THE GOOD:- Brilliant Graphics. Or, failing that, Great lighting effects that make everything look brilliant. Honestly, you could just stop and stare at some of the imagery in this game: it verges on beautiful, if that's possible in a game.
- An extremely original idea. There are a total of 16 enemies in the game. Sounds boring? Guess again.
- Massive, versatile, interesting, expansive, beautiful setting. Entirely non-linear, you can do whatever the hell you want, whenever the hell you want to do it. Destroying the Colossi is only half the story: exploring the huge area open to you is just as entertaining.
- Encourages use of the mind, not just the fingers. In order to destroy each Colossus, you'll have to find him, through use of the locater on your sword. And then you'll have to figure out how to kill something that's several hundred times larger than you are. And possibly flying, swimming, or burrowing underground. Yes, it's pretty hard.
- Unlockables, on your second play-through. Arrows that explode, a cloak of invisibility, a mask that gives you great strength... This also gives the game some replay value.
- You can increase your stats through the consumption of fruit (don't ask me how this works), or the killing of Lizards and stealing their tails (again, I'm stumped).
- A decent storyline. Nothing extraordinary, but it satisfies.
- A perfect learning curve. The first Colossus is pathetic compared to the others, but on your first time you'll find yourself at a loss about how to even scratch this massive lump of animated rock. The sense of achievement when you finally kill it is great. Also, some of the sequences you have to go through to bring down several of the Colossi (the Bird, for instance) are extremely complex, exercising the mind as much, if not more than any puzzle.
- The Musical Score. Atmospheric, perfect for the occasion, and a joy to listen to. I wouldn't mind getting the score and playing it, to be honest.
- The ending... *sniff*
- AGRO! (Your noble steed)
THE BAD:
- You'll have to be pretty serious about gaming to play this and enjoy it to it's full. It's not really "fun"; think of it like reading a book is to watching some casual TV. So it definitely won't appeal to all audiences. I thoroughly enjoyed it, but my friend despises it, for example.
- It's not the longest game ever. Also, despite the potential for replay value, you probably won't have the patience to complete it a second time.
- ...There's not much else to say here...
SUMMARY:
Shadow of the Colossus: created by the same people that developed ICO, and one of my favourite games currently on the PS2. Let me tell you, whoever said football was the beautiful game obviously hadn't played this ;D
The basic storyline - and it is very basic - is that a young man never referred to by name in-game but whom the game manual refers to as "Wander" (an inaccurate translation of his nameless Japanese counterpart, "The Wanderer") ventures into the "forbidden land" with an unmoving female, who we later find out is dead. Here he proceeds to make a pact with the mysterious disembodied voice of the Dormin, wherein he is told to destroy each of the 16 Colossi in order to awaken the girl (Mono, the credits state - again, nobody actually names her in-game). The rest of the game revolves around your exploring the vast landscapes of the Forbidden Lands, seeking out and destroying each Colossus as you go, one by one. Some may seem impervious to all your attempts to fell it, but with your wits and skill, each is a possibility.
The landscape and available playing area of the game is it's main perk: you can explore every inch of the miles and miles of land, often yielding reward. This is mainly thanks to the amazing graphical display this game provides; with lighting effects that could be no closer to reality, entirely interactive surroundings (you can shoot birds out of the sky, if you can hit them, for example) and brilliantly designed textures, you will find no greater, more impressive showcase on this console. With only 16 enemies in the whole game, it's a wonder it works out at all, but somehow it's been pulled off. Flawlessly, too.
The Storyline is good, and leaves a lot up to your own interpretation and imagination. Some people might think this is a bad thing; personally, I love it. The indecisive ending topped off this masterpiece perfectly, in my opinion, but others may not agree.
It's quite a sad story, too. One even feels guilty for killing some of the more majestic or peaceful Colossi - one, in fact, never even acknowledges your existence. And the way they groan and fall so slowly and gracefully... Brings a tear to my eye :'(
Musical score is another point. It's more or less perfect: think FF7 except not in pathetic MIDI format, but played by a professional Orchestra (or made to sound indistinguishable from one). Brilliantly atmospheric, it just serves to add to the already awe-inspiring experience.
To conclude: this game is akin to Marmite: you'll either love it or hate it ;D
It is, in all, a fantastic game. But it's not light hearted in the slightest, so only get it if you're prepared to be moved. Requires specific taste, and lots of patience. But, in my opinion a masterpiece of modern gaming. Both thumbs up, and several fingers and toes.
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