If you’re like me and you love exploring richly textured environments, you must check out Shadow of the Colossus – wikipedia. My partner and I started attacking the Colossi at Christmas and I’ve got a few to go. You can get a sense of the look and feel from the video above.
My very favourite thing about this game is the visual aesthetic, which is a dreamy gorgeous expanse of Maxfield Parrish like landscapes (while I’m not a fan of fantasy art, it works for me a lot more than cartoony or old skool game graphics).
You’re essentially alone in this world except for your trusty steed, Agro, and some occasional swooping eagles and a few doves that hang around your sleeping girlfriend (back at the castle). While there is a specific mission for each level, you can also just gallop along the soaring cliffs and delicate tundra to your heart’s content (or until the looping flute music does your head in).
But don’t get too comfortable. At some point, if you actually want to play the game, you’ll need to get down to business and defeat a colossi. There aren’t that many (colossi), so savour each one. On the simplest terms, this game dispenses with all the challenges and puzzles prior to killing a boss and just gives you the boss – a big boss – to deal with. Again, more looping music – big adventure music – that gets a bit annoying after an hour of game play (if you’re like me, you’ll be at that colossi for an hour …).
While the game is seemingly endless, it is also, sadly, somewhat short. If they come out with a Colossi II I would recommend a little more variety in the lead up to the boss (some puzzles perhaps) and other human characters to meet along the way. Of course, this game would be ultimate if it was two player but I know that’s a tall order (with all that memory being used up on the environments).
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