You are attacking the colossus for the purpose of reviving your lover.....pay attention or go back to playing Call of DutyBonecrusherr said:
Shadow Of The Colossus: why it is so much praised?
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Weird, I only got to watch my friend playing and I was extremely fascinated by the game. We played the game for hours without getting bored and we were both overwhelmed by its epicness. I yet have to play it on my own, but the feeling I got from only watching the game was at least equally pleasing. I guess it depends on the person; I'm just saying that only watching really managed to do something for me.Mikaze said:
@Bonecrusherr, I don't think that over-hyping should be the problem with SotC. Can't one still appreciate the atmosphere, the landscapes, the colossi? 16 totally different and well-thought giants that you have to climb over to kill them, without even knowing the true motif besides the girl at the altar? Wasn't there any curiosity for that mysterious land with huge areas to look at and wander (no pun intended x_x) through? Roaming on your horse, completely alone in the entire world, not knowing why? Any feeling of awe when you gaze upon the first colossus? When you're approaching an area and silently watch for where it will come from? You, a small man, climbing over ancient beings that live in a huge land that everyone is prohibited to visit? And all of that with completely awesome music? It's difficult for me to grasp that none of the elements from the game were at least a little bit interesting. Nothing, from the landscapes and giants to music and graphics, worked for you? You can't even comprehend why others liked it? Because, when I don't like something, I can usually at least admit it's because of my taste/personal reasons, not because it's universally impossible to like. Try to ponder about beautiful sceneries, beautiful music, mysterious giant beings, simplicity of the story and storytelling, the sole act of climbing on and trying to kill something 20 times larger than yourself, the atmosphere. Don't approach it as a game; try to approach it as an art piece. You won't always understand art, but you can't deny it's gorgeous or intriguing. Maybe you don't appreciate art, but at least you understand why others do (hopefully). It's the same with SotC. People praise it because it should be praised; because of how unique, imaginative, beautiful and atmospheric it is.
I personally loved the game for many reasons.
1. The awesome fights with the several colossi.
2. The simple yet engaging story.
3. The beautiful soundtrack.
4. The large open landscape
5. The way the protagonist physically changes throughout the course of the game
6. Did I mention the awesome fights with the colossi?
1. The awesome fights with the several colossi.
2. The simple yet engaging story.
3. The beautiful soundtrack.
4. The large open landscape
5. The way the protagonist physically changes throughout the course of the game
6. Did I mention the awesome fights with the colossi?
lemme use this guy as an example of a troll who likes to jump to conclusions rather than actually LISTEN to why the other person doesn't like somethingSleekgiant said:
i say if a game doesnt have me sucked in in the first 10 minutes (Fallout 3, Mass Effect) then its not a good game.
games are meant to be entertaining right? well,if you don't find it entertaining then so what? you don't like it and that's that. no one should be able to tell you what is "good" and what is "bad". like "Sleekgiant" is trying to do right now.
I'm going to warn you right here and now, this post WILL ruin the game for you, or rather the experience of playing it, not knowing exactly what to expect. The real impact of the game comes from noticing and realizing these things as you play it.
The thing with SotC's story is that its told very subtle in how it tells. You're trying to bring a dead girl back to life, you get told by this strange voice in a ruined temple that it'll help you if you kill the colossi, when you kill them you get covered in this strange blackness, most of them only fight to defend themselves against you, some don't even fight back, the more you kill the more pale and ragged you begin to look, you find out that you're being hunted. So you slowly get the feeling that somethings wrong, you don't know exactly whats happening, you're not sure the voice is really a good guy, and you start to get the feeling that maybe you're the bad guy for killing these these things.
See? That's how the story works, its not straight out told to you, its conveyed to you by whats by whats happening to you, by how the colossi behave, by the atmosphere of the world around you, and so on. It's really subtle and beautiful how its done. Its too bad that you were unable to pick up on it.
The thing with SotC's story is that its told very subtle in how it tells. You're trying to bring a dead girl back to life, you get told by this strange voice in a ruined temple that it'll help you if you kill the colossi, when you kill them you get covered in this strange blackness, most of them only fight to defend themselves against you, some don't even fight back, the more you kill the more pale and ragged you begin to look, you find out that you're being hunted. So you slowly get the feeling that somethings wrong, you don't know exactly whats happening, you're not sure the voice is really a good guy, and you start to get the feeling that maybe you're the bad guy for killing these these things.
See? That's how the story works, its not straight out told to you, its conveyed to you by whats by whats happening to you, by how the colossi behave, by the atmosphere of the world around you, and so on. It's really subtle and beautiful how its done. Its too bad that you were unable to pick up on it.
I bought SotC recently because of positive reviews. I like good story in my games, I do believe the medium of gaming is a huge canvas on which to create great art. Screw you Roger Ebert.
There IS a disembodied voice at the beginning that explains your mission to you, and also explains HOW TO USE THE SWORD TO FIND THE COLOSSI. It's not spelled out like it's being explained to a 3rd grader like most games("go talk to the guy 5 feet from you!").
Anyway, I like the game(I'm still very early, fighting first Colossi). As said before, it is UNDERSTATED art. Quite refreshing, as most video game art is over the top. It's an experience, not a game of FarmVille or World of Warcraft. You have to make the CHOICE to ENTER the story, the character, the world. If you play it as a fully aware disembodied 3rd perspective simply angling for BONUS POINTS or resources to increase your SCORE, then yes, you will miss what is special about this game. We don't do that to movies, we enter the story, we take the ride with the characters. In games there is this tendency to stay detached and be task or accomplishment oriented. SotC simply refuses to cater to those tendencies(to its credit, in my opinion).
Remember the film "Reign OVer Me"(2007) with Adam Sandler and Don Cheadle? This game was featured in that film prominently. Great film, great game.
There IS a disembodied voice at the beginning that explains your mission to you, and also explains HOW TO USE THE SWORD TO FIND THE COLOSSI. It's not spelled out like it's being explained to a 3rd grader like most games("go talk to the guy 5 feet from you!").
Anyway, I like the game(I'm still very early, fighting first Colossi). As said before, it is UNDERSTATED art. Quite refreshing, as most video game art is over the top. It's an experience, not a game of FarmVille or World of Warcraft. You have to make the CHOICE to ENTER the story, the character, the world. If you play it as a fully aware disembodied 3rd perspective simply angling for BONUS POINTS or resources to increase your SCORE, then yes, you will miss what is special about this game. We don't do that to movies, we enter the story, we take the ride with the characters. In games there is this tendency to stay detached and be task or accomplishment oriented. SotC simply refuses to cater to those tendencies(to its credit, in my opinion).
Remember the film "Reign OVer Me"(2007) with Adam Sandler and Don Cheadle? This game was featured in that film prominently. Great film, great game.
As a "game" it sucks incredibly. Terrible camera, a draw distance that is laughable, a framerate that often drops to 5fps, and just boring overall. People like it because its considered to be the holy grail of the "games are art!" crowd and people like it because it makes them feel sophisticated and artsy for liking it.
wrong.ViaticalTarsier said:
I really can't understand how people think this game is somehow "more" artistic than other games. I suppose it is a refreshingly different take on game DESIGN, but all games are art. They are crafted by a whole team of artists, just like a movie is, but with even MORE layers of art due to their interactivity: painters, designers, coders, writers...
I mean shit, if we can't call games art, then what are we supposed to call something 100+ artists work on for over a year?
So okay, you're saying that you dislike the game. That's fine everyone is entitled to an opinion. However, your reason for doing so is that the game never gave you any instructions on how to play and never set up a story.
This is where your story doesn't add up. The opening cut scene gives you all the information you need to find each boss and sets up the story for the game. Either when you found the opening was not skipable you walked away and did not watch it, or you're just looking to stir up some trouble on the forums by doing a "Why is [insert popular game here] so popular?" thread.
I suggest you watch the opening again and actually pay attention this time, maybe then it will become clearer. Though I'm still not entirely certain of the point of your thread; there's no point in people justifying why they like a game if you've already decided you don't. I dislike Halo and most FPS games with a fiery passion, but I don't try to justify it by asking others why they like it; I just understand that they don't fall within my sphere of interest.
This is where your story doesn't add up. The opening cut scene gives you all the information you need to find each boss and sets up the story for the game. Either when you found the opening was not skipable you walked away and did not watch it, or you're just looking to stir up some trouble on the forums by doing a "Why is [insert popular game here] so popular?" thread.
I suggest you watch the opening again and actually pay attention this time, maybe then it will become clearer. Though I'm still not entirely certain of the point of your thread; there's no point in people justifying why they like a game if you've already decided you don't. I dislike Halo and most FPS games with a fiery passion, but I don't try to justify it by asking others why they like it; I just understand that they don't fall within my sphere of interest.
I think my statement wasn't "wrong" as a game it sucks and whenever the question "Are games art?" comes up SOTC is the first mentioned.Bullyfoot said:
And how about we just call games........wait for it.............. games, or even entertainment software. I personally don't follow the anything can be art mentality. To me art is something that has little or no use except to stimulate the mind. Things like paintings and sculptures have no use except to be looked at and be used for decor. I'd consider certain architecture art because a building does not need little spires or columns or certain shapes, but its thrown in for looks and not necessarily usefulness.
I'm sorry what? I'm not jumping to conclusions, I'm simply making a statement towards his quote, and furthermore why am I getting a lecture on the purpose of video games, thats so far off topic it needs a new thread. This is about Shadow of the Colossus.Azaraxzealot said:
Look at this way... what is your favorite game of all time? What game would you tell your friends about or join communities that praise it and discuss it? What game would you want to defend when someone attacks its integrity?Bonecrusherr said:
Ask yourself why you like it?
Now ask, what genre was the game? Objectively, what were it's flaws (i.e what were the genuine flaws of the game? Did they have a negative impact on your experience of the game?
Compare it to shadow of the colossus and you will see why you didn't like it and possibly, why you never will. Your tastes are not attuned to it. As long as you don't make the argument "it's bad because it's overhyped" then you are completely free to not like the game. Overhyping is a personal flaw, not a flaw of the game.
I rate Shadow of the Colossus and Ico as 2 of the best gaming experiences of all time and I've played many great games. I have returned to replay them many times now and will surely be in on the HD re-release too. But what I take from the game might be completely different then your take. Not only that, but your interests might totally differ to mine.
Not liking SotC does not make you any less of a gamer, likewise adoring it does not make you pretentious (as someone mentioned above). Fundamentally it's just a game and like all other games of various qualities, it will have is haters and lovers, both of the vocal and silent denominations or those who are simply indifferent (heck, only 50 or so posts in and we already see every side to this discussion).
TL/DR It's not for you.
That seems like pretty poor logic.
so a game that tells its story to you through the gameplay and changes in visuals sucks as a game?
Plus most people call it art because it stired genuine emotion in them.
so a game that tells its story to you through the gameplay and changes in visuals sucks as a game?
Plus most people call it art because it stired genuine emotion in them.
Stimulating the mind is all games do... I find it hilarious that you consider art so shallow as stimulation of our minds is essentially, our only way to perceive things.ViaticalTarsier said:
Art is a combination of gut reactions, reflections and even objective analyses. There are so many implications to art which ARE important, beyond simple aesthetics. Just because you can't see a use for something does not mean it is useless.
Such stimulation is very powerful and more then just "oooh isn't that pretty".
Right, and friends who were also watching the game being played told me to play the game as well and they loved this game. So out of the people that were watching this game being played, I was the only one that it didn't seem to appeal to. I guess I should play this game just to get a fair reasoning as to where this game stands. But for the most part the land looked too expansive, the characters and plotline didn't seem to develop in any way, and I watched all the way through up until the final boss fight. While the boss fights seemed very epic (and I must admit a lot of the colossi were very creatively designed), I wanted to see more than just boss fights and empty expansive fields.Mikaze said:
Ok stimulate the mind was a bad choice of words lol. I'm not sure how to word it...... Sure everything stimulates the mind. Games stimulate the mind but they are meant to be entertainment and they have a physical aspect to them, and are meant to be played which is why I don't consider them art.Ragsnstitches said:
Art has no use to me and it's useless basically. I took an Art Appreciation class in college and to me it was the dumbest thing I've ever taken. I'm sorry but you can't convince me that looking at a painting and reflecting on the artist work or trying to interpret it is of any use.
Actually I would be kind of curious to what the implications to art which are important beyond simple aesthetics as you said. I can't think of anything besides to look at in a "oooh isn't that pretty" kind of way.
I'm pretty sure from the comments you've made on everyone's feedback that you are trolling, however I am willing to be reasonable and hear you out as I don't believe people troll on this site. At least not very wellBonecrusherr said:
1. You got lost
Seriously? My little brother who was 9 at the time didn't get lost. What on earth did you think that glowing sword was for?
2. Story
Okay I am willing to admit that it's a little bit simple but it's effective, you are explained that killing these colossus will bring your beloved back. Simple can be good
3. "Do the game consist of killing just those big bosses?"
I'm assuming you meant does but anyway. All the bosses are different and very different, some are utterly gigantic while others are as small as your horse
4. "1) nonlineer sandbox games that you can find different missions accross the map, 2) lineer mission based games that you need to go a specific path and can't go another place.
even in some sandbox games restrict player movements if other places have no reason to go."
You are kidding me. I have never met someone this narrow minded to games. Not in my 14-15 years of gaming. What about racing games, puzzle games, music games, indie games, online multiplayer, platformers, true sandboxer games, party games, fighting games, educational games, construction simulation games and RTS games? None of them fall into those categories.
Also your title is wrong, it should be "Why is Shadow of the Colossus so highly praised" not "Shadow Of The Colossus: why it is so much praised"
EDIT: Still I respect your opinion, I've never felt the need to play through again. It was pretty good but nothing special in my heart