Buy Shadow of the Colossus - PlayStation 2

Customer Ratings:
List Price: $19.99
Sale Price: $17.29
Today's Bonus: 14% Off

Shadow of the Colossus is one of those all-too-rare titles that defies easy description and doesn't really fit comfortably into any existing genre. Is it an action game? Yes. Adventure? Sure. Puzzle? Yep. Platformer? Yeah. It even has slight horror elements.

On the surface, Shadow sounds simple: search for the colossus, find its weak spot, and stab it. Sounds easy enough, but that's like saying that To Kill a Mockingbird is a legal drama, or Platoon is about the Vietnam War it's not the whole story. Even Shadow's story boy wants to save girl slowly reveals itself to be something much more complex and mysterious.

Where Shadow excels is in its design. Finding each colossus requires travel through a landscape that can only be described as dreamlike, yet it feels real. You'll seamlessly travel from a cliff overlooking a river to a thick forest, and then you could find yourself in the middle of a desert or at the edge of a lake. Since the land is so vast (and, besides the colossi, relatively uninhabited), you travel by horseback, courtesy of Agro, perhaps the best-animated animal character ever seen in a game. Controlling Agro is initially complex, yet intuitive, and thankfully his A.I. is sophisticated enough to keep you from riding him off the edge of a mountain. You're armed with only a sword and bow (with unlimited arrows), and there's no way to upgrade your weaponry. The real upgrade lies in the learned experience of defeating each of the colossi hidden in the valleys and mountains.

Each colossus is haunting, fantastic, ominous, and awe-inspiring, and there's even a slight sense of innocence. I won't go into specifics because the sense of wonder and discovery is vital to the gameplay, but if you avoid walkthroughs and spoilers (and you certainly should) you will constantly be surprised at each one. Defeating them requires careful thinking, experimentation, and trial-and-error, and there's not always one way to achieve victory. Just as the brilliant bosses of the Gamecube's two Metroid Prime games demanded quick thumbs and quick wits, the colossi are masterfully imagined, rendered, and designed, and get more complex as you progress. They had to be, as the game is basically sixteen boss battles. Still, there's nothing like the rush of finally discovering the key to each beast, but that's only part of the battle, as you then have to put your plan into action. Simply put, the colossi are some of the most cinematic and exhilirating experiences in gaming, and each one is unique and memorable.

If you have a PS2 and want something challenging, beautiful, and unlike anything else you've played before, Shadow of the Colossus is an absolute must. It's an instant candidate for Game of the Year, and should at the very least get recognition for its design. Games like this don't come along often enjoy it.

Click Here For Most Helpful Customer Reviews >>

This is a perfect game for people who like a very artistic, environmental, and unique game. Most games can be decribed by referring to other games, but this one definitely stands alone.

The visuals are outstanding. The graphics almost look like they were painted onto your screen. (If you have a TV with component inputs, it's worth getting the cabling for it for this game.) The colors shift from soft to sharp at different points in the game, and they do a great job of drawing you into the experience.

The story turns out to be an incredible part of this game. As you hunt down these lumbering hulks, you begin to feel a sense of sympathy with some of them. For a game to invoke any kind of emotion is quite an accomplishment. I'd love to continue talking about the story, but I don't want to give any more away...

The score works perfectly within the game. As you approach, survey, and finally begin combat with these giants, the music changes to fit the feeling of the action. The developers obviously put most of their efforts into creating an enveloping experience, and they succeeded.

There is very little that is at all negative about the game, but I've hit a couple of points where the action gets heated and the frame rate dropped rather low. Fortunately, they designed a rather clever workaround: if the frame rate drops, the frames start to blend together smoothly so that you don't get any kind of stuttering.

The gameplay is solid, although adjusting to the controls takes some effort. The fact that there aren't armies of meaningless enemies between you and the collossi just adds to the ambiance of the game. The fact that you don't level up, find new weapons, gain new strengths, etc. really adds to the feeling that you are nothing but a tiny fly compared to these hulks.

Overall, it is an outstanding, artistically brilliant game that really draws you in and doesn't distract from its very single-minded focus. Add to that a brilliant score and a great sense of atmosphere, and you've got a great, unique game.

Best Deals for Shadow of the Colossus - PlayStation 2

You want something different in the world of video games? Are FPSs, licensed movie games, and cheap knock-offs a tedious affair for your entertaiment, and you want something that's inventive AND fun? Well...WHY DIDN'T YOU READ OTHER PEOPLE'S OPINIONS ABOUT THIS?! Why me?

REVIEW

There's something to be said about the story in "Shadow of the Colossus." Quite simple really: a young latin-speaking man called Wonder goes to the forbidden land to kill 16 colossi for the revival of a dead girl. Who is she really: his girlfriend? His sister? A victim of unspeakable circumstances? All we known is that he cares for her so much that he'll stagger against gigantic, monstrous beings, with only his magical sword and his trusted horse. It was satisfying to defeat colossus after colossus, but it became heartbreaking as it reaches its closure. Full of doubts, confusion, and questioning on who's good and bad, I was almost in tears by the end of the game. This is the most compelling story I've ever played, and that says a lot, since this game has very little narratives.

"Shadow of the Colossus" succeeds in ways that "ICO", the game made by the same company, haven't. Sure, gamers love "ICO", but I personally find that game to be very limited in game and value. Here, they've done almost everything right in "Colossus." It's not only a game with artistic value, but it has an unique AND (importantly) entertaining gameplay. Davey-boy might have defeated Goliath with a stone, but can he and his stone defeat 16 other "Goliaths"? I don't think so.

The scale alone makes this game awesome to recommend; everything that's small from a distance instantly becomes big as I get close, like in real life. The land the main character journeys is a HUGE land, and it takes quite a long road to encounter a colossus, one at the time. Speaking of Colossus, the colossi are gigantic. No one reviewing this game is kidding: the colossi are, like, godzilla. Some are as big as the Tokyo Tower, but few are no bigger than a bull. Some colossi live on land, in the air, by the sea, and one that's simply inbetween. Not to mentioned, each of them are unique to defeat.

This is a thought-provoking game, in which you actually used your thoughts to provoke your way from one objective to another. As you get on your horse and ride the way into lengthy roads and obstacles, you'll come across with the colossi, all with own unique ways to kill, so you can't simply slash them to their demise; this may be an action game, but it's also a puzzler (I learned it the hard way). Each has its own weak points, and you have to find them using the sword reflecting the sunlight to point their whereabouts. Then you have to climb the colossi from their hairiest places to stab them in their weak spots, but sometimes you have to depend on the environment to provoke some collosi to show their weaknesses. It'll take quite a while for anyone to get used to the game's controls, especially when trying to jump grab the horse's saddle after 20-something times, but all that time and adjustment is rewarding.

Did people already mention the presentation of this game looks incredible? Of course they did. How can any gamer complain about the graphics in this game, it looks beautiful, and I just love the art direction, the design of the colossi, and most of all, the blur effects on the camera controls. Even thought it looks great, the graphics isn't technically-refined (what with the chuggy frame-rate and collision issues). The audio, however, is what I love more than the graphics. The sound effects are small but naturalistic, the voice actors, even in a Latin/Japanese mixed language, is excellent, and the orchestrated music is so emotional and thematic, I wanted to buy the soundtrack of this game! (I know I'm not the only one who reserved the game's OST)

Evidently, the developers have yet to learn their lesson from their last game. It's still a short game (7-9 hours, less if you're a better gamer than me), and even with the inclusion of hard mode, the magic can only last for so long. Normally, the limited replay value subtracts a star off my rating, but I just couldn't. My mind couldn't shake off the experience I have with "Shadow of the Colossus." I rented this work of art, and now I want to buy it, just to relive the story in spirit of a Disney/New Line film and the thrilling enjoyment of fighting against a colossus, which is also tragic when I realize that these monsters are living wholesome beings. A hard truth to know in the aftermath...that's the effect of a great game.

This is Del Keyes, saying "The bigger they are, the harder to put this game down"

Honest reviews on Shadow of the Colossus - PlayStation 2

People in the gaming industry have been talking more and more in the newer generation systems about games moving beyond their traditional trappings, with even venturing as far as to mention "art". While this is a nice idea in theory, the reality of games are much different; the vast majority of them are mindless exercises in sadism and violence, where we tear through legions of enemies for no reason or remorse. And even though many can execute that violence in a unique manner, most games function off the tried and true formula of fighting through a bunch of smaller enemies to get to a more challenging section, after which you get better weapons or abilities and return to laying waste. This has been the accepted and commonplace standard for not only action games, but rpg's, first-person shooters, and even puzzlers. There is a certain human element that is disconnected from games, an emotional distance that never truly involves the player with what's happening on screen beyond his button mashing adrenaline rush. This is part of the reason many old-school gamers are becoming disillusioned with the current industry: games have not fundamentally evolved since the 16-bit era. They have gotten prettier, more expansive, and more in-depth, but core gameplay still relies on the standards established by Nintendo in the infancy of gaming. And the lowest common denominator of all these standards is a reaction to the moment, still treating games as exactly that: games.

But once in a great while, something transcends the mundane and standard, taking us beyond the normal into realms never before explored. Shadow of the Colossus is one of those. It's a truly unique experience in gaming, that so drastically departs from some of the most standard of video game characteristics that it creates a class all it's own. It's focus is not on gameplay, but rather feel and style. That's not to say there's not substance; the gameplay is extremely satisfying, but not from huge combos or technical skill, but rather the unique experience the player becomes encompassed in. The game is direct in it's approach, and bold in it's choices. No minor enemies, no weapons upgrades, no savage enemies, sparing story; all of these are radical new directions found nowhere else in gaming. But what makes Colossus great is not that it's daring enough to go in it's own direction, but rather that it exhibits greater purpose. In any other game, the absence of small enemies might just be a gimic, but in Colossus it's an essential element behind the concept. Ask yourself while you're playing: Why are there no smaller enemies? Why is the whole map open to me from the beginning? Why does certain music occur at certain times? Why is my character a scrawny, and even clutzy, regular guy as opposed to a raging badass? Why is there no backstory to the main character and his female acquaintance? Why are the colossi more like beautiful animals than incarnations of evil? Why do their physical characteristics seem to give the impression that they came right out of the landscape? Why, when you attack them, do they scream like injured creatures rather than all powerful bosses? Why, when you kill them, are you forced to look right in their evocative faces as you bring these gorgeously rendered gods-on-earth to the ground forever? Why is all this so different than any other game?

The reality is that Colossus is much more than a game. There are no superfluous sidetracks or diversions, no showy garbage that really has nothing to do with the theme. Everything is put there for a reason, everything has a purpose. It's a cumulative work, designed more to create an experience and make a statement rather than test your thumb dexterity. One could analyze the elements of this game much the way we criticize great works of literature or visual art. It may be a game, but it's theme's and perfection of execution allows it to move beyond the trappings of it`s medium into the realm of the intellectual and emotional. This represents the future of gaming, where we will finally move past mindless repetition and imitation of formulaic models, to making games that are meaningful and evocative. This is not merely a game, it's art.

Find helpful customer reviews and review ratings for Shadow of the Colossus - PlayStation 2

Even if you had your breath, though, you'd still be hardpressed to comment on this game as it is indescribable.

I was randomly looking at video games in the story when this title caught my eye, and I remember a friend telling me about how great it was. It looked interesting enough and I rented it. I had to admit, I found the first ten minutes or so fairly boring because it was all exposition and I was itching to go out and fight. So when I finally did get to the battle and saw the first colossus, my breath was taken away.

Just the visual of it became impressed into my mind for eternity, and when my mind finally came back all I could think was: I have to fight this thing?! If you wanted to play, though, you'd have to steel your courage up and run out there to engage it in battle, and the next forty-five minutes was the most intense "fighting" I have ever experienced in a game.

Despite being a long-time gamer, I don't think there's been one single, recent game I haven't had to look a study guide up on. There are just so many weapons and special abilities and skills and magic that it gets overwhelming, and you eventually feel you have to look up the elemental weakness or some obscure nuance just to beat a boss that has given you grief a dozen times. To say I was surprised at Wanda's(that's what people call him)equipment--a bow with unlimited arrows and a magic sword--is an understatement. But upon seeing this I was determined to beat all the bosses without looking up the little trick in the study guides. Quite frankly this is one of the few times I've really had to test my wits to the limit, and the satisfaction at find you are actually smarter than these colossal monsters is worth all forty dollars for this game.

I think this is the first time I've played a game where the main character rides a horse, let alone one almost the entire time. Agro is a gigantic warhorse who willingly totes you around on his back toward each colossus. You are with him after each colossus fight and before each colossus fight, and though you don't say anything beyond "Agro" to him or patting him he becomes an invaluable companion, both literally and emotionally. It takes several colossi for it to strike you, but you will see time and again his unquestioned loyalty and willingness to stay by your side in spite of the danger.

I have read all the reviews on here and I see some people complaining about flaws. Maybe I just don't have perfectionist expectations, but I didn't find the camera bothersome at all, and actually found the loose controls very useful. And the travel time; when I was actually playing the game the first way through I did find this dragging, but it only made the battles that much better because, though you know you've fought the colossi before, you still don't know what the next colossus could challenge you with. It's less of an inhibition and more of a tool to keep you playing the game. The time is more than worth the next fight.

One unfortunate flaw that I cannot explain away is that there really isn't much replay value. You know all the tricks, so the likelihood is that if you're playing again you're trying to see how fast you can go through. There are incentives, such as normal time attack mode, Hard mode unlocked (where you have more wounds to stab), and possible items and even unlockable colors for Agro for doing the time attacks. Despite this, I find myself drawn to the game every single day and take out an hour or two just to explore the place, something I neglected in my first run through. I think exploring the land becomes a more enjoyable pasttime after you know what to expect from each colossus, and you'll be surprised at the time you'll spend trying to go around just the out-line of your map. There are beaches, fruit trees, and even a place where a huge hawk will swoop down near you so that you can grab it and be carried away by it for some time.

I'm a huge fan of Square-Enix and role-playing games, so I went into this one with a critics eye, but high expectations. Despite how high those expectations were it still exceeded above and beyond them, and it continues to blow my mind.

I recommend this game to everyone: young or old, new or experienced at gaming. It is magnificent, but take it with a grain of salt. I realize there are some people who will /not/ like this game, but I beg of you to rent it at least once before pushing it out of your mind. The simple plot, the simple equipment, and the simple objective, I think, are considerably refreshing in this age of gaming where you expect a character to know magic, hundreds of abilities, be entangled in at least three intrigues, and surround himself with an array of likeable characters.

SotC just shows that you don't need any of those things to make a fantastic game.

Another note: Don't look up how to beat each colossus 'cause that's literally half the fun!