Community Review: ICO And Shadow of the Colossus Collection

Surprisingly, within an hour, I was completely engrossed. I think, more than any other PS2 game I can think of, Shadow of the Colossus was really deserving of a HD upgrade. The PS2′s architecture struggled with the game originally, with chuggy frame-rates, and bugs galore. This remake, with its sharp visuals, really utilises the PS3′s grunt to real effect. The game feels transformed.

Shadow of the Colossus was always one of the most aesthetically pleasing PS2 games available, but unlike other titles, the move to HD doesn’t age the game – it adds a whole new dimension. Wander’s character model, in particular the face, really benefits from the upgrade. It could hardly pass for a next gen title, but it comes closer than most.

Plenty had complained about the controls – but I continue to be a fan of games that work their control systems outside of the box, instead of defaulting to a set of control that have become ubiquitous. The controls match the game. It makes sense within the whole stamina/risk/reward matrix that makes climbing atop the colossi so engaging.