Shadow of the Colossus Review

By Tom Bramwell Published 17 February, 2006

The bigger they come.

Version tested: PlayStation 2

Shadow of the Colossus is a wonderful game.

16 giant monsters made of brick and fur, stomping around desolate environments waiting for us to find them, trick or trip them into letting their guard down, and scale them and slaughter them - I was in love with that game before I even saw it.

Giant, organic puzzles. Better: giant, organic puzzles that roam around a world designed by the people who made ICO. Even I'm slightly bored of waving ICO around like a Top Trump at playtime by now, but its presence in the back of the mind was the real shadow lurking over the colossi, promising fluid platform control, engrossingly understated characters and desolate settings, and above all that the designer was capable of directing such simplicity, such a deliberately threadbare idea, with the steadiness and concentration of a proven auteur.

So it was, somewhat ironically, that the hype ICO never had became its legacy, and in the end spoiled the experience of actually playing Shadow.

You've probably read at least one review of this game already, so I'll try and keep things simple. You're trying to revive a young girl, and you've brought her to the edge of the world, to a land stalked by giant furry brick-monsters, where you've heard that souls can be retrieved. Dormin, a disembodied voice that booms at you from the rafters of the shrine where your beloved lies dormant, instructs you to bring them down to try and achieve this. And so you do. With the help of your beautiful horse Agro and a magical sword, you navigate across the bleak, uninhabited land that surrounds you, and stalk your oversized prey.

'Shadow of the Colossus' Screenshot graphically

Graphically, Shadow does things nobody is doing anywhere else. The frame rate hit doesn't compromise that.

To find it, you raise your sword aloft and rotate until, like a compass point, it directs you to the target. Onward you'll bound, navigating giant chasms, through canyons and, as you draw closer to each colossus, even over sequences of platforms and ledges in a manner not too far from the kind you'd expect in ICO - or, if you're not one of the original 25,000, those of Prince of Persia are an equally good example.

When you find what you're looking for, the game pulls back to emphasise the magnitude of the task, and the accompanying music - largely unobtrusive outside of colossal encounters - rises with the kind of choral solemnity you'd expect to encounter in a dark cathedral on the eve of judgement day; it marks this moment out as the start of a grave matter.

For you it's not though; for you it's the start of a titanic struggle. First you have to locate the giant's weak spot, and then you have to exploit it. And it's here that the game is simultaneously at its most brilliant and most frustrating - and the point at which you realise that this isn't quite what Ico told you to expect. Curse him.

Any failings outside these encounters are forgivable. Agro may frustrate you from time to time by refusing to go between a pair of trees or jump a particular gap, but he's actually a very intuitive animal, happily bounding over a narrow ridge and changing direction slightly as you spur him without the need to tug on the reins. And you may get lost on your way to the fight, but this is almost always because you went the wrong way; in a sense it's the game's fault that you got lost, but in a world where every clop of the hoof is another brick in the atmospheric wall that your isolated enemies are preparing to burst through, only the importunate critic's likely to complain, and only as deadline approaches.

What's harder to forgive is dying, or having to repeat tricky manoeuvres, because you've been literally and figuratively thrown off by the work of a cameraman in a neckbrace, or a harsh function of a merciless design.

'Shadow of the Colossus' Screenshot freedom

Playing ICO then this is like escaping a prison and not knowing what to do with the freedom. You can wander for hours taking it in.

When it works, fighting a colossus is unlike anything you've ever done in a game. Endlessly circling at first, inspiration hits you and you try something to make a breakthrough, maybe taking advantage of some quirk of the setting or some promisingly exposed patch of furry flesh in a delicate region. It's a big thrill when you first discover that your plan to put an arrow in the exposed calf of a humanoid, or unbalance a thick-skinned quadruped with a shot to the foot, is enough to put them at a temporary disadvantage. Then you climb on.

Here you discover one of the most ingenious bits of design. Once again, it's the R1 button - it held Yorda's hand in ICO, and here it holds onto the fur or ledge you're clinging to as your adversary overcomes his momentary slip and regains his stride (or canter, or even flight). How you'll cling to that R1 button. And how you'll watch that shrinking pink circle in the bottom-right corner - along with the weapon icon and the relevant health bars, one of just four bits of screen furniture - and pray that he stops bucking and twisting so you can climb higher and seek respite on surer footing. Reaching higher is about charging up a jump by holding triangle and trying to grab on further up, or by crawling painstakingly over furry flesh.

From then on, it's about finding the glowing white tattoo that marks the weak spot, and sticking your sword in it enough to kill. Which is to say, it's about holding on, struggling against Richter-scale environmental shifts, and judging how much weight you can cram into each sword strike before you have to concentrate on holding on again, and how many times you can afford to do it before your pink circle becomes nothing, and you're thrown a hundred feet or more to the ground.

Because getting back to the point of bringing the sword down is rarely something you'll want to spend time doing: given the intensity of the build-up, the satisfaction of delivering that decisive blow, and the elation you'll feel when it goes in and the music changes and it's all over, gives everything a bloodthirsty sense of urgency. It's quite a chilling effect when you think about it given the ambiguity of your situation: ICO was an innocent quest, and after a while this feels more like selfish slaughter. Hang on, you'll think, is this really right? It'll occupy your thoughts a bit as you ride to your next battle. Being given the space to think - and the genesis of significant internal debate - is one thing that ICO and Shadow both get right.

'Shadow of the Colossus' Screenshot connections

Looking for connections with ICO will occupy your mind. Even this is fun.

I'm getting sidetracked, but there's relevance. The problem, for me, is that when I'm riding to the next battle, I'm often cross, when I should be getting drawn into the dilemma. When I bring down a colossus, half of what I'm feeling is relief and even bitterness. Shadow is at its most brilliant when you have an idea, it works, and you succeed. The problem is that it's too harsh on you when you make a mistake, and when it makes a mistake it replaces the excitement of knowing you're right with the intense frustration of knowing something bad wasn't your fault.

When you slightly misjudge the amount of time you have left to cling onto the wingtip of a flying beast, or mistake a particular pattern of twisting and flapping for one that lasts half the time, and you fall to the water below, you might have to swim for up to two minutes to get to where you need to be; not to mention the need to re-establish your connection with said wingtip, which isn't exactly like hailing a taxi. This would be forgivable if it, and the consequence of your other minor errors, were isolated problems. As a developer, you can't always legislate against the stupidity of the thumb or the panicking mind, and there'd be no way to shortcut you back to the starting position without shattering the illusion.

But you start taking umbrage with things like this when they scale up; when you get struck down by a small, fast-moving colossus that can strike you again as you're climbing back to your feet, for example. Or when you're knocked sideways and lose half your health because you're expected to twist your bow and arrow, while on horseback, in such a way that you'll probably lose track of the aiming reticule several times over before you succeed. Never mind the fact that you initially discounted this as a strategy because, when you do it, your character's movement and your control issues suggest that you're breaking the game.

There's been debate within the ranks here about the camera, too. I think it's a bit crap. ICO's system of electing a spectacular vantage point and then letting you adjust it slightly obviously can't work in this sort of context, so what we have instead of a controllable third-person affair manipulated with the right analogue stick - and with all the associate flaws. It's quite sluggish, it feels uncomfortably tight to your character, it squirms uncertainly in tight spaces, and seems to take odd paths around objects - particularly when you're trying to twist it to see yourself on the other side of a colossal arm or beard. Being able to locate the colossus mid-picture by holding L1 makes some amends, but even this is slightly haphazard, sometimes focusing on a body part you're not interested in.

'Shadow of the Colossus' Screenshot welcome

Welcome.

I've shouted at games I've loved before. I even shouted at ICO from time to time - there's a bit near the end with some rubbish checkpointing that accentuates perspective issues in a way that simply shouldn't have got through, and so my neighbours endured my raised voice once again. But with Shadow it's different - it's endemic. I am often angry while I play it.

In truth, it is far more satisfying to return to, and to talk about afterward, than it is to play through the first time.

Now, Rob has an alternative take on this. He contests it vehemently, arguing that sitting in a crowded room with his friends trying out strategies as people called them out was one of his favourite experiences of last year. And I can see how it might have been. But I'm not about to recommend a game because a handful of brains can make light of its challenges and negate a lot of the frustration, before conversation dulls the pain of the process. That's not good design; that's just a good house set-up and yes I'd like the spare room.

If anything, it backs up my point anyway - sharing Shadow with people is the most fun. Playing Shadow when you know what to do is fun - retracing my steps through the game this week was like watching a classic film where you know all the lines and you're watching it because the lines themselves are brilliant and hearing them again makes you happy. Some of these ideas are things I'm going to want to smile at again for years to come. And there's something so reassuring about a developer that doesn't clutter its game with procedural combat and storytelling - not because it'd make things less believable or less enjoyable, but because it'd make the game into something it isn't meant to be. Shadow of the Colossus, like ICO before it, is what Sony meant. You'll want to remember how you felt about that again, and it'll be easier next time.

Which, in a slightly loopy way, is my way of saying that Shadow of the Colossus is worth buying. Not necessarily because you'll love every second of playing it, but because when you look back on it, when you drag it out for your friends, and when your finger runs across its spine and picks it out of the shelf-stack line-up 18 months from now on a rainy weekend when your girlfriend's at her mother's, it'll be another ICO moment.

Right now though, I'd rather hold Yorda's hand again.

8 / 10

Read the Eurogamer.net scoring policy
Picture of Tom.

About Tom Bramwell

Tom is Operations director of Eurogamer Network and Editor-at-Large of Eurogamer.net. He joined the company in February 2000.

Read more articles from Tom by visiting the Tom Bramwell archive page.

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Comments (130) Latest comment 9 months ago

Comments threads automatically close after 30 days, but please feel free to continue chatting on the forum!

  • Huntcjna #1 6 years ago

    An 8 a fucking 8!

    /faints

  • krudster #2 6 years ago

    What confusion? I thought it was a 10, Rob reckoned it was a 10, Tom reckons it's an 8. Gamers in difference of opinion, shock!

  • Aretak #3 6 years ago

    Comments of "omg egogamer sux!!1" in 5... 4... 3...

  • ecureuil #4 6 years ago

    What's to be confused about? Kristan thought it was worth 10, Tom obviously disagrees.

    Most people seem to agree that ICO is better, so this doesn't surprise me. Both essential purchases as far as I'm concerned.

  • Huntcjna #5 6 years ago

    I blame Toms constant hard on for Yorda.

  • Carlo #6 6 years ago

    Well... This is going to be interesting.

  • newt #7 6 years ago

    Eurogamer rocks.

  • krudster #8 6 years ago

    Further evidence that there is no hive mind here!

  • KTroopA #9 6 years ago

    PAL has 60hz mode. ah yeah....

    fix the score now ok. thx

    10

  • Darkedge #10 6 years ago

    sounds a fair score.
    The screenshots are weird though as they don't show the correct screen aspect as the game - which is a bit wrong in a review.

  • #11 6 years ago

    Good review, and interesting to get another take on it.

    Two 10s and an 8 are pretty much a must buy.

    What is it with fools who don't like differing review scores from different reviewers? Get......a........fooking...........LIFE!

    Doesn't any of these nobbers realise that opinions invariably will differ from game to game? I'd rather have 3 slightly differing opinions than just 1 when it comes to one of the biggest releases of the year.

    Sod this, I'm outta the comments threads, they sux!

  • El_MUERkO #12 6 years ago

    It only got an 8!?! pish!! i dont buy 8's >.<


    ;)

  • Hunam85 #13 6 years ago

    shock!

  • tomdominer #14 6 years ago

    man, Shadow is much better than ICO, I loved the look of both but Shadow was far more exciting because of it's almost electric kinetic feel. ICO was too static and, lets be honest here, a little bit boring after the initial two hours of wonder...

  • gizmo #15 6 years ago

    Please tell me the horse isn't really called Agro?

    Sounds like a name Rooney would pick for his Doberman.

  • megastar #16 6 years ago

    i want this, yes i do indeedy.

  • Huntcjna #17 6 years ago

    I was only shocked because of the dual 10/10 assault in the ICO reviews obviously Kristians standards are a lot lower than Toms. ;)

  • Darren #18 6 years ago

    So this game is 10% better than FIFA Street then...? /lol/

  • Lummox #19 6 years ago

    @gizmo

    The horse is called Argo. That said, I think Agro sounds much better...

  • Kain_Cross #20 6 years ago

    Oh wow, it's Shadow's big day and ICO stole the show.

    It's no big deal. Famitsu give their scores by having four reviewers rate the game and summing it up at the end, and you don't see a lot of games with the same score x4 for in the individual reviews. It's the same in this case, Kristan and Tom just have different opinions.

    That being said, I still want this as bad as I did yesterday. :p

  • gaijin #21 6 years ago

    fine with different scores from different reviewers, makes perfect sense. Just intrigued that it got two reviews in the first place... Genuine query - have many things had separate reviews for US and Euro release?

  • neon #22 6 years ago

    whats the box like. I'm a sucker for packaging.

    Just spotted that ad at the top of the screen showing ATV 3. Check out the rider animation, comedy at it's best. Sick Jumps? whats a sick jump. Sick animation!
    Edited by 1 at 17/02/06 @ 16:30

  • space_ace #23 6 years ago

    The screenshots are weird though as they don't show the correct screen aspect as the game - which is a bit wrong in a review.

    at least it's in the game, while in the half-life 2 review the shots didn't exist in the game at all!

  • Stoatboy #24 6 years ago

    "a small, fast-moving colossus"

    A small colossus?!

    Have I just paid good money for Shadow of the Quite Large Thing?

  • Ranger101 #25 6 years ago

    Stop lookingat the fucking score and read the damn article. Scores are for Americans, and children.

  • gizmo #26 6 years ago

    "With the help of your beautiful horse Agro and a magical sword"

    You got his name wrong :) He won't be happy.

  • ballz #27 6 years ago

    the horse is called Agro in my instruction manual...

  • Carlo #28 6 years ago

    The important thing I think is that this game should be bought...

    Forget the numbers, buy the game...

  • l_p_4_7 #29 6 years ago

    I also think they should have stuck with the original score regardless of the reviewer. Or, better still, take an average score of all the EG staff.

    This is just confusing...a top 10 game of 2005 (10/10) has now got an 8, just because it's released in a different continent?

  • CaptainBeefheart #30 6 years ago

    As good as Halo then.

    /gets coat.

  • myiagros #31 6 years ago

    One more vote for Agro, this is clearly what the main character is shouting when calling for his horse.

    For me this is a 9. I completely agree with the statement of the reviewer that the game is more enjoyable on a second play through.

    Not quite as good as ICO but still a bloody good game, and if you consider yourself a serious gamer you must experience both games at least once.

  • neon #32 6 years ago

    where's my post?

  • Mr_Whacker #33 6 years ago

    @neon
    The box is very lovely. Its a cardboard sleeve / book type instead of the usual DVD case. Full of nice pics.

  • neon #34 6 years ago

    gaijin: bloody royal mail


    Keep it it on topic Gaijin otherwise Bertie will be onto you

  • neon #35 6 years ago

    Mr_Whacker: @neon The box is very lovely. Its a cardboard sleeve / book type instead of the usual DVD case. Full of nice pics.


    Thanks!

  • tonynibbles #36 6 years ago

    Tom gives 8/10
    Kristan gives US Import 10/10
    Game information page says: Eurogamer rating: 10/10

    10/10 Woohoo!
    Edited by 1 at 17/02/06 @ 16:40

  • kangarootoo #37 6 years ago

    "This is just confusing...a top 10 game of 2005 (10/10) has now got an 8, just because it's released in a different continent?"

    Oh come on, is it really that confusing? Confusing to the extent that you don't know whether to buy it or not? The score is the least important part of any review, the words will tell you what you need to know.

  • mash the x button #38 6 years ago

    I think the reviewer mentioned ICO far too much during this review. Brilliant work of genius yes, but get over it. I look forward to loading Shadow up later today.

  • gaijin #39 6 years ago

    oooh look, we're talking about whether scores are more important than words again! I do like a good Eurogamer forum...

  • alithebull #40 6 years ago

    Why the big fuss over the score? Surely the rationale behind the number is more telling of what the game is like.

    Nevertheless, I'm sure debates will continue to rage over what abitrary quantity should be assigned to a qualitative experience....

  • deepmenace #41 6 years ago

    cant believe it took 40 posts for the ubiquitous

    "as good as halo then"

  • RiverMan #42 6 years ago

    I've got an Xbox. I can't play ICO or SotC.

    /cries
    Edited by 1 at 17/02/06 @ 16:46

  • gaijin #43 6 years ago

    Riverman - me too. Maybe we can start a support group over in the Forums..?

  • alimokrane #44 6 years ago

    I swear I am in heaven .... Playing Ico since this morning and Shadow of the colossus is staring at me waiting to be played ...

  • Firewine #45 6 years ago

    The horse is called Argo. That said, I think Agro sounds much better...

    You'll be glad to know that he is called Agro then :)

    edit: I think the confusion might've come about due to the wanderer's pronunciation of that name.
    Edited by 1 at 17/02/06 @ 16:52

  • gaijin #46 6 years ago

    deepmenace: cant believe it took 40 posts for the ubiquitous

    "as good as halo then"

    and then it came from someone named after someone who was (allegedly) named after the tip of a penis, at that.

  • mash the x button #47 6 years ago

    @Riverman:
    Easy: Trade your XBOX for a PS2 :-)

  • neon #48 6 years ago

    mash the x button: @Riverman: Easy: Trade your XBOX for a PS2 :-)

    Could you keep the subject matter fixed firmly on Shadow of the Colossus, otherwise you risk upsetting Bertie.

  • Dabs #49 6 years ago

    Worst. Opinion. Ever.

    It's a 9 at the very least.

  • tengu #50 6 years ago

    8? I disagree, it's a 9 or 10 easy for me, it's one of those rare games where it just feels like there's nothing else like it. Fantastic stuff from beginning to end.

    btw, You suck Tom.

  • darkmistx #51 6 years ago

    I'd personally give it a 9. It's a little too easy to get a 10 in my book.

  • Bertie Verified Senior Staff Writer, Eurogamer.net #52 6 years ago

    The games are the same! The reviewers are different! It's just more evidence to use when making your mind up about whether or not you want to buy something.

  • Yazoo #53 6 years ago

    If you're going to knock 2 points off the score for a PAL release, you should definately put both reviews side by side and personalise them like you just did in the Ico re-review, since in certain ways this is the same kettle of fish.

  • Abscido #54 6 years ago

    A fair review Tom, though the more I play through the game the more I disagree with it.

    So far, I would have been very miffed had I paid 60 euro for SoTC.

    ICO worked because it achieved a very delicate balance between atmosphere and gameplay; SoTC reminds me of a bad high-budget anime, grandiose in theme but without the decent basics needed to re-inforce that theme.

    I should note that I'm still only half-way through the game, but I actually *don't want* to finish it. I'll only do so in the hope that it will change my opinion (unlikely) and so I can form a final opinion on it.

  • jack_klugman #55 6 years ago

    I fear the editorial department of EG have been taken hostage by Edge Magazine.

  • inpHilltr8r #56 6 years ago

    I could understand dropping a point for the framerate, but two? *sucks teeth*

  • dudefella #57 6 years ago

    Thank you Tom! Finally a review that is fair and unbiased and willing to give the game a slap on the wrist for its faults. This actually made me feel so much better about having ordered the game. Now I'm really looking forward to playing it, knowing of its flaws. It's a game, it's not the bible, which is what most of you seem to think ICO is. I got ICO secondhand for 12 euros, cardboard edish, and was massively disappointed. At least this time I know what to expect (played demo) and all that retrospective hype hopefully won't kill it for me this time round.

  • Stormflood_UK #58 6 years ago

    I've yet to recieve my copy but if SotC is truly an 8 it should be worth playing. If it turns out better, I'm a winner :)

    Lets be thankful EG doesn't have decimal point scores like IGN. The f'king arguments on those boards about 0.1 score differences, jesus....

  • mingster #59 6 years ago

    Interesting this is the first time i can remember a eurorelease has had a different score to its JAP/USA review. The game is the same only difference is the reviewer.

    I don't mind either way as now you can take an average score from 3 different reviewers (and i had the USA version anyway)

    But to eurogamer staff i ask only one thing (and i never question your scores go back an check never have i moaned) Could you all list what your favourite game types are ie: beat em up, strategy, platform, sport etc.. so i can take into account whether your reviewing a game genre you enjoy genuinely or just have been given to 'review'. ie: i know for instance sports games aren't everyones cup of tea but i don't know which one of you actually plays them for enjoyment. And maybe also prefered platform ie: PC, xbox, handheld.

    So how about a reviewer 'profile' i can check against. I know you have had some new recruits as well but don't know much about them. This may help to cut down on the 'moaning' about scores in the comments section.

    If this sounds a stupid idea then just 'ignore'

    cheers Mingster
    Edited by 2 at 17/02/06 @ 20:05

  • DDevil #60 6 years ago

    Just killed Colossi #3 (took me ages to figure out how) and I'm loving it so far. The music alone makes it feel like an epic struggle.

    It's a 9 so far in my book.

  • J.C #61 6 years ago

    8 is fair i think, i would have scored it lower to be honest. it can be a very annoying and boring game at times, what with the borked camera framerate probs, and to be honest theres not much to do in the game is there. except ride around empty landscapes and slay giant beasts, if you put this game up against ocarina of time SOTC kills it easily with its graphics and mood, but in terms of playability ocarina buries it.
    That is my Opinion anyway.

  • squeakyg #62 6 years ago

    Today while petting my cat, I automatically started searching her fur for attack points...

  • Xypher #63 6 years ago

    "Today while petting my cat, I automatically started searching her fur for attack points... "

    at this point I suggest you stop playing SotC or go for that glowing area just behind the ear

  • Stormflood_UK #64 6 years ago

    Seems like Famitsu have the right idea.

    (the method of scoring, not the score)
    Edited by 1 at 18/02/06 @ 13:39

  • AOFanboi #65 6 years ago

    I'll give it a 7 with my lack of ability to get a grip on even the first colossus and the stupid savepoint crap console gamers foolishly accept just because the game wants to save as little information as possible on the memory card. A plus for the support for progressive scan even though I cannot use it.

    Oh, and the speed of the "sluggish" camera can be adjusted in options in case anyone missed it.

  • Toonster #66 6 years ago

    The new EG catchphrase:

    'So, good as SotC?'

  • Rambaldi #67 6 years ago

    Well done EG: an exercise in superlative evasion. One minute you're MS haters, the next you're the scourge of the PStuds. Clever.

  • Rambaldi #68 6 years ago

    /whips self for being so cynical and sells 360 for a P2£ and a copy of I£O

  • Zero_ #69 6 years ago

    An 8/10? Hmm.... I'm fine with that score (Personally, I would've chosen a 9 or 10), but when you rank games like Tales of Symphonia and FF: Crystal Chronicles higher than this, you kind of lose your credibility. I mean, those are both excellent games, but better than SotC? Nah.

    "'So, good as SotC?'"

    Oh, that's a good one.
    Edited by 1 at 18/02/06 @ 00:35

  • Concept #70 6 years ago

    Disagree with the score, and the (what I see as) overly harsh comparisons in the review to ICO. Both games share a lot in common in terms of theme and artistry, but in terms of atmosphere, they're quite different.

    When I first played Colossus in 2005 it was a straight up nine. I think to a certain extent, like Tom, as much as I didn't want it to, ICO loomed over Colossus simply because it was what the team behind the game 'did next'. There was always that air of anticipation that was going to make the end result not quite as powerful as hoped.

    However, in coming back to the PAL version today and disassociating ICO from Colossus (I actually completed the former a couple of days ago), I've completely fallen in love with Shadow and come to appreciate it differently from how I did last year. It's as much of a ten out of ten experience as its (indirect) predecessor.

    ----------------------------------

    "In truth, it is far more satisfying to return to, and to talk about afterward, than it is to play through the first time."

    "Playing Shadow when you know what to do is fun - retracing my steps through the game this week was like watching a classic film where you know all the lines and you're watching it because the lines themselves are brilliant and hearing them again makes you happy."

    ---------------------------------

    I think these two sections from the review sum up for me personally exactly why the game has developed into a ten since I originally played it, as opposed to the eight in the review.

    Mechanically and technically Colossus is certainly flawed, and if you view it dispassionately then it's not difficult to start criticising it, but taking it away from any undue expectation (even if it isn't intended) and examining it as a whole... the experience it offers... it's certainly one of the handful of games in this generation that I can see myself returning to fifteen, twenty years down the line as fondly as I do now. I believe similar to how we've seen from ICO, it's probably going to be a game where age adds to its vintage, rather than detracts from it. That's already happening for me.
    Edited by 2 at 18/02/06 @ 01:19

  • Concept #71 6 years ago

    And before anyone jumps on me for disagreeing with the review (or the points I've used), let me just state the text itself is well written, and I have no serious problem with the conclusion reached - I just happen to personally believe SotC isn't as vulnerable to the criticisms mentioned.

  • Syrette #72 6 years ago

    Holy fudge. An 8?

  • Drakron #73 6 years ago

    Ok so its a 8 if you played ICO and a 9 if you did not?

  • TheMoonRat #74 6 years ago

    No, its an 8 if your name is Tom Bramwell who reviews games for Eurogamer, and its a 10 if your name is Kristan Reed who reviews games for Eurogamer.

    It's also an 8 if you play it through and decide that if you was reviewing games for Eurogamer you would award it an 8.

    It's could be a 9 if you play it through and decide that if you was reviewing games for Eurogamer you would award it a 9

    Or it could be an 10 if you play it through and decide that if you was reviewing games for Eurogamer you would award it an 10.


    And so on ;p

  • Concept #75 6 years ago

    TheMoonRat - I agree. Perhaps I was being overly critical of the review - as the cliche goes... an opinion is an opinion - I still think Colossus is better than the review indicated though. :p

    And so on...

    nekotcha - Just completed the PAL version during a huge stint playing the game. Revisiting Colossus after a few months left a bigger impression than when I compulsively played it for the first two weeks after it came out. I'd say it's up there with ICO - albeit for different reasons.
    Edited by 1 at 18/02/06 @ 09:50

  • lemonfist #76 6 years ago

    OMG ITS AS GOOD AS HALO LOLZ

  • captain-future #77 6 years ago

    2005 was the year of overhyped underachieving games like Killer7, Katamari Damacy and Shadow of the Colossus.

    Killer7 was a gameplay nightmare.
    Katamari was fun yet over time no replay value.
    Shadow was a great disappointment when you expected a leap over ICO and technically is just plain horrible (framerate issues, flawed controls, extremly poor graphics) and I simply don't like a game where you just rinse/repeat boss fights.

    I gave it a 6 / 10 and that was already too high.
    Edited by 1 at 18/02/06 @ 14:02

  • Artemus #78 6 years ago

    Ah I see someone rated this the obligatory 'comedy' 1.

    /sighs

  • Netfreak #79 6 years ago

    It should get a 7. Horrible framerate.

  • captainrentboy #80 6 years ago

    Is the camera and framerate really as awful as it was in the demo of sotc?Because playing that just put me right off trying the full game.And if they are as bad as the demo then the game in no way deserves a 10 you nutters.Also it's a lil weird after playing the 360 for a few months and then going back to the ps2's graphics,they're so fooking shoddy on the ps2:/ I know,I know graphics aren't everything,i'm just saying that's all.
    Edited by 1 at 18/02/06 @ 15:42

  • tengu #81 6 years ago

    "Ah I see someone rated this the obligatory 'comedy' 1."

    Yep, there's always one wanker.

    Nice to see people putting graphics ahead of how much fun a game is again.

    /Rolls eyes

  • Netfreak #82 6 years ago

    Is the camera and framerate really as awful as it was in the demo of sotc?

    I don't know about the camera, but framerates for this this game is definately choppy. It was enough to stop me from finishing this game.

  • Xerx3s #83 6 years ago

    First of all, wasnt this already reviewed some time back (could be mistaken) 2nd, an 8 is a good score ffs! A game that gets a 10 doesnt exist (or the reviewer carefully forgets the flaws of the game).

    '..Ow, this game is kinda nice, lets give it a 10, that ll fit in nicely with the rest of the 10's....'

    Besides, from what i heard from fellow gamers, this is definitly not a 10 and the 8 is far more accurate. Oh well, going to see on monday if its any good. :)

    PS: If you think that this is worth a 10, why even care? Either you already bought it or your planning to buy it within a considerable ammount of time. :\
    Edited by 1 at 18/02/06 @ 18:30

  • Firewine #84 6 years ago

    It's a 10 for me, but the game clearly isn't for everyone. As I mentioned once before (on the forums), I don't have a problem with that.

  • DUFFMAN5 #85 6 years ago

    Good Evening.
    I bought this today along with Ico ( saving Ico for whenever ? ), as yet with 3 "beasts" down, and 1 hour 20 mins into the game, not doing a lot for me. The camera is Feckin awful during the fights, hard enough holding on with out the camera moving all over the place, the horse is a pain to ride, they should have looked how easy and fluid the job was done with the horses in Gun/Zelda. All that said I will try to complete. I think I will be trading in for Black on xbox within 10 days. In other news Man U got beat, brilliant,brilliant,brilliant, not a Liverpool fan it's AFC for me, but hey!
    Cheers.
    OH YEAH!

  • JHuxley #86 6 years ago

    Just defeated the 7th Collosi.

    It's not nearly the finely tuned experience that ICO was - its very scope wouldn't allow for that - but I'm enjoying it every bit as much, if not more so. I'll wait until I've completed the game to see if I agree with Tom's points about the poor controls and fustrating difficulty level, but at the moment I see no signs of that.

  • #87 6 years ago

    Hello :)

  • admir #88 6 years ago

    i dont get why people compare Ico and SotC. for me its like compareing a soccer game with a basketball game. Both games deserve a 10/10 and you cant compare them to no other game becouse they are one of theire kind on the market.

    P.S. these 2 games are not overrated. games like halo and all the FPS are overerated
    Edited by 1 at 19/02/06 @ 00:16

  • thefilthandthefury #89 6 years ago

    @ admir - excellent point. They aren't similar sorts of games at all, and shouldn't be compared.

    For example, I hate ICO, but so far I absolutely love SotC. Liking one does not mean liking the other.

  • saiyuki #90 6 years ago

    this game is fun to play

  • oerhoert #91 6 years ago

    <em>Killer7 was a gameplay nightmare.</em>

    Since when? I didn't notice that. If anything, the gameplay was a tad simplistic, but it was always, <em>always</em> easy to handle the controls.

  • Netfreak #92 6 years ago


    P.S. these 2 games are not overrated. games like halo and all the FPS are overerated


    I would say the exact opposite.

  • admir #93 6 years ago

    why, every FPS that i played plays exactly the same run and gun. to this date half life 2 is my favorite game and i would give a 8/10 and FEAR a 7/10.

    ICO is my favorite game on the consoles and SotC in my opinion should be a PS3 game. well i hope they remake it and fix some problems in the game.

  • freedumb #94 6 years ago

    Everyone's only saying its a 10 because eurogamer said its a 10. If they had given it a 9 in both instances no one would have said its a 10, just like the original ico review.

  • firm3d #95 6 years ago

    Not to obsess about minutiae, but I remember that the US version was supposed to have Widescreen/Progressive Scan support; are these things in the European release?

    To me, a game not supporting Widescreen is like buying a PC/Mac game that only supports 640 by 480.

  • jack_klugman #96 6 years ago

    But to the rest of us... who cares?

  • #97 6 years ago

    Actually, an 8/10 score is still pretty good. Says to me, even if this isn't exactly your cup of tea, you still can't go too far wrong...

  • Netfreak #98 6 years ago

    I'll bet SotC won't last long in the top 10 sales chart (if it even manages to break the top 10).

  • Presidenton #99 6 years ago

    Shadow of the Colossus hasn't really grabbed my attention tbh. I really don't get the appeal of it. The "epic" feel it apparently has piques my interest, but other than that everything about the gameplay seems a little repetitive.

    Does it not get boring: Find the monster, fight the monster, going back to the heroine, finding another monster etc.? I could be pursuaded to get this, I need to play something new until Shadow Hearts 3 gets released in the US next month!

  • thefilthandthefury #100 6 years ago

    I wouldn't say it was that repetitive, as each monster has different traits, and getting onto the monster in the first place gets more difficult and different each time.

  • Azazel #101 6 years ago

    "Have I just paid good money for Shadow of the Quite Large Thing?"

    lmao!

  • funkyd #102 6 years ago

    i still cant get past colossai no.4

    dammit

  • #103 6 years ago

    Have you tried defeating colossi 4?

    That will enable you to get to colossi 5.

    You can thank me later.

    :-o

  • ImGameCube #104 6 years ago

    Shadow of the Colon, more like...

  • #105 6 years ago

    Now, now kids. Play fair or stay there...

  • Roddy100 #106 6 years ago

    Wow! Am I playing a different game or something?

    I'm currently up to colossus number 6 and I have hardly noticed the frame rate and camera. They haven't interfered with my enjoyment of the game in the least.

    So far I am absolutely loving it and yes, I did play ICO on it's original release.
    Edited by 1 at 19/02/06 @ 22:21

  • Zero_ #107 6 years ago

    "I'm currently up to colossus number 6 and I have hardly noticed the frame rate and camera. They haven't interfered with my enjoyment of the game in the least."

    Yeah, people's opinion on it varies. I personally, don't find it the camera any bad, and the frame rate drops (most noticable around the 13th or was it the 14th? one) aren't all that bad. In all, I found the game to be magnificent.

  • ubewoll #108 6 years ago

    An 8? A miserable 8?
    This guy is a colossi, right?
    Maybe there was a 17th colossi after all.
    And maybe the only way to beat it is creating "The Perfect Framerate" and combining it with "The Ass Follower Camera" (also known as "Tomb Raider Camera";) and, finally and not less important, filling the landscapes with a lot of "Fantastic Clone Ninjas", which obviously you must defeat in turn battles.
    Oh! And don't forget the cars! Tons of cars you can tune-up to travel faster (instead of that pathetic horse called "I grow";)
    The car tune-up shops would be, obviously, into the caves, instead of that ugly furry Fifa Street players "The Colossus".
    ¬¬
    Edited by 1 at 20/02/06 @ 08:09

  • Triggerhappytel #109 6 years ago

    "Please tell me the horse isn't really called Agro?"

    Did you know the hero is called Wanda?

    I don't see what all the fuss is about with the different review scores (from different reviewers. Strange that...). I'd rather have two or three different different scores than just one. Who wouldn't?!

    It doesn't matter anyway. I've already got the game (with the art cards, w00t!).

  • Hog-lumps #110 6 years ago

    Wow! Am I playing a different game or something?

    I'm currently up to colossus number 6 and I have hardly noticed the frame rate and camera.

    Actually, this is the same as I feel. After reading these reviews I was expecting a drastically stuttering frame rate and unmanageable camera.

    However after firing the game up I was pleasantly surprised – so far I haven’t noticed any awful frame rate issues - in fact it actually seems quite smooth. (Admittedly I’m only up to colossus no 8).

    As for the camera, well I can’t imagine a better camera for simultaneously capturing both the massive scale of the colossi and the relative minuteness of Wanda. Considering this immense task of capturing vastly different scales and still being playable, I think the camera does an impressive job!

  • thefilthandthefury #111 6 years ago

    Yeah the camera isn't bad at all. A little too quick to focus back on Wanda after you move it, but that's my only niggle.

    The frame rate does drop, but it hardly kills the experience. It's not that bad at all, doesn't usually last very long (though I AM only on #5 or so) and is definitely playable.

  • captain-future #112 6 years ago

    @oerhört: Killer7
    Since when? I didn't notice that. If anything, the gameplay was a tad simplistic, but it was always, always easy to handle the controls.

    Controls NOT EQUAL Gameplay
    Edited by 1 at 20/02/06 @ 13:22

  • smelly #113 6 years ago

    This and ico are the only reasons i regret not having a ps2 :-(

  • Triggerhappytel #114 6 years ago

    I got this game last Friday. So far I have slain 5 of the mighty beasts. Does anyone else feel they are progressing quite quickly, so they don't want to play more than a colossi or two at a time, because they don't want it to last too long? Although the enemies are incredible to play against, the only one who really gave me any trouble so far was the third.

  • daveo #115 6 years ago


    Playing it in the company of my children yesterday (8 and 4, both girls), i played it through to the end of the first beastie. The topics of discussion (unprompted) were focussed on expected topics such as how lovely the horse was and how I should be careful climbing the rockface because it was very high. Then, on killing the first Colossus they immediately sided against me and pointed out how unfair it was that I had beaten up this poor, relatively defenceless monster and how horrid I was. It was fascinating to watch the naturalistic emotional response this game generated which entirely tallied up with my feelings on the whole monster killing dichotomy.

    Thoroughly enjoying the game but it is flying by way too fast..

  • mash the x button #116 6 years ago

    @Daveo
    How true! My elder daughter (12) jumped in before I could even get a look in and said sorry to the second colossus as she took it down. We both noted how sad it looked.
    Mwwahhh

    /Wipes tear from eye
    Edited by 1 at 20/02/06 @ 15:06

  • megastar #117 6 years ago

    what a frustrating game!

  • oerhoert #118 6 years ago

    <em>Controls NOT EQUAL Gameplay</em>

    Of course not, but I really fail to grasp what other parts of Killer7 it could be that you described as a "gameplay nightmare". One of the most enjoyable games of last year in my estimation, but I'd still like to know what you hated so much.

  • ImGameCube #119 6 years ago

    Do I think it's a bad game?

    No.

    I only have a Gamecube and Xbox, so I haven't played it, although I want to.
    I think it sounds ace from what I've read here!

    And I said 'Shadow of the Colon', because I thought it was funnier than;

    Sh1t of the Colossus.

    A.

  • DUFFMAN5 #120 6 years ago

    I have just beat the fith "flying type" Colossus must say very impressed with that one, real sense of wind/speed (!) forth was a pain in the arse!
    Game is getting better, but still not keeping me off my xbox for more than an hour or so a time. -5 days to trade in, will try and complete.
    Slaters

  • thefilthandthefury #121 6 years ago

    Duffman, wait until #7. Like #5, it also gives you quite a different experience to the others.

  • krudster #122 6 years ago

    It made No.1!


    Woooop!

    And ICO make No.23.

  • Triggerhappytel #123 6 years ago

    "Then, on killing the first Colossus they immediately sided against me and pointed out how unfair it was that I had beaten up this poor, relatively defenceless monster and how horrid I was."

    I sortof feel like that every time I kill one. This game is a master of emotional manipulation; something I have very rarely experienced in a videogame (see also: Ico).

    You at least feel a bit better when the Colossi attack you on sight (like the third one)...

  • Triggerhappytel #124 6 years ago

    A colossi a day helps you work, rest and play.

    And feel like a guilty, murdering bastard.

  • el_pollo_diablo #125 6 years ago

    "...Does anyone else feel they are progressing quite quickly, so they don't want to play more than a colossi or two at a time, because they don't want it to last too long? " - TriggerhappyTel

    I'm with you on that! Rationing is essential!

  • Tweetiti #126 6 years ago

    I am devastated I finished the game, this is so not fair! I want more colossi!

  • Virgil #127 6 years ago

    i agree with the 8 its a great game, i feel it looks better than most xbox 360 games to date (i say most) its just a bit too short. However, i did expect that what with it being a game where all you do is fight 16 monsters. Still worth the 30 quid just to fight the two flying colossi

  • Jordinho #128 6 years ago

    Firstly, I'd like to say that ICO was, and still is, the best game I have played in a long time if not all-time. When I heard that there was going to be an 'ICO 2' I was truly overjoyed. Unfortunatley though, I have to disagree with the majority of the people on this one in that I'm VERY disappointed with SotC. I feel that I have wasted 30 quid on what is essentially a game of 'BOSSES'. Personally, bosses are my least favourite part of all games. I like to follow a storyline and solve puzzles and get totally immersed in the game and atmosphere (ICO 1), I don't like getting interrupted by bosses, don't get me wrong I can handle bosses, but for me, they just ruin the gameplay. I was expecting something along the lines of ICO 1.

    I find the camera really poor, certainly not up to the level it was in ICO 1. This is simply a good game. Where I would give ICO 1 a 10, I agree with Tom and give this an 8.

    Technically this game is put together well, but i will find myself taking it back and demanding a refund as this type of game is not my cup of tea.

  • Teeth #129 6 years ago

    Suggestion: Do yourself a favour and finish it first, then make up your mind :)

  • roughsleeper #130 6 years ago

    I'm buying a PS2 for Ico and Shadow - and not at all ashamed of the 'pathetic - sad - grow up' comments from my family (Im 35 by the way and a lifelong gamer - first game I finished was Spelunker on an Atari ST!). Unique games with soul and depth that are able to envoke genuine feelings stay on my DVD shelf along with Breaking the Waves and Bagpuss. Yes, Im that deep.
    The People (Yes, they deserve a capital P!) making such journeys for us are connected on another level. Not shoot this, blow that up, but feel this and understand that on your own level.
    Bring on the paycheck, then bring on the joy! I thank the world that such perfect things exist...

    Oh yeah - God Of War too for the hack n slash requirements, but with style!
    Edited by 1 at 14/03/06 @ 03:33

  • nightride #131 6 years ago

    great game indeed! this one it's a must!

  • FaceOmeter #132 5 years ago

    Tom's not wrong about the camera, but he's overdoing it. Suffering, I suspect, from chronic "developers who made perfect game have audacity to make another game and it's not completely the same" syndrome. We've all been there.

    Who cares if ICO was better? Giving this game an 8 is daylight robbery

  • evilboo #133 3 years ago

    should STILL be 10

  • Nill #134 3 years ago

    Oblivion got a 10, and this got an 8. Really? Seriously? Ahh, this reminds me of that Mafia review that EG did a couple of years ago.

    As for me, I played SotC first, and then ICO later. While I enjoyed both, SotC certainly had me a lot more captivated than ICO did.

  • Pacmaninov #135 3 years ago

    "The problem is that it's too harsh on you when you make a mistake"
    The more I read Eurogamer reviews the less and less i respect them.
    It sounds like you managed to ruin the experience for yourself by lacking skill at the game.
    "knowing you're right with the intense frustration of knowing something bad wasn't your fault" - It was your fault.
    Many, many people argue that this is their favourite game on PS2 even of all time. (including me)
    Sort it out Eurogamer.

    "Personally, bosses are my least favourite part of all games. I like to follow a storyline and solve puzzles"
    The bosses are giant moving interactive puzzles which push the narrative forward with each one that is defeated - ?
    Edited by 1 at 03/08/09 @ 15:09

  • Zebula77 #136 2 years ago

    ...interesting to read this again, seeing as how it's now considered one of the best games of all time (it's on my personal top 5 without a shred of a doubt).

    I don't remember it being particularily frustrating or difficult. Some challenge, yes, but I don't remember being very angry when playing this. Is my memory so bad? I've got the original copy still so I'm planning another playthrough this Christmas. We'll see.

    I may be wearing those rose-tinted nostalgia glasses (even tho it was only three years ago), but my only memories of the game are of sheer awe and admiration. I remember loving it unconditionally - definitely one of the best gaming experiences I've ever had.

  • Aaron1011 #137 9 months ago

    Bush nor any president has the power to "move" jobs from the private to public sector on [link url=http://www.blogster.com/teenjobs/weekend-jobs-satisfa ction-
    more-than-just-an-ideal]none;">weekend jobs[/link]. The government may create jobs that can be found in the private sector...totally different from your assertion.