Shadow of the Colossus 2018 – Short Review: PS4 Version
Shade of Nostalgious
Welcome to your obligatory introduction to something so well known we could review the thing in the style of abstract dance.
Shadow of the Colossus is a computer game/ film / bacon
that is a wholly original game/ HD upgrade / remake.
The original 2006 version was seminal / good / angry raccoons
and we can all agree hairy kneecaps / mumbling penis / handful of eyenog.
Can the remake uphold such a tremendous legacy?
Yes. It can.
Standdddd and deliver… ya’ money or your fruit!
LOTS OF PRAISE
BREATHTAKING GRAPHICS
NEW CONTROLS
PHOTO MODE
I’m sorry to say, but the worries voiced in my preview article had come to fruition. You can read it ‘ere, or compare notes and send me a rather rude letter of complaint.
What’s the primary focus of the remake? Maintaining the legacy of the game with an improved control system and making photo mode “pop”. It doesn’t make any meaningful strides to update and improve a game that’s well over 10 years old. Yes, I know. The game was already perfect. We all bought that t-shirt and nodded to each other knowingly. We all bought the HD upgrade, which was pretty nice looking, so you may as well risk offending people with change. Terrible scary change. Big sexy change. Grow some fucking bulls dammit. That’s how we got this bold original game in the first place.
Looking great is the most basic requirement of improvement. Especially in 2018.
Careful now.
When your remake has the potential of improvement from the original games mastermind… you take it! With Fumito Ueda you could have rebuilt things bigger and better. Who knows, maybe Ueda’s gone completely insane and demanded each Colossi be changed to giant seductive peacocks in fetching ballgowns. Climbable ballgowns rendered with the finest ballgown technology. Whatever the reason, the lack of ambition disappoints me. Modders dream bigger.
The critical response has been reduced to a sycophant ravings of fidelity. Indeed, it does look bloody nice. I did snap a fair few pictures… as you can tell. Shadow of the Colossus was always a looker and the argument to shut up and stare at the damn thing is a persuasive argument. Although, sheer beauty was never just enough with the original game, so that argument shouldn’t hold true today.
Design progresses pretty darn quickly in this medium.
Friday night
Strangely, to my ear, the game sounds a bit tinny. Changing the audio settings from Home Cinema to TV made no real difference. It doesn’t have that massive ompfth you’d expect when dealing with skyscraper creatures. At least the music’s as good as it’s ever been.
A game for the fans lusting for a graphical upgrade. A game for those that have never played it. Not a game those who wanted more.
A 10 out of 10 game wearing a coat that says missed opportunity.
Hands up if you wanted a couple of more Colossus thrown into the mix? No… how about a clever idea you wouldn’t have thought of yourself? No.
Erm. Ok, this is the game for you, sir!
Contemplate Corner – Aka The Toilet
I have played Shadow of the Colossus a lot. Maybe too much. I had hunted down the lizards and devoured Easter Eggs via the gift of YouTube. This game is clearly not designed with me in mind. Saying that, they fucking well resold it to us with the nostalgia credit card. I’m not sure if the designs stood the test of time for a new player in 2018. Each creature is a climbing puzzle with the same gameplay thread. Limitations of the PS2 era restricted grand ideas. Could the puzzles have enjoyed a remix? Maybe an additional something? These were the thoughts that coloured my opinion and reduced my enjoyment.
Adjust your mental score accordingly.
Would you like to see more pictures?
Please direct your eyes to….