Shadow of the Colossus for PS4 out on February 6, and here’s all the basics that old and new fans need to know before release!
Those who owned a PS2 may know this game came out almost 13 years ago; Shadow of the Colossus is one of the most memorable and impactful titles of the PS2 era and considered by many one of the best games of all time. In several days we will see a complete remake for PS4, for reminiscent fans to collect and for newcomers to play.
What Shadow of the Colossus is all about
The gamer plays as Wander, who has obtained an ancient sword in his possession. Alongside his horse companion, Agro, the two travel the Forbidden Land to fight colossus and find the soul of a maiden named Mono. What unfolds further is a personal and heartfelt journey for the protagonist and the gamer.
That’s about as far as I can go with the storyline without spoiling, but one of the most important things to highlight about Shadow of the Colossus is the gameplay. There are a total of 16 colossus that Wander must find and defeat in the Forbidden Land, but not at the ease of a simple hack and slash. All the Colossus have a tell of weakness and once figured out will take down each one. The game is immersive and challenges you to utilize their surroundings, supplies, and Agro to fight bosses, and these interactive elements draw the player closer into the character story.
The original 2005 game was developed through a collaborative effort of Sony Japan and Team Ico, but the 2011 HD remaster for PS3 was developed by Bluepoint Games. Shadow of the Colossus for PS4 was worked on by Bluepoint Games and Sony Japan.
Remake = A+ Graphics
While a lot of the base code and architecture has stayed the same, the renderings and animations are made completely brand new by Bluepoint Games. Shadow of the Colossus is nothing short of beautiful, boasting its original environments for the modern gamer. Players with 4K TVs and PS4 Pro can enjoy this game to its heart’s content, as it has 60 fps capabilities to enhance the graphics even further.
One brand new feature is a Photo Mode for the player to capture and edit scenic shots from the game with filters and other adjustments. It’s not just screenshots but a minimal Photoshop within your game, what better way to soak in the visuals with elevated screen capture?
See the video above for a side-by-side comparison of graphics.
Aside from graphics, everything else is exactly the same
Under the layer of realism and artistic flair is the same content, whether you like it or not. This remake has seldom to no new storyline or gameplay mechanic features, at least with what has been announced. The game will still have 16 colossus and no additional storyline, and the controls appear to be similar to the original except for maybe a few adjustments due to the PS4 controller. Shuhei Yoshida, president of Sony Worldwide Studios, explains the remake:
It’s the same, but player preferences for controls and such change over time, so we’re working on implementing a more modernized way to play. And of course you can play with a feel of the original version, but what we’re doing is showing how great the original work is, using today’s technology. – Shuhei Yoshida
Is this remake for you?
With what has been revealed, the game appeals to two groups:
- Old fans who want to collect this updated version for PS4
- New fans who never played this game before
Although coupled with new animations, the fact this game essentially has no narrative or mechanic additions may deter current fans who aren’t obsessed with new graphics. Those fans don’t need to purchase this game, especially at the price of $39.99. But fans who want to collect this latest game or replay it again in its new engine will be very happy. If you’ve never played this before, there’s no reason to not try it out and the game is well worth the price. You can pay an additional $10 for the Special Edition, featuring a DLC sword, PSN theme, and 16 PSN avatars.
It’s not too late! Pre-order the standard version of Shadow of the Colossus here.
Source: http://www.siliconera.com/2017/06/14/sony-boss-shuhei-yoshida-clarifies-shadow-colossus-ps4-remake-not-remaster/#f33FdJsOAQbXXVQE.99
Downtime 
“Shadow of the Colossus” has much narrative as “Ico” and “Last Guardian”; some would say that its narrative is integral to understanding the other two games. And, personally, while the gameplay hasn’t changed, the updated graphics have made me even more fascinated with the world that’s stage to these cryptic stories 🙂
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