■ Video game review
Slay a colossus, raise a dead woman, enjoy the sights
'Shadow of the Colossus' is a fun-filled adventure that
takes place in a beautifully fashioned digital universe
BY ANDREW MCCOLLUM
PULSE REPORTER
Sony's "Shadow of the Colossus"
looks as good, and often better, than
every screenshot ever captured on
the back of a video game case, and it
avoids the time consuming boredom
that too often bogs down games
these days. The environments are of
such quality that gamers will find
themselves spending time exploring
them for the fun of it "Shadow of the
Colossus" replaces the hoards of en
emies that other adventure games of
fer with 16 intricate and entertaining
boss battles.
"Shadow of
the Colossus"
delivers fun in its
purest form; it is
an excellently
crafted experi
ence that must
be played.
The game
keeps it simple.
At the start, the
game finds a
young, nameless
adventurer (call
him Nico)ina
temple asking
Dormin, a mysterious being, to raise a
fallen woman. Dormin says he will
raise the woman if Nico slays the 16
colossi that are scattered about the
surrounding land. Armed with only his
sword and bow, Nico sets off on his
horse, Agro, to slay the colossi.
There are essentially only two
parts to its game play: getting to each
colossus and killing it.
After a quick glance atthe game's
manual, or a play through the in
game tutorial, players will have
learned everything they need to
know to take down the colossi. The
game's controls are intuitive and fair
ly easy to learn.
In many action and adventure
games, traveling isn'tfun. It is a nec
essary evil that gets the character
from one fight scene to the next. Trav
eling through the vast and gorgeous
PlayStation 2
>LOSSl
Courtesy
world of Shadow
onAgroisa real
treat. Agro is mas
terfully animated
and fun to control.
Each of the game's
picturesque land
scapes, from its
sweeping plains to
its dark forests, are
beautifully detailed
and fun to explore.
Travel is great,
but the battles are
amazing.
The size of the
game's colossi
ranges from the size of a bus to the
size of skyscrapers. Each colossus
has a similar statue-like quality and
has at least one weak spot. Through
the course of the game's battles,
players will need to figure out where
the colossus' weak spots are and
how they are going to reach those
r
i
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weak spots.
The action sequences in "Shadow
of the Colossus" parallel those found
in the best movies. Nico clambers up
colossi holding on for his life asthe
giant bucks in an effortto get him off;
players will cringe as they pray that
their grip will hold long enough for
one last stab. Each colossus pres
ents a unique challenge, some are
fast others are slow, some swim,
some walk and some fly. Battles are
exhilarating and are worth playing
multiple times. Once Nico kills a
colossus he finds himself transport
ed to Dormin's temple where he is
given his next target.
Find it, kill it. Repeat 16times. That's
how "Shadow of the Colossus" plays
out. But despite its simple premise,
"Shadow" rarelyfeels stale. Each bat
tle will leave players looking forward to
the next.
It's hard to believe that the
PlayStation 2 can render such de
tailed environments and stunning
bosses. Stylewise,the game does
nicely with its earthy, subdued color
palate and detailed environments.
The game has a slower framerate,
but runs smoothly and consistently in
all but a few situations. The colossi
are beautiful creatures that imitate
animals, monsters and other icons.
Their size is astonishing.
The game's atmosphere is
unparalleled, and there is a haunting
sense of solitude throughout. As
gamers explore the land they will note
that it is virtually untouched by humans;
there are a few ruins but no sign of oth
er people. The score beautifully com
plements the game play.
If you own a PS2, you have to play
"Shadow of the Colossus." The first
time through will last anywhere be
tween six to 12 hours, and subsequent
plays will take quite a bit less time. It's a
game worth owning because, like any
good movie, you'll wantto experience
it more than once. Simply put, it's a
work of art.
amccolium@dailyemerald.com
Vi P\1T 0\iT
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