Shadow of the Colossus Hasn't Aged Well

Dr Shroom

made it in japan
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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?

You should feel guilty about masturbating over your amiibos.
 

Psygnosis8

Sieger's Squire
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Sotc is the bees knees to me. Loved it when it came out. It’s a very sad game also. I felt very, VERY bad killing the furry colossi.
 

oliverclaude

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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.

Some games seemingly demand to be loved for their flaws alone. As long as the 'why' is exciting, I'm willing to do the work, i.e to leave objectivity out of the equation.
 

Taiso

Remembers The North,
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Some games seemingly demand to be loved for their flaws alone. As long as the 'why' is exciting, I'm willing to do the work, i.e to leave objectivity out of the equation.

And there was a time when I did just that.

But not in 2018. The game is a crumbling monument to its own flawed conceits now.
 

Morden

Somewhere in Europe.,
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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. (...) 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.

I haven't played the PS3 version, nor the PS4 one, but I think that's a bit harsh, especially you not only bash the controls, but also the whole idea of what this game is. Sure, it was frustrating to have the character lose grip seemingly without a reason, but to me, the framerate was the biggest issue on the PS2. The game was pushing the console too hard. Frameskipping was insane at times.

The controls I got used to, and actually didn't mind at all after I got good at the game. I even made the climb to the top of the tower, which forced me to complete the game a whole bunch of times to build up the stamina. Some of the colossi are more frustrating than others, but I always thought about it this way. Fighting them is the only thing you do. Were the controls super-tight and everything would just happen the way you imagine it to, the game would be too easy.

In fact, it is really easy once you beat it a couple of times and are able to kill some of the colossi with a single blow.

As for the monotony, I kind of enjoyed it. Not the monotony, because I don't feel it's the way the game is, but the emptiness. There are no two ways about it. The whole world exists only as a hub, with little to no exploring to be done, but it's such a peaceful place.

If the camera is a problem in SotC, I don't know how you can just accept it in ICO. The game is all about platforming, and some camera angles are just crazy. It's sometimes impossible to gauge the jump distance, which is frustrating, to say the least.

The Last Guardian was OK. I did enjoy it, but it wasn't all I had hoped it would be. It's not bad, either, it's just unremarkable. I guess this was to be expected after being in development limbo for so long.

It can't be denied these games share the same world and atmosphere, and that's what these experiences are about for me. It's such a intriguing place. I feel like Lost in Shadow / A Shadow's Tale for the Wii shares this world in a way. I've enjoyed it as well and I recommend it. It was one of the Wii titles I was really excited about back then.
 

oliverclaude

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And there was a time when I did just that.

But not in 2018. The game is a crumbling monument to its own flawed conceits now.

It's a valid argument, which doesn't judge on the game as much, as it does on ever-present remake policies. Bringing back a conceptual game is prone to become a hit or miss. I remember how good it was to play the HD version of Another World or Resident Evil on the GC.

The recent Secret of Mana though has lost its touch a.D. 2018, as if the merciless sharpness of current panels would only be suitable to extract a better view of its wrinkles. But it also may be, that we are not the target audience after all.
 

@M

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There's still one thing about Shadow of the Colossus that bugs me to this day: The humanoid colossi don't react to Wander like you or I instinctively would. Mostly all they do is try to shake him free instead of doing the obvious. If a little man was stabbing me in the head with his sword, my first reaction would be to either (A) smack him like a bug or (B) pick him up between my fingers and then squish him like a bug. Likewise, a lot of real animals will drop, roll over, and writhe around on their backs to try to dislodge an annoyance like Wander that they can't get rid of with their paws, hooves, or whatever. Of course, SotC would be an awful short game if they did that though . . .

Okay, if I seriously found a tiny man stabbing me, I wouldn't kill him outright, I'd catch him, put him in a little jar, with airholes in it, and try to figure out why he was trying to kill me first and if he was just a normal dude that got shrunk for some reason.
 

k'_127

NeoGumby's Sycophant,
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If you were a colossi, the weakpoints would be on your balls, not your head.
 

jro

Gonna take a lot
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The controls are actually improved over the original (but yes, they still suck).

Shadow, Ico, and Last Guardian all have utterly shit controls and cameras.
 

Rocko

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I tried Ico...way back. It was so annoyed by the clunky controls and the stupid follower you had to baby sit. Will I not like SofC for the same reasons?
 

ggallegos1

Cholecystectomy Required.,
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I tried Ico...way back. It was so annoyed by the clunky controls and the stupid follower you had to baby sit. Will I not like SofC for the same reasons?

Controls are slightly better but not much. If that's a focal point for you, i would proceed with caution.
 

neo_mao

Been There., Done That., It Was Shit.,
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So many complaints about controls...I guess none of you guys had a 3DO growing up - that woulda put some hair on yer balls...
 

Psygnosis8

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IMO wander is supposed to look frail, effeminate, and scared. I always thought controls made him feel skittish and imprecise for a reason. That said, it can be annoying.

The game is my favorite for the ps2, and the ps3 game is great, but I do t see why we need another remake. Seems like a desperate move.
 

Psygnosis8

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So I downloaded this because it was $10 off and I wanted to try some 4K stuff on my PS4 pro. Actually, they did a nice job. I could be imagining but there seems to be some cut scenes that are new (I may be wrong. It’s been awhile since I’ve played it.). The hi-res visuals are great, and I see things that I never noticed in other versions. The textures and details are quite impressive.

The controls are still wonky, though.
 

HornheaDD

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I agree with Last Guardian not being worth the wait. Storywise it was engaging, or at least as engaging as an Ico/SotC/LG game coule be, and I like how it sorta ended up being a prequel. But control of Trico was sloppy, camera was terrible, and it just wasn't as amazing as when Ico/SotC were when they were released.
 

Ip Man

BBLLOOOO__HHAARRDDDDDD!!!!,
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i still think it's one of the greatest games of all time.
 

LoneSage

A Broken Man
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i still think it's one of the greatest games of all time.

Oh sure, definitely

Too bad you can only play it once a decade to get a semblance of the same feeling you got the first time going through it
 

Ip Man

BBLLOOOO__HHAARRDDDDDD!!!!,
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Oh sure, definitely

Too bad you can only play it once a decade to get a semblance of the same feeling you got the first time going through it

you could say that about any game. skyrim, fallout, bioshock. you could never get the same feeling going through those games like the first time.
 

LoneSage

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Joke's on you I only had a Wii and before that a PS2 so I never played...these games...that are beloved by many
 

Green Beret

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There's still one thing about Shadow of the Colossus that bugs me to this day: The humanoid colossi don't react to Wander like you or I instinctively would. Mostly all they do is try to shake him free instead of doing the obvious. If a little man was stabbing me in the head with his sword, my first reaction would be to either (A) smack him like a bug or (B) pick him up between my fingers and then squish him like a bug. Likewise, a lot of real animals will drop, roll over, and writhe around on their backs to try to dislodge an annoyance like Wander that they can't get rid of with their paws, hooves, or whatever. Of course, SotC would be an awful short game if they did that though . . .

Okay, if I seriously found a tiny man stabbing me, I wouldn't kill him outright, I'd catch him, put him in a little jar, with airholes in it, and try to figure out why he was trying to kill me first and if he was just a normal dude that got shrunk for some reason.
This:lol:
 
Joined
Mar 7, 2002
Posts
50
The controls on the PS4 version is definitely much improved and if playing on the PS4 pro - moving to frame rate mode is so much better

The controls are actually improved over the original (but yes, they still suck).

Shadow, Ico, and Last Guardian all have utterly shit controls and cameras.
 
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