It's tough to make a completely original game now a days. Taking risks is something most companies don't like to do. But back in 2001, Ico was released. A love it/hate it kind of title. Hailed by some as one of the best games of all time, and by others it was hailed one of the most boring games of all time. Well now the long awaited release of their next game, Shadow of the Colossus. Is it a sequel, a prequel, or does it have nothing to do with Ico at all? Well I'll let you answer those questions.
The story starts out slow, not revealing any more details than need to be known. Basically you're a boy, and you go to some forbidden land that can bring a woman back to life. And that's about all you know until the end of the game. But this game has one of the best endings I've ever seen.
This game took a big risk with the strategy that was taken. The entire game is basically just bosses. Yes there is a vast world, and there's a lot of strategy involved, but when you honestly break it down its basically...
1.Ride to boss
2.Figure out how to defeat boss
3.Defeat boss
4.Rinse.Lather.Repeat.
So you'd think it would get repetitive, but it doesn't. The entire journey to each of the 16 Colossi is an amazing experience in its own. The entire way you're wondering what this Colossus will look like, what kind of strategy will be needed, etc. And the bosses are amazing, each one completely different than the ones before, but I won't give away any details, because it would ruin the experience.
But one of the best parts of this game is the mood it sets. You feel like a small person in a huge world. There are know villagers, or small enemies or anything like that. It's just you, your horse Agro, and the Colossi(and a few birds/lizards/turtles/and one more animal). And the Colossi do a great job at setting the mood. Some of them are quite violent and don't take too well to seeing you. But some just seem so innocent, only attacking you to defend their own lives, turning you into the antagonist. It's a truly different experience than any I've ever felt while playing a video game.
The music is another way that the mood was set. There isn't any. At least on the way to the Colossi. But when you do get there it picks up, and tries to get some adrenaline rushing as some of the biggest enemies in video games attack you.
There isn't too much talking, but what little talking there is is done pretty well. The characters seem to have real emotions, and it wasn't noticably bad.
But the game does have its problems. Since it is just boss battles, and not non stop action. This game obviously won't be for everyone. The controls also aren't perfect, but I got used to them pretty quickly. My biggest complaint would have to be the camera. There is a center button, and a button to focus on the Colossi, but there's too many times that the camera isn't sure what to do, and because of that gets stuck in horrible positions. This wasn't too noticable, until the last boss, but it was still there nonetheless.
Overall I think this will be a contender for game of the year. And its one of the most original titles I've seen in a while. It won't be for everyone, but if this is your kind of game, and you're willing to give it a chance, you won't be disappointed.
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