Sony Japan Studio: 28 Best Games They Helped Create
19. Shadow Of The Colossus
Developed by: Team Ico
If the release of Ico showcased the enticing early potential of the PS2, Colossus dropped at the tail-end of the machines' lifespan, squeezing every ounce of technology from it in a glorious swansong.
Using an unfounded (for the time) premise, a mute hero needs to go to 12 different locations, to defeat 12 different bosses...that's it.
The battles are epic, the visuals jaw-dropping and the plotline devastatingly tragic.
Similar to how Ico was a reinvention of platformers, Colussus deconstructs the action/adventure game into its bare essentials: a series of boss battles. But by dampening the genre's noise and bluster, it fills it with atmosphere, beauty, and an impending sense of dread, even in the face of victory.
Hands down, this is haunting masterpiece stuff, and one of the greatest games on the PS2.
A satisfying remake by Bluepoint Games (with assistance from Japan Studio), released in 2018 and retained all worthy elements of the original, whilst giving the choice of minor improvements (e.g. both with graphics and controls).