Shadow of the Colossus // PS2
Colossal let down

// The skinny: A young man rides into a vale and enters an abandoned temple where he lays the still body of a girl upon an altar. He then makes a pact with a disembodied voice to defeat a host of colossi in exchange for bringing the girl back to life.

// Review: This was a can't miss play. Every relevant video game publication and a horde of fan boys proclaimed this as one of the very best PS2 games ever. Ever. I had been looking forward to this game for a long time. After finishing it, I'm left wondering if I was playing a different Shadow of the Colossus. Maybe my expectations were just as huge as the colossi, but maybe this game isn't all the godly. Either way I had found it one gigantic let down.

/ The most noticeable thing initially is how bad the graphics are. I was playing it on my HDTV with component cables and the game set on progressive scan, but at best it looked like a really good PS1 game. I thought switching it regular settings wouldn't make a difference, but it actually looked worse. Everything was shockingly heavily pixelated, and in bright environments became washed out.

/ While graphics are nice they aren't as big of a deal breaker as story and gameplay. There is no story. Unless you consider the opening where you ride your horse around, a 15 second cut scene 75% into the game, and a long abstract one at the end. On bulletin boards, at best fanboys could only speculate what it was all about. You never even find out who the girl is. As far as the gameplay, if you enjoy cursing at your tv in unbridled frustration then run out and get this game right now. Your horse handles like driving a school bus without power steering. The controls aren't that intuitive and you constantly have to fight one of the worse cameras I've seen. It seemed like the engine was more concerned about framing the most artistic shot than letting you see what you need. Several bosses were down right maddening in how cheap they are. There are 2 dog like colossi that knock you down and keep mauling you before you have a chance to get up. Not good times.

/ Often I spent more time looking for the colossus than actually fighting it, with my sword vaguely pointing in the right direction. They also have save points everywhere but they are pretty much useless because you can save after defeating a colossus. The one time towards the end of the game that I wanted to save it wouldn't even let me. And the final colossi is so absurdly frustrating because you have to climb 15 stories then make a series of blind jumps or plummet to the ground.

/ It wasn't all bad by any means. This game is very innovative. No item collecting, no meaningless battles, no beating hookers, just boss fight after boss fight. Most of the colossi are ginormous and they and the environment give a great sense of size. Each fight is very challenging and immensely satisfying when you are victorious. The character animations are lifelike and artistic design is extremely well done. Each colossus was unique and were all defeated differently.

// Wrap up: A lot of good and bad. But ultimately frustrating for all the wrong reasons. Don't buy the hype or game. Rent it.

Entertainment rating: 3