I've always thought the game had so much potential to be something truly special but I just couldn't see past the technical limitations of the PS2's hardware, the desaturated graphics, and color scheme, and the clunky controls and AI so when I heard that the game would be receiving a full on from the ground up remake I was excited because it seemed like the game would finally get the treatment it deserves and fix all those nagging issues that the original game has, and just from a visual standpoint they absolutely succeeded, the game is beautiful, but unfortunately those issues still carry over as the controls and AI are still less than stellar. Shadow of the Colossus isn't very long either so when at least a quarter of my time with the game was spent just messing around with frustrating climbing mechanics and stupid boss AI it really takes away from the experience. And I prefer shorter games to 100+ hour long RPGs but for me, if a game is as short at Shadow of the Colossus is (around six hours) it has to be all killer no filler. Despite that, Shadow of the Colossus does have many sparks of perfection. When everything aligns just perfectly and the controls don't screw you over, and the AI is actually functioning properly the game is flawless. The music swells as you ride on the back of this massive Colossi and it feels amazing, I just wish every moment of the game could reach that height. I'm very conflicted on this game because the atmosphere is great, the story and concept is intriguing, and the ending blew me away like no other game ending has before, and those bursts of perfection alone are worth the price of admission but you'll have to deal with a ton of nuisances throughout your playthrough. So while I guess I can say I was a bit disappointed by this game, it's still the definitive way to experience it, so if you plan on playing Shadow of the Colossus this is the version you're going to want to play.
