Shadow of the Colossus
I'd like to do a mini-review of Shadow of the Colossus, but first a quick update.
I had a great Christmas break, but it was nice to get back to Ames. My friends and family were all very generous with their gifts but it was worth more to me to be able to spend time with people I don't get to see that often.
There were some downsides to getting back to Ames. I found out that I have to register for 5 credits in order to be full-time as far as my financial aid is concerned. So with 5 credits at out-of-state-tuition, my loans will be fairly hefty this semester. I decided that instead of trying to take a class this semester I'd sneak by with all research again. I still have to write a paper for my philosophy course last semester and keep at writing my Master's thesis, so that should keep me busy enough.
I was also kicked out of my office and had to move down two floors into an office with 7 other people. I got the moving all done, which was nice, but it is too bad that I won't be as accessible to a lot of my friends who still have offices on the 4th floor.
I did manage to get a job (almost guaranteed) to do some grading for a professor this semester. Tomorrow I'll be going over to Student Services to see if they have any tutoring positions open.
Well that's about all I've been up to. On with the review.
Shadow of the Colossus is kind of an action/platformer game. But one where, besides some quick horseback riding, you only really fight boss fights. The controls are very simple and you will figure out everything that your character can do within the first hour or so.
The story of the game is fairly sporadic. You get a little bit at the beginning and, sometimes, a little bit between the Colossus battles. The game seems to leave you with a lot of questions but the story is still one of the best I have had the pleasure of seeing.
Since the game is basically about fighting the Colossi, it is important that this is the best aspect of this game. Even while fighting the first (and basically introduction fight) you get a feel for just how epic and artistic this game is. Even the first colossus is huge and can really whack you with his club or stomp in your general direction damaging you.
The basic idea of fighting the Colossi is that you find where they are furry, grab on, climb up to their weak points (which you must find) and stab them there until they are defeated. You have a sword, a bow and arrow, and the main character's ability to grab and hold onto fur or other climbable surfaces very well. The other challenge is that you can only hold on to what you're grabbing for a certain amount of time. On the up side both your "grip meter" and your health regenerate over time as long as you are not holding on to something for dear life or taking damage respectively.
As simple as the controls are the boss battles can be tough. They are all basically what I would call "method battles." By that I mean battles that have a specific way you have to beat them. Since all the fights are so different this doesn't seem as tedious as you would think. In fact figuring the bosses out almost guarantees you victory.
If you run around trying to fight one of the Colossi for too long you will get a hint from the being overseeing your quest. These tend to be enough for you to get on the right track, although Mike and I were still stumped for a while even after some of them. That said the game, on total, took us about 12 hours to beat. A lot of this is due to the fact that we had two minds working together and throwing out ideas as to what to try next. The limit of your moves is a boon to this as there are not so many things to try that you end up at a loss for what you could possibly do next.
As far as unlockables after you beat the game once you unlock a time attack mode, which allows you to get some cool items, and hard mode. These are cool, but by the time you beat the game the first time you might not feel like going through it again right away.
Overall I'd give Shadow of the Colossus a 9.5 out of 10. This was an awesome game and anyone with a PS2 should pick it up and give it a play. If you're the renting type you could probably get through the game in a weekend as long as you were into it enough.
I hope everyone is doing well and I look forward to writing more reviews (if people are interested in them).
I had a great Christmas break, but it was nice to get back to Ames. My friends and family were all very generous with their gifts but it was worth more to me to be able to spend time with people I don't get to see that often.
There were some downsides to getting back to Ames. I found out that I have to register for 5 credits in order to be full-time as far as my financial aid is concerned. So with 5 credits at out-of-state-tuition, my loans will be fairly hefty this semester. I decided that instead of trying to take a class this semester I'd sneak by with all research again. I still have to write a paper for my philosophy course last semester and keep at writing my Master's thesis, so that should keep me busy enough.
I was also kicked out of my office and had to move down two floors into an office with 7 other people. I got the moving all done, which was nice, but it is too bad that I won't be as accessible to a lot of my friends who still have offices on the 4th floor.
I did manage to get a job (almost guaranteed) to do some grading for a professor this semester. Tomorrow I'll be going over to Student Services to see if they have any tutoring positions open.
Well that's about all I've been up to. On with the review.
Shadow of the Colossus is kind of an action/platformer game. But one where, besides some quick horseback riding, you only really fight boss fights. The controls are very simple and you will figure out everything that your character can do within the first hour or so.
The story of the game is fairly sporadic. You get a little bit at the beginning and, sometimes, a little bit between the Colossus battles. The game seems to leave you with a lot of questions but the story is still one of the best I have had the pleasure of seeing.
Since the game is basically about fighting the Colossi, it is important that this is the best aspect of this game. Even while fighting the first (and basically introduction fight) you get a feel for just how epic and artistic this game is. Even the first colossus is huge and can really whack you with his club or stomp in your general direction damaging you.
The basic idea of fighting the Colossi is that you find where they are furry, grab on, climb up to their weak points (which you must find) and stab them there until they are defeated. You have a sword, a bow and arrow, and the main character's ability to grab and hold onto fur or other climbable surfaces very well. The other challenge is that you can only hold on to what you're grabbing for a certain amount of time. On the up side both your "grip meter" and your health regenerate over time as long as you are not holding on to something for dear life or taking damage respectively.
As simple as the controls are the boss battles can be tough. They are all basically what I would call "method battles." By that I mean battles that have a specific way you have to beat them. Since all the fights are so different this doesn't seem as tedious as you would think. In fact figuring the bosses out almost guarantees you victory.
If you run around trying to fight one of the Colossi for too long you will get a hint from the being overseeing your quest. These tend to be enough for you to get on the right track, although Mike and I were still stumped for a while even after some of them. That said the game, on total, took us about 12 hours to beat. A lot of this is due to the fact that we had two minds working together and throwing out ideas as to what to try next. The limit of your moves is a boon to this as there are not so many things to try that you end up at a loss for what you could possibly do next.
As far as unlockables after you beat the game once you unlock a time attack mode, which allows you to get some cool items, and hard mode. These are cool, but by the time you beat the game the first time you might not feel like going through it again right away.
Overall I'd give Shadow of the Colossus a 9.5 out of 10. This was an awesome game and anyone with a PS2 should pick it up and give it a play. If you're the renting type you could probably get through the game in a weekend as long as you were into it enough.
I hope everyone is doing well and I look forward to writing more reviews (if people are interested in them).