Difficulty:

Easy

Time Spent:

10 Hours or Less

The Bottom Line:

"Immersive"

Shadow of the Colossus is an incredible looking game that pushes the PS2 to its limits. Upon starting the game one can shoose to watch the opening sequence, of which I recommend because not only does it look incredible but sets up the story and atmosphere. The game throws you into a task of killing 16 Colossi to save a princess. However this isnt your run-of-the-mill "save a captured princess" story, instead this princess is dead and you need the help of a god-like entity to bring her back to life. To get this help you must first kill these Colossus creatures that wont be easy to get rid of. The game's main character is equipped with a magical sword that, when held in the sun, will reflect where your next foe, or Colossus, is located. You must travel across the land to find and dispose of these evil creatures and this is where my two big gripes with this game occur. For some reason riding the horse to each location is very tedious and on top of that there seems to be some framerate issues in which there is some slowdown coming across the big, beautiful land. It seems as though the developers focused more on what the game looked like rather than how it plays. if it isnt obvious enough the game looks great but that slowdown is really noticeable and you'll find yourself tapping the "X" button in vain to make your horse run faster. Combat in Shadow of the Colossus is a really amazing feeling and really makes you feel as though you are holding onto these giant creatures for dear life. Upon entering each area where each Colossi lay you must first find their weak spot or spots by holding up your magical sword and shining light on the Colossi's body. Once you find out where to properly attack it's time to climb up the monster and kill it, it's sort of a puzzle to find out where your character can and cant grab. After acually getting on the Colossus you need to hold on as it tries to shake you off it may take a few tries but I was never frustrated with it and acually really enjoyed tring more than once to take down one giant creature. Combat ends with your character passing out and being brought back to the HUB for a short cut scene, rince and repeat. I can honestly say this really is a great game even for a generation later and is still fun to play today. I would recommend to every gamer but not the casuals and the non-patient type.