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Bjango's Shadow of the Colossus (PS2)
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| [January 31, 2007 01:29:42 AM]
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January 30th, 2007
I’m pretty far through the game now, I’ve defeated nine of the colossi so far and I’m preparing myself for the tenth. What’s really bothering me though, is that even seven hours through the game, I still don’t really know what’s going on with the storyline. I keep expecting to see some sort of flashback or hear some explanation from the main character giving me some context for everything that’s going on. After seven hours, I would have expected to learn a lot more about the relationship between the main character and the dead girl, or the shadow people in the temple; some sort of history. It’s frustrating for me to realize that I know just as much as I did at the beginning of the game. I think the game would be a lot more fresh and engaging if instead of repeatedly showing the crumbling statues after defeating a colossus, they give you a cutscene, or a character monologue relating to the story.
On a more positive note, I’m really enjoying the world created in this game. I think it’s pretty distinct and different than what I’m used to. I think one of the things that help create this different feel is the complete lack of living things in the environment (besides the colossi, birds and lizards.) It’s alienating but really intriguing at the same time. I’m wondering if there’s some connection with this to the storyline. That’d be pretty cool.
I’m also liking the music so far too. Sure, it’s just the same old orchestral, but something about it really gets me going, especially when I’m battling. I also really like how the music is synchronized to a certain extent with your actions. For example, when you’re scrambling up a colossus, the music shifts into this sweeping, heroic theme. It really makes the gameplay a lot more exciting.
This is definitely one of those games I will allow to distract me from my homework in the very near future. I don't think I'll be able to put the game down until I've beaten it.
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| [January 31, 2007 01:10:59 AM]
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January 29th, 2007
I’m currently two hours through the game, and I’ve just defeated my first colossus. It’s been pretty hard for me to learn all of the controls so far. Even when the tutorial tells me what to do, I end up forgetting it half a second later and then wind up having to figure it out myself. This sad process has led to many embarrassing occurrences throughout the game so far. I spent so long figuring out how to make the sword light up (although now that I know how, I realize it’s so freaking easy.) I also ended up falling into a random pit while looking for the colossus and since I couldn’t figure out how to climb out, I ended up having restarted the game. I guess the whole situation was pretty ridiculous on my part, and looking back on it now, I realze that none of this would’ve happened if I had read the booklet that came with the actual game. But be that as it may, I’m really enjoying the game right now. It’s pretty intriguing.
I especially like the battling aspect of the game so far. Once I got the hang of the controls, figuring out how to defeat the colossus was really fun (the colossus’ design is really awesome, by the way) and I’m really looking forward to the many more colossi I’ll probably be facing as the game progresses.
Another thing I’m finding really awesome and original is the fact that the whole game is in a different (made-up, I’m assuming) language. What I like about this is it really detaches me from the game’s characters and world, and makes the world seem so much more foreign, and different from all the other game worlds I've experienced. I also like how the player is expected to figure the plot out as the game unfolds. There’s no beginning narration explaining the world or the main character’s dilemma, the player dives straight into the story.
So far, one of the only things that really bother me about the game (as small and insignificant as it seems) is the way the main character runs. I can’t decide whether he’s really intoxicated, or somebody broke both of his legs and he’s trying to run regardless. I wouldn’t even really call it a “run,” it’s more of a sad wobble. It’s so horrific, especially compared to the movement of the horse, which is excellently done, in my opinion. Not only does it canter, gallop and rear like a real horse, but it also has the mannerisms of a real horse (the swaying of the head when standing still, the snorting, etc…) I was really impressed with that.
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Bjango's Shadow of the Colossus (PS2)
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Current Status: Playing
GameLog started on: Tuesday 30 January, 2007
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