Invalid characterset or character set not supported I played <I>Shadow of the Colossus</I> for the first time today.





I played Shadow of the Colossus for the first time today.
June 08, 2009

It was astonishingly bad.

I think I can honestly say I've never played a game that controlled this poorly. For a game constructed entirely of bosses battles that focus primarily on platforming elements, it's an enormous detriment when play control is this unresponsive. Why does the main character never seem to move in the same direction I'm pushing the analog stick? Why is he able to cling to the colossi's fur like a motherfucker one moment, and then clip right through their armor the next? Why won't the fucking camera stay still? And for the love of god, why would you develop a game this epic in scope for a system that clearly cannot handle it? I'd be surprised if the framerate rises above 15fps at any point during ANY of the individual colossus battle. It's as close to unplayable as a playable game has ever been.

Oddly enough, I got all the way to the ninth colossus (the one you're supposed to flip with the geysers) before giving up. And now I want to go back and finish it (and probably will the next time I'm in New Holland). The game is so artistically beautiful, and the soundtrack so fantastic, that I found myself oddly compelled to continue playing. I get the feeling that if they'd ironed out the controls and designed it for a console that could actually handle its scale, I'd find myself totally agreeing with all these rave reviews.

Really, I hate that the game has this hold over me. It's literally one of the most broken games I've ever played, yet I want to keep going.

Most recent blog posts from Mike Suskie...

Feedback
WilltheGreat WilltheGreat - June 08, 2009 (02:41 PM)
Seriously? I didn't find the controls that horrid.
Felix_Arabia Felix_Arabia - June 08, 2009 (02:50 PM)
Me neither. I got the controls down after a little practice, but I've probably beaten the game at least 5 times. It's super awesome playing on a huge TV.
bluberry bluberry - June 08, 2009 (07:49 PM)
these goading posts remind me of a younger me.

:')
Suskie Suskie - June 08, 2009 (08:35 PM)
I must say I'm disappointed by the turnout so far.
hmd hmd - June 08, 2009 (09:50 PM)
hey you why don't you like that game i like
jerec jerec - June 08, 2009 (10:05 PM)
The controls were what made me give up on that game. It felt like artificial difficulty, which was very annoying.
darketernal darketernal - June 09, 2009 (05:21 AM)
Never liked the game. To be honest, I never liked Ico either and I finished both of these games because a friend of mine nagged me until I caved saying it was the best artistic thing ever to happen to the world of video games.

I just never saw it. I found it extremely dull. Both of them.
overdrive overdrive - June 09, 2009 (06:09 AM)
I've never played the game, so I can't be outraged by your statement.

I apologize for this.

eXTReMe Tracker
© 1998-2024 HonestGamers
None of the material contained within this site may be reproduced in any conceivable fashion without permission from the author(s) of said material. This site is not sponsored or endorsed by Nintendo, Sega, Sony, Microsoft, or any other such party. Opinions expressed on this site do not necessarily represent the opinion of site staff or sponsors.