Shadow of the Colossus (Gaming)

by cheapLEY , Sunday, February 11, 2018, 07:15 (2265 days ago) @ Korny

I've been playing for a bit (beat the first two colossi), and it's neat. It's definitely gorgeous, so expect a collection of photos in the future.

The controls are . . . odd. I like the climbing and jumping. That stuff is cool and feels good. By why does the horse suck so much?

You take that back! Agro is awesome!
Her not-quite-what-you're-going-for controls are intentional. They added that partly to make sure that you're aware of her as more than just a transport from point A to B, and because she is supposed to be her own character, and your only companion in this lonely land. You don't control her, you control Wander riding her. I can't remember where I read it, but you're more supposed to let her do her own thing more than you struggle to pilot her, and if you do that, things go a lot smoother. She'll lean around paths, and ride up to Colossi and such without you needing to do 100% of the inputs. Is it frustrating from a gameplay standpoint? It can be if you demand precision. But do you recognize her as a thing that has a mind of its own? Hopefully.

I get it, I just don’t know if I really buy it. It’s the same argument folks make fir the big bird dog thing in The Last Guardian. If that’s his intended vision, fine, but his intended vision is bad and not fun.

The horse isn’t anywhere near that bad though. Riding him is mostly fine, except for the speed. Sometimes he’ll run for days, other times he runs for literally ten steps then slows back down.

And the camera swings way too wildly.

Keep in mind that this has been twice improved, but is also somewhat deliberate (and was less annoying when the framerate chugged and the camera didn't jerk as quickly). But yeh, you're maneuvering on walking mountains, get your head in the game!

I’m getting used to it, and it’s ultimately fine, but it was terrible at first. I actually felt the same way with Horizon, initially.

I can see why this game gets all the praise it does. In a hypothetical history where this version of the game was the first time anyone ever played it, it still feels like a game that would bet the same acclaim it did in the past (judging on a pretty short amount of time in the game, obviously). Nostalgia might not be as big a factor in all the good reviews of this remake as I thought--it really does seem like a fantastic game.

Right. I played it when the controls, framerate, graphics, etc. were all at their worst, and we were already in a gaming generation where I expected far better from the average game, and it still sucked me in, and I couldn't put it down, and I felt something as I played and once I finished it. Games like that really are special.

Agreed. I’m reminded a bit of Journey, honestly, which is one of my favorite games.