Internet Hype Machine

Some of you may remember my long-winded ruminations on Hellgate: London and how excited or disappointed I was at various times. Hellgate: London's biggest flaw was just how damned over-hyped it was - its other foibles and flaws pale in comparison to the damage the internet hype machine did. There's an interesting article over at The Escapist this week about it, if you care to peruse.

Hype is a two-edged Sword of Wounding +1 when it comes to games. Hellgate was hurt by it, but that doesn't have to be the way it is. I recently started playing Shadow of the Colossus, one of the several games that I bought even before Stella's old PS2 was even in the mail. All the hype that I can remember seeing (which for my experience is the only hype that matters) was word of mouth from friends and maybe one TV ad. In any case, I didn't really know what to expect, so I was actually able to be pleasantly surprised.

The plot is basic and can be summed up in a five-minute introductory cut scene. The story hasn't really evolved since I first gained control of Wander, the largely mute protagonist: he's traveled to a remote temple in order to bring a dead girl back to life, though you know pretty much nothing about the girl or why he wants to resurrect her. What you do know is that to do so, you have to defeat the sixteen titular titans and then maybe, maybe the Ominous Voice In the Ceiling that tells you all this will bring her back to life.

The gameplay hasn't revealed more of the story either. I've downed three so far, and after each victory dozens of shadowy tendrils erupt from the fallen colossus and impale Wander. You then wake up in the temple, the Voice gives an exceedingly cryptic hint about the next fight, and then you're on your way to the next colossus.

It doesn't sound like a lot to go on, but what it lacks in dialogue and direct narrative it more than makes up in atmosphere. The world is vast, and evokes a sense of place at least as well as World of Warcraft. It's actually had me hankering for WoW a little bit, but mostly from the sense that you're part of a contiguous world, uninterrupted by loading screens. So far I've ridden across desert, though a ravine and a forest, and swam through a lagoon to reach a gargantuan platform in the middle where the next fight awaited. The graphics back up this sense very well and the world is nearly seamless.

Furthering the sense of space is just how alone you feel: other than the colossi, I've seen exactly one animal in the entire game - the hawk from the intro cinematic occasionally flies by your vision. Besides that, it's just a boy and his horse. I found a small oasis where I dismounted to explore, and when I returned to Agro, he was grazing quietly and sipping from the pool. Agro's animations are beautiful, and when idle he actually does horse things - grazing, shaking off flies, wandering off a bit until you call him back. All of this conveys and odd sense of loneliness and sadness, which complements the fact that you're here by yourself for the sake of a dead girl.

The sadness is compounded by the battles, which make you feel like you're killing a part of the world. The colossi are the only things you fight, and the game is effectively sixteen boss battles with a break and some beautiful scenery in between. When you find the colossus you're hunting, you always see it wandering slowly through its habitat, almost waiting. I can't escape the fact that I'm the aggressor here, and the game does a very good job of making you oddly sympathetic towards the giant you've been sent to kill. I find their weak points with Wander's sun-sword and figure out how to use the environment and the very limited inventory (sword, bow, and the ability to climb) to reach these weak points and slay the colossus. It's pretty straight-forward gameplay, though the puzzle of each boss can be fairly tough. But when you find the weak points and plunge in your sword, my sense of accomplishment is tinged with sorrow as the colossus how and writhes in pain, trying to shake you off its back - and succeeding, if you don't have a good enough grip. Defeating one is always a muddled victory, partly due to the shadowy tendrils of impalement and mostly because you don't know quite how to feel about the means to your end.

The battles are paced so that you have to keep moving, but not so frantically that you can't enjoy the spectacle of the colossi themselves. The three I've seen so far have been absolutely majestic, each one very different and looking like a piece of scenery that stepped out of an Ansel Adams photograph. If I had to describe them succinctly I'd say that they look like Olmec Muppets, but somehow that doesn't detract from their massive grace. You can tell how much effort went into each of the colossi, and they still look fantastic, even three years after release.

So, if you have the patience for a somewhat slower-paced game with an emphasis on atmosphere and making the most out of simple gameplay elements, definitely give Shadow of the Colossus a try.