Why is Shadow of Colossus held in such high regard?

[grimsprice]

I can't speak for others, but for me, what did it was the sense of awe. Up until SotC, I had never played a game that had conveyed such a genuine sense of scale. Riding across the field to that first Colossus, you don't really know what to expect... Then, you see it. That huge thing, the gargantuan monster that you're supposed to kill, lumbers into view. I remember my exact thoughts.

"They might as well be telling me to kill a mountain."
That's the kind of response I look for in my games.

haha. It even said on the back of the box... "some mountains are scaled. Others are slain." Best box slogan ever

I agree with almost every single post on the front page.

Every single thing in the game was meant to crush your mind with a sense of massive scale (even tho the two lion colossi threw that off for me a little). You were supposed to be in awe of what this guy was doing for his love. Dialogue isn't needed to convey a story or present plot. The world and your struggle with each colossi present you with the emotions and feelings that move your character forward. Great work of art.

 

[WolfThomas]

I really need to play this again and finish it, I got up to about number 11 and my game crashed horribly and would always freeze on the way to the next colossus.

 

[not a zaar]

I disagree with you about the controls for this game. I think they are perfect. Wander isn't a ninja, he's a little clumsy but he moves fluidly and he's responsive to button inputs. Controlling the horse is a little hard at first, but that's because it's a HORSE, not a motorcycle. It's a living thing. The combat system actually has a little depth too, like the jump attacks. If you have good reflexes you can do some pretty neat platforming/combat in the game.
Aside from that, there's also neat little challenges built into the game. For example, eating the white tailed lizards to boost your strength meter, and getting enough strength to scale the outer walls of the temple you end up every time you die.

 

[Blow_Pop]

Different people have different tastes. To me the game was like a breath of fresh air in what was becoming a mire of mediocrity, it was different, really different and really enjoyable.

The game attempted to create an epic tale devoid of spoon-fed storytelling. To me it begun as a simple quest, kill the monsters/save the girl, but it developed into something much more.

What at first seemed a forgone conclusion; that the giants/monsters/gods were evil, became a grey area; they weren't really doing anything, just being colossus' until I started to attack them.... they kept dying for my sake.

I'm getting a bit carried away here, but what I'm trying to say is that, for me, it wasn't just a simple game. I still feel sorry for killing the colossus though./

I have to agree. The game is different than just about everything else. It was new and exciting. But as said different people have different tastes. Like I can't see the point in first person shooters.

Some of the colossi did attack first but the one I'm on right now, I can't manage to grab the motivation to kill because its not attacking me and being peaceful. I should say I'm near the end so those who've played can have a decent idea of about where I am.

Its not your usual story which is what makes it different and more likable to some of us.

 

[Jumplion]

I won't call you crazy for not loving Shadow of the Collosus, but I absolutely loved it an nearly cried at the end.

It's a completely different game. 16 boses with just you, your sword and bow, and your trusty steed Argo. The barren wasteland only intensifies the feeling of being alone. You continue forward, you continue killing the Collosi one by one all while this dark energy consumes you, and yet you wonder why you're doing all of this. You even begin to feel sorry for all the Collosi you're killing. You go through, time and time again, slaying the Collosi, no distractions, one clear main goal for one seemingly insignificant person whom you love.

For Momo, I think it was amazing for precisely the reasons you stated. You don't know the backstory behind the two, you don't know anything about what happened to the girl, or how she died, or what connections she has with Wander (the "official" name of the protagonist). All you know is that Wander loves her and would do anything to bring her back to life; even if it means taking his own.

It's all of this, the atmosphere, the Collosi, the puzzles, the supposed love between Mono and Wander, it all meshes together to make one beautiful piece of art. Could it improve in some areas? Of course, the controls were a little wonky and the platforming could have been fine tuned a bit. But Shadow of the Collosus, along with it's predecessor ICO, aren't exactly games to be played more that they are games to be experienced.

While it is not for everyone, I can safely say that SotC is one of my favorite games of all time and should be played by everyone regardless if they like it in the end or not. It's just a game worthy to be experienced by everyone.

It's okay if you don't like it, it's not for everyone, but this is why I loved SotC.

 

[Blow_Pop]

Also, another thing,

I loved the barren landscape. Scattered trees here, grass there, small lake of water here, large lake there, desert here etc......


You were meant to feel as if you were not suppose to be there because you're not if you paid attention to the opening scene.


And personally I don't care if Mono lives or dies i just like riding the horse and shooting arrows......

 

[Jumplion]

You're supposed to fill in those blanks for yourself, but really it is unimportant to the game's overall message. The game is about learning to let go. All throughout the game, you are trained to find something on the colossus, and hold on to that R1 button for dear life, to not let go, no matter what happened. Wanderer can't let go you see, that's why he's there. He cannot move on from this girl's death, whoever she is. The end is supposed to be the resolution to that. You are desperately trying to reach mono, even with the winds pulling you back. You see some stairs there, and you do what the game has trained you to do since your adventure began, to find something to hold on to, and not let go. You hang on for a while, but then you realize something. There is no point. You can't hold on forever, and even if you could you can't advance from that point. You're just stopping yourself from moving on. So, in a moment of clarity, you, and wanderer too, learn to do something neither of you could do until that point. You let go. You let yourself fall, and are hence reborn as a new person.

.....
......
........
.........

You have brought a tear to my eye.

Thank you.

You are a god.

 

[Blow_Pop]

Also Monshroud, congrats on your first topic. You did a lot better than the people who I am of the impression love to start flame wars. I applaud you

 

[Croaker42]

What I loved most about Shadow, was simply the story and the way it was told. For someone that doesn?t dig into a storyline the simple version is obvious. "I?m doing this to save the girl" The game is then simply a series of epic fights. I find nothing wrong with that. But when you really dig in and discover so much more about Wander and why he is doing this you find yourself in a rich and emotional story.

Its great how they don?t try and force a specific perspective or message on the player. I think everyone that plays it (really plays it) takes something different away from the game.

 

[Fightgarr]

I would like to say something that may sound a bit ridiculously simple:

Its held in such high regard because a lot of people liked it.

You're opinion happens to be different. It doesn't mean you need to question other people liking something. You aren't being the only smart person out there by disliking something. You just happen to have a different opinion. Why try and convince people to not like something just because you don't? You have opinions about the game? Write a review. That's what the User Reviews section is for.

A lot of people dislike JRPGs, that doesn't mean there are no reasons to like them. I happen to like Shadow of the Colossus. I don't feel the need to justify it to someone just because they feel that most people who have played the game are wrong.

 

[Pillypill]

You kill one hundred foot creatures.

Yeah great big boss battles, with bosses the size of a fable map! I really liked that and the horse too. =] Though it's something that will only be fun so long as 100's of other games don't copy the idea. (that water dragon was cool!)

 

[K_Dub]

The scenery is nice, but is mostly devoid of life. There are few and far-between creatures, no NPC's, and there is no sort of interaction between your character and anyone else until the ending. You just spend 5 - 30 minutes trying to figure out how to get to a Colossus. Kill the Colossus, watch a quick cutscene, repeat 15 more times.

The controls are ok, but they could have been more responsive. There were times where I felt that the game was a second off. Granted that could have been due to lag in the game. There were a few times where the game slowed down a bit. This is understandable though given the scope of what is being presented.

You don't have any reason to give a crap about the characters. It's pretty obvious that your character (who is nameless) loves the dead or comatose Mono (or Momo?), but is this a true love thing, is it one sided, are you just a creepy stalker trying to bring Mono back to life for selfish purposes, is she the key to peace? The game never says. Now it can be fun to leave certain things open to interpretation, but why couldn't the developer give us some idea of why the heck we care about saving this woman? I mean we are going through a lot of trouble here for her, why are we doing this again?

The ending left me wondering WTF just happened... I felt let down, it was very bittersweet. Not saying I need happy endings, but when I finished it I didn't really feel any sense of accomplishment. It was just like ". . . Yeah, that was interesting...." Here I went through all this trouble to bring this woman back to life and this is how I get rewarded? (Leaving those story elements out for the people who may not know the end-story)

The game is mostly devoid of life because you are supposed to feel like you're all alone. It's just you, a horse, and a dead chick. And this game is more than just a game. This is a true work of art. There are hardly any other games out there that can make you feel the same way this game does. You feel alone, you feel small and insignificant, you truly feel like you are the only one who can be the savior.

As far as the story goes, I personally found it hard not to get attached to any of the characters. You play a single boy, who is literally traveling to the ends of the world for this girl. The horse is your only companion throughout, following you where ever you go. And I just became attached to the girl, thinking that I was the only one who could save her from whatever cruel fate she had suffered.

And I kinda feel the same about the ending. I also felt confused, and slightly frustrated. I didn't feel like there was alot of closure. But I've been told that the game is like a prequel or sequel to Ico, and that you need to play Ico in order to understand it. If I could only FIND the fucking game!

But none the less, Shadow of the Colossus, I believe, will go down in history as one of the greatest games of all time.

 

[Jonny The Kay]

Because it's fantastic...

 

[Nerf Ninja]

Shadow of the colossus and Ico are the only games I consider to be art. Most games that claim this are generally just pretty.

The depth of these games lend itself to so much self interpretation that they really mirror apsects of your own psyche, as opposed to those ideals imposed upon you by the developer of other equally good but intrinsically inferior games.

The last guardian is the only game that is even currently registering on my radar for my PS3, at the moment it's just sat there attracting all the spare dust in the room.

 

[delet]

Different people have different tastes. To me the game was like a breath of fresh air in what was becoming a mire of mediocrity, it was different, really different and really enjoyable.

The game attempted to create an epic tale devoid of spoon-fed storytelling. To me it begun as a simple quest, kill the monsters/save the girl, but it developed into something much more.

What at first seemed a forgone conclusion; that the giants/monsters/gods were evil, became a grey area; they weren't really doing anything, just being colossus' until I started to attack them.... they kept dying for my sake.

I'm getting a bit carried away here, but what I'm trying to say is that, for me, it wasn't just a simple game. I still feel sorry for killing the colossus though./

I have to agree. The game is different than just about everything else. It was new and exciting. But as said different people have different tastes. Like I can't see the point in first person shooters.

Some of the colossi did attack first but the one I'm on right now, I can't manage to grab the motivation to kill because its not attacking me and being peaceful. I should say I'm near the end so those who've played can have a decent idea of about where I am.

Its not your usual story which is what makes it different and more likable to some of us.

I know I used to HATE first person shooters till I played Star Wars Battlefront on my PSP and changed it to FPS mode after a while... eventually ended up playing Half Life 2 and Bioshock and I fell in love...

As to the Passive Colossus you're on now, given that it's near the end, I want to say you're on Phalanx (the flying one with air sacks that comes out of the sand.) He never really attacked you, just drifted around...

 

[Blow_Pop]

Different people have different tastes. To me the game was like a breath of fresh air in what was becoming a mire of mediocrity, it was different, really different and really enjoyable.

The game attempted to create an epic tale devoid of spoon-fed storytelling. To me it begun as a simple quest, kill the monsters/save the girl, but it developed into something much more.

What at first seemed a forgone conclusion; that the giants/monsters/gods were evil, became a grey area; they weren't really doing anything, just being colossus' until I started to attack them.... they kept dying for my sake.

I'm getting a bit carried away here, but what I'm trying to say is that, for me, it wasn't just a simple game. I still feel sorry for killing the colossus though./

I have to agree. The game is different than just about everything else. It was new and exciting. But as said different people have different tastes. Like I can't see the point in first person shooters.

Some of the colossi did attack first but the one I'm on right now, I can't manage to grab the motivation to kill because its not attacking me and being peaceful. I should say I'm near the end so those who've played can have a decent idea of about where I am.

Its not your usual story which is what makes it different and more likable to some of us.

I know I used to HATE first person shooters till I played Star Wars Battlefront on my PSP and changed it to FPS mode after a while... eventually ended up playing Half Life 2 and Bioshock and I fell in love...

As to the Passive Colossus you're on now, given that it's near the end, I want to say you're on Phalanx (the flying one with air sacks that comes out of the sand.) He never really attacked you, just drifted around...

Bioshock is one of my exceptions with FPS but I never really think of it as a FPS. I know it is at least kind of but just never crosses my mind when I think of it.

And you are correct that it is where I am. I like starting the game up and watching him fly around. The only thing I wish I could do is actually save the game AT the colossus not after I've killed it.

I kind of prefer the art and graphics to SotC as opposed to newer games and I'm so excited to play ICO, I can't wait for it to get here and I can't wait for the Last Guardian.

The scenery is nice, but is mostly devoid of life. There are few and far-between creatures, no NPC's, and there is no sort of interaction between your character and anyone else until the ending. You just spend 5 - 30 minutes trying to figure out how to get to a Colossus. Kill the Colossus, watch a quick cutscene, repeat 15 more times.

The controls are ok, but they could have been more responsive. There were times where I felt that the game was a second off. Granted that could have been due to lag in the game. There were a few times where the game slowed down a bit. This is understandable though given the scope of what is being presented.

You don't have any reason to give a crap about the characters. It's pretty obvious that your character (who is nameless) loves the dead or comatose Mono (or Momo?), but is this a true love thing, is it one sided, are you just a creepy stalker trying to bring Mono back to life for selfish purposes, is she the key to peace? The game never says. Now it can be fun to leave certain things open to interpretation, but why couldn't the developer give us some idea of why the heck we care about saving this woman? I mean we are going through a lot of trouble here for her, why are we doing this again?

The ending left me wondering WTF just happened... I felt let down, it was very bittersweet. Not saying I need happy endings, but when I finished it I didn't really feel any sense of accomplishment. It was just like ". . . Yeah, that was interesting...." Here I went through all this trouble to bring this woman back to life and this is how I get rewarded? (Leaving those story elements out for the people who may not know the end-story)

The game is mostly devoid of life because you are supposed to feel like you're all alone. It's just you, a horse, and a dead chick. And this game is more than just a game. This is a true work of art. There are hardly any other games out there that can make you feel the same way this game does. You feel alone, you feel small and insignificant, you truly feel like you are the only one who can be the savior.

As far as the story goes, I personally found it hard not to get attached to any of the characters. You play a single boy, who is literally traveling to the ends of the world for this girl. The horse is your only companion throughout, following you where ever you go. And I just became attached to the girl, thinking that I was the only one who could save her from whatever cruel fate she had suffered.

And I kinda feel the same about the ending. I also felt confused, and slightly frustrated. I didn't feel like there was alot of closure. But I've been told that the game is like a prequel or sequel to Ico, and that you need to play Ico in order to understand it. If I could only FIND the fucking game!

But none the less, Shadow of the Colossus, I believe, will go down in history as one of the greatest games of all time.

If you have a Hollywood video/Game Crazy store near you, have them order it. I have two copies of it on order, one for me and one for the boyfriend. That's my advice

 

[K_Dub]

If you have a Hollywood video/Game Crazy store near you, have them order it. I have two copies of it on order, one for me and one for the boyfriend. That's my advice

Thanks for the advice. Gonna get right on it!

 

[Evilbunny]

See, I didn't feel alone. I felt lost and confused. I didn't know what I was doing, who I was doing it for, or why it was important or relevant. I didn't feel dread for killing the colossus. To be honest I didn't know what to think or feel because it is never said what they are. Are they evil? Are they just the mystical power I need to restore the woman? Maybe that's the problem for me, there is no context.

Hmm, I guess it didn't have the same emotional impact on you that it had on me. That's fine, I guess. Not everything hits everyone in the same way.

I just want to start off saying this is probably some of the most insightful commentary I have ever read in a forum.

Thanks, it wasn't until long after I'd finished the game that I realized the story it was trying to tell. It's very minimalist in the way it does things. You really need to look closely to figure it out.

I'm not sure I agree with your sentiments though. I can absolutely see the theme's of 'not letting go'. I also agree the game has taught and instilled in you to not let go, then at the end it's the opposite, you have to let go, stop fighting, move on.. The question is why now? You are 'forced' (there is no other option besides stop playing) to keep pushing forward with no reason or idea why, then at the last minute they switch the rules for no known reason. Why now? Like I said originally I am assuming that Wander loves Mono, but I don't know that for sure. I don't know why there are people trying to stop me from doing this.

Well, now he sees what not letting go has done to him. The pain of losing mono and not being able to move on from it has poisoned his soul, which is personified as the darkness from the colossi going into him. It has deteriorated his condition to the point where he became the dark god, that looked and acted like the very colossi he killed, and showed him through gameplay that the colossi weren't the all powerful monsters that it had seemed like before. Instead the controls feel clunky, and it's far too easy for the smaller shaman and his guard to get off attacks with nothing you can really do. This is supposed to make you feel like even more of the aggressor than before. He realizes in this moment everything he's done due to his selfishness. He's trespassed on a forbidden land, he's responsible for the deaths of 16 seemingly innocent and magnificent creatures, he stole a sword from his people, and he's lost his only companion on this journey. It was only after he learned the lesson of being able to let go could he be purged and reborn, have mono come back, and his horse return. Everything is fine as soon as he learns to give up his quest and let go.

 

[Monshroud]

The game is mostly devoid of life because you are supposed to feel like you're all alone. It's just you, a horse, and a dead chick. And this game is more than just a game. This is a true work of art. There are hardly any other games out there that can make you feel the same way this game does. You feel alone, you feel small and insignificant, you truly feel like you are the only one who can be the savior.

For me, I didn't feel alone, I just felt lost in it all. I also didn't feel insignificant, by the understanding that for some unknown reason I was the only person who could save Mono, I felt more like David Vs Goliath.

As far as the story goes, I personally found it hard not to get attached to any of the characters. You play a single boy, who is literally traveling to the ends of the world for this girl. The horse is your only companion throughout, following you where ever you go. And I just became attached to the girl, thinking that I was the only one who could save her from whatever cruel fate she had suffered.

See, I couldn't feel attached to someone who I don't identify with, or heck even know the relationship between. Could just be the way I am wired. I think the hardest thing for me is so many people experienced this game on a deep emotional level and I did not.