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[Melly]

Since I recently got Shadow of the Colossus I've been totally obssessed, probably to an unhealthy degree. Since I couldn't find a proper topic about the game, I decided to make one so that people that also like the game (and those that dislike it, maybe) can discuss what makes it an experience that's still to be replicated in any other game.

If you guys don't feel like talking about a 2-3-year-old game, though, let me know. ^^;;

[Derek]

God, I love the sense of scale in that game.



As well as the ambiguous morality.

[Derek]

Also, ever SotC thread needs to have this picture in it:



:3

[Bennett]

One of my favourite games of all time. Excellent use of economy in design. Although, the ability to stand on your horse, jump up and grab onto a bird and glide around. That is completely useless.

[Melly]

Also, ever SotC thread needs to have this picture in it:



:3

Totally saving that.

The thing I like about the game is the different focus it gave to fighting big beasts. While most other games with big 'bosses' (though the word isn't that much applicable here, since there are no small enemies for the boss to rule over) are a game of whak-a-mole where you just push one or two buttons over and over with the occasional moving of the stick till the beast's health bar goes to zero, in here, each Colossus is a platforming level into itself. The fact that the game has simple, but effective physics, allows for some very crazy suicidal leaps and stunts, if you're brave/good enough to try them (a very good example would be the 'sword-vault' some players do in the third colossus, by jumping from the tip of the sword just as he's bringing it up and landing right on his head), not to mention the ability to hold onto every nook, ledge, and patch of fur helps.

And yes, the game's sense of scale, I believe, is quite unmatched, unless someone can give me a game that's equal/better in that aspect.

Then there is the horse, which is another design feat, but a love-it-or-hate-it one that a lot of gamers couldn't quite understand or get into. I personally loved it. You really start loving that horse, **SPOILER** which makes the trip to the last Colossus all the sadder.

[waruwaru]

http://www.pixeljoint.com/pixelart/17123.htm

[Melly]

http://www.pixeljoint.com/pixelart/17123.htm

Totally saw that one, and is totally epic.

[Montoli]

I'd seen the dog, but the katamari one is new to me, and totally going into my "folder of absurd art to throw into forum discussions/emails".

Also - I didn't realize you could jump onto a bird, but man, I loved jumping off that horse.  The flying sand-worm-thing (Which was already, in my estimation, the coolest fight in the game) was made infinitely more so with the addition of totally unnecessary, (but terribly epic-looking) horse tricks.  (Speaking of mostly useless mechanics, I liked standing up on top of the horse while it was going, with me holding the reins in one hand.  So epic!)

Side note - from a design standpoint, I really like the idea of games that have whole mechanics that are largely useless, but are cool, and that are un-obvious enough that someone could play through the whole game without noticing them.  I actually really like the idea of watching someone else play, and seeing them do totally different things than I did, because they've uncovered a bunch of mechanics that I didn't.  Not just easter-eggs and hidden (content-side) stuff, but actual game mechanics that exist throughout the whole game, but that they never explicitly tell you about, and leave you to discover on your own.

The problem, of course, is that new mechanics tend to be development-intensive to add, but man, if I ever have an unlimited budget to develop something cool, it is totally going to have a lot of gratuitous mechanics thrown in just for fun.


Hmm.  Makes me wonder if there are other mechanics in Shadow of the Colossus I missed.  At the risk of spoiling it for people, here's what I found:

Spoilers Ahoy!  Don't read if you want to find stuff out for yourself in a 3-year-old-game!
Stuff I noticed:

• Find lizards with white tails, and kill them, and pick them up to extend your "Grip-o-meter".  They mostly seem to live around save-point-shrines.
• Find trees with fruits, and shoot them down with arrows.  Fruits = more life total.  Woo!
• Stupid horse tricks:  Some button combination that I have forgotten by now, lets you stand on your horse while it is moving at full gallop.  You stand on it's back, and generally look like someone out of an action movie.  I think you may be able to jump slightly further this way, and you can use your bow and arrow.  You also look totally sweet while doing so, at the cost of some ability to steer.

Anyone else have any other things to add to this list?  I'm curious now what else they stuffed into the game, since I completely missed anything involving grabbing birds...


Man, what a cool game...

[Headmade]

Yesterday I played it through for the first time and this was probably the best gaming experience I ever had. Buying meself a PS2 was worth it just because of this game.
I think the aspect that makes it stand out most is the scale of things. This is just the most obvious thing.
The minimalistic design is another thing that is very well done. If you think about it a little, it is something very uncommon. There is just 1 level really, only 3 noteable characters (you, your horse and the girl) and just 16 different enemies. This really isn't something you would read one a box cover or on a bulletpoint feature list, but it is definetly something I really like about it. There aren't that many things but what there is is simply incredible. This game is the the best example that concentrating on few main features and doing those right is supirior to packing a game full of features that are only mediocre by itself (just my opinion).
The landscape is very baren and minimalistic too but still at times so incredibly beatiful... it's just stunning. The design of the collossi is great and I think unique, atleast I haven't seen anythink like it.

Melly the thing you mentioned about the horse (Aro or Haro or what it's name?) is true for me as well. I definetly felt a strong connection to it probably the strongest "friendship" I ever had with a video game character. [Whatch out! Possible SPOILER up ahead. Don't read this paragraph if you don't want to be spoiled (regarding FF VII and SotC)]At the point you mentioned I was really like "NOOOOOOO AARROOoooo" and I was really touched by what happened to my companion. In comparison when I think at other games with similar situations I must say SotC moved me most. For example in Final Fantasy VII when that thing happend to Aeris I was only thinking "Meh! Will I get the substances she caries back?". I felt Aeris was just some character... replaceable; the possible loss of the equipment saddend me more than the loss of her. Not so with Aro.

I have a question though. Could someone tell me if SotC has multiple endings but please without spoiling anything? I feel that at the end I could have altered the outcome by performing better.

[Melly]

His name is Agro. For those that are curious the hero doesn't have a name, but he's usually called Wander or The Wanderer, or even Wanda, but I hear that last one is a huge mistranslation. The girl's name is Mono. This isn't a spoiler since the game doesn't even tell you that.

There is only one ending, without variations. Though its an awesome ending.

**MOAR SPOILERS**

I hear that one of the reasons they kept the horse as its own being instead of giving you direct control of it was also to enhance the feeling of Wander being 'you', instead of you being some godly avatar controlling the characters in the game world, like in most other games. That helps in the ending when Dormin takes over you and you can actually control his actions, because he's now 'you'. Makes the ending have a more powerful feeling, and probably has a number of different conotations to it.

Also, I actually think Emon is the real bad guy here, but I'll leave plot theories out of this.

**END SPOILAH**

By the way, if you leave the title screen without touching the controller for a short while you'll be treated to a cutscene where Wander is sleeping at the save game shrine and the camera follows Agro as he gallops playfully through the fields.

Also, I don't think the extra gameplay mechanics are totally useless. For one I've seen people using the stand-on-horse in order to jump higher and reach ledges on the Colossi faster than usual in order to improve Time Attack records. Not sure about the leaning on the sides of the saddle, though.

Also forgot to mention the game's music is some of the best I've seen in a game, period. Few other soundtracks can match it.

[Seth]

I'm so close to breaking down and buying a PS2 just so I can play this and Ico

[the_dannobot]

I'm so close to breaking down and buying a PS2 just so I can play this and Ico

I'm close to breaking down and buying a PS3 just because Ueda's next few games are sony-exclusives.  His games are so good, I would drop $600+ or whatever just to play the next one.

Seriously, Shadow of the Colossus is the 10-star meterstick by which all other games are measured.

[Tr00jg]

I'm so close to breaking down and buying a PS2 just so I can play this and Ico

That's exactly why I am getting a PS2 in the coming week (or so). I am having trouble getting Ico, but SoTC is still in abundance. Man oh man! Can't wait!

[ravuya]

I broke down and bought a PS2 when the price dropped to $100.

But the memory cards are still $38. 

[Skyleak]

I did it the easy way and bought the game for a friend's birthday and played it at his house.

I did however manage to buy a PS2 from another friend for 40 dollars who maybe touched it once.

[Melly]

The biggest issue with buying a PS2 to play SotC is that, if you do like the game, it's going to totally spoil you when you play other PS2 titles. At least that's the way I'm feeling.

[Xander]

Yeah, that is a fairly nasty side effect. Though with that said there's at least a few games released each year that come close to it, in differing ways. Okami for instance was fantastic, but even with something as artful, energetic and enjoyable as that SOTC is pretty hard to dethrone.

I'm not sure it's even a question of dethroning really... SOTC is probably the most important game that was released on the PS2. It's an arguement against 'games-4-art- naysayers, it's proof that games which feature nothing but boss battles can be technically feasible and fun (for those that didn't get to play Alien Soldier), and it's a mastering of a piece of hardware to squeeze out every ounce of performance possible. I remember just playing the demo level and my eyes water just from spinning the camera around as Wander became the focus point and the rest of the world bled into itself.

Basically what I guess I mean is that chances are you probably have just played the greatest game on the PS2, but there are plenty of games that are exceptional examples of the system's capabilities.

[Melly]

I can admit the game's not perfect, though. The camera can sometimes get confused and actually block your vision of the action, though it usually recenters itself soon enough, but it's still annoying.

Also there are some issues with collision detection when dealing with terrain. You'll find one or two odd videos on Youtube of people riding Agro and just falling through the ground onto the white abyss. It didn't happen to me, though, and I've played through it twice.

And on the last colossus the framerate drop can actually affect gameplay slightly, but usually not enough to actually screw you.

And some character models can look a bit blocky, but that's just nitpicking considering the overall beauty.

Also, I'm not sure this is realistic and happens to real horses, but Agro sucks at handling forests.

[J.W. Hendricks]

My PS2 is broken and all of my friends have moved onto the Wii. I really want to play this game but can't. IDEA: this would make an excellent freeware game (remake)!

[Melly]

Doubtful that someone would try to remake this game. It'd probably be very hard to grasp the same feeling unless you made a simple port. Plus I'd rather no one tried than shame the game's name with a bad remake.