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IN 2001 TEAM Ico wowed us with their first foray into the gaming market (see below). Four years later they returned in top notch form with their second. Interesting pattern emerging as their next game is due for 2009, but I digress. Once again, they pushed the Playstation 2 to a whole different level. Where their first offering had wowed us with a phenomenal scale and outstanding use of colour, Shadow pushed us even further. The sheer scale of the environment is staggering, with a draw distance that would put many companies to shame, and a quality of animation that stands up to even the best offerings from our current generation of gaming. Look back recently, I’m increasingly excited to see how they will utilise the Playstation 3 and it’s eight processors. That’s right, the Playstation 3 has eight processors. Though only seven are used for gaming, whilst the last is reserved to run the console itself (this is why we can still access the menu and messages and suchlike whilst a game is running). So, bearing in mind that your average computer only has two, it should give you some idea of just how much they now have to play around with.

But for the moment, let us focus on their last generation games. Considering the phenomenal showing we have from them, and noting just how much they were able to improve for this sequel, perhaps you will become as excited as I am. However, despite the technical achievements, I have to say that, personally, I prefer Ico. Not because Shadow is in any way flawed (far from it) but I enjoyed the style of the game more. Leading Yorda around by the hand, solving puzzles, keeping her safe from the shadow creatures, all that kind of thing. It made the game feel less lonely because you always had some company. And that physical contact, though it was only witnessed on screen, was comforting. Giving the game a very fairytale feel.

Shadow of the Colossus, on the other hand, takes that same fairytale basis, and twists it round to something much darker. Even the opening cinematic shows the oppressive nature of the experience, which is prevalent throughout. The original tag line for the game “how far will you go for love?” warns us ahead of time to expect something far more tragic. And in this, we are certainly not disappointed. The most interesting thing about this, is the apparent lack of intimacy between our unnamed hero (though in Japan he was named as Wander, in the rest of the world not definite name is given for the protagonist, leading many to suspect that it was poor translation) and the young woman he brings to the valley of the Dorminn in hopes of resurrecting her.

Though it is clear he obviously cares deeply for the woman because he goes to extreme lengths to revive her, the “love” he has for her seems to be very much that of someone watching from afar. Bur, again, Fumito Ueda-sama reminds us that the specifics of the plot are left intentionally open ended, allowing us to, again, take our own impressions from the game. One thing we know for certain, is that Shadow is a direct prequel to the events of Ico, and the events at the very end show us a clear indication of exactly how the two are related. But beyond that, it’s all very subjective, and the conclusions I have drawn may differ from your own. This is the true beauty of Shadow. It’s lack of clearly defined plot developments lead us through a very personal, and truly outstanding dark fairytale.

And the colossi themselves are truly staggering things to behold. The smallest of them makes up for its apparent size disadvantage (compared to the others at least, as it is still considerably larger than our erstwhile hero) by it’s aggressive nature. Whilst the largest is huge. Larger in itself than the entirety of some past games. Yes, it really is that big, especially when considering the colossus itself, and the area surrounding it which allows access. Another major thing to consider is the masterful use of the camera. Whereas in some games, having the camera suddenly shift to show a different angle can be a real nuisance, the way it has been utilised in Shadow is often not just to give us a breathtaking view, but also to allow us the most convenient line of sight for what must be done next. Namely, to find the colossus’ weak points, and plunge your sword into it. This seems to release some kind of magical energy in a great rush that looks something similar to a spurt of oil from the ground. But getting to those tender areas is no mean feat, leading to the colossi themselves being immense, free roaming environments to explore.

All in all, this second game from the outstanding people at Team Ico is certainly amongst the very best released on the Playstation 2, and quite possibly one of the best games at all. It has a lot of diversity of gameplay ranging from horse riding, to climbing, to archery and much more besides. And the sheer scale of not only the colossi, but the entire, beautifully rendered valley, with it’s hills, and forests, and deserts and lakes, leaves us wondering how on earth they managed to fit it all in. Especially when we consider that the colossi themselves have not suffered from a lack of AI. Those which we find to be a bit dumb have clearly been intentionally programmed that way. I mean, consider it, if you were six hundred feet tall, would you really be too concerned about some guy who’s barely five feet in his stockinged feet?

I think not.

Graphics: 9.5/10
Gameplay: 9/10
Audio/Music: 9/10
Plot/Scripting: 8.5/10
Overall: 9.5/10

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