New dog, old tricks
The PlayStation classic "Shadow of the Colossus" is a perfect example of why great timeless ideas and the poor technical design of earlier generations are bound to have a less than harmonious marriage. It's a game that despite its venerable status only gets more doddery and unstable as time goes on. There's a lot of unique experience to be had here and I can't say I wouldn't recommend it to anyone interested, however, I'd no doubt lace in a few words of caution.
The simple premise of "Shadow of the Colossus" works in it's favor, as does the much appreciated lack of hand-holding. No dreadful tutorials or meandering exposition. You have a simple goal and motivation with a clear way forwards. It's a distinct story with a great tie in to Team Ico's other game at the time that asks a lot of meaningful questions about your own actions within this vast near abandoned land. Visually this one is an absolute stunner too, the only thing to do in this boss rush is go from colossus to colossus and there's nothing to do during the down time but the world is littered with striking visuals that allude to what came before.
I also can't speak highly enough of the actual battles with the Colossus' (Colossi?) When everything works and the pieces all fall into place that potent feeling of scale sets in and it's an unbeatable rush. But that's where we get to the consistent problem here: the pieces only fall into place about half the time if you're lucky. The movement physics on your character tend to be excessively clumsy, the controls are janky and inconvenient, the camera is an enemy in and of itself often getting lost somewhere in the chaos not only reducing potential for some incredible cinematic moments but also decimating functionality, boss AI is spotty and doesn't always do what its supposed to, and climbing on anything that isn't a flat wall tends to get messier than it ever should given its importance to the gameplay.
I completed this game in just under six hours but I couldn't begin to express how much of that time felt dragged out and was spent just doing same thing over and over to get the various quirks to finally smooth over. Essentially meaning without that you have a two to four hour game and with it a six hour game that felt like twelve. This game is a case study on why interesting ideas and a good story aren't a free ticket to a good game. You need airtight controls and a firm grasp on technical competency to deliver on the promise of those ideas. None of this is helped by the fact that "Shadow of the Colossus" best attempt at progression isn't always making the bosses more mechanically challenging only more frustrating to deal with.
The sloppy controls and agitating rough edges of "Shadow of the Colossus" have been framed as thematically and contextually appropriate for the events of the game but what's fitting isn't always what's fun. Once those edges get rounded out given a heap of patience and the evocative score swells and the creatures try to shake you off as your stamina meter ticks down this game is at it's best. It's a wonderous experience that will make you understand why this game has stood the test of time in the way it has but you have to get through so much nonsense to get to those moments that the best way for me to recommend this is to ask: how good is your patience?