Shadow Of The Colossus PS2 ( 2006 )

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Published on July 10, 2019 4:00:01 PM ● Video Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-scwU7Znitc

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Shadow of the Colossus (2005)

Duration: 14:19

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Shadow of the Colossus, released in Japan as Wander and the Colossus,[a] is an action-adventure game developed by SCE Japan Studio and Team Ico, and published by Sony Computer Entertainment for the PlayStation 2. The game was released in North America and Japan in October 2005 and PAL regions in February 2006. It was directed by Fumito Ueda and developed at SCEI's International Production Studio 1, also known as Team Ico; the same development team responsible for the cult hit Ico, to which the game is considered a spiritual successor.

The game's storyline focuses on a young man named Wander who enters a forbidden land. Wander must travel across a vast expanse on horseback and defeat sixteen massive beings, known simply as colossi, in order to restore the life of a girl named Mono. The game is unusual within the action-adventure genre in that there are no towns or dungeons to explore, no characters with whom to interact, and no enemies to defeat other than the colossi. Shadow of the Colossus has been described as a puzzle game, as each colossus can only be killed by attacking certain weak points which require specific actions to access.

Cited as an influential title in the video game industry and one of the greatest video games of all time, Shadow of the Colossus is often regarded as an important example of video game as art due to its minimalist landscape designs, immersive gameplay and emotional journey. It received wide critical acclaim by the media and was met with strong sales compared to Ico, due in part to a larger marketing campaign. The soundtrack was also widely praised. The game won several awards for its audio, design, and overall quality. Shadow of the Colossus is also referenced numerous times in debates regarding the art quality and emotional perspectives of video games.

A remastered version for the PlayStation 3 was developed by Bluepoint Games and released alongside Ico as The Ico & Shadow of the Colossus Collection in September 2011. It features high-definition (HD) graphics, content previously missing from the North American version, PlayStation Network Trophies, and 3D support. The HD version was released separately in Japan. A high-definition remake for the PlayStation 4 was released in February 2018.

The story of Shadow of the Colossus begins as Wander enters the forbidden land, traveling across the long bridge on his horse, Agro. Unknown to the player, prior to entering the forbidden land Wander had stolen an ancient sword, which is the only weapon capable of slaying the colossi of the forbidden land.[33] Led to the massive Shrine of Worship at the center of the region, Wander carries with him the body of a maiden named Mono. A moment later, several man-like shadowy creatures appear and prepare to attack Wander before he easily dismisses them with a wave of the ancient sword in his possession. After vanquishing the shadow creatures, the voice of the disembodied entity known as "Dormin" echoes from above, expressing surprise that Wander possesses the weapon. Wander requests that Dormin return Mono's soul to her body, which Dormin states may be possible on the condition that Wander can destroy the sixteen idols lining the temple's hall by using the ancient sword to kill the sixteen colossi located throughout the land. Despite being warned by Dormin that he may have to pay a great price to revive Mono, Wander sets out to search the land for the colossi and destroy them

What Wander does not know is that the colossi contain portions of Dormin's own essence that were scattered long ago to render the entity powerless. As Wander kills each colossus, a released fragment of Dormin enters his body. Over time, the signs of Wander's deterioration from the gathered essence become clearer—his skin becoming paler, his hair darker, and dark streaks growing across his face. After the death of the twelfth colossus, it is revealed to the player that Wander is being pursued by a group of warriors led by Emon. Urged to hurry with his task by Dormin, Wander soon heads off to defeat the sixteenth and final colossus. On the way to this confrontation, he travels on horseback across a long bridge which begins to collapse as he is halfway across. At the last second when it seems he will not make it, Wander is thrown to the other side by Agro before the horse falls into the distant river below.