Shadow Of The Colossus
GameCore is CBSNews.com's video game column written by William Vitka, Chad Chamberlain, Lyndsey Hahn, Alejandro K. Brown.
Have you ever experienced something that is seemingly mundane and suddenly have it imprint itself on you as artistic? Maybe glance at a downtown skyline and wonder whether the architects thought about its visual impact? Maybe look at an ordinary flower and be utterly moved to draw it?
Shadow of the Colossus for the PlayStation 2 seems to be a testament to the designer's idea to create a gaming art form.
Shadow of the Colossus seems like your typical "rescue" game: boy loves girl, boy rescues girl. Even certain game elements might remind you of certain other games.
The game seems to draw you into its stark yet simply striking world. Everything from the animation to the musical score, creatures, lighting and even story (or lack thereof) does its best to keep you focused on the game play.
The story starts with a man on horseback looking to revive a seemingly dead woman. He ventures to a temple to ask a being to restore her life. The being states that it can do the task after all the giant beings who roam the land are defeated. It also warns the man that there will be a price to pay. He accepts, mounts his steed and starts his quest.
That's it. No hint of the relation between the woman and man, or why she is in this condition. No lengthy explanation of the being who can revive her, nor of the many Colossus except that you must kill them to save her.
Most of the game has you wandering the vast landscape on horseback. While the controls make sense for controlling a horse, some might be put off to its control scheme. Once you get used to it, it brings you into the game as well. Watching your horse run at full speed across the land to your next destination is a simple pleasure in itself.
You don't get to a destination by a marking on your heads-up display, though. The only game indicators on-screen are your health, your weapon and your stamina, so most of your screen is uncluttered. When you equip and raise your sword in the sun, it will create a beam of light which shows you the general direction of your next opponent. Simple, but effective.
When you reach your destination, you often have to figure a way through the terrain to get to your destination - sometimes its a simple walk, other times it's an environmental puzzle that must be overcome. Clear this and your main task is right in front of you ... and over you.
To say the Colossus is large compared to your character is akin to calling a whale a "really big fish." The introduction of the first Colossus is one my most memorable gaming moments of all time. A cross between a hairy puppet and a stone building, these Colossus are simultaneously the puzzle and the enemy. To slay one, you must find their weak point. To do that, you must climb your way onto the Colossus to find it. As you attempt this, the Colossus try to shake and shrug you off like you are an annoying mosquito.
The stamina meter comes into here play here. As the Colossus tries to shake you loose, you grab on to stone ledges and even the hair itself to hang on and continue your trek across the giant. Even as you lose footing or even slip off the giant, a successful grab of any useful area on the Colossus will save you at the cost of your stamina, which will deplete quickly.
The presentation is top-notch. The animation of the main characters is we'll done, even down to the stumbling running and jumping of your character. (I never said he was a strong hero.)
The Colossus is awe-inspiring, fearful and somber. You have to see them to understand. The music and sound lend very well to the quest you are on, and the controls are simple and precise for platforming and combat. Switching weapons during combat takes practice and controlling your horse will also take some getting used to.
The game falls into the action/platformer/puzzle genre, and does it pretty well. It may also inspire you to solve its mysteries. Who are these people? Why is he willing to slay these otherwise peaceful giants? What are the Colossus, anyway? Or you could enjoy beating up massive giants with nothing more than your sword, bow and arrow, stamina, determination and skill.
Either way, Shadow of the Colossus for the Playstation 2 is a game you won't soon forget.
Shadow of the Colossus is rated "T" for Mature (content suitable for ages 13 or older) and is available for the PlayStation 2 game console.
By Alejandro K. Brown