Shadow of the Colossus

[PeteJ]

Concept

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There is a bug in which you can jump up and left\right without losing any grip, so can do this all the way up. Haven't tried it myself though.

Can anyone confirm if (big spoiler)

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there is a 17th Colossi?

[Rossco]

Can anyone confirm if (big spoiler)

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there is a 17th Colossi?

Wow, that would be amazing. I'm going to try that first thing you said too as I've just finished once and dont want to have to wait until the 3rd or 4th completion to get there.

[dc-arena]

dc-arena - I'm not doubting you. I've just not heard of it being done that early before now, that's all.

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It's good that you got up there earlier - it means you managed to take in the best views of the game more quickly.

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Oh yeah yeah, I just thought I'd make a little vid incase you were wondering how to do it It's so peaceful up there, I wanna live there!!

[Concept]

Concept

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There is a bug in which you can jump up and left\right without losing any grip, so can do this all the way up. Haven't tried it myself though.

Can anyone confirm if (big spoiler)

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there is a 17th Colossi?

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There isn't a 17th colossi (not from what I've encountered), but if you haven't got there already, get to the garden if you can. It's bigger than you'd think, and the lighting and architecture are lovely. Also, the game really does show off its draw distance and artistic loveliness in the most jaw dropping way high up on the shrine and bridge.

As for bugs... I've encountered a couple more since I wrote the review. Walking along the bridge, the sound of the wind occasionally cuts out (this can be corrected by hanging off the side of the bridge and climbing back up again), as it does in a couple of other places. Also, in the lower half of the landscape (Eastern Bluffs), I fell through a mountain I'd climbed due to the collision detection messing up (you can use an exploit where if you continually jump forward you can get up hard to reach places). It's an amazing engine alright... but you do feel in places it really is pushing the PS2 way over what it was meant to.

[Kevvy Metal]

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Oh yeah yeah, I just thought I'd make a little vid incase you were wondering how to do it It's so peaceful up there, I wanna live there!!

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i would also be VERY interested in seeing how you get up there. i have attempted it a few times and i've finished the game twice. i can't seem to get high enough and just fall to my death. need to rinse this game proper

[Concept]

dc-arena - me too.

Oh yeah, a couple of other things...

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I've completed time attack mode, and you can change the colour of your horse. The game makes you aware of this but perhaps doesn't make it clear enough that you have to hold down the square button as you're loading a game or starting afresh. I thought you just had to tap it at first.

Also, for those wondering, you can get the ICO 'I' on Agro's head using a PAL ICO save with a US NTSC Colossus PS2 save, which I thought was a nice touch (the compatibility). Maybe that's because Fumito Ueda is an import gamer and wanted to keep the extras universal?

On top of this, try saving your game off at the eastern most save altar at Eastern Bluffs (the east, lower part of the country). The attract mode there with the hawk is simply gob smacking. Seriously... the flight path there is stunning as it soars above the cliff faces and mountains, with the contrasts of light.

[Dogg Thang]

I just completed this today but have no idea how to do spoiler text so I can't risk spoiling anyone. Suffice it to say I really enjoyed it. Excellent game. Lovely visuals, atmosphere. I did have a problem with the motivations, deliberate or not and that sapped a little bit of my enjoyment from it. I also began to feel things getting repetitive towards the end but all in all it's a must-play game. Great stuff.

[Canton Province]

Instant gallop (from a dead stop, use the same move, down and X button and Agro will rear up and take off at full speed automatically)

Quick 180 (to use quick turn, press down and X button twice quickly and he'll spin around in the other direction)

Side saddle (it's possible to shift your weight around and ride sidesaddle by pressing R1 and X, and then pressing left in the direction you prefer to lean)

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Changes to Agro:

Pet Agro (it's possible to pet Agro when on foot if you press circle next to him. I didn't find this out until the middle of the game)

The side saddle is actually done with R1 and triangle, with Left or Right direction. I haven't managed to do this 180 turn though, is this right?

You can actually pet Agro while sitting on him stationary too

Are these moves mentioned on completion of the game? I'm just wondering why you put spoiler tags around them.

[Magnakai]

Are these moves mentioned on completion of the game? I'm just wondering why you put spoiler tags around them.

They certainly weren't mentioned to me. I think Concept just wanted to conceal the surprise a little. I didn't read the manual, and found out the standing on the saddle thing by myself. Was very chuffed too.
Or maybe he's just so used to writing within spoiler tags now

[Zed]

Yeah i found some of those myself, but really i dont think i ever needed that fine a control of Agro; maybe for Hard mode?

I'll just add my endorsement too, just in case anyone reading this hasnt gathered from the 20 odd pages that the game is "ok" thru to "stunning" depending on your view.

Certainly I have a hankering to replay ICO now, just to compare and check similarities/crossovers, but its an amazing experience and hence worthy of a play for no reason other than that. Thats assuming you're a gamer that wants more than rehashed FPSs/racers/sports games, and totally reminds me of how bland the majority of games (and next gen games apparently) have for their scope.

Magnificant!

[Concept]

Are these moves mentioned on completion of the game? I'm just wondering why you put spoiler tags around them.

They're not mentioned in the manual, and I thought people would rather find them out for themselves the small things you can do with Agro. On top of this I'm tired of writing in and out of spoiler tags, so these days I just tend to post things inside them fullstop when talking about games indepth. A few of Agro's moves are also not really noticeable at first - another reason spoiler tags for those who wanted to find them.

You're right on the side-saddle. After I'd completed the game for the first time, I flicked through the official guide and unlisted moves with Agro were listed -

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the side-saddle is incorrectly listed as R1 and X, although it didn't take long after to figure out.

I can do the 180 degree turn fairly easy. You have to press down and X twice in quick succession while galloping to do it.

[Concept]

Magnakai - Spoilers on completion follow:

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We were talking earlier about things that relate Colossus to ICO... I've found a few more, though not all are narrative based - some are asset related.

If you ride around the desert you'll see rings buried in the sand. These rings are the same types that are found in the two sun chambers in ICO that surround the circular holes needed to position the light through to open the gate. The brickwork and markings are the same which suggest the same architectural inspirations (and possibly technology) have been used in Colossus' forbidden land.

Secondly, on the last colossi, you'll notice blocks that were once used to form bridges to the large building it sits on top of. While not identical, the blocks that make these bridges are very similar to the forms that Yorda creates through her magic in the sun chambers.

The bricks in the chamber on the way to the sixth colossus (inside the Southern mountain) are made of the same stone and arranged in the same manner to the way in which certain parts of the castle are in ICO.

And lastly, the music in the attract sequence... pay attention to it at the very end. The last few seconds tail off in precisely the way ICO's attract sequence does, using the same notes and guitar. A small, but nice touch to the admirers.

[Akira]

thanks for the agro tips concept.I never knew about any of those,except the side saddling which i did by accident once.

[Concept]

It's alright. It was my fault for not making myself clear enough.

All you have to remember

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with the 180 degree turn (which is something I've managed to do fairly instinctively without properly realising until Canton Province brought it up), is that it's down and X as a combination twice.

Oh...

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try saving at Misty Falls and watch the attract sequence (the flight path is random, but the views around that area are stunning)

By the way, does anyone

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know if the filter effects applied during the credits can be accessed for the main game either through continual playthroughs or by beating hard mode? Filters were available in the Japanese/PAL versions of ICO, though I have a feeling they've been left out of Shadow of the Colossus for artistic, rather than technical reasons outside of the reminiscence mode.

I've still got hard to play through (you don't want to know the amount of times I've completed normal and normal time attack mode now).

[Canton Province]

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I can do the 180 degree turn fairly easy. You have to press down and X twice in quick succession while galloping to do it.

Cheers Concept. I found another move I don't think is documented. I'm paranoid as to whether to use a spolier tag or not but I think it's fair that everyone gets to see it. I don't know how useful it is since I only found it out late last night.

You can do a jumping sword plunge from any height. It looks class too! Esepcially from some height. While jumping hold R1 + square.

I've got a quick question. Every time you kill a colossus a new dove (or white bird) appears in the temple. I've managed to kill 3 of these birds (a bit out of order!), which don't leave you anything to pick up. I'm just wondering if there's some easter egg or secret here somewhere?