Shadow of the Colossus for PlayStation 2 Reviews by Gamers

Where do I start on this one guys? Ok one thing before you try to rent this I want you to know this game is INSANELY HARD!!!! Unless you are a serious gamer do not rent this you will not enjoy this. Now all you peoples who are still there reading this I want you to know this is a game of epic proportions. the graphics are wayyyy ahead of its time so keep that in your mind when you look at them. The gameplay is outstanding and the storyline is one of the best i have ever seen in my life. Now I also want to point out the game can be a little bit dull at times because throughout the game you must take down these giants know as Colossi. The bosses are amazing but some of them...annoying as ever could be BUT all worth it because you have fun with it and also a dull part. Finding these things!!! You may look at this title and think " Colossus those are probably easy to find because they're huge...right? Well wrong I mean sure they're big but this landscape is also big sure you got your little compass sword thing but you're likely going to hit a wall in your travels. Also I don't consider this an all out action game more of a puzzle type actually because you have to figure out how to kill these things all of them are killed the same way its figuring out how to get to the part where you kill them that's hard but overall an amazing game. With an amazing story line, great game play, and stunning graphics this may be the game of the century.

Shadow of the Colossus is a relatively simple game. The main character brings in a maiden he says was sacrificed because she had a cruel fate and he strikes a deal with a disembodied entity called "Dormin" who tells him he must defeat the colossi scattered throughout the land to bring the maiden back to life. So begins the game. Each colossi is like a boss battle in any game, except there are no enemies in between to fight. It's just one boss after another. And each fight involves you needing a different strategy to defeat the colossus. It's great in that each fight requires you to think about what you need to do in order to defeat the colossus.... but the main problem is the camera... oh god that camera. It has a mind of its own and was the most frequent reason why I died. It has a mind of its own and will randomly shift the focus towards the opposite direction of the colossus right when an attack is coming causing you to get mauled. Another thing is the attacks can damage you from like twenty feet away. You think you're safe and next thing you know, you're on the ground with half your life gone and the sword or hammer or whatever embedded in the ground nowhere near you. The horse is another pain in the butt. I know the programmers were going for a more realistic feel to the game, but when you're trying to cross a narrow bridge on horseback and it keeps going towards the edge... it gets old. Or when it keeps running into walls... or won't go at all.

Overall, I praise the thought that went into designing the strategies needed, the camera and area of effect for damage and the horse controls just totally killed it for me. I couldn't even get through two hours of it (a first for me in my 17 years of gaming). But if you can get over those problems, I say go for it.