It's unlike anything you've ever played.

User Rating: 9.1 | Shadow of the Colossus PS2
Shadow of the Colossus has proven, that even in the 21st Century, originality in entertainment reigns supreme.

The plot is relatively thin in the beginning: A young warrior, with his trusty horse, has brought a nameless (dead, unconscious?) woman to an unknown land. All he wants to do is bring her back to life. What he must do, is defeat a series of colossi. No minions, no booby traps, just 16 colossal beasts roaming the vast, arcane land.

That's basically it, in terms of gameplay. Find the 16 colossi, and defeat it. Sounds simple? Not exactly.

There has been do you kill this thing?"

The battles are . Not only is it a sight to see enemies hundreds of times your size, but it's just as epic in taking them down. Most of it requires brains rather than brawn, as you will have to find "weak points" in the colossi. Most of them require you to climb onto the beasts and strike them above the head. Sounds repetitive, but getting to each colossi's points are different. Once you get there, it's an epic struggle, as you try to stab the colossi, while it shakes it's gargantuan head, body, or torso in an attempt to throw you off.

Getting to the colossi is a game in itself. Some require you to do some platform jumping, usually building the tension to whatever you will be facing.

The game looks superb. The colossi look believable; their fur looking tangible. Animation is top notch, and kudos should go to the horse for moving realistically. The scenery is just as breathtaking as its residents: lush forests, dry deserts and ancient cities ask the question: What happened here? Why is this beautiful world deserted? The only problem I have is that the frame rate can bog down sometimes: after playing games such as God of War, "Shadow" can look as if it has frame rate problems.

To anyone who wants to do themselves justice: Play this game on a 100" projector. Gargantuan beasts + big screen = gaming goodness. You'll be glad you did.

The sound is even better than the visuals. The echoes of caverns, the dull sounds in the forest, and running water all bring the world to life (weirdly enough). As you battle each colossus, certain music plays to reflect the mood. Every time I latched onto the weakpoint of a colossi, the music would heighten my emotions, making me feel like I accomplished the impossible.

The first time you play through "Shadow", it feels grand. However, once you have played it through once, the sense of discovery is gone, which was an essential part of the game. Thus, there is little replayability to the casual gamer. However, certain things may make fans come back: the time attack mode, hard mode, and hard time attack mode. Quite simply, taking down a colossal giant in a mere few minutes give you bragging rights indeed.

Essentially, it is a game which should not be missed. Great games that stick to the formula may come and go, but Shadow of the Colossus is one of those games that you will probably remember for generations to come.