+3
It's the end of the year and contracts generally slow down around this time. People are planning trips and vacation time to visit family, both in house and client-side. I don't have that much to keep me occupied, but I just took a week off myself so I feel it inappropriate to take more, especially considering we will shutdown for the year around the 19th. Maybe I'll finally start updating my movie watch list, or writing a few reviews that I've been picking at off on and on for infinity. Perhaps I'll try to re-watch Annihilation for a third attempt at making it past the 20-minute mark, though I loathe to even type that title. Likely, I'll just bide my time here in the game forums. Or the PC thread once I start building this weekend.
For now though, I downloaded Shadow of the Colossus last night around midnight. I stayed up late enough to install it and play a bit. This game is absolutely gorgeous. The introduction is long but lovely in its animation and cinematic qualities. This game world is quiet. Peaceful. Reflective. Dare I say therapeutic? I played enough to track and kill the first colossus and (most) everything is just lovely and smooth.
Shadow of the Colossus (PS4 Remaster)
I have no idea the expanse of the game world yet, as I've only played for a short while, but the scale appears to be massive---at least in architectural design. This world was designed for giants and the relative scale (and speed) of our playable character feels so small and insignificant in comparison. The lumbering motion and stride of the first colossus created a new level of game play in which I could actually climb onto the creature, leaping from limb to body holding on for dear life. I find it fascinating that a killable game creature can be explored as any other level, but responds to my position and actions upon its body. This is very creative design.
Controls so far feel smooth and accessible. There appears to be no HUD overlays with the exception of what appears to be a stamina meter. This could be a result of player settings, but I like it as it affords me the screen space to experience this as a movie rather than a videogame. And it feels so much more organic as a result. My mount is slow to start, difficult to turn in tight radii, and nearly as lumbering as the first colossus I encountered; however, it does feel quite natural as the designers made the steed considerably large compared to the character in mount. I believe a boy with this build would also find it difficult to control such a beast and, therefor, I have no issue accepting my controls as they are. In fact, it feels incredibly realistic given the scale of the game though it can be frustrating at times. A small sacrifice for such immersion, in my opinion. In ways, I find the mount controls more comfortable that my experience in The Witcher III. That could be in part due to the lack of environmental distractions in this barren, desert landscape.
The introduction sequence is somber and lonely depicting a boy (my guess, a teenager but projecting an awareness and determination beyond his years) traveling across different landscapes. Desert, forest, day and night, resting only to take shelter from a beautiful moonlit rain. This last for minutes drawing you into this world, preparing you for what appears to be a very solitary gaming experience. Yes, technically most games are solitary experiences, but this one really feels as though I am absolutely alone in this. I already feel like Atreyu from The Neverending Story. I can already sense the brooding weight of losing my Artax once I've journeyed deeper into this world. Eventually, the boy finds his way into a massive stone structure that appears to be some sort of holy place built to honor this world's colossi. After dismounting, we see that the boy is carrying the body of a young girl. He carries her to a stone shrine and is greeted by several shadow figures named the Dormin. They speak in a layered, Borg-like voice using a fictional language affected by dense reverb and delays. It is beautiful. Something of this reminded me of Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver in the emotions stirred by this environment and disembodied voices that echoed within.
This temple; this voice; both are presented as sanctuary for the boy, but both feel ominous and I feel that something very sinister will be revealed as I progress.
I have no idea how long I will stick with this game, but I must say that it feels like nothing else I have ever played short of, perhaps, Cinematronics' 1983 title, Dragonslair. There is just something about the scale and fluidity of the main character that feels more like an epic animated tale than a game. The word "game" really undermines the soul of Shadow of the Colossus---something games generally lack.
I highly recommend at least watching YouTube clips of the introduction and colossus interactions. This title is current available on the PSN for $9.xx U.S.
__________________
"My Dionne Warwick understanding of your dream indicates that you are ambivalent on how you want life to eventually screw you." - Joel
"Ever try to forcibly pin down a house cat? It's not easy." - Captain Steel
"I just can't get pass sticking a finger up a dog's butt." - John Dumbear
Last edited by ynwtf; 12-10-19 at 03:04 PM.