Shadow of the Colossus

Also known as "Oh my god that thing is huge!" this is one of the best games on the PS2, hands down. The game consists entirely of searching out the 16 giant Colossi, one by one; finding its weak point; finding a way to climb onto it; climbing successfully to the weak point(s) without being thrown off; stabbing at the weak point(s) repeatedly without being thrown off, and until the Colossus is dead. Sounds kind of boring and repetitive, but it's really just an amazing experience to climb onto a colossus and climb to its weak point as it tries to buck you off.

The animations are really immersive; seeing your character scramble trying to keep his balance as the massive colossus steps onto the ground, causing the earth to shake all around you, is just a sight to behold. As the colossus tries to throw you off of it, your character will be flung all over the place while madly holding onto a patch of fur or a small groove of armor. The art in this game is off the charts. It is one of the most gorgeous games I've seen, and not through any real technically advanced graphics, but through the art direction. Each moment in this game makes you feel like you're playing within a painting. It's art. It's designed to evoke emotional responses, and I think it succeeds admirably. When you kill a colossus, the music turns somber and you see the majestic beast fall to the ground crying in pain and bleeding profusely, and you really feel bad for what you've done. The music helps this too. As you first see it lumbering in the distance, you'll hear a sad and majestic song play; as you begin to climb it, the music will dynamically change to something upbeat and resolute as you make your way to the weak point. As you kill it, the music will become triumphant yet sad. Perhaps most interesting of all: while riding along in the search for a colossus, there isn't any music. This matches the empty landscape littered with ancient ruins. It's just you and your horse, and the colossi.

Each Colossus has to be taken down a different way. This is really a puzzle game as you try to figure out first how to actually latch onto and begin to climb a colossus, and second how to kill it. Each colossus is unique and so far (I've killed 4 out of the 16) it doesn't get repetitive at all. The first colossus will have you simply climb up its back and stab it in the head, while another might be a bird and require you to find a way to jump into its wings as it swoops low to the ground. On paper the game comes across as a series of boss battles, but that's really what makes it so fun.

To really get this game you need to play it. It's one of the few games that really evokes an emotional response from the player and conveys something that is hard to describe. This game is art, and it's an example of everything that's good about gaming. It's unique, it's fun, it's amazing to look at, and it deserves to be played. I found it for $20 and it's already well worth the money. If you have a PS2, go look for it.