| Shadow of the Colossus |  | From: Sony Computer Entertainment
Category: Video Games
List Price: $19.99
Buy Used: $7.50
as of 9/7/2010 22:50 CDT details
You Save: $12.49 (62%)
New (25) Used (33) Collectible (2) from $7.50
Seller: Kellanya
Rating:  314 reviews
Sales Rank: 264
Format: CD
Platform: PlayStation2
Genre: Adventure Games
ESRB: Teen
Media: Video Game
Number Of Items: 1
Batteries Included: No
Age: 12 - 20 years
Operating System: PlayStation 2
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.2
Dimensions (in): 7.5 x 5.5 x 0.6
DualShock
Memory Card
Vibration
MPN: 100730
Model: 74722
UPC: 711719747222
EAN: 0711719747222
ASIN: B0009I6S0O
Publication Date: October 2005
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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| Features:
| • | Innovative gameplay combines the puzzle and action/adventure genres | | • | Journey across picturesque landscapes and unearth the ferocious beauty of the 16 Colossi | | • | Combat each Colossi with skill and resourcefulness, using your magical weapons | | • | Overcome a variety of terrain challenges placing great emphasis on pure exploration | | • | Travel on horseback across miles of ancient land |
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Product Description
Shadow of the Colossus is a majestic journey through ancient lands. With your trusty horse at your side, you'll explore spacious lands and unearth anicent monsters called Colossus. Armed with your wits, a sword and a bow, use cunning and strategy to topple each of these behemoths.
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| Customer Reviews:
Showing reviews 1-5 of 314
Cool Buildup Until The End September 6, 2010
Ker Thao (Saint Paul, MN USA)
Shadow Of The Colossus is a game about a man who wants to revive a woman, but he has to slay 13 colossuses to revive her. Each colossus battle feels intense and cool in its own way. Gameplay is great, story is good but its sad at the end(you'll see), and sound is great. Go pick yourself a copy and enjoy.
 A rare gem that I will never sell September 4, 2010
Eric Folsom (Nicholasville, KY United States)
This is one of those games that you can play in a group and everyone will enjoy the thrills even though it's 1 player. The art alone is amazing enough to play it. The music gives a perfect feel of isolation, hardship, and triumph. If you own a PS2 (or a PS3 that can play it) please play this game. I've played thousands of games (I'm not exaggerating) and this is one of the best on PS3 and one of the best overall. You know how some movies you can watch over and over and some you watch once and love it, but you can't really watch over and over? This game is like that where I've only played through it twice, but the memory of it is still grand. There's many games I played over and over that I won't ever touch again. This game I will play every year or two for a long time.
A Game Where You Kill 16 Giant Stone Monsters August 21, 2010
Linda L. Richards (Allentown, PA USA)
Sixteen bosses.
A haunting score that has turns of adventurousness and melancholy.
A simple tale of love.
A boy and his horse race across a landscape, fantastically realized, to face horrid danger.
Basically, this game is a monumental achievement. While it's not a game you can just keep playing under your thumbs fall off, it IS an artistic approach to the gaming experience. It's not for everyone, but if it IS for you, it's a game you'll appreciate for a long time.
Plenty of substance for a game that's nothing but boss battles August 16, 2010
Shane Allen Windham (Dallas, TX)
If you're looking for typical hack and slash or the immediate thrill of slaying endless amounts of enemies, then look elsewhere. Because in this game you're going to mount a horse and go looking for the biggest baddies around. This game is breathtaking and the scale of the bosses is unreal. One of the most unique gaming experiences you're likely ever going to have. So, unless immediate and ceaseless gratification is your thing, buy this game as soon as you can.
Shadow of the Colossus is a cinematic and epic experience unlike any other video game. August 13, 2010
TissueShoe
A lone hero approaches an ancient shrine and places his dead lover inside. A light speaks to him, telling him that he can gain the power to save her life if he can slay the 16 colossi scattered throughout the cursed land that surrounds the shrine. Upon their destruction, there must certainly be a happy ending for all involved: Wander will save his love and the land will be rid of the cursed giants. Shadow of the Colossus puts the player in control of Wander who, along with his horse Agro, must traverse a beautiful land and defeat the 16 monsters that inhabit it. Every battle is incredibly epic and creative, giving the player a sense of wonder unlike that in any other video game I have played, but Shadow of the Colossus' emphasis on experience is somewhat costly to it as a game.
As described above, Colossus' story involves a young man named Wander who sets out on a quest to save his lover by destroying the 16 colossi scattered throughout the land. Unfortunately there is no story development after the start, which places the story on the sidelines through almost the entire game. However, this allows the rest of the epic experience to sink in to a greater effect, so it can be viewed as a smart move as well. It also allows for a surprising and lengthy cutscene at the game's finale, which features several surprising twists and sheds light on other strange elements from throughout the game. Colossus' storytelling may be sparse, but in the end it allows for surprising twists and doesn't detract from the game's other fantastic elements.
The entirety of Shadow of the Colossus involves two basic actions: finding the colossi and fighting the colossi. The mysterious light at the shrine gives Wander a hint as to where the next colossus is, and Wander's sword also points to the colossus when it is held up to the light correctly. The sword's direction is mainly what is helpful in finding the colossi, but sometimes the world's massive size makes it hard to know where exactly the sword is pointing, which makes it easy to get sidetracked and can take up a lot of time. If the player doesn't get lost at all, though, finding each colossus can take about 5-10 minutes of exploring the vast, open, and beautiful world. Unfortunately there is no draw to exploring the world other than finding the colossi: there are no other enemies, no side quests, nothing.
However, Shadow of the Colossus' impressive visual design helps create a sense of wonder in the exploration despite the lack of available activities. The world is said to be cursed, but it sure doesn't look that way, as it is beautifully and vividly animated at every turn, sometimes looking very real. Its emptiness, sheer beauty, and massive size give the game a fantastic atmosphere. The rest of the game's graphics look very good, although occasionally characters and environments become blurry when viewed up close. The visual design of the colossi shows much detail, and it is always thrilling to watch them thrash about as Wander climbs all over them. Overall, Shadow of the Colossus is an impressive game in the graphics department, and is a remarkable achievement for the PS2.
Shadow of the Colossus is all about an epic experience, and that comes in waves as players battle each of the game's sixteen colossi. Simply looking at these monsters is a sight to behold, as their sheer size can easily make anyone watching gape in wonder and surprise. The size and fearsomeness of these beasts is powerfully translated on screen; but after a moment of initial alarm, it must be recalled that the colossus must be defeated. Actually fighting these colossi always involves locating and stabbing their weak points repeatedly until their health meter runs out, and while this simple task doesn't vary at all, the approach to climbing on top of the colossus is fresh and exciting in every battle.
The epic experience comes through very strongly in every single battle, as the concept of fighting these giant colossi in and of itself is naturally epic. Actually climbing up these monsters offers countless cinematic moments that often make the game feel more like a movie than a game, and the fact that the gameplay isn't incredibly deep also develops that feeling. But sometimes the cinematic appeal of Colossus doesn't come without making sacrifices to the actual video game, seeing as a helpful camera angle is often hard to find and the controls offer a steep learning curve. The game strives for realism so hard that the controls take a hit, and while it makes the game much harder to jump into they do eventually become second-nature, ultimately allowing players to enjoy Shadow of the Colossus for the epic, cinematic experience it is.
The moment of delivering the finishing blow on the sixteenth colossus can take roughly 7-9 hours to reach. The game isn't particularly lengthy but also not all too short, providing a decent length although the inclusion of other elements aside from finding and fighting bosses would have improved the game. The system may be repetitious in theory, but in action it just doesn't get dull. Fighting the colossi is fun all the way to the end, and I know that Shadow of the Colossus will be a game for me to replay many times in the future.
Shadow of the Colossus also features impressive sound design. Each music track is fantastic and strengthens the epic feeling in every battle; in fact Colossus' soundtrack may be one of my favorites from any video game I've played. The sound effects also contribute powerfully to the epic feeling of the game, with booming sounds of the colossi stomping, roaring, or otherwise trying to fling Wander off their back or obliterate him by other means.
In the end, Shadow of the Colossus provides an epic experience the likes of which I have never seen in any other video game. Its fantastic sense of atmosphere and visual appeal create a memorable environment, while the 16 boss battles provide unique, challenging, and epic gameplay. Even with a stubborn camera, rough controls, and no extra tasks, the epic experience shines brilliantly in this PS2 masterpiece. Despite its very tangible flaws, Shadow of the Colossus is a brilliant and epic experience of a game that should not be missed.
Positive:
+ Story's finale features several brilliant twists
+ Visual appeal creates a vivid sense of wonder
+ Every battle is incredibly epic and well designed
+ Adequately challenging overall
+ Fantastic soundtrack and sound effects
Negative:
- Exploration is forced and lacks much of a draw
- Camera and controls create unnecessary difficulties to overcome
9.0/10
Showing reviews 1-5 of 314
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