25 Best Video Games Of The 2000s

13. Shadow Of The Colossus

From one landmark release to another (there'll be a lot of this on here), Shadow of the Colossus did its own spin on the whole "Who are you and what are you doing, really?" ideology. Throwing you into a world full of cloud-tickling behemoths named the Colossi, game logic says if you have a sword and a princess that needs saving, you best get to taking them down - something will come of it, right? Well, yes and no.

The end result is best experienced for yourself, but the really nuanced feeling you get is one of environmentalist conservationism; you find yourself pondering exactly what it means to bring down one of these towering creatures, and it's a feeling games almost never give you. Remorse. The battles themselves are absolutely outstanding, the majesty of each encounter having various standout moments in its own way, going from attempting to slay a humungous serpentine Colossus in a large body of water, to having one bolt out a sand dune and you to give chase on your horse, hoping there's some way to climb aboard.

There's a indescribably serene ebb and flow to the overall feel of SotC that only Team ICO can deliver (hence them naming their studio after the first game that was a runaway success), and whilst we're in limbo for their next creation The Last Guardian, returning to Shadow's lands, hopping on your horse and exploring the world around you is one of the most joyous experiences ever put to code.