So, somehow it’s pretty much a month till E3 2019, How has 2019 gone this quick? There was a few new announcements in the last week however. Here’s a wrap up of the last week from what we’ve been up to and what’s been going on in the gaming news.
Shadow of the Colossus
So, it’s been sat on my shelf since Christmas. A game that I did own and still have my copy of on PS2. But I’ll admit it, back then I didn’t progress further than the first Colossi that you encounter. I can’t explain really why I didn’t pick this up and carry on. Maybe my attention to the pace back then? Other games out on PS2, Gamecube & Xbox? Who know’s, but sadly it’s a game that’s sat in my PS2 collection since, and since Christmas, the PS4 remaster from Bluepoint has equally been sat dormant.
Well I figure I’ve not got anything new and meaty to play as of yet, Days Gone still to be purchased, but in the meanwhile till I can afford that, it’s clear down of the back catalogue. So here we are with Shadow of the Colossus.
So firstly, my goodness the graphical overhaul of this game from Bluepoint is staggering. I remember the PS2 version from what little I did play of it being rather blurry and muddied colours. The game is so sharp looking now and while a little limited on the colour palette, it’s certainly looking more impressive and clear. The game progresses and my first encounter with the first Colossi begins, and for some reason, I’m tense, like really quite tense about this.
I’d forgotten how to beat him, so for a while was using the bow and arrow at will shooting him all over from my horse, riding circles around him. I admit I had to have a little look on google to remind me how to destroy these things, then I saw that the Colossi have weak points on them. Of course, it’s about bringing them down to their knees so you can climb their fur and stab their weak points. With that knowledge back, this battle didn’t take long as I guess that triggered memory on where the weak point was and I managed to kill this first Colossi without being shaken off (which was part of the tension).
So onto the 2nd after the cutscene back at the temple, and now I’m all sorts of tense seeing this massive Colossi crawling on all fours around under the bridge. This was an awesome battle as I copped the points to bring him to his knees reasonably early and climbed away up his fur, holding on for deer life as he tried desperately to shake me off. I loved this battle working out where the weak points were while trying to grip to any part of him available I could to avoid the fall to the floor.
After this battle, I’m told my next battle is a sky bound Colossi, now I’m already terrified just what to expect.
The game reminds me of Legend of Zelda Breath of the Wild, or I guess BoTW might have taken inspiration from Shadow of the Colossus in terms of having to free the Divine Beasts, which in some cases do look strikingly similar in terms of design.
I’m kicking myself currently that a) I never completed this back in the day and b) it’s been sat in my PS4 back catalogue for nearly half a year unopened. After the brilliance of The Last Guardian, I should never have doubted that Shadow of the Colossus was going to be anything but magnificent.
In the news…
So as mentioned there were a few newsworthy moments within the week, here’s a little summary of what’s been happening:
PlayStation State of Play 2
The 2nd of apparently frequent updates from PlayStation took place. Featuring new game announcement, a new look at Medievil Remake and Final Fantasy 7 Remake. Our summary can be found here:
PlayStation State of Play 2 Summary
Ghost Recon: Breakpoint
The same day as the PlayStation State of Play, Ubisoft had a world premiere event of their next Ghost Recon title, Breakpoint. Check out the premiere trailer and game play trailers below.
Raising Kratos Premier
Back to some PlayStation news, one year after the release of the epic God of War, Sony Santa Monica Studios has released an incredible 2 hour documentary ‘Raising Kratos’ about the history of God of War and the development of the latest entrant to the series. It’s a groundbreaking look at the stresses of video game development from trying to reboot a series that after God of War Ascension was seen as on it’s last legs. From seeing Shu Yoshida not being impressed with the initial work, to the nerves of releasing the first ever look of it on the world stage at E3 2016, it’s an incredible journey to the development of one of the games of the current generation. Definitely check it out if you have 2 hours spare, but consider there are spoilers for the game within this documentary.
-Murr
