Eurogamer Expo 2011 Hands-On: Ico & Shadow of the Colossus HD Collecti - Preview
by Joseph Trotter , posted on 27 September 2011 / 4,299 Views
Whilst the title says Ico and Shadow of the Colossus HD Collection it should really read Shadow of the Colossus, as, for whatever reason, only the afore-mentioned giant-slayer was playable at Eurogamer. As such, the preview will obviously just be limited to this game.
Everyone has fond memories of Shadow of the Colossus; it has been remembered by posterity, quite rightly, as not only one of the best games of its generation but also one of the best games ever. I am unashamed to say that, along with Ocarina of Time, it is perhaps my favourite game ever, as much for the way it emotionally touched me as for the wonderful, dynamic gameplay. The hazy, sparse landscape, in stark contrast to the visually and emotionally complicated monsters, is one of videogames' greatest hubworlds to explore. It is desolate and thoughtful, a beautiful relic of an amazing experience.
I am getting ahead of myself, but this is what a truly great game does to you; you just can't begin to describe the love and affection you have for it, same as a great album or film. After placing what appears to be your girlfriend on an altar, a bodiless voice appears, telling you that if you wish to revive her, twelve guardians who roam the land must be destroyed, whether they be bird, bear or sky-scraper-esque figure. Everything, of course, is not how it seems (those who remember the gut-wrenching ending will know what I mean), but that is the basic premise.
It's just you, your horse, your weapons and your wits versus these guardians, and it is not clear whether they are really your enemies or not. To find them, you must use your sword to navigate through the wilderness, devoid of wildlife, to the lair of the beast. Once there, you must find a way to work your way up their bodies to their weak points, at which point you must try to kill them by stabbing these parts of their body.
The thing is, that's not really the point. To describe it as such is very visceral, almost glorifying the violence; that's simply not the case either. It's a heart-wretchingly guilty experience finally finishing off one of the colossi; as it looks desperately, confused, pleadingly into your eyes, the last breath of its ancient life shuddering from its vast frame, a pang of real, harsh guilt emanates in your heart. Have you done the right thing? Was it really your enemy? The lonely landscape gives you plenty of time to dwell on your actions, and you won't necessarily be proud of the conclusion.
Lonely is one word to describe Shadow. Beautiful another. Haunting. Desperate. Thoughtful. All could be used to adequately describe one of the most unique experiences that videogaming has to offer. And yet, this is a remake; a HD re-imagining of an already fantastic game. Whilst I applaud the attempt to bring two incredible games to a wider populace, I must admit that when I sat down with it I expected... more.
Frankly, it looks like they've just ported the game straight over to the PS3 from the PS2 version, with little to no improvement on the overall product. Returning home and playing the original on a similar quality HD TV confirmed my suspicion. Whilst the graphics were never super highly detailed, with the staggering use of draw being the main, ahem, draw, you really do expect more from a HD remake; textures are shallow and at times non-existent, looking very dated close-up. Am I being shallow, focusing purely on the graphics? When a game markets itself as a 'HD Collection,' with 'HD CLASSICS' sprawled across the front of the box, it is clear where the emphasis of improvement is, and thus where, as an update, it should be judged.
The beasts themselves are pretty enough; the fur textures have barely improved though, hardly touching upon Viva Pinata, let alone the likes of Mass Effect 2. In-fact, it's hard to see where the update is, especially on the limited time-frame of a demo session. It still looks fine, but that is more to the high standards attained by the PS2 original rather than the extra work put in for this edition. When put into this context, it is hard to see what is achieved by an expensive physical release rather than a PSN downloadable release, maybe £10 a-piece.
I still highly recommend it as one of the great video games of all time. For all who have never played it, it is essential. For those who had it but don't anymore, it is a great chance to re-acquaint themselves with a classic. Perhaps I am being overly harsh, but re-releasing it to great fanfare, promising so much, offering the ultimate version of the ultimate emotional gaming experience, yet presenting barely noticeable updates, whilst hardly delivering any new graphical shine, let alone actual engine improvements, is not just disappointing but downright deceitful.
In a game of such searing honesty, that is a real, real shame.
