StoryLine
When the sun rises in the morning, people ponder themselves; "What Adventure May Today Hold?" Some might consider going out and spending time with friends. Others might take up the offer and finally go talk to that one special person they've been admiring for quite a while now. How about lazing about all day to watch some television? Or... awakening your beloved by defeating sixteen enormous creatures, also reconized as Massive Colossi?

Didn't Think so.

For Wander, the protagonist of Shadow of the Colossus, doing so will not be an easy task. You start your adventure off by crossing a long bridge riding otop your horse, Argo. Awaiting at the end of the bridge is a large Shrine that's heavily battered by the ages. Decending into the dark Shrine, Wanders cletches the rims of what seems to be a figure wrapped in white cloak. Upon entering the hall of the Shrine, the bottom, Wander looks around his surroundings. As he continues to ride on Argo along this huge hallway, he notices there are sixteen different statues lined on each side of the walls. At the end of the hall, an altar is found which he lays the cloaked figure on. Suddenly, several shadow-like creatures appear in the Shrine preparing to attack Wander. With a quick beam of light from his sword, he vanquishes them instantly. A voice is heard above, a loud thunder booming the halls. "Bring her back," ordered Wander. The voice hesitated. "Slay the sixteen idols along the walls," it said. "Do so and I will restore her." Wander sets off immediatly, riding on Argo and raising up his Magical sword to the sun for guidance, he promises his maiden and the voice, known as Dormin, that he will succeed in his mission.


GamePlay
Shadow of the Colossus provides a very interesting and different style of gameplay than most other games. Wander is only equppied with two weapons, his bow and sword which can be used at any point in the game and is vital in defeating the sixteen Colossi. Argo, Wander's horse is also a vital key in claiming his vistory. There are no other enemies besides the Colossi however there are lizards you may slay which can restore and boost your health. I would have to say the most irratating and aggravating thing about the controls for Shadow of the Colossus is the stupidty of Agro. When you need her and call for her, it takes forever for her to contact you. She also stops during Colossi battles and it is very hard to control her. The primary controls are very simple though and many buttons aren't used in the game mainly for it's lack of items.



Music




The music is composed by Kō Ōtani, a composer receiving 4 awards after creating the audio for this game. "Roar of the Earth", the original soundtrack to Shadow of the Colossus has won "Soundtrack of the Year" in the US magazine Electronic Gaming Monthly. The eviroment that Wander discovers is very solitude for it has no music at all. The hoofbeats of Argo's feet are all that's needed for the upcoming Colossi batle. The music is only heard through cutscenes and Colossi battles, which are some of the most amazing and beautiful songs I've ever heard. This soundtrack is deffinatly one to buy, even if you're not a fan of this game!



Graphics
Shadow of the Colossus had very choppy graphics and the elements on the characters aren't the best detailed in the world, but it's the dark shadows and texture that really brings out the creep factor when fighting the colossi. The landscapes are beautiful. I've never seen a game that has spent so much effort into detailing every single aspect in the enviroment. The sharp edges also give the game a more mysterious aspect to it, perfect for the storyline.