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Shadows and Dust...

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 8 / 9
Date: October 22, 2005
Author: Amazon User

You might as well do yourself a favor and get this title on its way to you even before you proceed to read reviews here at Amazon. Know right now that this is indeed one of those rare games that is worth its price tag and a lot more.
- My ps2 doesn't do much but collect dust these days as I'm finding it harder and harder to get myself interested and/or immersed in video games. Now if that has more to do with me growing older and not caring for the whole vicarious nature of games as much, or if it has more to do with recent releases I've played being poorly made and just failing in their attempts to thrill the mind, I don't know. But as a jaded gamer, I popped in Shadow of the Colossus and I was immediately blown away. I felt so awed and inspired and excited playing this game that I think it reminded me a little bit of what the whole fantasy gaming experience should be like in the first place. And I think that's whats so amazing about SOTC: it breaks new ground by doing something so simple. And it's somehow so spellbinding in it's own very unique way it just has to be seen to be believed. If you own a ps2 or even if you just have access to one, you will be missing out big time if you do not play this game. I realize that here we are at the end of my little review, and I have not mentioned one facet of the game's mechanics, story, or tilt. And I don't have to. - Its all been said. What you need to know is that SOTC is an amazing and epic fantasy experience that will without a doubt inspire and enchant you. Don't pass on this one.

Freaking Cool Videogame as Art

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 8 / 9
Date: November 20, 2006
Author: Amazon User

WOW!!! This game is so freaking cool!!! The colossi are amazing! I've played my share of games, and I can honestly say that I've never encountered creatures like these before. I'm only about halfway thru the game, (having slain 7 colossi with 9 more to go), and yet each new colossus that I meet astounds me all over again. One thing about them, that I have never felt in other games, is that they envoke sympathy towards them. Until you find them in their own little area of their world, they are just giant hulks resting peacefully, bothering no one. But once disturbed, they awaken, and you must figure out how to take each one down. I actually feel sad when they fall. Supposedly your character must take them down to resurrect his lifeless lover, however I get a sense that there will be a twist to this story before it ends.
Another equally awe-inspiring aspect of this game is the environment in which you are playing. It is without compare the most beautiful, mystical, unbelievably gorgeous landscape I've seen in any game, ever. The world looks, feels, and sounds like an ancient place and time. You just have to experience it. This will be one of those games I'll remember years from today and will have to play all over again. This game is a work of art, just as certain films are; plus it's just so freaking cool!!! Don't miss it.

Sorry, I simply don't get this game

1 Rating: 1, Useful: 14 / 22
Date: September 19, 2007
Author: Amazon User

Yes, I know, I will get flamed for penning a negative opinion about this game. If anything is to be learned from comments other reviewers have received for simply stating that they didn't like this game, then it is that I am either a child, mentally somewhat slow and lacking in imagination, dumb, unintelligent, a moron, - ah, you get the idea. To the best of my knowledge, I don't fall into any of these categories - although I am sure that somebody will come up with yet another negative conclusion about my personality and mental capacities.

My review is not aimed at belittling those who enjoy this game - I wish I could join in with you in appreciating this game. Alas, I can not. I have attempted to play through this game so many times that I have lost count, with every new attempt hoping to find the rewarding quality others describe yet which keeps eluding me.

I find myself climbing on the horse and riding through a landscape essentially barren of all those factors that make gameplay fun. Yes, it's great that the landscapes are beautifully rendered, I like that there is detail, color variation, and a sense of texture. If this were the real world, I'd whip out my camera and start taking pictures. It is not, though, and in most games, a background is just that: A backdrop to the main objective of the game. No matter how hard I try, I do not find myself wandering the game's landscape marveling how impressive it is. Instead, I am looking for something to do, a puzzle to solve, an enemy to kill, or well, just anything but aimless wandering - and that sword doesn't really help much, now does it?

I wish fighting the Colossi were interesting enough to make the pain of this aimless wandering worthwhile. And perhaps it is the first time you fight a Colossus. After that, it's basically wash, rinse, repeat.

In essence, I find myself bored out of my mind trying to play this game and it easily makes it to the bottom of my list of good games - but you know, this is just a matter of opinion and preference. I wish there was something to do other than the sporadic killing of a colossus, preceded and followed by an eternal-seeming nothingness. There is not...

Awesome game

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 6 / 6
Date: December 12, 2005
Author: Amazon User

this game is great. the ps2 has been waiting for a game like this. state of the art graphics, epic storytelling and dont even get me started on the audio, just phenomenal. Also for the 40 dollar price tag, this game simply cannot be beat. If you own a ps2, you NEED to own this game!

Cliches can't begin to express

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 6 / 6
Date: December 29, 2005
Author: Amazon User

Majestic; original; beautiful; awe-inspiring; emotional. There are a bunch of words you could use to describe this game, but there's no way you can completely explain the feeling you get when you first start playing. The only way to really understand this game is to actually play it.

Like most great games, the gameplay itself is very simple. You have a horse. You have a sword. You have a bow. You have to find the colossi and kill them. Tracking them down is accomplished by following the light reflected from your sword. Getting to them means climbing into the saddle and riding across the countryside. Once you find them, you have to figure out their weakness and kill them.

What you don't get from that description is the incredible immersiveness and expansiveness of the environment. You have an entire country to ride through, and it blends together seamlessly stride-by-stride and mountain-by-mountain. There are no pauses for loading as you go from one "area" to another - in fact there are no "areas." You simply ride your horse to your destination and, when you find your colossus, kill it.

The battles themselves are nothing less than epic, majestic, awesome. With only the analog sticks and a couple of buttons, the game developers deliver battle sequences that can be as short as 10 or 15 minutes to over an hour of totally captivating combat that, after the first couple of colossi, flows as smoothly as watching a movie, and is as intense as anything on the big screen.

There is a story behind your mission, but to say anything about it would be to give too much away, since discovering the story is part of the gameplay. When you start the game, you will be mystified as to what exactly is going on, and simply have to immerse yourself in the world of the game and let it take you where it will.

As many have said, the battles can become highly emotional at the end. Many of these colossi are gorgeously rendered, beautifully animated, and nearly all of them are impressively huge, dwarfing your character, and the interaction between you and the giant colossus is pulled off flawlessly. They will walk, soar, swim and stalk around the environments, often with you as an unwanted passenger. Some will be agressive, and actively attack you, while others are merely a presence to be destroyed. Regardless, the impact of the final death is of a sadness that you have destroyed this colossus, simply because it is your quest. As at least one reviewer has already said, you feel like a terrible person.

This is one of those games that defies the genres. There's no easy way to classify it. It is however one of the most technically impressive games I've seen on any platform, and one of the most immersive games I've ever played, captivating me and capturing my whole attention while I'm playing, and even after having nearly completed it, I'm still amazed at the fluidness and beauty of the landscape as I travel through it.

If I have one complaint, it's that the game is too short. I received it as a christmas present, and less than a week later, I am nearly finished playing it, and that's only taking an hour or two a night. Some have said that the tasks of "find the colossus, find its weakness, kill it" can get tedious or repetitive, but the variety of colossi and their respective weaknesses have kept me interested throughout the game. Some have been very difficult either through timing or complexity of the tasks you have to accomplish to kill them, others have been simple, but dramatic.

As I said at the beginning, there is no simple way to explain the draw of this game. Everything about it combines to produce one of the most fantastic games I've ever played, and the only way to understand is to experience it first-hand. If you are into video games, you owe it to yourself to check this one out personally.

Not nearly as good as I had expected...

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 9 / 12
Date: March 07, 2007
Author: Amazon User

This is a hard game to rate. I had really high expectations and for a while, I thought I liked the game. The art style is unusual. The whole concept is unusual. The task at hand is unusual. The thought of killing a huge colossus appeals to me. So what's not to like?

Well, here's what: The game has a few serious problems and then there are some things that are probably a matter of opinion, but I personally didn't like.

So let's start with the serious problems: For one, the controls for both your character and (in particular) the camera are a complete disaster. Example: You want to line up to see the colossus. This is a problem because the camera constantly fights you and moves away from how you have aligned it, even if you do not move at all. There is a "lock the camera on to the colossus" feature, but it isn't very useful, because it kind of moves the camera off your character, to a point where you can hardly see your own character at times, and you certainly can't do anything useful. But in any event: Let's say you managed to arrange the camera so you can see the colossus. And then, let's say you want to shoot an arrow at it, so you hit the button to aim the bow, and swoooop.... All of a sudden your character turns 90 degrees facing a completely different way. What the...?!? By the time you wrestle the aim back on the colossus he has probably whacked you, or at least got close enough to do some serious damage to you. Not fun.

The whole matter of the controls is made worse by the fact that little mistakes are punished severely. You may be forced to swim for minutes and then run up a spiral staircase for minutes just to fall off the top for the 15th time, because you do not know how to get past a certain point. And perhaps you even found out how to get past the point the first time, but because of the poor controls you ended up making a move that appeared to be so far off the mark that you thought your idea to proceed was completely wrong. I understand that there is supposed to be a puzzle element but how much fun is it to run/swim around for 10 minutes to get back to your 2 second puzzle which you fail to complete because the controls are bad? For me personally: Not even once.

Those are some real problems that everyone playing this game will encounter. Apparently some people do not mind so much (or perhaps they haven't played other games that do similar things so much better) and I guess they feel that positive aspects of the game make up for it. Such as the art style and the idea of killing a colossus. Personally, I feel differently. Here's why:

I do not like the art style. I thought I did at first, because it is unusual and a bit different. But when you really think about it, then all you get is washed out graphics in slightly different shades of a the same color. It really does not look good (even the gold old PS2 can do a lot better), it just looks unusual and odd. And to make matters worse, the entire game world is completely dead and mostly uninspired. Sure, there is the occasional canyon and the nice bridge here and there, but other than the locations of the colossi, there isn't much going on in between. And there is a lot of area in between. Empty grass lands mostly. Certainly nothing alive. And the developers make you ride your horse around in these grass lands for a long time and for no particular reason (other than making the game longer perhaps). It is really a boring rip-off, especially compared to many other games.

I also got to hate the protagonist. Almost to a point where I started hoping he'd fall off the colossus and die. The problem is that he is so clumsy, to a point where he sometimes appears to be handicapped. Now I do not want to upset any handicapped people and I certainly do not have anything against them, but I had not expected to play one in this kind of game. But the way he runs and swims and constantly falls, and how he gets up after he rolls, and how he often jumps instead of diving for safety, and how he jumps head-first against his horses rear end rather than getting into the saddle, and all that, just make the whole thing completely unbelievable.

The other problem is that it just isn't that cool to kill a colossus. I had really high hopes for that part, but all you do is try to find a way to climb up (which has a certain puzzle element that might be entertaining... but there always only seems to be one specific way as far as I can tell) and then you try to hold on while the thing is thrashing around, and every now and then, you manage to get a stab in. Trying to hold on however, is not that cool, because all you do is hold down the R1 button until he slows down and then you stab. It isn't like a heart-stopping nail-biter to see whether you can hold on. You just keep the button pressed and that's it. Frankly, it is mostly boring. On occasion you get a colossus that tickles your fancy more than others and that may be a bit cooler, but by and large, I had much higher expectations based on the fundamental idea.

So bottom line: The basis for this game is an awesome idea. Probably one that appeals to me more than just about any other game idea. But the execution is done so boringly stupid that I really had not much fun playing this game. Maybe my expectations were too high...

Don't Believe the Hype - This Emporer's Naked

2 Rating: 2, Useful: 12 / 20
Date: May 16, 2007
Author: Amazon User

One of the most critically-acclaimed games for the PS2, "Shadow of the Colossus" has amassed a legion of staunch defenders. However, after only a short time playing, its many shortcomings become apparent, leaving any objective gamer wondering why it receives the support that it does.

SotC ultimately boils down to an overgrown puzzle game. The box and the trailers will make it look like an action/RPG hybrid in a fantasy setting, but it's none of those things. Each colossus must be killed by figuring out how to grab on and scale its body to find its weak points. Once you're there, you repeatedly stab the weak point and hope you have enough grip left to hold on until it dies. Otherwise, you simply have to start the climb all over again and repeat the process.

This is one of the most linear games ever - find/kill no.1, then find/kill no. 2, then find/kill, well you get the idea. Also, the bulk of the time spent playing this (short - only about ten hours) game is in the finding of each colossus' lair. It could very well have been called "Wander Around Lost for Hours En Route to Killing the Same Boss Over and Over Game".

The travel time stems from a gameplay environment that is huge yet ultimately pointless. The map is gigantic, but aside from save point temples and the colossi themselves, there are no other points of interest/activity at all.

Many praised SotC's art direction, but I found it to be nothing special. First, I enjoy 50 million shades of pale green and grey as much as the next guy, but this was overkill. The lush, mossy terrain gives way to endless fields and majestic mountains, but after a short while, it gets very repetitive (and again, adds nothing but ornament to the gameplay). Plus, the moving objects all look pretty obviously sewn-together. Overall, the graphics push the capabilities of the PS2 so far that frame drag and other motion problems are frequent.

When actually doing battle with one of he colossi, the camera simply does not work. It drifts, flips, and generally does what it pleases at the most irritating and inopportune times. Have fun trying to track the flying colossus.

The storyline starts out as a paint-by-numbers plot involving a magical quest that the hero must undertake in order to revive his dead girlfriend. There are hints promising plot twists later in the game, but they don't develop into anything. The ending that's presented is lengthy but ultimately self-indulgent nonsense. And of course, you don't do anything during this protracted ending other than watch it happen.

The music is a bland knock-off of FF and every other synth-symphonic score. There is also not enough of it, so that it gets very, very repetitive after only a short amount of gameplay. But worst of all is the fit to the action - even during the fight scenes, the music is often this melancholy dirge that reinforces how much this game feels like a dreadful task that's fallen on your noble shoulders to complete.

This feeling of dread is compounded by the sympathetic feeling of your foes. For the first time ever, a game has created an experience that makes you feel bad for having won! SotC feels like clubbing baby seals to me. Maybe if the story had explained why these slow-moving, seemingly docile creatures needed to be viciously stabbed to death, I'd be able to better cope. Or maybe if I didn't generally have to initiate the fight by shooting arrows into it until it's finally mad enough to defend itself. Or maybe if more than half of them actually fought back. Or maybe if a single one of them had ever managed to kill little ol' me during the game. Alternate title: "Hunting Gentle Elephants for their Ivory or Maybe Even Just Out of Boredom Game".

Many will knee-jerk disagree with me over this one, but I feel that many more will be disappointed after blind-buying this title. It looks like much more than it really is: a task list of puzzles to be solved with a lot of pointless wandering around in between each. Add in graphical problems and a camera that fights you harder than any of the colossi, and you've got a real unengaging time. At least it's also a very brief game. . .

Leaves others in it's "Shadow"

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 5 / 5
Date: October 25, 2005
Author: Amazon User

I knew about this game for months. Desperately wanted the demo, but couldn't find it, and when it was scheduled to come out, the shipment was postponed! Let's just say the wait was well, A WAIT. But when I finally popped this bad boy in, the beginning alone was reminiscent of a LOTR movie, and when you see the look in the eyes of the first Collosus as he notices you; you want to turn the other way! Needless to say, He can be dropped in about five minutes, but let me tell you, I fought with the 9th Colossus for over an hour! I've had harder boss battles before, but mainly due to the fact that they CHEESE you, or their pattern hasn't been figured out yet. But this one Colossus actually made me use my brain, and when I finally figured it out I was kicking myself for not thinking of it sooner. The game throws you a turn in the fact that the vitals of some colossi are so obvious in the beginning, but are damn near hidden once you hit the midway point. Those bastards, right? This makes for interesting battles where you are essentially trying everything you've learned from the previous fights. But it's actually fun. The less you know about each behemoth, the better you'll feel after sticking it out and giving em' the sharp end of the blade. I remember shouting "die, die, die" as I slayed the 9th.
Those with puzzle solving minds and a knack for exploration will be pleased when they come across something that was previously unknown. The game is 100% better if you have no prior knowledge to tactics, secrets, or the world in general. There are things you can do that the manual doesnt even touch on, and this was done on purpose. Graphic-wise, it pushes the PS2 to the limit, and I say so because sometimes I'm amazed at the look of the Colossi themselves, however, the character himself is a little pixelated and the land could be sharper. The game froze on me once, luckily I was only replaying a battle...Yes, I had started a new game simply to re-kill Colossi I had alreday put down to show my girlfriend how awesome the whole experience is. If somone sees Colossi #7, they might be amazed, but if they see you start at the first and seek, climb, stab, and kill your way to the 7th; they will be in awe and on your side. There is a downside to the fact that the Colossi are the only major part of the game, as the really determined will just seek out and beat every monster back to back in two days. I'm on the 11th with nine hours and change play time...and I can honestly say I've only played hardcore for about a day or two. And once you know how to beat each one, it's not a mystery anymore, so that takes away from the fun factor. STill semi-intense, but definetly not like the first time because there's only one way to approach and beat each Colossi.
Overall, I still love the game because of its subtleties and it's unique story. Murdering beasts wouldnt be as heartfelt if there wasnt a compelling story behind it. And its all a mystery. The animations are great, and each Colossi kinda have a personality too. the one I'm battling now is like an over anxious dog that doesnt know it's own strength. The environment transitions are really smooth, making the land seem far larger than it really is. there are hidden nooks, caverns, and gorges. I just wish there was a tad more to do between Collossi; like hunting something besides Lizards, as the important ones are usually found solely on the shrines. I've rarely died the whole game, as it's also easy (and sometimes necessary) to take a breather or hide to regain strength. I thought that was a novel idea, usually games don't do that.

a game like no other

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 5 / 5
Date: December 11, 2005
Author: Amazon User

shadow of the colossus... i wonder where to start with this one... this is a great game. it has stunning graphics that almost push the ps2 to it's limits, an amazingly vague but haunting storyline, beautiful music, and incredible animations. but possiby the most noteable thing about this game are the battles.

there are a total of 16 colossi in this game. and thats about it. the emtiness, however, does not make for a boring expirience. there are countless places to roam freely, the game designers even went so far as to add fish to one of the ponds, for no reason other than to be there and add the realism of the fantastic forbidden realm the game takes place in. the artistry lies in it's weaknesses. where there would be thousands of enemies to fight in other games, there are only 16 here. you fight them in succession, and can choose to explore in between fights. your character is not some great hero, hes not athletic, strong, or particularly fast. in fact, one of the first thing you notice is how clumsy he seems. but he has the heart to take on a literal walking mountain to save one girl.

now, these boss fights... each colossus offers its own challenge. some you can simply run up to and climb on. others, however, take a little more cunning and thought. you address each colossi as a moving puzzle. analyzing it's movements and trying to find weaknesses, places to grab onto, and movements which expose a potentially unprotected spot. these are boss fights that take thought and skill. you cannot just run up to a colossus and hack at it until it dies. it takes more than that.

the storlyline of this game is incredible. i'm not going to give it away, but it is incredibly vague, and does not really tell you anything until the very end of the game. and i love it

this is a game i will never forget, it is like no other.

A groundbreaking, hypnotic, and inmersive experience.

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 5 / 5
Date: January 13, 2006
Author: Amazon User

I am a 26 year old photographer and music student. I have played videogames since the 80s, and dare I say that for each console generation that has come out through the years, the games that can be trully called milestones can be counted with the fingers of one hand only. Shadow of the Colossus is one of such games.
This game's presentation does not waste time (or disc space for that matter) in Hollywood-film-like intros with great big booms, bangs, or that kind of stuff. It plunges you right into the beginning of the story, which is simple, yes, and it is understood almost completely by the very beginning. But that is where the magic of this game resides, not in complex storytelling or a vast variety of characters to interact with, but in an atmosphere of exquisite solitude and, dare I say, contemplation of nature and the very simplicity of the things that surround you.
Your task is to hunt and slay 16 colossi, one at a time, this being the only possible way to bring back to life the main character's fallen female companion. So simple is the story, but the EXPERIENCE this game will provide you in taking such journey is the grandeur of it. The land one travels through is vast and beautifully crafted for the game. Meadows, forrests, clearings, mountains, barren lands, lakes, surrealistic buildings that seem to belong to some obliterated civilization.
One of the things I like the most is that you are never specified in what period of time you are adventuring. You are not even told the name of the place you are in, heck, who knows if it's even supposed to be Earth at all. The only hint one has as to the setting is the medieval feel to the man-made buildings (which are few, but gorgeous), and the character's items and weapons. Not to mention Agro, the horse and faithful friend to the main character through the entire adventure.
The exploring, wandering, and the simple yet rich vastness of the environments are one part of the experience. The other part, which is perhaps the most amazing, are the colossi themselves, which are the most chilling and awe-striking characters Ive seen in a videogame in a long, long time (I believe I had not been so awe-struck by a character in a videogame since I first saw the cutscene of the underwater Weapon emerging to the ocean's surface in FFVII).
Giving you a really well crafted sense of size and weight, each of these behemoths will make you sit still with eyes wide open and perhaps even an open mouth of disbelief the first time you encounter them. And the real fun starts in using your wits and guts to figure out the way to take them down, and take my word, each fight with the colossi can really pump some adrenaline in your veins at times.
The fully orchestrated music is nothing short of majestic, sublime, and breathtaking, and it is put to very good use during the battles, as it progresses into different motifs as the tide turns in the melee. The character's tone of voice also changes as things get more tense, so does Agro's behaviour and a hell of a lot more details that you will notice in the colossus itself and the way it looks at you and slowly strikes.
I cannot give a very specific description of how this game feels and how it drifts you away hypnotically into another world. I think one has to experience it personally. As for me, this game is definitley in my top ten games list of all time, and I believe it is one of the best three games for Playstation 2, right along with Final Fantasy X and Metal Gear Solid 3. The solitude of the journey you'll embark will make you journey within yourself. That's the way it was for me.
Congratulations Fumito Ueda & SCE, and thank you. Megakick-ballistic-fastpaced-bloodthirsty-action gamers, stay away from it, you may be disappointed. To everyone else: BUY IT. YOU WON'T REGRET IT. THIS ONE'S A KEEPER.

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