Shadow of the Colossus Hasn't Aged Well

Taiso

Remembers The North,
20 Year Member
Joined
Dec 29, 2000
Posts
13,156
I recently played through the PS4 remake of Shadow of the Colossus.

The graphics are really fantastic on the PS4 build, to be sure.

I think that the shitty controls were something we just sort of 'put up with' because the scope of the game was so vast and unlike anything we'd ever seen before.

The horse controls like garbage.

The camera control is frustrating.

Wander is a clumsy fuck that controls like he's always drunk.

The monotony of the game's core mechanics expose how threadbare the gameplay is.

Should have been a Ghibli movie and not a game, though.

Also, The Last Guardian was absolutely NOT worth the wait. That game was a steaming pile.

Oddly enough, Ico may be the best game out of the three.
 

Dochartaigh

Edo Express Delivery Guy
Joined
Mar 25, 2017
Posts
337
I never played this back in the day. But since I got a nice multiformat BVM setup with PS2 over RGB, and this was one of the few 480p PS2 games I wanted to try, I decided to buy this game since it had such a great reputation. ...couldn't get past the first hour or so...just couldn't get into it whatsoever. Maybe it was awesome back in the day (and my tastes have changed from back then), but I found it kinda boring playing it for the first time in 2017.
 

Taiso

Remembers The North,
20 Year Member
Joined
Dec 29, 2000
Posts
13,156
i mean.. it's no dead island.

I think I could die a happy man if a game with the somber, heavy themes of Shadow of the Colossus were promoted and then when it came out it was a wacked out, buggy mess with hilarious game physics like Dead Island.

And I'm talking AAA, first party levels of marketing and promotion.

Like, God of War levels of manufacturer hype.
 

HeavyMachineGoob

My poontang misses Lenn Yang's wang
10 Year Member
Joined
Apr 3, 2011
Posts
5,813
The horse controls like garbage.

Wander is a clumsy fuck that controls like he's always drunk.

I think you've become too accustomed to video games. Wander and the horse control like what a person and a horse would control like in the real world. Wander isn't some buff rambo figure, he's quite clearly a thin average person, no crazy jumping ability or anything like that. The horse has its own pathfinding scripting and is pretty good about going where you are most likely going.
 

Taiso

Remembers The North,
20 Year Member
Joined
Dec 29, 2000
Posts
13,156
I think you've become too accustomed to video games. Wander and the horse control like what a person and a horse would control like in the real world. Wander isn't some buff rambo figure, he's quite clearly a thin average person, no crazy jumping ability or anything like that. The horse has its own pathfinding scripting and is pretty good about going where you are most likely going.

They control like ass and it's not fun.
 

NeuroticMoose

Super Spy Agent
Joined
Feb 6, 2014
Posts
619
I was never all that enamored with the game back when it originally came out (and I picked it up in a bargain bin). I really appreciated it on a technical level, and I liked a lot of individual elements and what it was going for, but it was a big fucking slog in all honesty, I kept playing basically because I kept hearing people rave about it in videogame publications and I felt like I needed to keep playing, then I got to the last Colossus and after falling off his stupid fucking back the 60th time I took the disc out, put it in it's case and stuck it on the shelf, where it's pretty much stayed. I bought the remake, because I thought maybe this time I played it I would see what everyone loved so much about it in the first place, it's currently also sitting on the shelf.
 

Lastblade

Friend me on Facebook!,
20 Year Member
Joined
Aug 13, 2001
Posts
5,840
I enjoyed the game back in the day, but can't imagine playing it now. The ending though... really haunts me. I think I will just youtube it.
 

GutsDozer

Robot Master., Master Tasuke, Eat Your, Heart Out
10 Year Member
Secret Santa Veteran
Joined
Mar 5, 2013
Posts
5,391
They changed a lot including a bunch of lighting effects and colors along with the control scheme. I feel like it's inferior to the PS3 version.
 

Colorado Rockie

Terry Bogard's Taylor
Joined
Jan 5, 2012
Posts
1,680
Best thing about this game was the soundtrack imo. Hopefully they didn't alter it for the PS4 release.
 

Kiel

All About Shooters Mod., If you fuck with me, I'll
20 Year Member
Joined
Oct 3, 2001
Posts
7,804
That horse is/was the fucking worst
 

Taiso

Remembers The North,
20 Year Member
Joined
Dec 29, 2000
Posts
13,156
Best thing about this game was the soundtrack imo. Hopefully they didn't alter it for the PS4 release.

It's the same music but I believe it's an all new arrangement/orchestration. It actually sounds excellent. But I believe there is an option to use the original version of the OST if you prefer.
 

Dr Shroom

made it in japan
15 Year Member
Joined
Dec 19, 2005
Posts
23,226
another overrated game hyped up by pretentious fags, just like Ico was.
 
Last edited:

@M

Vanessa's Drinking Buddy,
20 Year Member
Joined
Feb 10, 2003
Posts
7,174
Shadow of the Colossus is one of my favorite games of all time. Stripped down to its most basic structure, it really is nothing more that just a series of boss fights (with a little lizard and fruit hunting in between), but I still love it and always will.
 

ggallegos1

Cholecystectomy Required.,
10 Year Member
Joined
Oct 1, 2013
Posts
5,153
Shadow of the Colossus is one of my favorite games of all time. Stripped down to its most basic structure, it really is nothing more that just a series of boss fights (with a little lizard and fruit hunting in between), but I still love it and always will.

Same, it's one of my favorite games. Surprisingly I never noticed how badly it controlled until the PS3 version on hard mode, as I was accustomed to the control style and never felt anything was inherently wrong with it. I know when I play the PS4 version I'll have my rose colored glasses on and I'm fine with that
 

bartre

Haomaru's Blade Shiner
10 Year Member
Joined
Oct 27, 2009
Posts
681
I never found the controls to be *that* bad.
they weren't great, but they were far from the worst I'd seen.

I also never understood why people praised the graphics so much; they just seemed reminiscent of polished Prince of Persia Warrior Within.

The biggest problem by far with the game is the fact that it's SO GOD DAMNED BORING.
yeah some of the boss fights are cool, but that's only like 1/2 of them.
and what is there to do between? walk around and find lizards and fruit. meh.

I'd much rather play No More Heroes; similar concept - mostly based around boss fights, some filler crap in between, better visuals - The stylized visuals just appealed to me much more, odd controls - yeah the PS3 version lets you just use a PS3 controller, but even there I prefer the Move.
oh, and the filler crap was way better in NMH, just got a tiny bit repetitive at the end.
 

Ip Man

BBLLOOOO__HHAARRDDDDDD!!!!,
15 Year Member
Joined
Aug 14, 2006
Posts
4,334
i think shadow of the colossus is one of the greatest games of all time. and it looked amazing for a ps2 game.
 

ChopstickSamurai

I have earned the, right to PM Rot.,
Joined
Sep 18, 2003
Posts
2,188
I have the PS3 version around here somewhere, I should give it another chance some day.
 

LoneSage

A Broken Man
20 Year Member
Joined
Dec 20, 2004
Posts
44,744
The last colossus should have been a defenseless baby that cried each time you stabbed it.
 

Taiso

Remembers The North,
20 Year Member
Joined
Dec 29, 2000
Posts
13,156
Yeah, it ain't no Senran Kagura Peach Beach Splash that's for sure

Senran Kagura takes way more chances than Shadow of the Colossus and isn't touted as an argument for video games as art. The series knows exactly what it is and it's not afraid to proclaim its right to exist.

That said, it's weeb pedo bullshit.

Oh wait, all the girls are 18 years or older.
 

neo_mao

Been There., Done That., It Was Shit.,
15 Year Member
Joined
Apr 20, 2007
Posts
10,135
Senran Kagura takes way more chances than Shadow of the Colossus and isn't touted as an argument for video games as art. The series knows exactly what it is and it's not afraid to proclaim its right to exist.

That said, it's weeb pedo bullshit.

Oh wait, all the girls are 18 years or older.

So what you are telling me is that I should feel guilty for masturbating when playing Shadow of the Colossus, but not when I play Peach Beach?
 
Last edited:

Taiso

Remembers The North,
20 Year Member
Joined
Dec 29, 2000
Posts
13,156
TAISO agree disagree.

I actually agree with the idea.

The colossi are essentially portrayed as helpless. Even falling from the tops of their heads doesn't kill Wander.

The only challenge is in climbing.

They are essentially victims and the point of their melancholy deaths is precisely to instill in the player a growing anxiety over Wander's actions as guided by your hand.

Strip away the artifice of the giant menace and what you really have are gentle giants out in the wasteland of a long forgotten and abandoned countryside minding their own business, not hurting anyone and not even stirring until you find them in most cases.

I don't know about repeatedly stabbing them, but I think that the last colossus should have been a direct representation of the game's combat themes.

Neo Moe:

I knew you pounded it furiously to baby killing. I'd say you disgust me but I knew it all along so my reaction is muted.
 
Top