Shadow of the Colossus

Shadow of the Colossus is an adventure game developed by Sony Computer Entertainment released in 2005. In it, a man named Wander must fight and kill 16 colossi to resurrect his dead lover.

The awards it has won are numerous, from Best Game Design and Best Visual Arts, to Outstanding Acheivement in Art Direction from the Academy of Interactive Arts and Sciences. It also ranks in the Top 10 PS2 games in many magazine and internet lists.

But while being a fun game in and of itself, what amazed me was how I became so enveloped in the world. There are long stretches of just riding from one place to the next, not doing anything but riding, but the way its done fully immerses you in the world. It is the first game I have ever played where I have just stopped and looked around to see it as art. The lighting, the graphics, every shot from the game looks like a painting. And apart from this, the soundtrack is flawless. I even have it on my mp3 player.

This is where I think video games should strive for more often. Lately, many games have been pushed out because they have better graphics, or better enemies. This game had 16 enemies in the entire game, and the graphics weren't overly great, but the enemies were done with perfection, and the look of the game fit with what they could use. Rather than striving for more and more, Shadow of the Colossus went far less than what was normally standard, and I believe that others should follow.