A game recommendation...

[eLhabib]

Hey guys, I know this may sound like advertising spam, but I just HAVE to share this with you.

I just finished 'Shadow of the Colossus' for PS2, and I simply have to urge you all to get this game by any means possible. This is the single greatest adventure I have ever had the joy to experience. There are no ways to describe it properly imo, but let me tell you that apart from beautiful, dreamy visuals, dramatic storytelling and on hell of a soundtrack, this game also has the greatest feeling of heroic battle and accomplishment after defeating a foe that I have EVER experienced. It also makes for a kick-ass movie to watch while someone else is playing, seeing as my girlfriend, who isn't really much into gaming, was sitting next to me when I started playing it, and she got so hooked on watching that she even asked me not to continue the game when she is not present. Think of it as an interactive movie night with friends (or girlfriend) - one that lasts for at least 10 hours (if you really wanna play it in one go, that is ;) )

Great stuff. Get it. NOW.

[element42]

...and while you're at it, pick up the re-release of ICO.
No, I insist.

[infoxicated]

I was wondering about that yesterday - was having a browse in HMV and noticed ICO everywhere for £19.99. I couldn't remember stepping through any kind of time portal that whisked me back four years, so I figured it had been re-released.

I really like the idea of Shadow of the Colossus, and God of War too, but since the latter sits unopened in its shrink wrap in my games collection, and has done for months, I just don't think I have the kind of motivation to play through those type of games.

I'm getting beyond frustration with Resident Evil 4 - I've had to give up on it a couple of times because it was pissing me off more than entertaining me. Game of the year 2005 my ass - maybe survival horror with hokey plot game of the year. It's just a case of stumbling along with next to no health until you arrive at the next contrived set-piece that sees you trapped somewhere with legions of nasties to fend off. If GoW or SotC are anything like that then I'd rather avoid them.

I did feel very tempted to pick up ICO when I saw it, though, so maybe my fingers haven't been so burned by RE4 after all. :)

[eLhabib]

Rob, I know exactly what you are talking about, but that makes me recommend SotC to you even more. Try it for half an hour and you will be HOOKED as soon as you even lay eyes upon the first foe. And no, it never ever gets frustrating. As I stated in my initial post, the feeling of accomplishment in this game is incredible.

And yes, I will definitely get my hands on ICO now, seeing as I missed it years back (especially now that I know how SotC and ICO are connected storywise - I won't go into detail here because of heavy spoiler alert ;) )

[Dogg Thang]

I would totally recommend ICO as a must-play game. It's well worth picking up. What I love about ICO is that it wants you to complete it - the challenge and the difficulty level is perfect. You never get too stuck that it frustrates and it's never too easy as to get boring. It's an excellent game.

I loved Shadow of the Colossus too, but if I was only recommending one game in this thread it would be ICO.

[Lance]

look who's back. :) hey, DT, longtimenosee. howdy. :)

[oVerCaffeinated]

...and while you're at it, pick up the re-release of ICO.
No, I insist.
Man, and not so long ago I got an ex-rental copy of ICO with no cover or manual and it has that stupid video store sticker on it :brickwall Ohwell atleast I have it :) I might pick up Shadow of the Colossus but I'll probably just rent it.

[Roger]

Yes, ICO is one of the few games I've bothered to finish. A truly gripping piece of software!

I'll give Shadow a look later, right now I'm busy playing Paper Mario ;-)

[Dogg Thang]

Hi Lance! I wasn't really gone - I just haven't had much to say recently...

[xEik]

...and while you're at it, pick up the re-release of ICO.
<rant>
Except if you live in a filthy, dumb country like Spain where the local Sony divission is asinine enough not to rerelease the game. Probably because Spanish gamers are a bunch of stupid assclowns who only buy FIFAs and ProEvolutions because they are football and F1s because the ugly face of Alonso is on the cover.
</rant>

The result: I ordered ICO, Shadow of the Colossus, We love Katamari and Psychonauts from Amazon UK. Even with delivery I think it ended being cheaper than buying those in Spain where every new game is 60€ for months unless you buy second hand. Sony Spain can **** themselves. :mad: :bomb

EDIT: after writing my rant I googled a bit and it seems that Sony Spain reconsidered their decission after users protests in several fora and other media. Well, my games are already on their way and for less money. Who cares now...

[Thruster2097]

shadow of the colossus, eh?
Never heard of it but if its anything like God of War then it's gotta be worth a look.

While we're recommending games, Gottlieb Pinball Classics and Go! Sudoku for the PSP. Games like these are exactly what the little handheld unit is designed for. And PurE, of course......

[Dogg Thang]

Hmm...it's not really like God of War at all. But you still might love it!

[DjManiac21]

<rant>
Except if you live in a filthy, dumb country like Spain where the local Sony divission is asinine enough not to rerelease the game. Probably because Spanish gamers are a bunch of stupid assclowns who only buy FIFAs and ProEvolutions because they are football and F1s because the ugly face of Alonso is on the cover.


I know what you saying man... I live in Amsterdam and games don´t go below €64 sometimes, and i always read this guys talking about games for PS2 at 20 or 30 pounds and also very cheap PSP games and i can´t believe how stupid people are here for buying games so expensive... I don´t really understant this policy...
And about Fifa lovers... please don´t get me started :D

Anyway, i´ll get SOC soon, i´m glad to hear that is enjoyable to watch too because my wife has benn playing with me eveytime. First with Resident Evil 4, she loved the whole game and the ADA missions. Then with Silent Hills... And some time now she loved Fahrenheit, aka Indigo Prophecy, what a game!!!
So now i´m glad to hear that this game is good enough for her too. I´ll get it right away :)

C ya!

[Lion]

our games often start at above $90 of our currency
even as far back as the megadrive (genesis) some games were $120
shadow of the colossus is currently $89.95 here

games always seem to be about $10 higher than I'm willing to spend... this applies as they drop in price too.
I'd buy twice as much probably if they were only that small amount cheaper

[Thruster2097]

yep, escalating game prices are sure to raise some eyebrows.... it raised (both) of mine when I see NFS most wanted for X360 at £50 and Xbox at £40. Totally unjustifyable imho. Hell, I would understand if it was a different type of disc or a different code but it just isnt. Lord only knows what the PS3 Blu-ray games are going to cost... we could be going back to the grand old days of 1994 and Sonic 3, the sega genesis cartridge that cost £59.95.
Sad and costly times ahead but as prices continue to rise it is little wonder why honest hardworking taxpaying citizens are having to resort to piracy for their music/games/videos.
A rather concise yet well thought letter is pending to be sent to microsoft about this very issue. Needless to say I dont expect a reply. :brickwall

Anyway, yeah,...errr..... Shadow of the colossus....
Read today from the back of the box that it is ".. from the creators of ICO"
Translated into thruster2097 language as ".. will be re-released once it has become unpopular for a fraction of the original price".
Appears to be a very nice, somewhat theatrical experience. But for the moment, at least, I'll wait.

[Task]

Oddly enough, I just _started_ Shadow of the Colossus.

A friend picked it up a couple months back (he figured he could resist until the price dropped, ends up he couldn't, I benefit greatly) and finished it in a weekend. He passed it on to me about a month or so back and now that I've finished Shadow Hearts 2:Covenant I felt it was time to crack open the fabled ICO sequel.

The game so far has been like this:

Boy, I've been looking forward to this for a while now. Insert disc, enjoy opening sequence... Hey, this intro sequence looks pretty spiffy. Oh, wow, it's in widescreen! Yay! Hold on, the main menu screen is in fullscreen, dammit. *switches modes on TV* *selects Options from menu* Oh, wow, there's a widescreen option here! Yay! *Start Game* Oooh, nice widescreen FMV... Wow, I can move the camera during FMV! Awesome! Ah, yes, I can see how this is definitely linked to ICO! Same architecture, I can see how there's supposed to be a bigger castle here... Oh, I think I've got character control back now... Dammit, it's back in fullscreen mode! Why is there an aspect ratio option if the game is always in fullscreen!? *curses* *switches modes on TV* Okay, so the game has finally started... Wow, riding across the plains on my swift steed is great! Oh, more FMV, I must've found where the first Colossus is! Dammit, I can't figure out what I'm supposed to do here. How do you pause this game? Well, Start gives me a map, that's probably a game pause. *read instruction manual* Ah, so I can jump and hang and climb. Okay, where's the climbing area? Well, I have to go do something now, where's the save? ... There's no freaking way to save?!? This is ridiculous! Okay, pause till I can get back to this. I think my PS2 is high enough that Dorian can't turn it off. Yet. *returns later* So, I'm looking for a place to climb... Ah, got it. Dammit, this camera STILL sucks. What's wrong with 1st person view that they always have to live with this stupid 3rd person view crap all the time? Now I'm going to be fighting with the camera all the time... Okay, L1 and L2 help a lot... Wow, he's really big. Oh, and he doesn't like me. Dang, not my day obviously. Okay, running, running, running, ouch! Jesus, okay, I think I'm getting used to this. run around with L1 held, triangle, R1... Yes, that's it. Wow, this is really cool. Hey, I'm beating this thing! Alright, I rock! Woo-hoo, I win! Augh! Black shadow stuff! Augh! It got me! I'm down! Damn, do I lose? No, wait, it looks like I win! Oh, NOW I can save. I see. Okay, on with the next Colossus. Hmm, getting used to this process, finding them is easy now. Ah, there it is. Looks like I need to pull out the bow for this one. Aiming... Stupid horse, I'm fighting a Colossus, stay out of the way, you're blocking my shot! Fight the camera to figure out how to mount this one... Didn't manage. Try again. No, again. Okay, got on this time. Die you stone bastard! Die! I'll stab you in the head and then in the ass, will that do it? Yes! There we go, another bites the dust. Don't bother running from the black shadow stuff this time... Save again. I think I'm done for the day. I'd need another half hour at least for the next one.

So overall it's pretty good so far, but there are serious ups and downs.
One main thing that obviously bothers me is this whole "save point" garbage that was introduced about 1000 years ago because you couldn't save arbitrary data to a cartridge and for some reason we haven't gotten past it.
Still, that's really a whole seperate topic on its own.

Yes, good game. Better than ICO? I don't think so. Better than playing 90% of what else is available? Hell yeah! I just wish I had enough games of this quality to fill up the time till Shadow Hearts 3 is out...

[eLhabib]

Dammit, it's back in fullscreen mode! Why is there an aspect ratio option if the game is always in fullscreen!? *curses* *switches modes on TV* Okay, so the game has finally started...

:? The whole game runs in widescreen, I think you messed something up.


Dammit, I can't figure out what I'm supposed to do here. ...Ah, so I can jump and hang and climb.

On the way to the first and second Colossus, there are help messages to introduce you to the controls constantly popping up on screen. Maybe you should bother reading them...


One main thing that obviously bothers me is this whole "save point" garbage that was introduced about 1000 years ago because you couldn't save arbitrary data to a cartridge and for some reason we haven't gotten past it.

Y'know, actually I do like the way saving has been handled in this game, with the little shrines scattered throughout the land. If you travel to a place far away and get tired on the way, would you just lay down in the middle of the road and sleep? no, you would search for a place to stay for the night. Think of the shrines as some sort of lodging.


This is one of the games you really have to sink into and let the whole spirit of the game take you over. Like watching 'Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon', there were those people who got the whole idea, chinese myths and so on, and really liked it, and then were those who would rant all over the place about the jumping/flying sequences, claiming it would be 'sooo unrealistic' and that it's a bad movie because of that. I hope you get my point. Don't expect SotC to be your stereotypical videogame experience. It works differently, but you gotta admire it for how perfectly it works if you let it into your system and get used to it. And trust me, after you experienced the whole game, you'll wish every adventure game was done so well.

[Task]

:? The whole game runs in widescreen, I think you messed something up.

... Perhaps. I'll certainly try it again. Especially if you got your whole game to run in widescreen.


On the way to the first and second Colossus, there are help messages to introduce you to the controls constantly popping up on screen. Maybe you should bother reading them...

Oh, if ONLY it was a problem of me not reading the obvious and helpful text messages at the bottom of the screen! Oh no. They're "triggered" you see. They pop up when you need them, when you're at the point in the game where you need to do this "new action". Well done, those hints. So as long as you can get to the area where you need to do such a thing, the message pops up and you'll know that you've found the place to do it. But _finding_ that area is a critical first step. Riding into the area, the camera is pointed SE. Dismounting, investigating the back wall dead-end (where the light shines to), the camera points S. Coming back out of the dead-end, I follow the E wall a bit, then go have a look at the W wall, but this whole time there's a small section of the W wall that I've never seen because the camera was there. That's the place I had to go to. Since I didn't know I had climb controls (purely my fault for not reading the manual before playing) I wasn't even looking for ways of climbing the wall, so I never got near the vine-covered section, and the whole time I was in that area the camera was effectively hiding it from me. Several times, I'm sure my character was staring at it, but what did I see? I saw my character staring at me. Any time a game camera shows your character staring at you, the whole camera system should be either scrapped for sent back for bug fixes, IMO. After learning I could climb, I went back to the area and did a wall search of the whole area, found the small vine-covered section, and was off to the races. I just happened to not accidentally stumble upon it the first time. If the camera wasn't hiding it, I likely would've seen it straight off. I really hate 3rd person camera systems.


Y'know, actually I do like the way saving has been handled in this game, with the little shrines scattered throughout the land. If you travel to a place far away and get tired on the way, would you just lay down in the middle of the road and sleep? no, you would search for a place to stay for the night. Think of the shrines as some sort of lodging.

What? I can save at a shrine? Since when? The gods told me I could "recover my health" at a shrine, so I went to the one they pointed out... and nothing happened. Not even some helpful text to tell my how to "pray". I tried kneeling of course, but nothing happened. So so far I haven't been able to make a shrine work, but I only tried at the first one and haven't bothered since. I've always got full health, no need to recover.


This is one of the games you really have to sink into and let the whole spirit of the game take you over. Like watching 'Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon', there were those people who got the whole idea, chinese myths and so on, and really liked it, and then were those who would rant all over the place about the jumping/flying sequences, claiming it would be 'sooo unrealistic' and that it's a bad movie because of that. I hope you get my point. Don't expect SotC to be your stereotypical videogame experience. It works differently, but you gotta admire it for how perfectly it works if you let it into your system and get used to it. And trust me, after you experienced the whole game, you'll wish every adventure game was done so well.
What, are you kidding? I don't play "stereotypical videogames". ICO was fantastic, coming off that I've got hopes and expectations that SotC is going to _improve_ on that, make something that'll really blow me away again. So far, the game definitely has its splendour. It's fantastic, I'm going to play the whole thing. But it's not perfect. When something is this good, the small problems in it that hold it back from being totally perfect are really glaring. I'm probably going to find Pure the same way. "Wow, this game is awesome! If only it weren't for...". I hope you get my point. 8 )

[eLhabib]

concerning the camera issue: there is nothing in videogames that I hate more than a camera that centeres itself behind the player all the time. I really love being able to control the camera all by myself, but hey, that's just my personal taste. I agree that the camera in SotC can be fiddly at the beginning, but once you get used to it, it's perfectly fine.

To save at a shrine, kneel down in the 'glowing' area at the shrines front by pressing the circle button.

btw, there are a total of 4 different points at that first canyon where the first colossus is to successfully climb upwards, including the hedgerow, 2 pillar, ledges, and a combination of small rocks. Really tough luck that you didn't even find one of those right away ;)

[Task]

Tough luck indeed! I was searching those walls and pillars for a way through/up/whatever and I didn't get any hint message at all until I found those vines!

I'm up to 12 Colossi now, and this game is really maintaining the quality excellently. I was afraid that the initial thrill of challenging a Colossus would go away, but so far it's just as fantastic each time! The eel actually managed to kill me once (zap-zap!) and that turtle was the most difficult one to actually get to the point where I could kill it, the challenge level is definitely there. Not so much that you get frustrated, but not so easy that you don't feel like it took some effort. Really well done throughout so far.

The widescreen thing, I tested it out: In 4:3 mode the game is in fullscreen and the cutscenes are in widescreen, and in 5:9 mode the game is in fullscreen and the cutscenes are in widescreen. Do you see any effect that the mode selection is having? I certainly don't. I'm guessing that all that selecting 5:9 does is (just like in WO3) turn on "widescreen correction" (whatever _that_ means) and has no actual effect on what you see unless you have some ancient non-animorphic widescreen TV or some such craziness.

So I remain very unimpressed with this theoretically-cool-but-actually-does-nothing widescreen option, but continue to be enthralled in the game "quest".

[eLhabib]

I think the best part of SotC is running from the colossi, strafing around them, and trying to find a pattern or weak spot to give you a clue where to start your attack. Also, I found it simply amazing just enjoying the scenery while riding on horseback, searching for the next foe. The eel killed me once, too ;) , and the second boss to kill me was the last one, very impressive. I especially enjoyed the last 3 colossi, as they are really showing great variaton, but also some of the earlier ones are really challenging and sometimes it took me ages to figure out how to hurt them (for example that damn tremors-like sandsnake, or the huge gecko in the colosseum). What's so fascinating about this game is that, even though you are basically doing pretty much the same thing 16 times over, it just doesn't get boring or dull, there's something fresh everytime. Only downside I found is that it might just be a tad too easy the first time through, but that all changes once you unlock hard mode ;)