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Saturday 12 January, 2008
SUMMARY
I had rented Shadow of the Colossus around the time it came out. I distinctly remember not enjoying this game, even after all of the hype it had received. After seeing it on the list of classic games for the Playstation 2, I figured I owed the game another try.
Shadow of the Colossus begins by introducing an unnamed character who had apparently lost someone close to him. Although there is not much background story given, the objective is extremely clear. Destroy all colossi to save the girl. Colossi are best described as giants. In fact, the game cover has a clever statement about the primary objective, "Some mountains are scaled, others are slain."
GAMEPLAY
After playing through this game a second time, not remembering the specific reasons why I did not like this game, the primary annoyances become clear. The camera angle is extremely frusterating. Using the right joystick, one can manually control the camera. However, because this usually ends up not keeping the character as the primary focus on the screen, I tend to get confused. Also, considering the gigantic size of each colossus, keeping it and the player on screen can be extremely difficult.
I also got very frusterated with the horse. The sensitivity of the controller made it extremely hard to ride it in a straight line, and my housemates joked that it seemed like I was riding a drunk horse.
I do like the idea that the main character is anonymous. A game like this is already slow paced, as each colossus can take more than half an hour each, so by not dumbing the player with another mindless story, the game makers let us create our own story and reason as to why the player must defeat each colossus.
Each colossus must be scaled through elaborate jumps and climbs. However, when the colossus you are scaling realizes it has a tiny character climbing on top it, it will shake and rattle to try and get you off. If it does, the climb back can be extremely annoying and repetitive. My housemates were standing by, watching my every move. Although the scale of each battle is quite epic, and exciting enough to keep bystanders watching, the reality of falling off and starting all over were enough to make them stop caring.
The boss fights in Shadow of the Colossus, while long, are extremely rewarding. Picture an ant climbing to the top of a human, and finding a way to take them down. After finding the weak point and destroying a colossus, a large sense of accomplishment overwhelmed me.
I have finished now 5 colossus and look forward to taking down some more.
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