This is title for everybody's video game bucket list
Mate I finished Shadow of the Colossus. It feels like I have completed something off my bucket list. What a game! It had me entranced and spellbound throughout its 9 hour course. It installed a sense of adventure in me that I have never experienced before in a video game. The feeling of fear and fearlessness (I guess that what bravery means) I got when one of the colossus' first spotted me or prepared smashing me with a 200 foot hammer is something I haven't experienced in games in a long long time. Even the titans of God of War seemed bleak despite their even larger scale. I sense this is because the only form of personification of these colossus' was their bright eyes, which made me wonder what exactly were these anthropomorphic beings thinking, raising questions in my mind such as how they perceive the world around them, what do they think of me and just maybe whether they were just as much afraid of me, as I was of them. Disjointing these giants from any subtext, made them eerier adding to the desolate landscape of land they existed in. I also liked the fact that each giant required an unique method of scaling them you had to figure out providing a puzzle aspect to the game. This in turn gave the sensation of cognizance and unfamiliarity to each boss battle. I do salute the fact that it just obliterates common game design, going for 16 set piece battles. Sorry let me rephrase that its, 16 of the best set piece battles ever!
A major difference between this and the God of War giants, is the simple bit of kit you possess. A sword and a bow&arrow vs the blades of exile is not exactly the same. Playing a demigod on a quest of vengeance welding blades containing the soul of Hades himself is all fine and dandy but defeating these colossus' whilst being completely outmatched provides a drastically different sense of achievement to the player. You shriek worryingly when you are jostled around by the strong winds. You cringe in fear grasping ever so tightly onto the controller as your limbs flail in the air when you cling onto these monsters whilst they try and shake you off. In god of war you conquer Mt. Olympus, but in shadow of the colossus its as if you are conquering Olympus with only one leg, providing a deeper sense of accomplishment.
The story was also a win. It doesn't achieve the presentation of other games due to the lack of any major dialogue or background setting like AC 3 which for me came with too much baggage preventing me from enjoying it. The story line itself however is particularly noteworthy being portrayed mostly through your own emotional experiences and music much like a silent film providing the benefit of a universal language meaning anybody around the world can connect to it meta-physically. In the beginning it just acts as a backdrop for the exceptional game play much like a Zelda game but it does pick up towards the end adjoining aspects of human life which are rarely explored in a video game.
Finally I arrive the best bit of the game, the score. Never before have I ever developed such a profound emotional experience with a game through the medium of sound (maybe with God of War). The orchestrated soundtracks are absolutely beautiful. It jibes to the setting of each scenario perfectly, almost scaring you at times. I instantly downloaded the entire score of the game instantly after completing it, which is something I have never done before (at least not the whole album).
All in all this game is piece of art. It makes me proud to say I am gamer. It provides a brilliant tale. Brings out all forms of emotion which many movies fail to deliver and of course it sustains the qualities of escapism and fun, two major aspects I look for in a video game.
Overall score - 9.5*/10 (*the jumping mechanic is a bit iffy at times due to camera)