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BrodoFaggins's Shadow of the Colossus (PS2)
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| [January 19, 2007 12:24:22 PM]
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Continuing from the Sixth Colossus:
I started off in the main temple in the center of the world, as is the case after every single colossus. It happens automatically, as you sort of "die" after you kill one. I summoned my horse with a quick yell, and hopped on. Again, I whipped out my sword, and let my sword's light guide me. This time, the sword led me directly north, across a land bridge.
This particular design choice enabled the developer to make the User Interface as minimal as possible. The only thing you have to worry about is your health and stamina, and those are only visible when you're fighting a colossus, or have to switch weapons. It really works, and keeps the player's attention on the gameworld, which is quite the pleasant thing to look at, even if the framerate tends to suffer.
My beam of light was shooting directly into a mountain, so I started skirting it on the eastern side. Eventually, I came upon a low wall, with a lake on the other side.
I hopped over it, and came across a series of columns sprouting out of the deep, dark waters. As soon as I jumped onto the last one, a cutscene started, and a giant electric eel-type colossus emerged from the depths, three giant glowing spikes adorning its back.
I quickly scrambed up onto a low-lying platform and started launching arrow after arrow at it, but they didn't penetrate the surface, and just floated there. I dived in, and swam around, trying to get it's attention.
It finally swam at me, the head rushing closer. I swam forward, and in doing so, it dived again, but this time, it's tail rushed at me, and came out of the surface. I immediately noticed that it was covered in fur, and I hung on. It dived under water, thrashing and wriggling violently. Now that I was hanging on AND holding my breath, my stamina meter drained pretty fast. It would rise to the surface quite a bit, at which point I would run forward, and hide behind one if it's spines. Every time it submerged again, however, it would shock me. That's when I noticed the small blue glowing spots behind them. I quickly stabbed them, and the spikes would become useless.
I quickly ran to it's head, and stabbed the magic seal there, effectively killing it.
More later.
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| [January 18, 2007 05:44:11 PM]
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Shadow of the Colossus is one of those rare titles that just instills in you a sense of awe and wonder that very few games are capable of. The haunting soundtrack alone is worth the price of admission, and the epic score matches the huge enemy titans perfectly. The world that the main character fights his battles in is a barren, desolate land, inhabited by nothing but plants and old, moss-covered ruins. The occasional lizard or bird scurries about, but there's no interaction with them. My only companion on this lonely world is my horse, Aero (or Agro, I can't tell what he's saying).
The main character is the typical quiet type, and the story revolves around him defeating the colossi that are hidden in areas on his world. He is doing this because the mystical force that has tasked him with killing the colossi has promised to revive his dead (I think, don't spoil it for me) girlfriend.
I've already been playing this game on and off for about 6 months, as I want to make this intense experience last as long as possible. I'll fight a colossus, revel in the intense battle and experience, and stop for a while. I just don't want it to end. It's rare for a game to have this effect on me.
This particular session had me hunting down the sixth colossus, which entailed me to track it down, as is the case with all the other colossi. You do this by holding up your sword to the light: as soon as the sun's light strikes it, six beams of light shoot out of it. The closer you turn to the general direction of where it lies, the closer the beams converge. You then follow that beam to where the colossus is lying in wait.
The sixth colossus led me to an underground castle-like area, a giant room full of low stone partitions and a very high ceiling. I climbed over the sides of these partitions until I came to the very end of the room. At that point, a small cutscene came on, and the sixth colossus burst through the wall. He looked like a gorilla standing upright, with large arms and short legs. I looked at his legs, and I couldn't see any "fur" or "hair" hanging off.
In SotC, you must kill these leviathans by somehow climbing onto them, then stabbing their magical seal. Getting on them is the hardest part, as each one requires a different trick. He came charging at me, and I realized I should probably run out of his way.
The aforementioned partitions were not obstacles in my path to safety, and I had to quickly climb up and jump over each one. I managed to make it to safety, into a little overhang.
At this point, the colossus was standing in front of me, walking around. I needed to get onto him, but how? I decided to at least draw him near me, so I shot a couple of arrows. I heard a loud, questioning grunt, and he crouched down to look into the overhang.
That's when I noticed his beard was swaying right in front of me. I quickly leaped out and clung to it. Instantly, the music changed, becoming tense and quick, while the colossus tried to shake me off. The game utilizes a stamina meter in the shape of a circle. The longer you hang onto something, the more this meter shrinks, until it hits zero, at which point you'll let go.
I crawled up his face and the side of his head, figuring the weakspot to be on his forehead. I was right, and quickly stabbed him a couple of times. Each stab pissed him off even more, and the only way I could let go safely while staying on was on his back, which was slightly slouching.
The seal on his forehead disappeared, at which point he shook even more violently. I fell and stumbled down his back, barely managing to hang on. That's when I noticed the seal there. Acting quickly, I stabbed into him again, and killed him.
This game is comprised solely of these sorts of experiences: there's no mini-boss, no collectables, no swarms of lesser enemies. It's just huge rock monsters, one after the other.
More later.
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BrodoFaggins's Shadow of the Colossus (PS2)
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Current Status: Playing
GameLog started on: Thursday 18 January, 2007
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