You'll recall how deeply Phoenix Wright has been driven into its niche. Well, Team Ico managed to burst straight through even that with Shadow of the Colossus, a game ostensibly about climbing, stabbing - and invariably falling off - rather large things. What those things are is where the game finds its foothold. Environmental and organic puzzles are one thing, but living, breathing puzzles are another entirely. The Colossi are as intricate as they are commanding. As they stumble over the landscape, sending dirt flying and shockwaves rippling each time their hooves and claws meet the valley, they genuinely feel massive. They're imposing, convincing beasties. The last thing a sane person would want to do is climb these things, much less stab them with what to them must be a toothpick. You're just going to annoy them and wind up as the next thing sent flying over a hill, right? Perhaps that's what makes doing so so damn fun - the climbing and stabbing part, not the flying over the hill. Interestingly though, the issue here isn't strictly knowing how to tackle each Colossi, as there are usually multiple viable approaches. This is a matter of discovery, of no longer asking yourself, still reeling from the adrenaline of clutching the most recent behemoth as it falls defeated, "What on Earth is next?"
A freelance games writer, you say? Typically battling his current RPG addiction and ceaseless perfectionism? A fan of horror but too big a sissy to play for more than a couple of hours? Spends far too much time on JRPGs and gets way too angry with card games?
Well that doesn't sound anything like me.
