5/5 ★ – RawMetal's review of Shadow of the Colossus.

System: PlayStation 2 Started: June 2014 Ended: June 20, 2014 Flashback Review I remember the first time playing the demo version of Shadow of the Colossus at a local electronic store, and I was highly interested in that game at the time for its gameplay of scaling a stone giant and striking at its weak point. I'll also never forget the time when this game was on the TV show X-Play for their review of Shadow of the Colossus, and they gave it a 4 out of 5, which sparked an uproar from the gaming community claiming it should have been a 5 and received a follow-up review for its backlash. Despite owning a PlayStation 2, I did not pick up Shadow of the Colossus until the early 2010's at a local comic bookstore that sells a small portion of retro games. In the summer of 2014, I finally played and finished Shadow of the Colossus, and I can see why people highly praised this game. You play as a protagonist who explores a desolate and abandoned land to hunt and kill off a total of 16 Colossi in order to resurrect his dead loved one. A simple story that is not complex, but the adventure of this game is big (pun intended). You are only equipped with a sword, bow, and your trusty steed to guide you through this game. Shadow of the Colossus's main selling point is having your protagonist climb on Every Colossi and navigate your way to the top in order to slay them. Every boss encounter in this game is spectacular. The Boss design portrays you as a small human facing off against colossal, slow-moving yet fierce giants with a heavy and epic soundtrack score that the composer to this game has actually worked on iconic franchises like Godzilla, Gamera and even Mobile Suit Gundam Wing. This game really hooked me into finding these Colossi and I have to use my Sword that portrays it as a glowing compass in order to progress through this game. Even with the setting being all empty and bland, it fits perfectly for the mood and tone of this game. Minor flaws for this are that Shadow of the Colossus has an occasional low frame rate drops during the epic appearances and rampages of the Colossi. The game's challenge escalates as you scale these massive beasts, which will attempt to fling you off. Forcedly repeating the climbing segment can be frustrating at times, especially when the game does not tell you when to hold on. So, you must have both perseverance and patience at times as you climb to the weak spot of the beast. Other than the flaws I mentioned, the rest is good. Shadow of the Colossus is a must-play for every gamer. It's not just one of my top picks for the PlayStation 2, but a timeless masterpiece in the video game entertainment medium. My thoughts for the 2018 remake, for which I actually played the demo at a convention, have really great visuals for the PlayStation 4 and everything in that game is left intact. If you're yet to experience this epic adventure and are more apt for graphics quality in modern gaming, the updated version of Shadow of the Colossus is definitely worth checking out.