Was the hype justified?
- Posted June 16th, 2008 at 16:09 EDT by
- 9,634 views
- 38 Comments
Every console has a certain amount of games that are said to be the defining moments of that generation of gaming. Many of us have heard the tales of Space Invaders, Joust, Super Mario World, Legend of Zelda and Final Fantasy VII. While some of us have lived those days and enjoyed them thoroughly, there are still quite a few gamers left who chose to sit on the fence and perhaps miss out on an experience like no other. This is why I have started this feature for the readers of PlayStation Universe. If a game has received some notoriety in the past and has been claimed to be a PlayStation masterpiece in the field of gaming, I’ll be checking it out to give you my final verdict.
This marks my first departure into the world of past generation’s titles. I hope you guys enjoy it and for those of you sitting on that fence, hopefully you’ll now fall to either side.
Title: Shadow of the Colossus
Current Price: $14.99 (Used)
Status: Hyped as one of the more definitive games of the PlayStation 2 life cycle.
User Testimonials:
“After playing it for a while and slaying 5 colossi, I tip my hat. This far, I had only heard people mumbling about the masterpiece it was. Maybe it was because I wasn't mature enough to understand all connotations portrayed in this game. The gameplay, art style, story, music, colossi, and everything else not listed. Everything is blended perfectly into a game that should not be considered anything less than a masterpiece -- A work of art.” – Thorzilla
“No game has awed me as much as SotC has when you stumble across your first Colossi. You come around that corner on your horse into a huge open area and this beast that seams 500 feet tall is lumbering around, and when it sees you, the music picks up and is probably the most epic game I have ever played.” – Scape
“There are so many 'I can't believe I can do this in a game' moments in SotC. The gameplay is basic and yet ridiculously deep. I replayed the game literally last week, and I jumped back into Oblivion. The horse and controls of Oblivion feel like a SNES game compared to what you can do on your horse in SotC, how you move around, grab things.... It's way ahead of its time. I'd even say for gameplay, it's still ahead of maybe all PS3 and 360 games released thus far. Sounds stupid, but it's true.” – Skulpt
My Verdict: Shadow of the Colossus is a tale of a young man named Wander on his quest to save the life of the woman he loves. While this may sound like a typical story for any adventure/RPG styled game, Team ICO manages to bring this story to an entirely new level with not only innovative gameplay but with a world that truly pulls you in and engulfs you within its atmosphere. Equipped with only a bow, a magical sword, and your trusty steed, Agro; you must conquer and defeat 16 colossi in order to restore life to the fallen maiden.
During this adventure, you’ll be astonished with a beautifully rendered world that feels years ahead of its time. With the ability to freely roam throughout the environment, you’ll find yourself just riding Agro around and exploring the vast peninsula you’re provided. Even if you’ve experienced such beauty as Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune and Metal Gear Solid 4, you’ll still be left in awe at the art and animation direction that Team ICO took in Shadows of the Colossus.
On top of providing a vivid world that will leave its imprint within your gaming soul forever, the developers concocted a masterful score of melodies and effects. From the pleasant sounds of Agro’s feet pounding into the earth below you to the ramped up fast-tempo beat provided once the colossi has risen for you to strike down, the game does a tremendous job stringing together both tension and excitement.
While all of this sounds great, none of it would matter if ... (continued on next page)
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Comments
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SamTheSkater
- 4:36pm BST - June 16th, 2008
- 7
i absolutely love shadow of the colossus. i should replay it sometime... oh and i'm gonna get ico too someday. sony should show a teaser or something for the untitled (ico 3) project at e3, i'm super hyped for "ico 3". these games are art, just like the mgs games.
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iplayonlysony
- 5:09pm BST - June 16th, 2008
- 11
Yes, it was stated that SotC was a prequel "sort-of" to ICO. The soundtrack of SotC is what did it for me. That was truely epic.
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GunTeng
- 5:29pm BST - June 16th, 2008
- 13
Extremely good article and nice statement by Thorzilla.
I did find the camera a little on the slow/confuddled side but it really didn't detract that much from the game & as stated, it did add a little measure of difficulty.
What lowered the game slightly for me was lack of interaction. Yes, the game was all about the Titans and they were absolutely, undeniably and fantastically created. But there was so little in these massive and very nice environments which made it so empty. There was very little to interact with, where as ICO at least had more puzzles and enemies.
I can only hope that their next title will combine the best from both of these games....now that would be something that (IMO) would never be surpassed for countless years and would make it something more than special in the history of gaming.
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monkeykilla
- 5:49pm BST - June 16th, 2008
- 14
yeah i played this game again on the ps3 and it was flawless gameplay/framerate compared to the ps2. I cant wait until the next installment of this concept
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outwar6010 |
outwar6010- 6:29pm BST - June 16th, 2008
- 15
this game was soooooooo CRAP my friend forxed it onto to me to try to show me the beauty of it but was far to tedious for me
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Rhysivich1 |
outwar6010- 7:14pm BST - June 16th, 2008
- 16
A fitting article Dave for such an awe-inspiring game.
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evilmonkey501 |
evilmonkey501- 9:41pm BST - June 16th, 2008
- 21
I think I'm the only person who thought this game was desolate and boring....travel forever (in a baren land) to find a big monster? sounds cool....but I feel something was missing...like the "game" in between bosses.....
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DeadOnArrival06 |
DeadOnArrival06- 10:06pm BST - June 16th, 2008
- 22
I still havent beaten it, but sotc is definitely worthy of the hype. Great article, Dave.
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nastanley
- 10:23pm BST - June 16th, 2008
- 24
This game is simply a master-piece.It was one of my best gaming experience playing through the game. It is very attaching and keeps you always focused on your main objectives; killing each and everyone of the colossus because you want to save a loved one.Very few games these days use love as one of the main themes in the game.
I was very happy with the way the ICO Team used this theme and we all know that LOVE is one of the pillars of the world. I am looking forward to their next project.
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NL_Buddha |
NL_Buddha- 12:01am BST - June 17th, 2008
- 25
I could "wander", hope that someone gets that pun, that world all day just exploring and hunting lizards. The tie in with Ico and the greatest cinamatography in a game, bar none, leaves you with such a sense of awe. Can't wait for their first game on the PS3!!!!
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The Master
- 12:31pm BST - June 17th, 2008
- 30
I played the demo...once, that's really about all it was worth.
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kingiceeater |
The_Fifth- 1:52pm BST - June 17th, 2008
- 32
The game looked great, however it was just one boss battle after another. A large number of people liked that concept. I felt it meant that the main portion of the game was missing. For instance, the entire world of SotC is completely desolate except for a couple of gulls and these huge monsters. Where is all the wildlife? I guess it was just not my type of game.
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iplayonlysony
- 4:54pm BST - June 17th, 2008
- 34
@ kingiceeater, the beauty of the game was in figuring out how to take down each of the colossi. It is similar to playing a Zelda game, but with only the boss fights. It may have been on the short side, but it was an unforgettable experience.
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davidtcawley |
davidtcawley- 8:53am BST - July 5th, 2008
- 38
For me, the defining moment of this generation so far is Call of Duty 4. The online multiplayer with it's RPG style levelling has made a game which stands out as much on this generation as Goldeneye on N64, Metal Gear Solid on PSone. It plays so well, and that's the important thing. I actually think the best games of this generation so far have been multi- platform- GTA 4, Oblivion, COD4. Kind of negates the argument about which system is best, the games are of the same standard on both.
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