Shadow of the Colossus

[kupomog]

So ICO was a very brilliant, but overlooked game by Sony Computer Entertainment. Brilliant enough for Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time to base it's gameplay off of it. Rumors of the sequel NICO have been flying around for years, and now SCE has revealed this game, which isn't a direct sequel to ICO, but is pretty much that game thought to be NICO.

Wanda and the Colossus (http://ps2.ign.com/articles/546/546753p1.html) seems to be pretty similar to ICO in terms of the general look and the storyline. Apparently, Wanda is a fallen girl (according to Game Informer), probably the Yorda character, and we will play as some boy who is on a quest to revive her. He only has his horse to aid him. In order to revive her, we need to defeat the giant beasts in the land, whose bodies serve almost like puzzles.

It's pretty interesting, read more at the link above. You can probably find the TGS '04 trailer online somewhere. Thoughts?

[DAntae]

yes god yes I want this game. didn't think anyone else cared, much like with ico. not much mention of it around here. although its a new story all together apparently it will be very familiar to fans of ico. saw bunches on g4 about it, then read a nice article at ign...um under a friend's login.

[Magnum]

I never played ico

go ahead and kill me right here, right now

[DAntae]

pick it up if you can find it, less only 6.99 used at most gamestops. stupid casual gamers.

[Gunstar]

Very, very excited about this one. Videos are up on that Gametrailers site. It's hard not to be fascinated at how eerily real this game looks and moves (especially the horse). But the whole idea of fighting those awesome Collossus monsters excites me the most. Looks pretty tense. Loving the music too, sounds great.

Hopefully it delivers, and then doesn't slip through the cracks like ICO.

[Craptacular]

Looks good. Hope it sells, unlike ICO.

[Joe]

Wasn't the boy's name Ico? Also, you say that in this game we get to be that boy, Ico, but the screen shots don't really look like him. He could have grown a bit I guess. If this game is anything like the greatness of Ico, I will be so happy.

[kupomog]

The boy in ICO was called Ico, yes, but I didn't say a single thing about the boy in this game being Ico.

[Joe]

Apparently, Wanda is a fallen girl (according to Game Informer), probably the Yorda character, and we will play as some boy who is on a quest to revive her.

I thought that that said the same boy for some reason, sorry.

[Gunstar]

Wow this thread is old. But I thought I'd bump it since the game will be out in a couple days plus I'm bored. There is a glowing review here. (http://www.1up.com/do/reviewPage?cId=3144750&did)

There are also video links there that are worth checking out. This part of the review is beard-strokingly intriguing:

This is not a game in which ones machismo is easily riled. Yes, they're giant creatures, but unlike David and Goliath, these towering behemoths didn't do anything to warrant extermination, which is precisely what you're doing. You're even warned by the Dormin at Shadow's outset that your actions may come at heavy price. As you cross the finish line and learn for yourself the true and genuinely shocking nature of what you have done (vaguely told in the most ambiguous, but blood-pumping terms), you're left with a similar, bittersweet ache as the one which touched you at the end of Ico, only this time it's a little less kind. And to be perfectly frank, Shadow of the Colossus is a braver experience for it.

The excitement, people.

[DAntae]

yeah the entire game is these epic boss fights...gunstar I cant wait for this. we should compete to see who finishes it quicker.

[The General]

It looks neat, but I know I wont enjoy it. EGM says that there are periods of up to 20 minutes that just consist of riding your horse to the next boss, and I don't have an attention span that big...

[Jolly Bengali]

Is this an X-men reference in the title?

[kupomog]

Hmm, speaking of the title, I'd better fix it.

I was watching a bunch of videos for the game, though. How they transitioned from the demo into the final product which looks beautiful. I've heard great things about this game, so I'm confident I won't be disappointing or too sad about missing Ico and Yorda.

[Thrillhouse24]

I got the demo and checked it out, i thought it was pretty fun but i probley wont buy it, maybe rent though.

[DAntae]

those boss battles where you know you will fail a few times before having success are what have me hooked. ICO was one of the better games I played. they got the story right with the gameplay. this game is going to have periods of time where you have to journey...adding to the epic feel. not for everyone, but clearly for me.

[Magnum]

oh god oh god oh god oh god oh god oh god oh god oh god I've got to play this!

but I'm trying to save up for a PSP in time for christmas

decisions decisions

[DAntae]

this game gives off a sense of greatness. it looks like it will be a huge challenge but so damn rewarding. put the psp in the background for a bit...or I would. however I have no desire for a psp.

[Darunia]

I'll definitely pick this one up when it's released here, still a long wait though. I don't really mind, Tales of Symphonia is keeping me busy and I plan on replaying the MGS trilogy too. I'm a big fan of ICO and all the footage of this game looks awesome. Further impressions on the game (and especially the bosses) are welcome.

[Gunstar]

So, it's really, really good. Enjoying it thoroughly so far. I'm up to the 10th collossus, and a few of these guys were some of the best boss battles I've ever seen. My only qualms are the camera and controls. The controls are simple, and manageable, but just feel a bit off. And the camera can be a pain sometimes when fighting the colossi and travelling on your horse.

It's tough to really talk about the game. I'd like to go into detail on each of the colossi and why they're so damn awesome (paticularily #9, which is my favorite battle so far. Fucking intense) but I don't want to ruin any of them. Have to experience them on your own.

You get an odd mix of emotions when playing this. It's exciting as hell when you figure out just what you need to do to make these guys vulnerable, and satisfying when you finally plunge in your sword for the final blow...but then it's kinda sad when you watch them die and you realize they haven't really done anything to warrant the death you dealt. They were just there. I think I have a good idea of how things are going to turn out, but I'll keep my mouth shut.

Second favorite game so far this year, next to RE4.

[kupomog]

...but then it's kinda sad when you watch them die and you realize they haven't really done anything to warrant the death you dealt. They were just there.

AH, I remember one of the makers talking about that type of feeling before in previews. How the colossi are really beautiful/wonderful creatures and how you really have no choice but to take them down one by one to get what you want...that concept always stuck with me the most.

[DAntae]

might pick it up while I am in atlanta later today. if not may give it a rent first, I know I will like it. ico just hooked me and I had to play it over and over. still excited about this.

[Gunstar]

I certainly feel no guilt whatsoever for icing #11. What a needlessly irritating, poorly done fight. There's even a nice battle-breaking mistake that screwed me over a couple of times. They really dropped the ball on that one.

Sucks, but I guess there had to be a bad apple somewhere.

EDIT: Holy crap @ #16. :-O

This one's gonna take awhile...

[kupomog]

Sexy. You are all gonna LOVE this, Someone ripped the videos off the special NICO DVD found only in Japan!

NICO First Teaser DVD rip

http://www.gamesmediamirror.com/leech_1851_1_en.html (http://www.gamesmediamirror.com/leech_1851_1_en.html)

http://media.xboxyde.com/gallery/public/2102/910_0014.jpg

ICO PS1 version rip

http://www.gamesmediamirror.com/leech_1854_1_en.html (http://www.gamesmediamirror.com/leech_1854_1_en.html)


http://media.xboxyde.com/gallery/public/2104/910_0004.jpg

[billi vanilli]

we got motherfuckin' bumps on this thread

so i picked this game up today and all i have to say is holy crap. this is one of the most innovative, expansive, and flat out beautiful games i've ever seen. wonderful concept that was carried out flawlessly.

i'm not that far through it but i can already tell that i'm not gonna play another game until i've beaten this.

anyone else get into this a little late? thoughts?

oh and thanks again kupo

[kupomog]

You're welcome.

And I just noticed I never wrote my thoughts on this game.

Okay. So.

I just love how cinematic some of the battles can be, especially that flying colossus in the desert, number 13. Utterly wonderful, that battle, I love playing with the camera to REALLY make it look like a movie. And it was so satisfying to figure out how to get onto each colossi, immensely satisfying despite the fact that I felt bad after defeating some, like number 11. The way you have to trick it into falling off the ledge...and how it acts when you do...it makes me feel very guilty because of its "expression."

I even felt bad killing lizards just to get their tails...I tried to only shoot them with the bow in the tail so they'd still live, even if they'd still show up on the map once I got the stone from the time attacks. It reminds me so much of how I always walked when I lead Yorda around, because I didn't want her to trip or get tired and fall to the ground in ICO. And I got into a habit of always petting Agro after every long run despite that not actually doing anything...weird how a game makes me do that stuff.

But it was a very fun game, made me want to go back and play Ico. And everything was just so...huge and beautiful. All the locations...it felt like any shot of the screen I wanted to take would make one of the coolest desktops or posters ever. I know people that complained about the traveling from one area to another took too long, but I enjoyed it (except when the light beam tricked me and got me lost...). I just wanna go exploring every ruin and cave.

And the soundtrack is utterly haunting. Pieces like "Silence" (plays during the battle with the first flying colossus before you get on top of it) sounds full of sadness and mystery, entirely fitting for swimming around in murky waters, and "Creeping Shadow" (plays before you find a way onto the 4th colossus, I believe) kind of scares me in a way, thinking of that huge colossus stalking towards me... Then there are inspiring pieces like "The Opened Way" that just make me feel like "fuck yeah, I'mma kill 'dis bitch now!"

After I had collected enough white lizard tails and my stamina was large enough, I climbed the side of the temple. Took awhile to get to the top, but it was still fun just to be able to do it. Went up to the area from the end of the game, had a look around, then went and traversed the bridge from the opening. And good lord that bridge is huge. 10 minutes just to go from one end to the other, no exaggeration. It was cool, though. On the other end near the walkway you can't pass through, the lighting from the sun gets really bright and makes this effect as if you're just standing on a stone bridge in endless light...from the backside, anyway.

Can you tell I lurve the game? :dance:

[billi vanilli]

so do you think i should go get ico? i didn't know which one to get first, and i knew that this was supposed to be one of the best games for the ps2... should i get ico as well?

[kupomog]

YES. Beautiful game, I'm amazed at how much I fell in love with Ico and Yorda and they hardly spoke throughout the game, and pretty good puzzle gameplay (same one that Prince of Persia Sands of Time later used). When I realized just who I was fighting in the battle before the final battle, I felt weird about it...in a good way.

[Veryjammy]

Yes, Ico > SOTC, even though they're both great. Just be aware that they're very different experiences and I've heard some people call Ico boring which brings tears to my eyes :( Ico was just a better all round experience for me; it's achingly beautiful and pure and drips with atmosphere, and it doesn't have some of the niggles SOTC has like a wayward camera and poor framerate. I'd also say that the narrative is better developed but I won't go into details on that since I don't want to spoil SOTC for you. But Ico has the best game ending. ever.

[H Thompson]

I prefer SOTC personally, just more creative and the whole game sucks you into this whole different world and just makes you feel like no other game can (and it has better music over the credits Ico's doesn't do much for me). Ico shares a few similarties with other games but their both great. But on replaying, Ico has lost it's impact but SOTC still can just completley transform how I'm feeling, I'm still slowly getting through it a few more times so I can get to the top of the shrine, that's sort of another thing that's so overwhelming about SOTC, there's probably some little areas I've still never really explored, it seems like there could still be some secrets, I've never done it but I've seen it's possible to grab onto an Owl's talons and have that fly you around for a bit.
I kind of think of Ico as a dark fairy tale and SOTC as a mysterious epic adventure.
It's definatley worth having Ico though because there is some loose connections to SOTC, although it's up to interpretation if you think there's really any meaning behind it.

[H Thompson]

Yay I got to the secret garden and wanderd around (notice the fruits reduces your potential stamina and grip) and yep the bridge really is 10 minutes along, and the great thing is if you call him, Argo runs along with you underneath the bridge. Coolest horse ever.
Now if only there was a way to get to the very top of the temple, and then fly off it.
I just had a thought, besides the flying one's, which colossus would you most like to control?

[Channel Surfer]

Little late with the post here, but there's no excuse for me not to contribute. :) Kupo's already covered a lot of what I wanted to say, so just a brief point.

I think this game had a somewhat similar appeal to me as some of Ray Harryhausen's stop motion films (like "The 7th Voyage of Sinbad") or movies such as the original "King Kong". There was a fantastic appeal to them, and a lot of personality in the monsters and their mannerisms. The Colossi never felt like just another boss monster to defeat. There was always a sense of insignificance when confronting them, that you're just some desperate, poorly equipped person trying to take down the ancient pillars of nature itself. Sometimes they're imposing on an almost survival gut level (thinking the 10th especially) where you feel like you have to do everything possible just to survive in their presence. Other times they're imposing just in their natural existence (like the 13th), putting to question the entire quest as you kill this creature without threat of any kind. The latter one connects to a large part of what the game is trying to convey as well I think, that because your character has lost everything of significance and value to him, you are destroying everything of significance and value for this hopeless, desperate cause. And that, maybe, there is some meaning to this world beyond your quest.

and it doesn't have some of the niggles SOTC has like a wayward camera

I've never thought the camera complaint was fair. Mostly because there's never a situation I can think of in SOTC where a wayward camera could seriously hinder your experience as opposed to ICO. There's very little platforming (and next to none over pits) and on the Colossi where it could become a problem, you can usually just hold on to it for that brief moment before it's fixed.

[billi vanilli]

i think it should be pointed out that channel surfer's avatar is pretty much the main reason i bought this game

and no i am not kidding

[Veryjammy]

Well the camera didn't ruin the game for me or anything but it was certainly less than helpful in some cases, and when you were down to the last bit on your grip meter and the camera had a little fit which had you going the wrong way it could be quite infuriating. I remember it being quite bad on a certain bit of the final boss actually.

Dont' get me wrong I really liked the game, but certain aspects of it could irritate me at times. Imo, there was mid-game slump in the standard of the colossi. I can't remember which number it was exactly, but I think I really hated number 9 in particular for being so fiddly even when you knew what to do. And while it is part of the nature of the game, it wasn't always fun climbing onto the colossus for the tenth time after falling off, especially since some of them had quite drawn out ways of getting onto them, or getting to the last weak spot.

[H Thompson]

The one with the geysers was the only one that really pissed me off, and ok maybe a couple of others got a bit dull, especially when your just repeating exact sequnces to get back on it, which makes you think "how dumb is this colossus"
But it didn't piss me off as much as Yorda's AI.

[kupomog]

I am still pissed off that the non-NA versions of ICO were so much better. Yorda's AI was improved, too...she would actually help you out at points if you got stuck, grrrr.

[Jeremy]

Just an FYI, this is now a Greatest Hits game, so you can get it for $20 (or $15 at some retailers) brand new. I decided to pay slightly more and buy it on ebay without the GH stuff, since I hate the red garbage that kills the cover art.

[BlindPsychic]

Borrowed this game from my friend, beat all 16, playing through again to do time attack. Love it.

[SubSane]

Good to see so many folks dig the game. I hate using words like "masterpiece" for anything, even if it's good, but this game is just that. You get sucked into this quiet little valley and go on one of those classic quests that can't be forgotten.

[skittlebrau]

I may have splooged over it in the Lounge, but I feel it's more appropriate to talk about here since this is the thread for it. Plus, maybe this old thread'll get some discussion going again. Taking a break after defeating the fifth colossus.

This is one of the most beautiful games I have ever played, hands down. Everything about it is simply tremendous. From the intro screen I was amazed at how detailed everything was. I honestly thought I was watching a live-action sequence. I just love the vast expansiveness of the landscape, with nothing more than the occasional ancient ruins scattered about. The lack of towns or interaction with other people only adds to the beautiful scenery. I just wanna explore every little nook and cranny, heh.

The colossi battles are amazing. Figuring out how to get onto each colossi was a prize for me. I felt pure satisfaction each time it clicked (or figuring out how to trick the colossi into looking the other way in order to do so). Hanging on for dear life was probably the best part because it's so unpredictable whether you're gonna fall or hang on (depends on your grip, I guess). At the same time, I don't know whether to feel relieved that I beat the beast, or whether I should feel a profound sadness for killing such a beautiful creature. The fact that you're killing creatures purely to bring someone back to life is a mystery to me because I don't think I'd ever really do it. But that's just how it's done in this game.

The orchestration is also top notch. It gives you just the right emotion you want to feel at just right time. Getting back to the profound sadness when you kill the colossi, I guess it really does bum me out hearing the sad strings and choir after you kill it, now that I think about. That's how powerful the score is to me. Then again, I often get emotional over certain scores and songs in video games :-X

I'm just rambling on, so I'll just reiterate that this game is amazing in every aspect. For those of you that haven't had a chance to play it yet, take it from someone...well, that's not playing it for the first time, but who's playing it as if it were his first time, do me a favor and buy this game. Should be no more than what I paid for it by now ($10 used), so spend $10 and be happy. It's well worth it.

[DAntae]

you summed up how everyone feels for the most part.

secret garden for me guys...however I just did the diagnol jump thingie. plan to conquer it the real way someday

[kupomog]

Wait, what "diagonal jump thingy" is this?

[H Thompson]

Apparently if you jump diagonally it doesn't lower your grip meter.
It doesn't work on all versions though. I know they took it out for the european release.

[kupomog]

Ah, yeah now I remember. I never used that, it never worked for me. Same for some other people I knew with the NTSC version. From what I understood, it was only available in the demo versions of the game, but I guess that's not true now.

[billi vanilli]

this thread makes me wish my ps2 wasn't broken. bummer.

[kupomog]

N-no...no more mounting?? http://www.almostsmart.com/forums/images/smilies/depressed.gif

[DAntae]

my version is the greatest hits version...and after reading up I attempted it. when I rented it before I just wanted to finish the game...didnt care about multiple playthroughs then.