Shadow of the Colossus

[shuzo]

I have not managed to play this nearly as much as I wanted to over the weekend but did manage to get up to the last colossus. Unfortunately the journey to him didn't go as smoothly as planned.. so thats something for me to do today after work. I think one of my faves so far has to be the

->Open Spoiler<-

the tall colossus on top of the tower - cant remember which number it is but it's early on - the one with the long sword thing you have to climp up. I just think that particular battle looked awesome.

And the extras people are talking about here sound great, I'll love playing through this again. O well, only 8 hours to go till I go home....

[Jebus]

I have not managed to play this nearly as much as I wanted to over the weekend but did manage to get up to the last colossus. Unfortunately the journey to him didn't go as smoothly as planned.. so thats something for me to do today after work. I think one of my faves so far has to be the

->Open Spoiler<-

the tall colossus on top of the tower - cant remember which number it is but it's early on - the one with the long sword thing you have to climp up. I just think that particular battle looked awesome.

And the extras people are talking about here sound great, I'll love playing through this again. O well, only 8 hours to go till I go home....

That was #3 or 4 wasn't it? That was one of my favourite battles as well actually, just so good to play. I don't think there's a better boss battle in the world than the

->Open Spoiler<-

"giant"

one though...

[karlidog]

I haven't actually played the game yet (I'm determined to get everything else I have to do today out of the way, so I can sit down and lose myself in it later ), but I wanted to pass something on...

For those who got SotC from VG+ and ended up with an extra manual and insert, I found myself noticing that the manual's about the same size as the Logitech Playgear PSP case... A bit of scissorage later, and I have a Colossus guarding my PSP. Just thought I'd mention it

[Concept]

I completed Shadow of the Colossus late on Sunday. 25 hours and 50 minutes on the clock.

It's completely gripped and dominated my thoughts from start to finish.

Having barely seen anything of the game beforehand, I didn't know what to properly expect. I wasn't even aware if it was possible to unmount your horse until I did so myself. Colossus is one of those rare experiences that both lives up to your anticipation and confounds them in a single stroke.

I was hoping for a landscape as open and as expansive as the one I came across, to get overwhelming lost in, but did I think an environment with the ethereal quality of ICO's on such a gigantic scale (as displayed in Colossus) could be produced on the PS2? Never in a million years.

I was hoping to come up against giants that were walking level designs in themselves, throwing me about convincingly as I struggled to hang on to their moving husks. Did I think such ingenuity in terms of repositioning traditional level dynamics would manifest itself in the complexity it has? Never in a million years.

I was hoping to drown in an atmosphere that would take me to a far off land where anything felt possible, and everything felt believable. As though the surroundings weren't polygonal edges, but carved through ages of magic and battering. Did I think it was possible to replicate this sensation in a game whose aim is to place you in confrontation with elements individualised from the landscape? Never in a million years.

I've said before that ICO pours out of the screen. Colossus floods from it.

I think I must have used the words, 'awesome', 'oh my God', 'unbelievable', 'wow', 'I can't believe this', 'this isn't happening and 'I'm speechless' more than I've ever done in my entire life over a three day spell.

And that's what Colossus is... a spell. It takes hold of your mind, and then it doesn't let go until you're finished. Walking on to the temple's front entrance for the first time, and having a whole world spread out before you... (openly enquiring where you would like to go) creates such a liberating sensation.

Unlike other free-roaming games, there aren't any invisible barriers or gradual shoehorning to help you become accustomed to what you're confronted with. Here, instead of the environment fitting around the player's whim, they're faced with the task of having their usual position reversed. The landscape doesn't hide or keep you narrowly confined for large periods. It thrusts you into another, far-off, captivating world and asks... where is it you exactly want to go?

It took me ten hours to beat the first eight colossi, and that was because I was mostly too busy riding Argo and exploring off the beaten track. While it's undeniable that interaction is explicitly built around the colossi? be it through their destruction or exploration to them... these beasts, like us, are inherently slaves to the environments' majesty.

Yes, there are frame-rate and camera problems in Colossus. However, these flaws are incredibly small in face of the scale of what's been achieved. I've never seen environments like these on a console before. The draw-in, and the amount of detail needed to sustain their believability at a distance, is mind bogglingly epic. I can't imagine I was the only one here whose jaw smashed on to the floor when they started riding over the out-backs of the lower half of the country.

It?s the hundreds of thousands of little details help make the game what it is... the exaggerated palette defining the huge contrasts in the sky and ground, the motion blur as you spin the camera your body, the clever bloom effects to disguise the landscape streaming in proving both aesthetically pleasing and consistent to the art design of the world? not to mention being a masterstroke to maintain the seamless nature of the landscape... as is the depth of field effect which manages to keep the level of detail on the horizon appear seemingly high at all times. The menu system too is superbly presented, with its filtered out snow effect and hand-drawn zooming map further examples of quality, quality presentation.

Similarly, the grass and fur layerings used to create the impression of depth, show a great understanding of what the PS2 is capable of when used correctly, and where it should and shouldn't be pushed. The Colossi themselves are the definitive examples of this? in that it?s almost difficult at times to comprehend how they?re running on technology which should otherwise be grounding to a halt.

->Open Spoiler<-

The third colossi on top a huge plate jutting out of the ocean is one standout moment (of many)? I remember stumbling on the huge lake it was in, and it felt as though I were the only person in the world who had discovered this place, and then slowly walking up the spiralling path to the top, only to meet a giant the size of a tower at the top.

Immense. Beyond words.

And there are so many parts like that?. Such as

->Open Spoiler<-

the colossi over the abandoned, flooded city, whose wings you have to jump on to kill, all the while it?s flying about hundreds of feet up in the air trying to shake you off its fur. Moments like that don?t just amaze? they boggle belief. They go beyond pure technology and into something else? these are the things I used to dream about doing when I was small, and now I?m able to enact them through sheer ingenuity of art and design. Speaking of which, the score, while far less abstract and primal than ICO fits the mood perfectly. Sombre, moving and haunting? it really gets under the skin, and I?ve found it hard to shake many of the wonderful orchestrics from rebounding about my brain after I?ve put the controller down.

The adaptation of exploration into a title concerning itself most with travel, and of simply existing in the environment as it stands, is handled very well. There?s a brief scattering of ICO-like diversions which help to add an extra layer of diversity when castles, ruins and caverns have to be uncovered. While the control system in this regard has been simplified from ICO, in exploring insulated environments on foot, they continually contrast against the wide expanses of terrain you?re often faced with.

There are also immediate design decisions which are also dealt with in as much delicacy. For example, the HUD fading in and out when the context requires it helps the exploration/travel parts of the game retain a powerful sense of absorption. The mechanics of Colossus demand that a small quantity of (needed) information be directly relayed to the player (energy, equipment, grip), but a lot of the time, they?re simply not a requirement for existing in the landscape. A lesser developer wouldn?t have probably considered to implement the removal/renewal of the HUD so as to maintain the strength of the atmosphere.

***End of game discussion*** (highlight)

And then there?s the

->Open Spoiler<-

mystery of the characters? how the pain and the love of the main (nameless?) character is reflected by his obsession to take each colossi down. In a sense, it does bring the morality of our actions into play? because as we destroy each beast we?re helping appease a selfish desire for him not to be alone. Yet the only way to do is to kill the things filled with the most life in the environment ? the colossi. After doing so, it?s their death which returns us back to the temple to begin afresh? to repeat the cycle.

The out-of-focus voices which speak as we?re transported seem to me to perhaps be the hero?s unconscious fears for Wanda?s suffering in death, or Dormin?s manipulation of that fear. Either that or the voices could be the acclimatisation of Dormin as it regains its strength. Oddly, it?s these moments of transference that are the most sinister and soothing. They seem to be a good example of the dilemma when facing each colossi, in that it never feels entirely ?right? to kill them. There is no blood lust to be had from doing so.

We?re forced to take what we may think of as life in an attempt to give it back to someone else. It?s these entities? walking, galloping, flying? that also define what we?d usually classify of life as being something entirely different. After all, as we find out at the end, the beings trapped in each colossi are actually the dead soul (or parts) of Dormin. In taking each colossi down, we?re arguably not even destroying or killing? we?re creating and giving life back to a force that can only truly be alive in manipulating the will of others.

In the end, the player is being used as much as a means of transport as Argo himself is. He carries us around the surroundings? and all the same, we carry Dormin around for it to be returned to its complete state. I have to say that the conclusion to Colossus had me lost for words when I witnessed it. There are far too many games that finish with rushed endings and fail to conclude on a satisfying note, but Colossus resoundingly succeeds on this point. After 25 hours I was hoping for something special? and the twists, the interactive segments, the stunning choreography, the music, the bridge collapsing, the vortex, Wanda waking up, Argo?s return, the baby, and the secret garden the game ends on as an eagle soars up into the sky is simply bewildering. It?s poignant, saddening and movingly executed.

Particularly, in terms of being moved, I remember being gutted when Argo fell into the river from what was (beforehand) something I?d have considered a routine jump. When he?s reintroduced at the temple during the epilogue, limping and broken, it hits really hard ? the fact he was prepared to sacrifice himself. Even on his last legs? he?s returned back to the only place he?s found the boy in (after each colossi), and it?s almost as if Argo?s searching for his lost master.

***Comparisons to ICO made. Only read the next spoiler if you?ve completed it*** (highlight)

->Open Spoiler<-

This brings us back to a theme explored in ICO too. The Queen was to use Yorda as a spiritual vessel for her to reborn in, and what we find throughout the adventure, is that Dormin is using the boy?s body to harbour each part of its soul to later bring together. As Wanda discovers the baby where the vortex used to be, maybe it?s a sign that a rebirth has taken place too? that whatever existed has been returned to the world in a different form. This also brings into mind the question that Shadow of the Colossus may be a prequel to ICO? in that at the very end of the game, as the boy (our character) has absorbed the last of the colossi and has become infected to be a shadow? (or for a brief time a puppet)? he is evidently cursed, and the representation of this curse is a pair of horns?

Now, this hints on the relationship between the black ink/smoke and the curse which afflicted Ico. If this energy and the horns are connected to each other then the baby left for Wanda at Colossus? conclusion could either be the beginning of the curse in human form (later to infect villages), or an indication that the baby may possibly be Ico himself. On a more positive note, it might otherwise be a sign that not all the shadow magic is inherently evil (as Yorda shows herself after she changes at the end of ICO).

***End of game discussion*** (highlight)

In comparison,

->Open Spoiler<-

while the boy?s intentions of bringing Wanda back on the surface are noble, on the conclusion we find he?s been running away so that he can resurrect her exclusively for himself. To bring back someone he deeply cares for so they can run away together from those hunting them down.

The colossi aren?t the only ones being hunted? we find the hero of the tale is locked into exactly the same fate. One significant difference separates them, and that?s the colossi are at home in their surroundings. Settled.

Seclusion is created at many locations to imply a sense they were once alive and teaming with purpose. That?s something both ICO and Shadow of the Colossus manage to do better than any other game. Each of them creates environments that feel as though they?re actually real? as though people have used, seen, or walked over them at some point before. What this manages to do is instantly form a solid and distinct connection with us. The abandoned cities and castles come across as being warned down and transformed from age.

That?s why I think Shadow of the Colossus manages to evoke such an impressive atmosphere and sensation of existence. Its world doesn?t just hint at history to it? it throws you right into a time and a place where you immediately sense the lasting effects. This is something which ICO embodied and Colossus is a significant leap of.

The giants, the landscapes, the horse riding and the atmosphere uphold a wealth of dedication. You can see the effort and the love that?s gone into every area of design, and it?s something which instantly transfers and filters down from the screen.

Game of the year.

[peo]

Nice write-up fella (I've only read the non-spoiler parts). My copy arrived today and I have only had three quarters of an hour with it so far - just done the first colossus. Not played the demo and tried to watch as few movies as possible, and I have to say I'm blown away.

And from what I've read the first colossus is small change compared to the later colossi, so I am counting down the seconds till work finishes and I can get back to an experience I am already in love with.

[Concept]

Nice write-up fella (I've only read the non-spoiler parts). My copy arrived today and I have only had three quarters of an hour with it so far - just done the first colossus. Not played the demo and tried to watch as few movies as possible, and I have to say I'm blown away.

And from what I've read the first colossus is small change compared to the later colossi, so I am counting down the seconds till work finishes and I can get back to an experience I am already in love with.

I'm glad you're enjoying it.

And you're right... the first colossus is very timid to what you encounter later on in the game.

I won't spoil anything... just think big.

[spagmasterswift]

I completed Shadow of the Colossus late on Sunday. 25 hours and 50 minutes on the clock.

It's completely gripped and dominated my thoughts from start to finish.

Game of the year.

Well that's a relief!

[karlidog]

I've got about an hour on the clock myself, and have just finished off the second colossus (I fairly raced through the first one, having played the demo through about eight times and having gotten some of the wanderlust out of my system while I was at it). I'm absolutely blown away, completely floored by this game. It's so good to be back in Ico's world, and weirdly meaningful (speaking as someone who cries her eyes out every time she watches the ending of Ico) to be wandering the mainland at long last. The music's exceptional, the sights are astounding and the experience so far has been completely unlike any other. For me, this is what games are about.

[Jakeway]

I?ve looked at many forums and seen lots of people keep going on about how graphically amazing, beautiful and magical this game is but I just don?t see it? and it is starting to annoy me because I?d love to get lost in a beautiful and magical world. It has a unique art style yes, and it works well and is nice. But its an empty world with foggy and washed out graphics a crap frame rate, muddy textures and lots of pop in, which really isn?t all that ?magical?? It just reminds me of Sega Rally.

To me, it seems like people are saying things they ?think? they should say. Kind of like the way I used to tell the other children I supported pompy all throughout primary school when in truth I didnt give a toss.

As for the story, throughout the game you don?t even know anything about the girl your trying to bring back to life? and as a result its impossible to feel emotionally attached to the story line. Sure you might feel a bit bad for some of the more cuddly colossus but ultimately they are destructive and evil and deserve to die, bear in mind that they always attack you first.

Sure it is a nice game, it?s a great game? but I do wish people would tell it like it is.

Roll On Zelda!

[EvilBoris]

I?ve looked at many forums and seen lots of people keep going on about how graphically amazing, beautiful and magical this game is but I just don?t see it? and it is starting to annoy me because I?d love to get lost in a beautiful and magical world. It has a unique art style yes, and it works well and is nice. But its an empty world with foggy and washed out graphics a crap frame rate, muddy textures and lots of pop in, which really isn?t all that ?magical?? It just reminds me of Sega Really.

Indeed it is true, same with ICO, people rave about it being the best looking game of the gen, but how can it be when eveything seems to be composed of 4 polygons and textures look like them are from an n64 game?

[Jakeway]

I just want to point out I don?t think this is a bad looking game, I don?t think you need great graphics to have a great looking game. This game has a unique art style and it makes up for the technical problems they obviously face trying to make a world like this.

BUT it is not half as nice as a lot of people are making it out to be.

[karlidog]

I do wish people would tell it like it is.

It's a bit insulting to assume people are being led into liking something because they've expressed an opinion different to your own. I'm telling it like it is, and it's incredible. You're telling it like it is, and it's disappointing.

[Jakeway]

I doubt you?re the least bit insulted, tell it like it is... but yes, fair point.

I expect a lot of people are really enjoying it, I really enjoyed it. I just got a bit fed up reading so much pretentious lies and I felt I had to say something.

My apologies to everyone currently enjoying the game.

[gingerbeardman]

Got mine this morning, but am working (at home - what a trial of patience!).

At lunch I watched the intro - what a great sense of scale for the journey ahead, what sense of forboding! The music had me, the graphics had be and the tone of the wee lads voice also had me. Roll on 6pm!

matt

[lordcookie]

I got my copy today and have tackled the first two colossi and I must say it is stunning. I wasn't a fan of Ico so I took much of the hype before release with a pinch of salt, but even I am blown away by this game (so far).

There are faults: the textures are a bit crap, I have had a few niggling problems with the camera and the framerate could be better, but they are minor concerns when the rest of the package is so damn sweet.

The scale and atmosphere is fantastic. Walking up the first colossi is frankly jaw dropping. The colossi are also brilliantly realised. Not just from a technical standpoint but the way that they are living breathing creatures within the game world really hits home when you plunge your sword into them. The gamet of emotions from immense satisfaction you have tackled such a foe, tinged with regret for relieving it of its life is frankly baffling. I have never played a game where there is a juxtaposition of emotions like this, and that was just after the first colossi!

I did take a while to get used to the controls (the first colossi is the ideal training ground to hone the basics) but once they clicked the environment and its possibilities really opened up. I travelled in the opposite direction before tackling the second colossi just to see what was around me and the game world is huge, even once all the colossus have been dealt with I could see much fun to be had in just travelling.

So far, so great.