious way. The game-world itself was beautifully done for a PS2 game. Especially the part where you wander in to a forest and the light is streaming through the trees
It's true that the story is linear but i don't think it's so deal-breaking. The story is good and the gameplay is already great after all, so it doesn't really need quests, missions or other stuff as it's not an MMORPG, it doesn't need money and equipment(It could, however, include some optional bosses but then it probably needs some redos on the story and/or gameplay). I have played it myself and i think it's a great game. The graphics is also one of the best if not the best in all PS2 games. The musics also fits the mood in the game. It's really one of the best PS2 adventure games ever made in my opinion. I mean, how many games have these giant monsters/bosses for you to fight?
The wandering in SOC, is just that, wandering, you arent doing anything bar trying to find a way to get to the next boss. And as nice as it looked there was nothing worse than a 10 minute trek to a dead end and needing to spend the next 10 minutes riding back. If the wandering was that good it would have scored higher, but as a result it didnt. Had changes been made by actually adding something to do before and after boss battles it would have been a much better game.
Hell no! Not at all! It sure would have changed the game, but the true essence of Shadow of the Colossus would have been lost. This game is as it is, I mean, as the developers wanted it to be. The absence of normal monsters or other events is essential to the experience of the game. Basically, as I have already said, the developers wanted to emphasize the intensity of the boss battles by allowing the player to appreciate the calmness and simple beauty of the journey that leads him to the colossus. I am extremely receptive to this, since I love contemplating nature. As someone previously said, this "wandering" is a some sort of a spiritual quest, so the player needs to be alone in the middle of the wild.
In this, the size of the game world is also very important. Like most of the colossus, this wide nature is awe-inspiring because of its size. This is why I consider Shadow of the Colossus as a Sublime game, in the Romantic sense of the word (or Burkian, to be more precise). I think we shouldn't care if SotC is devoid of normal battles or of a more complex storyline. We should ignore the conventions of the genre, because they prevent us from understanding the true nature of the game. I can see why this is hard for some to appreciate a game like this, but I guess this is another proof that video game "behaves" like a real form of art.
The wandering in SOC, is just that, wandering, you arent doing anything bar trying to find a way to get to the next boss. And as nice as it looked there was nothing worse than a 10 minute trek to a dead end and needing to spend the next 10 minutes riding back. If the wandering was that good it would have scored higher, but as a result it didnt. Had changes been made by actually adding something to do before and after boss battles it would have been a much better game.
Hell no! Not at all! It sure would have changed the game, but the true essence of Shadow of the Colossus would have been lost. This game is as it is, I mean, as the developers wanted it to be. The absence of normal monsters or other events is essential to the experience of the game. Basically, as I have already said, the developers wanted to emphasize the intensity of the boss battles by allowing the player to appreciate the calmness and simple beauty of the journey that leads him to the colossus. I am extremely receptive to this, since I love contemplating nature. As someone previously said, this "wandering" is a some sort of a spiritual quest, so the player needs to be alone in the middle of the wild.
In this, the size of the game world is also very important. Like most of the colossus, this wide nature is awe-inspiring because of its size. This is why I consider Shadow of the Colossus as a Sublime game, in the Romantic sense of the word (or Burkian, to be more precise). I think we shouldn't care if SotC is devoid of normal battles or of a more complex storyline. We should ignore the conventions of the genre, because they prevent us from understanding the true nature of the game. I can see why this is hard for some to appreciate a game like this, but I guess this is another proof that video game "behaves" like a real form of art.
Well said, Zanasea.
There were plenty of moments in the game where you find abandoned remnants of the civilisation that once inhabited the land, and your imagination runs wild with what used to live within the game world.
Just exploring the world the developers came up with was amazing enough!
IMO this is one of the best games on the PS2. The game is epic from start to finish and I think everybody needs to play this masterpiece of programming. Can not wait to see what Team ICO come up with for the PS3. What ever it is I think it is safe to say it will be breathtaking.
This is one of the few console-only games that I wish I'd played (and I will do at some point). For me, boss fights are an archaic and unwelcome relic of game design that somehow persist into the present day, based around repetitive & tedious mechanics involving hitting weakspots until they are stunned at which point you can do actual damage, blah blah blah. Tired, LAZY and (most unforgivably) BORING AND ANTI-CLIMATIC ways to end a level/game.
If this game cannot change my opinion of boss-fights, then they truly do need to be purged from gaming altogether.
I totally agree with you about boss-fights, I usually hate them too, trying to chip away at some huge energy bar only to die over and over till you get lucky etc. But SOTC boss-fights really play in a different manner to most games and are quite simply breathtaking.
As far as I'm concerned this game and Ico are 10/10 experiences because despite any small flaws or nit-picking (i remember critics' complaints of Ico being too short an adventure, SOTC camera issues) there is so much to love about these games, they are works of art and the developer deserves all the praise they can get for imagining such beautiful worlds and ideas. Compared to the mass of identikit fps and blandness that amounts for 90% of games released today these are shining examples of games that are more than just games.
Really, I think Zanasea has said it all really. My brother never really got the game, either. He kept going on about the fact that all it is was one boss battle after the next and just wrote it off. Try as I might to make him understand, he couldn't see. This game is stunning. The Forbidden Land is such an inspiring game world, and the colossus battles are epic (if not frustrating). The score in this game is beautiful, also. I managed to acquire it for myself. Just galloping around the lands makes me think. I've always loved to see grand beauty and SotC captures it perfectly. Riding forwards towards the temple or across the immense bridge is an experience in itself. A memorable experience for sure. It's the sort of game I world I'd love to create. A breathtaking one that will make the player just stop and stare and really be amazed at the land they're exploring. I can't wait to see what they come up with next.
The camera can be terrible during battles and I found myself being beaten by it more than the colossi at times. I also found the controls had potential to be quite cumbersome and unresponsive in the heat of battle. They certainly weren't as smooth as many other offerings of the genre.
Don't get me wrong, I think SOTC is great. I turned a blind eye to these problems most of the time just because the shear scale and fantastical experience of the game were so amazing. I was merely pointing out that the game does have faults, but they are trivial when you look at the big picture.
I enjoyed it from start to finish. So much so that after reading this article i'm strongly considering another play through
I love this game. I still need to play it a few times so I can reach the secret garden. I don't know any other game that has made me feel guilty for killing charcters in it. After all, the Colossi have done nothing to you personally. When you deliver the fatal stab, and that music kicks in, you feel sorry for them.
Ico was also a great game. I remember one bit where I was stuck in a room for ages. Yorda was wandering round doing her own thing. Suddenly, she made a noise, I looked round, and she was pointing up to the ceiling. I looked up, and there was the way out. Even though she was programmed to do it, in that moment when I realised she was helping me, she was alive. It sent a shiver down my spine.
utterly loved this game.i remember reading previews and looking at screenshots thinking "nah thats just concept....as if the monsters are really gonna be THAT big" LOL
And i can honestly say it is capturing - i mean my WIFE was just hooked, and both of us debating how to kill the next collossus LOL.....brings back ace memories.....
Hey i wonder if it will look even slightly improved running on the ps3......i mean i just re played msg2 recently and i was stunned at how good the opening tanker section looked after all these years!
Team Ico better be showing something at E3...please!!!
An amazing game - After an hour or two of riding around on a horse I was totally cured of insomnia!
SOTC was probably one of the first games where I actually questioned why the hell I was spending valuable time playing a game instead of doing something else more interesting, like washing the dishes with a cotton bud or watching the clothes dry on the washing line. Visually impressive, extremely repetitive.
Number 10 has to be my favourite part of the whole game. That bit was just insanely epic, as if straight from a film.
Being honest, I actually didn't know you could do the whole eagle grabbing thing, I'll try that out next time I play through the game, in fact, this article has prompted me to play it again!
Love it, it's my third favourite game behind Okami and Lylat Wars.
I'll also reveal a little truth about my play through the game. On the last Colossus, I had feared Agro's death after the bridge collapse, as we all did, so I personally blamed the last big ass colossus for his death, and my words were "This is for Agro you son of a bitch" as a delivered the final blow.
and my words were "This is for Agro you son of a bitch" as a delivered the final blow.
Were you looking up at the sky shaking your fist at the same time in an 80s rock video style? That would have been great.
For the record, I also thought this game was outstanding. I've never played anything quite like it. I remember properly cacking it the first time I jumped into the water for the eel colossus and it was circling me in the depths then rose towards me...
I can't recall many games that have done that to me (except maybe the first time you see Ares in the first God of War smashing armies with his fists and realise you're going to have to take out that mutha at some point).
Ahh, Shadow of the Colossus. Stunning game indeed that had very few flaws. Seeing the first Colossus for the first time was the main moment for me. I'd never played a game like this and all i could do upon my first sight of this gargantuan creature was hide behind a rock and hope he didn't see me and start going nuts. Scenery is stunning, music is a delight to listen to, secret stuff to find (that i had no idea about until this article), all adds up to a very memorable experience.
although i don't think i share most peoples dismay at what happens to the horse agro. i was cheering when he fell. though in fairness i was trying to shoot him throughout the whole game but the little git kept running away next time i play i shall try to show a bit more compassion.
Really, *really*, hope they make another SOTC game for the PS3. imagine if it was 1080p res!
Definitely one of the best games I've ever played: proof that the specs of a machine are irrelevant to the quality of a game and that art direction is just as, if not more, important. I was never a big fan of the Playstation, but I'd happily go out and buy a PS2 just so I could play this again (and Ico and Rez).
Surely the specs were relevant considering that the technical accomplishment of this game was not equalled on the ps2 and the scale of it certainly wasn't, even on xbox. can't play zelda after this game just totally destroyed it my opinion. this is the game that the PS2 was made for pretty much. No loading times no nonsense just one of the biggest and most brilliant games ever made that showed what Sony were going on about when they hyped up the emotion engine (as they call it). Will PS3 be the same 1 stand out unbelievably technically accomplished game with no equal on the format or will more people push the machine?
I dont think so in all honesty. Due to the linear nature of the quest its a poor game, but the music graphical style and nature of the quest make it a good game. Ico was fantastic, but this isnt in the same league. Wander over to boss, work out how to beat him, repeat to fade. Its just one boss battle after each the next and as a result it lacks any form of build up. The platform action from the first has mostly been replaced with aimless wandering following a swords glowing light. I understand why people can like this game, but best game ever? Its too flawed and basic for such a comment.
I don't think you have understood the game. The developers ignored all details relating to the pre-established game design of adventure games on purpose. Their goal was to create a game with impressive boss battles, so they achieved what they wanted to do. It is exactly like Robbe-Grillet's nouveau roman: it breaks free from the conventions of the genre. Also, the "aimless wandering" you refer to is extremely meaningful since it creates a very stricking contrast between the calmness of the discovery and the intensity of the boss battles. I think this game is absolutely stunning because it re-creates its own codes. You can't comment it like you would comment a "normal" game.
Well im glad the developers achieved what they wanted to, leaving me with an at times tedious and repetitive gameplay experience in the process. Truth be told it comes across as an ICO afterthought.
Although, ill point out, I understand what they've done completely, and I understand why people like it, but as far as actual gameplay goes its lacking and thats why its not a classic game -a classic game has everything. Ico for example, has the perfect balance of gameplay and wonderment. The wandering in SOC, is just that, wandering, you arent doing anything bar trying to find a way to get to the next boss. And as nice as it looked there was nothing worse than a 10 minute trek to a dead end and needing to spend the next 10 minutes riding back. If the wandering was that good it would have scored higher, but as a result it didnt. Had changes been made by actually adding something to do before and after boss battles it would have been a much better game. It would have changed the game as well perhaps... the tranquility between bosses would have been lost, but your quest would have had more drive and threat and meant much more in the end. Never mind the fact that those extra gameplay elements would have elevated it from the 8/10 range to the 9/10 bracket. And instead of being an aquired taste, and not for everyone, it would have been an essential purchase.
If you like it great, if its one of your favourite games then im glad your happy with it. But at least be aware enough to accept the flaws that are all too apparent, and were enough to (and did) put a lot of people off. Whereas saying "I dont think you have understood the game" is rather condesending. I understood it, I liked the world, the music and the drama and almost sadness of watching a boss fall, I did compete it after all, but I just dont think its a classic due to its aforementioned flaws.
The thing is, is that what you see as flaws others see as strengths. I still think about the landscape and it's one of the only gaming environments that has actually felt believable to me. I just used to love travelling around finding little objects and ruins and piecing together the story in my own head. If you're the sort of person who needs a constant excitement then this isn't a great game and I understand those criticisms, but for more introspective people who like to come up with their own theories about 'why and how' this game was very special. The fact that a lot of the game relied on your own interpretation of the story really bonded the game to you in a way that I haven't seen before. It wouldn't have worked if you were constantly amused or led by the hand. The spaces were there to encourage you to think about what was happening. It works much in the same way as a film like 2001, which operates on the same level.
If you are going to mention flaws then they should be about the controls or fluidity of the main character or even the slowdown. The rest was intentional. I completely understand your point though and I'm glad you obviously got some enjoyment from the game, just not the way that you think they made mistakes.
Reading all this has made me want to play it again.
As i blew the dust off my ps2 colection, i saw it wasn't there. Either my old house mate nicked it, or my brother has... either way they are gonna get a kicking, i want to play it now!
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