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Monday 13 Nov 2006 “Tales speak of a distant place where creatures the size of mountains roam free. Bound to the land, these beasts hold the key to a mystical power - a power capable of bringing the departed back from the other side.” Shadow of the Colossus comes from the makers of ICO, which in itself is a super title worthy of a spot in any PS2 gamers’ collection. You play the part of a young warrior named Wander who is desperate to save the love of his life, Mono. Armed with only a sword, bow and your trusty steed Agro, you are plunged into your quest. Perfect, simple and engaging! “Into the unknown, ride forth.”
The opening scene will leave you breathless and moved beyond a shadow of a doubt. Unfortunately for you, your exercise regime and social life can only suffer as you will quickly become an addict … just one more Colossi … just one more Colossi will become your mantra. Friends and family will struggle to comprehend your fascination with slaying giant creatures and whilst they will initially humour your pleas to watch you as you drool over the sheer beauty of the environment, they will inevitably become resentful as you choose to play on rather than join them in their “real-life” pursuits. As if completing your quest and saving true love is not worthy of your time… The show must go on and time is running out for your sweetheart. You must conquer 16 Colossi in order to save the love of your life. Sounds simple, right? Wrong … we are not talking about your average end of level boss here. You need to understand that part of the joy of Shadow of the Colossus is the simplicity of the game dynamics. You get on your trusty steed, follow your glowing sword to the next Colossi and slay it. No hordes of enemies in between, no leveling up, no sub missions to interrupt your important work. So as you can imagine, the developer had oodles of time to focus on the Colossi rather than the fluff that fills so many titles. The Colossus are all unique in their own way, varying in increased levels of difficulty and challenging as each one has to be approached differently in order to get to their “weak spots.” It keeps you engaged and pondering what can they possibly think up next.
Each gargantuan monster will challenge your thinking as you work out how to take them down. The important decisions many an insect makes on a daily basis become your thoughts for every waking moment. How do I get my pathetically small warrior with his toothpick sword onto that humongous beast? After all, these creatures thunder across the ground, swoop through the sky and lurk in the murky depth of stagnant pools that you would rather not wade into. Creative use of the environment around you yields surprisingly good results, so do not dismiss the obscure as a few of the Colossi where just too puzzling for this reviewer and I caved, reaching for the FAQ to quench my desire for total domination. So if you find yourself in a similar predicament, phone a friend to help you figure it out … or, if all your friends have abandoned you for your introverted gaming ways, there are plenty of good FAQ’s on the net. It can be very frustrating when you just cannot figure out how to take down a particular beast. When you do find out though, you won’t believe you were so stupid not to have tried “x” and will recount the event to your friends, saying how inspired the puzzle is. Hard riding, out-the-box thinking and perseverance will yield you the bitter sweet victory as each Colossi crashes to the ground, spilling their spirit into the world… bringing you closer to saving the very special women in your life as you risk everything.
Pros: Engaging; clever puzzles; inspired environment with genuine atmosphere. Cons: Navigation to find Colossus can be misleading and frustrating.
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Purchase:Please check back for places to order this item from in the near future. |
Breathtaking 
Challenging
The transition between entertainment and art was blurred for me through my experience of “playing” this title. The sheer majestic nature of the Colossi, sweeping vistas and haunting music meshed so perfectly I was captivated at every moment. A masterfully constructed creation that transcends all that one could account for in a review … get it, experience it and be changed by it!
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