Shadow of the Colossus (PS2)
Another very intriguing announcement at E3 this year was a remake of Team Ico’s excellent Shadow of the Colossus.
Examples of the upcoming PS4 edition of the game look absolutely stunning and while I'm of course excited for that, I wanted to have a look at why I loved the original with a bit of background for anyone who may not have experience it yet.
First released for the PS2 after the equally good Ico, Shadow of the Colossus sets you loose in a vast landscape full of (mostly) towering beasts to hunt and kill.
Upon arriving at the Shrine of Worship with a woman lying lifeless on his horse, our hero (called Wander) speaks with a mysterious unseen entity called Dormin who tells us that to restore her to life we must find and defeat 16 colossi - at a potentially high personal price.
And thus we're off. Into the wilderness atop our trusty steed Agro with nothing but a sword, bow, arrows and bare hands.
Once the target is located, the relatively peaceful exploration gives way to a tense window of time to weigh up the colossus, analyse its weaknesses and look for that all important opening which will give Wander his first handhold to climb its gigantic body - all while trying to avoid being crushed.
What follows is an often exhilarating climb using whatever offers some purchase - hair, cracked slabs of armour, ridges of bone protruding from its body - until the player reaches a patch that the magical sword will cause to light up, confirming the best place to attack.
The act of bringing the colossi down is not always so simple however, as the player must constantly juggle progress with an ever waning grip meter as the beast tries to shake off the irksome human climbing it - which can mean a very long fall indeed.
That is one of the things I really enjoyed about the game the first time I played it - the stakes feel very high and there is a real sense of achievement after defeating each of the colossi.
The excitement and tension is heightened by an excellent soundtrack which changes depending on your situation and progress in the battle.
Every beast is different - unique in the way it interacts with the landscape and thus how it must be approached.
I enjoyed the sections between colossi almost equally as much as they give a moment's pause from the action to breathe, take in the extensive landscape in all its bleak beauty and prepare for what comes next.
The only problems I had with Shadow of the Colossus were occasional frustrations arising as part of the sometimes finicky climbing/platforming, but as part of the whole experience those gripes were about as significant as pebbles in an ocean.
Graphically the PS4 trailer (below) looks fantastic and I believe the content is going to be exactly the same, which I'm perfectly happy about.
But on the other hand I imagine some people may be asking why a bit of new content can't be added, optional or otherwise, for example the additional colossi which were apparently designed but cut form the original version.
As I say - personally I'm all for a faithful remake and I can't wait to see how it turns out.
If you can't wait until its 2018 release, as well as the original there is also a PS3 version of the game out there.
What are your expectations for Shadow of the Colossus? Are you happy with a faithful remake or would you want new content? Let me know below!
Examples of the upcoming PS4 edition of the game look absolutely stunning and while I'm of course excited for that, I wanted to have a look at why I loved the original with a bit of background for anyone who may not have experience it yet.
First released for the PS2 after the equally good Ico, Shadow of the Colossus sets you loose in a vast landscape full of (mostly) towering beasts to hunt and kill.
Upon arriving at the Shrine of Worship with a woman lying lifeless on his horse, our hero (called Wander) speaks with a mysterious unseen entity called Dormin who tells us that to restore her to life we must find and defeat 16 colossi - at a potentially high personal price.
 |
| (PS4 trailer) |
Once the target is located, the relatively peaceful exploration gives way to a tense window of time to weigh up the colossus, analyse its weaknesses and look for that all important opening which will give Wander his first handhold to climb its gigantic body - all while trying to avoid being crushed.
What follows is an often exhilarating climb using whatever offers some purchase - hair, cracked slabs of armour, ridges of bone protruding from its body - until the player reaches a patch that the magical sword will cause to light up, confirming the best place to attack.
The act of bringing the colossi down is not always so simple however, as the player must constantly juggle progress with an ever waning grip meter as the beast tries to shake off the irksome human climbing it - which can mean a very long fall indeed.
 |
| (PS2 version) |
That is one of the things I really enjoyed about the game the first time I played it - the stakes feel very high and there is a real sense of achievement after defeating each of the colossi.
The excitement and tension is heightened by an excellent soundtrack which changes depending on your situation and progress in the battle.
Every beast is different - unique in the way it interacts with the landscape and thus how it must be approached.
I enjoyed the sections between colossi almost equally as much as they give a moment's pause from the action to breathe, take in the extensive landscape in all its bleak beauty and prepare for what comes next.
 |
| (PS2 version) |
The only problems I had with Shadow of the Colossus were occasional frustrations arising as part of the sometimes finicky climbing/platforming, but as part of the whole experience those gripes were about as significant as pebbles in an ocean.
Graphically the PS4 trailer (below) looks fantastic and I believe the content is going to be exactly the same, which I'm perfectly happy about.
But on the other hand I imagine some people may be asking why a bit of new content can't be added, optional or otherwise, for example the additional colossi which were apparently designed but cut form the original version.
As I say - personally I'm all for a faithful remake and I can't wait to see how it turns out.
If you can't wait until its 2018 release, as well as the original there is also a PS3 version of the game out there.
What are your expectations for Shadow of the Colossus? Are you happy with a faithful remake or would you want new content? Let me know below!
I want a remake without new content, unless its added outside the main game. I don't believe anyone besides Ueda should have a hand in TeamIcos (genDesigns) game content. Hes really what sets the series apart from other games, both current, and past.
ReplyDeleteFair point - Might be cool to have a couple of additional colossi to go up against, outside of the main game in some way as you said.
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