What makes Shadow of the Colossus so special?

[The_Liquid_Laser]

I haven't played it since PS2 days, but I remember really loving it. The main thing that stands out is that the game has this great concept of you doing battle with the giant Colossi. No game had "boss" battles like that before, but since then I have seen these giant bosses come up more often and implemented better (like in Dark Souls for instance).

The other thing I remember is that Shadow of Colossus is a very pretty game to look at, especially by PS2 standards. There might be other things I liked too, but those are the things that have stuck with me the most since it has been quite a few years since I've played it.