5 stars (It's "David and Goliath" like you've never seen) - You want something different in the world of video games? Are FPSs, licensed movie games, and cheap knock-offs a tedious affair for your entertaiment, and you want something that's inventive AND fun? Well...WHY DIDN'T YOU READ OTHER PEOPLE'S OPINIONS ABOUT THIS?! Why me?
- REVIEW
There's something to be said about the story in "Shadow of the Colossus." Quite simple really: a young latin-speaking man called Wonder goes to the forbidden land to kill 16 colossi for the revival of a dead girl. Who is she really: his girlfriend? His sister? A victim of unspeakable circumstances? All we known is that he cares for her so much that he'll stagger against gigantic, monstrous beings, with only his magical sword and his trusted horse. It was satisfying to defeat colossus after colossus, but it became heartbreaking as it reaches its closure. Full of doubts, confusion, and questioning on who's good and bad, I was almost in tears by the end of the game. This is the most compelling story I've ever played, and that says a lot, since this game has very little narratives.
"Shadow of the Colossus" succeeds in ways that "ICO", the game made by the same company, haven't. Sure, gamers love "ICO", but I personally find that game to be very limited in game and value. Here, they've done almost everything right in "Colossus." It's not only a game with artistic value, but it has an unique AND (importantly) entertaining gameplay. Davey-boy might have defeated Goliath with a stone, but can he and his stone defeat 16 other "Goliaths"? I don't think so.
The scale alone makes this game awesome to recommend; everything that's small from a distance instantly becomes big as I get close, like in real life. The land the main character journeys is a HUGE land, and it takes quite a long road to encounter a colossus, one at the time. Speaking of Colossus, the colossi are gigantic. No one reviewing this game is kidding: the colossi are, like, godzilla. Some are as big as the Tokyo Tower, but few are no bigger than a bull. Some colossi live on land, in the air, by the sea, and one that's simply inbetween. Not to mentioned, each of them are unique to defeat.
This is a thought-provoking game, in which you actually used your thoughts to provoke your way from one objective to another. As you get on your horse and ride the way into lengthy roads and obstacles, you'll come across with the colossi, all with own unique ways to kill, so you can't simply slash them to their demise; this may be an action game, but it's also a puzzler (I learned it the hard way). Each has its own weak points, and you have to find them using the sword reflecting the sunlight to point their whereabouts. Then you have to climb the colossi from their hairiest places to stab them in their weak spots, but sometimes you have to depend on the environment to provoke some collosi to show their weaknesses. It'll take quite a while for anyone to get used to the game's controls, especially when trying to jump grab the horse's saddle after 20-something times, but all that time and adjustment is rewarding.
Did people already mention the presentation of this game looks incredible? Of course they did. How can any gamer complain about the graphics in this game, it looks beautiful, and I just love the art direction, the design of the colossi, and most of all, the blur effects on the camera controls. Even thought it looks great, the graphics isn't technically-refined (what with the chuggy frame-rate and collision issues). The audio, however, is what I love more than the graphics. The sound effects are small but naturalistic, the voice actors, even in a Latin/Japanese mixed language, is excellent, and the orchestrated music is so emotional and thematic, I wanted to buy the soundtrack of this game! (I know I'm not the only one who reserved the game's OST)
Evidently, the developers have yet to learn their lesson from their last game. It's still a short game (7-9 hours, less if you're a better gamer than me), and even with the inclusion of hard mode, the magic can only last for so long. Normally, the limited replay value subtracts a star of the rating, but I just couldn't. My mind couldn't shake of the experience I have with "Shadow of the Colossus." I rented this work of art, but now I want to buy it, just to relive the story in spirit of a Disney/New Line film and the thrilling enjoyment of fighting against a colossus, which is also tragic when I realize that these monsters are living wholesome beings. A hard truth to know in the aftermath...that's the effect of a great game.
This is Del Keyes, saying "The bigger they are, the harder to put this game down"
5 stars (A Miracle) - It simply boils down to this : you need to play Shadow of the colossus. it is the greatest game EVER made .
5 stars are not enough , this game deserves 10 .
this game wil be remembered for a long long time.
Graphics : 10
Sound : 10
Gameplay : 10
Originality : 10
1 stars (This game is pathetic.) - First, let's take the opening cutscene. Seriously, take it away. Oh look, it's a guy on a horse. And he's riding around a really generic, ugly landscape. Gee, this just lasted about twenty minutes and added nothing to the game. I stopped playing after fifty minutes when boredom and frustration set in. The controls are horrible and the story is impersonal and poorly written. I realize I'm the only person who isn't blown away by this game. I simply have no idea why it's so popular. |
