I am not playing this game on a high-def set up. I'm playing it on a TV that was bought new in the early 90's when I got my Genesis. So we're talking about 15 years.

I honestly think this game had some good ideas, but the problem is that the framerate and controls are horrible. When I have the character do something, like jump, it feels like I'm playing the game online in terrible lag when it takes him time to recognize the command and go into the jump. There's no way in hell this game clocks in at 30 FPS. I think I can see why people like it, but to me the framerate and sluggish controls are just too much to overcome. Again, these issues are not due to an HD set up.

This isn't a knock against you, takeru51, but a comment on gaming in general. There are certain types of gamers who expect a game to behave in a certain way, and when a game doesn't, it automatically repels them. I can understand how someone would feel this way about Shadow of the Colossus; it has a very atypical design, and it has to be come to in its own terms, not the player's terms. Another example of this is P.N. 03; many people who played this game did not understand the design choices and thus hated the game, but if the game is played to the strengths of its design, it's actually quite well-made.

I'm not sure if this explanation comes across very clearly. Basically, sometimes you have to let a game dictate to you how it should be played, instead of the other way around, or you will not be able to appreciate it. This often results from those game designs that are most singular and non-standard.

I understand what you mean exactly, and I don't disagree. Just like there are people who don't like Fire Emblem, SotC just doesn't seem to be my thing. For me, the framerate is just flat out too much for me to take. I don't care how good the graphics are, just how fluid.

Did you ever give Ico a try? It's not really similar in design, but is similar in art style and is also a fantastic game. The graphics are not as polished as it is quite an early PS2 release, but I don't recall any framerate issues existing.

I think who ever still has problems with the controls after the 3rd colossus in the game just sucks, The framerate was not a perfect 30p/s but still manageable. Saying that the framerate ruins the game is not right, it never gets to the point that it ruins the experience. If anything i could compare it to Mass Effect, the texture popping and dipping framerates are worse than SOC but never to the point of breaking the game. I think your opinion is overrated.

I never tried Ico, but I've heard a couple of times that I should. I'm seeing about what I can do to find it, as I'm not sure I really want to buy it.

As for bbsin, I've never played Mass Effect. I also wasn't aware that my opinion was one of IGN's top 100 opinions of all time. That said, if Mass Effect has horrendous framerate issues like this, then it is vastly overrated as well. I'm not comparing this game to current generation games, I'm comparing it to the other PS2, GameCube, and Xbox titles I own, and not one of them has a frame rate this erratic. I have yet to be at a single point where the framerate has been constant, even when I'm out on my horse or just using the right analog stick to pan with the camera.

Also, my complaint with the controls is that they're sluggish, not that I can't use them. It just feels wrong to press triangle and then jump a quarter second later. Or press square and swing the sword a quarter second later. I'm pretty sure that if I "just sucked" I wouldn't be able to keep killing the colossi... Especially not with these controls.

My opinion on this game is that it was a good idea, very poorly executed. Before you call my opinion "overrated," you might want to look up what the word means.

I do not have problems with this game frame rate or looks at all. All my problems are with its gameplay, it is so dull. Take any Zelda game and remove all weapons and replace it with bow and sword. Is that enough? No? Now remove all the enemies in the game. Satisfied? Now eliminate every power up until all that remains are some lame berries and lizard tails. Replace all dungeons and puzzles with a big world map where simple things like going from point A to B take 20 minutes. Last remove all dialogue and characters. Add some stupid intro with voice acting (even though the voice actors are just mumbling) and that is all the plot you will ever get.

Well, and what about the Colossi battle that is like 95% of the game right? Yes and they are as uninspiring as the rest of the game. Most of the Colossus just walk in circles attacking rarely and when they do it is easy to avoid. Another issue that bothers me is the boss design. It is like they want to be killed or the developers think I am retarded. Why the first boss have fur only in the areas that make good spots for me to climb and attack? Why he carries a wooden crate that helps me when he shake me off and I fall? These kind of things makes the game feel even more linear.

For me this game is like looking at a Van Gogh painting. Is it intense? Yes. Is it art? Yes.
Is it beautiful, inspiring and worthy of your time? No.

I'd like to share this with you:

 That is ok. It hurts less than playing that **** game. I had a better time playing Killzone.

Here my take on this game seeing as how i just recently played through it.

 Graphics - I know people who think this is the best looking PS2 game ever. I don't know how they can possibly believe this. The game looks sort of like a PS1 game with better textures and no texture sliding. I know it's what they were going for, but the game also looks rather washed out in terms of colors. The open world is nice but there really is way too much scenery pop-up and the frame rate tends to be choppy. Basically the visuals are pretty spotty. Some areas look amazing, most are just bland and washed 

out. I did like the fur textures. Wanders walking/running animations were laughable to say the least, seriously someone purposely animated the poor guy like that.

 Gameplay - Well, the collossus battle are pretty good, damn good. Unfortunately there also all pretty much 

the same thing- Find a way to get on collossus (usually the best part of the fight), climb on collossus, stab, 

stab again or fall off, repeat. Other than collossus fights there really is very little to do except collect lizards 

and fruit. Personally this it what irks me the most about the game, it feels like a zelda copy with everything 

removed to make way for the bosses. The controls are adeqaute but not really as good as they should be. 

Compare this game to Prince of Persia which has similar game mechanics and it is quite lacking. Also the camera need to die. It is truely one of the worst cameras I have ever dealt with, especially on the 

last collossus where the entire battle becomes an effort to fight the camera. This saps some of the fun 

outta the game to say the least.

Sound - Effects are not really that good, music is fairly epic.

Overall - Depite its problems I still think it is one of the best, if not the best, titles on the PS2. Still it's not as polished at it should be, its like they gave up when the game was like 20% finished. I enjoyed everything up to the chore that was fighting the camera....er...last boss, and the lizard catching took some getting used to. Perhaps the biggest critism I have of this game is that it IS so highly rated, don't get me wrong the game is good enough that you can enjoy it despite it problems, but its problems are too much to completely ignore. That is why even though I enjoyed it almost more than anything else on the PS2, I wouldn't rate it as high as God of War, or Ratchet and Clank. Bottomline - too many problems that could have and should have been fixed.

 Seriously, I wouldn't be able to give this game a numerical score. On one hand I want to give an 8-9, but then I think about the camera issues, the framerate, the lack of content, the spotty visuals and I want to give a 4-5. I'm so conflicted.

Art is nice, sloppness is unacceptable.