Shadow of the Colossus

"The most beautiful experience on the PS2."

It started with ICO. The sleeper hit managed to garner quite a lot of attention after being declared the “greatest game you've never played”. Before anyone knew it, they were seeing previews for a project called NICO. Of course, NICO was Shadow of the Colossus. Shadows is an unofficial prequel to ICO, it takes place in roughly the same world and using the same language and style.

From the moment you pick up Shadows, it's not truly like any other game you'll play. Graphically, Shadows is absolutely beautiful. The game is gorgeous to play, and everything is just perfect.

Let's start a formal review.

STORY 9/10:
Crossing forests and mountains, a young man travels to a far land forgotten by time, to an ancient temple. There he beseeches a mysterious spirit to resurrect a young woman he places upon the alter. The spirit tells him that only by destroying each of the eighteen stone idols before him is it possible to bring life back to the young woman. But to do this, he much search far and wide for the massive colossi whom the idols represent, and then he must slay them. And this is no easy task.

But with his steed, Argo, and with the sword and bow, this young Wanderer travels the land to slay the colossi. But at what cost?

Shadow of the Colossus bares a rather simple story that works to it's advantage. Still, you never learn the main character's name. You also never learn the nature of the relationship the main character with the young woman. But it is not necessarily what you reveal as what you don't reveal- this seems to have been taken to heart by Shadow's developers.

I often found that I preferred the lack of detail to the dull and confusing stories of others. I would rather have a beautiful, simple story than a complicated, confusing, and boring one. What story is in Shadows works perfectly.

GRAPHICS 10/10:
Video games are supposed to place you in the middle of the experience, make you feel like you are there. Shadow of the Colossus does this beautifully. The miles of majestic terrain you will travel in Shadow of the Colossus is massive, and some of the most beautiful environments you'll ever find. Each new location is breathtaking, so beautiful you wish you had a camera. It FEELS so real!

The detail is impeccable, and like I said, the world is MASSIVE. You'll begin to wonder how a game can support so much, it's unfathomable. The only thing that takes away from these environments is that the world is surprisingly empty.

Each of the Colossi are beautiful, they will easily take your breath away. Each one is beautifully designed and incredibly lifelike (a giant creature that feels real. All you'll be able to say is “wow”. This is easily some of the best graphics on the PS3. It certainly earns a ten out of ten.

This is a prime game to play on your new HDTV, I bet it looks awesome (wish I could be you).

GAMEPLAY 10/10:
From the first moment you meet the first Colossi, you'll never be the same. They're SO huge! Massive, ancient Golems that have lived for thousands of years, locked away from the world. In comparison to your own height, you are literally an ant- these things are huge!

Shadows is all about finding and slaying these massive beasts. Each one is like a boss- there's a secret to defeating them, and you must find it. In such way, each Colossi is like a very complex puzzle. Most of the time you actually have to climb the Colossi! Seriously, it's like mountain climbing, only the mountain moves! And I have never had a game experience that felt as real as scaling these monsters, ever. The game's tag line is to be taken serious, “Some mountains are scaled. Others are slain.”

Most of the challenge of the game lies in discovering the secret to slaying each Colossus. When you finally manage to kill the gigantic beast, you'll be filled with satisfaction. You'll likely spend hours trying to discover each enemy's weakness, this trial and error method never really gets old. Each Colossus is unique.

Soon, you'll be so caught up in the experience, that you'll be oblivious to anything else. All you'll want is to find the next Colossus, see what it looks like, and then discover for yourself how to beat it. And this is why I must beg of you, seek no help for this game. Don't buy a strategy guide, don't attempt to look for the answer on gamefaqs. More than half the experience of this game is to discover for yourself how to beat each one. To have that satisfaction is indescribable by any means. To have discovered for yourself the answer. Wow. I never thought I could be so caught up in a mere video game. But that is the power of Shadow of the Colossus.

Trust me, rather trust in yourself- don't buy a game guide. Figure this game out yourself, because you'll never have another experience like it.

The AI 10/10:
The AI in this game is astounding. The massive Colossi feel like living, breathing, massive beasts. Every attempt they make to throw you off them, every time they attempt to attack you . . . wow. To think that something SO big, can move . . . how does anyone make a game like this? This is truly the best gaming experience I've ever had. The AI makes them feel real, their behavior is perfect.

You'll also note that Argo, your horse, looks, acts, moves, and feels like a real horse. They did a very good job on this game's AI. And it's just another aspect that will astound you, and draw you into the experience.

MUSIC 10/10:
I never actually thought about it, but the music is truly beautiful. The battle music will undoubtedly be stuck in your head for some time. I don't think I could fight a Colossus without the music, it just wouldn't feel right! Each tune helps to draw you into the experience. Like the first time you saw Star Wars, you'll never come back the same. You'll forever be longing for the same experience, just like it was the first time you played it. You'll wish you could completely forget it, just so you could feel the same way you did the first time you played it. Unfortunately, it won't happen.

Much like ICO, the music will draw you into an experience from which you may never return. It all feels so perfect.

REPLAY VALUE 6/10:
So, let's face it, you'll play this game again in that vain attempt to relive it. Unfortunately, it will never quite feel like that first time. Even those who have read my review, and seen the screen shots, you still have no idea how great this game is. Not till you play it.

On the other hand, there's more to do after the game than in ICO. You can scour the massive, beautiful landscape for those rare white-tailed lizards. I know, it sounds dull, but it's actually rather fun. Eating those special lizards increase your stamina- and trust me, you'll really be wanting that for the final Colossi. Eating fruit increases your health- not a bad thing at all. Just wait till you fall hundreds of feet from a giant Colossi, it's painful landing.

Then there's various upgrades you can get for beating the Colossi within a certain time frame. New types of weapons and features.

In the end, the replay value isn't very high.

CONTENT WARNING:
There is some blood evident in Shadow of the Colossus. However, the blood is that of the Colossus you kill. Upon plunging your sword into the Colossus' vitals, a stream of black blood shoots into the air- it's very reminiscent of oil shooting from the ground. Not once, however, did I see real, red blood.

The other content can be summed up to spiritual references. The game is about a man who makes a deal with a demonic spirit in order to resurrect someone he loves.

OVERALL 10/10:
If you own the PS2, there's no possible excuse big enough for you not to buy this game. It's all about the experience, you'll not walk away from this game regretting it. For the price they ask for, it's the most priceless thing you could buy. Shadows won't just add to a great PS2 collection.

I've played many games for the PS2, Metal Gear Solid 2 & 3, Final Fantasy X & XII, Kingdom Hearts 1 & 2, Xenosaga, Spider-man 1 & 2, Killzone- while all these games were great, Shadow of the Colossus manages to be the best of them all. You will not regret buying this game, in fact, you'll be wondering why you almost missed it. This game is a dream, possibly even better than a dream. Not once did I feel capable of dreaming a better, more perfect experience. If you haven't bought this game, the only one you're hurting is you.

But that is also Shadow of the Colossus' one flaw, that the second time through will never captivate you first time. The only problem is, you'll be left longing for the exact same experience.

There is no other game, except ICO, that I would ever called flawless and perfect. But Shadow of the Colossus is one of those games that astounds beyond reason.

Now, if you don't mind, I think I'll go play it again.

Reviewer's Score: 10/10, Originally Posted: 07/16/07