@legaiaflame
a review you might agree with ?
I almost would consider a PS4 pro just for this. I loved the original but looking back on it, the frame rate was terrible. As they only upgraded the graphics and left the rest alone, I am even more interested.
I just completed this game, first time actually beating it. Iāve played it multiple times on the PS2 but never got to the actual ending because Iād always play with a group of friends and we could never coordinate to finish the game. After blitzing the first 9 colossi in about 2 hours, it was pretty remarkable how identical everything felt and looked. Itās the most verbatim remake Iāve ever seen. I was expecting something a little more jarring, like the Halo anniversary edition. Heck, even the OOT remake on 3ds feels like more of a departure than this does from the source. Itās impressive that the same game can still be released even now as brand new while being relatively unaltered.
I played on the base PS4, and the framerate stayed pretty solid throughout the entire game. Apparently the pro can push 60? Thatās something Iād absolutely love to experience. The massively reduced input lag, stable framerate, and lack of fuzzy mid-2000s bloom spam is a really welcome change over the original. I couldnāt wrap my head around the new controls, being so used to the original. I just kept that in the old configuration.
(and since Iām still in a rush coming off beating the game for the first time after playing for so many years: Wtf was that ending?)
Iām glad you enjoyed the remake @Shakespeare. The critical response has been overwhelmingly positive too which is always a good sign.
Although Iām in no hurry to play the remake (I finished both the PS2 original and excellent PS3 remaster), if I pick up a PlayStation 4 Pro in the future for other games (maybe The Last of Us: Part 2) Iāll be sure to give this remake a try.
A new secret was just found after getting all 79 gold coins hidden throughout the Forbidden Lands. Not going to be too specific if you want to do it yourself, but the secret is a new weapon.
Im going to play it on the PRo (first time playing this game), and I will choose the supersampling option. 30fps is absolutely fine for me. I prefer to have more detailed graphics. I would only favor 60fps for a multiplayer shooter, but thatās just me.
Cannot wait to play this based on all the feedback Iāve read.
The remake debuted at number one Iām the UK chart, but more impressively than this itās first week sales are 73% up on the originals.
I am really surprised that itās sold this well. Itās not a mainstream kinda title like FIFA or Call of Duty, so it shows that gamers will buy more artistic games if done rightā¦
Itās been debated over in the gamefaqs forum. Apparently, Wander lacks many of the expressions found in the original. What I mean is his facial and emotional reactions during cutscenes and most importantly: the ending. Also, his hair doesnāt move and when running towards the screen away from a Colossus he doesnāt look back or blink his eyes anymoreā¦
And they removed the rain from the endingā¦
There are comparison shots here:
So I started playing this yesterday. Iām five colossi in, and have been enjoying it so far. I only worry that it might get somewhat repetitive by the end.
The world is absolutely gorgeous, Iām glad I waited for the PS4 version to play it for the first time. Itās so empty though, itās eerie. Wander refers to the temple as being āat the end of the worldā and I canāt help but wonder if this is more literal than figurativeā¦
But donāt spoil that for me! 
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Careful of spoilers @legaiaflame; not everyone here has finished the original game. Iāve added [spoiler][/spoiler] tags around those clips you posted.
Sorry about that. I still donāt understand why they took out most of Wanderās expressions, or rather, replaced them?..If they used the original code as a base, why not just keep all of Wanders animations?
I found another compilation pick that compares how āwoodenā the new Wander looks, compared to the original:
Here are some more comparisons/differences between PS2 and PS4 that show loss of atmosphere/art direction:
PS4 (The addition of more foliage, more flowers changes the atmosphere.)
PS2 (The original had a mysterious haze or fog and felt more foreboding.)
PS4 (Wander appears stiff and missing expressions.)
PS2 (Wander turns his head properly and looks surprised.)
PS4 (Certain textures like the hair and stone look off.)
PS2 (The stone on the colossi appears more natural, less flat, and the hair looks more natural.)
PS4 (Wanderās face appears unfinished? Also it appears Wander doesnāt get the small cuts or marks on his face anymore; after consecutive fights like he did in the originalā¦)
I have finally played a good part of the game.
I am at the 15th colossi, and I had to interrupt the fight as this 15th colossi final blow drove me mad (which doesnāt happen often in a game).
So I donāt have the knowledge you guys have of the original PS2 version, or maybe the PS3 remaster to compare them.
I played this PS4 remake as my very first diving into this game.
With no surprise, I find the artistic direction superb, the visuals are also amazing.
So even though I didnāt play the original PS2 version, it amazes me to think they were able to design an open world of this scale back then.
However, my experience has been tainted by two main things:
-
the camera is really too rigid to my taste. I understand they were very true to the original game but why not offering an option regarding camera behavior. I can understand the original players value how true the remake will be but for the othersā¦ it is REALLY painful. You cannot rotate the camera while riding your horse. I mean the way they āmagnetizedā the camera (hope this makes sense) is way too strong. They could have added āweighting factorsā when coding this like if you want to rotate the camera, it is quite easy and the camera only comes back to the horse move direction after 3 seconds something like that.
In short, they designed a gorgeous open world but you cannot really enjoy it.
I have been used to explore open world in recent games like Assassin Creed Origins, Horizon Zero Dawn, Zelda BotW to name a few, and it was always a pleasure to be able to control your horse with the left stick and the camera with the right stick. Here it feels so painful. -
the gameplay/controls:
there is a an option for so called modern controls. I havenāt tried the original ones butā¦ these modern controls felt painful at occasions as well. Not always but during some phases, especially during this 15th colossi. Maybe thatās just me being very bad but Iām not sureā¦
I can understand one aspect of the game is figuring out how the weak spots and how to defeat the colossi but once you know what you have to do, gameplay should not really get in the way.
For this 15th colossi, I had almost defeated it (I donāt want to spoil here) and it took me a while to understand how I was supposed to end it.
But even once I knew, I just couldnāt finish the giant. I will have to give it another try but all this is leaving me with mixed feelings. I donāt play games to feel frustrated you know. The gameplay has to reward me sometimes (and most times straight away), I need to enjoy it. But here for me, it feels way too rigid overall. I mean itās not the PS2 era anymore, I wish there were more possibilities offered to the player to enjoy the way he prefers it. Giving choices is never a bad thing for the player.
There is no doubt this game, especially the original release, is a masterpiece.
This remake is also impressing on different levels.
Here is a recent chat DF had with BluePoint to discuss all the tech behind this remake.
I believe this explains quite a bit about the gameplay.
Overall, the philosophy was to patch the original way the game was coded rather than coding from scratch.
I understand, and this is what probably offers the truest experience to the original.
But as said, I just wish they added different options regarding camera and controls.
EDIT:
āIf the goal of Shadow of the Colossusā remake is to recreate the gameplay of the original, it succeeds. But whether or not it actually captures the feeling of the original game is another matter.ā
I havenāt played the remake, but one aspect of all Team Icoās games that sets them apart from other action/platform games is the feeling of vulnerability. That has been - in part - conveyed through the controls. Wander isnāt necessarily a skilled action hero like Nathan Drake but normal human; making the actual gameplay āsmoothā like Unchartedās platforming sections would run counter to this, I think. It really should feel like a challenge to ascend the colossi, not just figure out how.
But, another aspect of the original SotC was the attachment you felt to Wander as a character and how you watched him struggle to achieve his goal.
The remake imo has failed to re-create Wanderās character. He is missing animations, isnāt as expressive as before and worst of all: he looks like a damn doll!
Team Ico was known for their animation as well as their design. When you subtract that from the only character you control, that is a big mistake.
I agree, this is the sort of philosophy I felt. Controls were probably thought & designed to translate this stuggle of Wander.
But to me, it feels more based on randomness than on a learning curve. I do not enjoy controlling Wander.
I somehow force myself finishing this game because of its legendā¦
If they bothered remaking the game and enhancing it visually, they could have given us alternative controls + camera settings via options. It never hurts.
This remake is aimed at a new audience as well and Iām not sure what these new comers think about the game. Every time I see someone complain on Resetera or twitter, hardcore fans seems to be bashing themā¦ hard to have a discussionā¦ And when I say complain, I could say āpointing aspects they consider weakā, itās opinions, there are severalā¦
Well, seems you wanted the game more like the original, when I ask for some changes but on different levels.
As said in the DF Bluepoint interview, I guess itās hard to please everybody.
I thought that the remake already included two control schemes? It sounds like you want a third control scheme that is even smoother.
Thereās a chance that changing the controls significantly much would also make those controls feel generic. So it might hurt in that regard (if some of the uniqueness of the game is lost). I realise that some people like to have a lot of options and the ability to tweak a game so that it feels familiar; Iām of the view that art is opinionated and is best when it doesnāt spread itself too thin my trying to please everyone.
I donāt know if this was possible as they used the original code when making the remake.
I donāt think it is so much to ask, to preserve what Team Ico implemented in Wanderās character.
Wander is the only character you play as. You are along the journey with him and become attached to him. In the original he had a certain look to him. He had certain animations. These animations showed his emotions: looking surprised as he ran from Colossi, getting small cuts on his face, his hair swaying as he ran and most importantly: showing more emotion and expression during cutscenes.
The remake lacks many of these important factors that allow you as a player to feel connected to him. Key animations are missing and he just looks lifeless and stiff!
I donāt usually tweak my games much. But if you introduce a new feature/control scheme, youād better make it useful. Why did they introduce this new control scheme? For newcomersā¦
So I wouldnāt ask for a third scheme. I just think the existing so called āmodernā control scheme is not modern enough.
And to be perfectly clear, I donāt think the actual scheme is the problem here. But maybe when the player decides to use this modern scheme, the level of randomness behind should be reduced. This randomness is not something you control. It is no directly linked to the scheme but choosing the modern one should mean something.
I mean basically: you either are a fan of the original game and expect the game to behave exactly like you remember it or you are new to the series and expect somethingā¦ responsive.
I get it that you have to hold a button to grip the titan, it makes sense. If you make a mistake and release the key, you fallā¦ it makes perfect sense. But I still feel there is too much randomness.
And this camera 
I cannot even simply enjoy a ride on Agro when there is no battleā¦
EDIT: For instance, I would have loved to take a lot of photos given how beautiful the game is but I just cannot make the compositions I want due to this camera.
I guess it is always possible to tweak things by adding factors here and there but yea it is a matter of time and money involved in making these. I cannot say if they could reasonably do it but I was describing how frustrating this game made me feel. Which is not something I expected for such an ambitious AAA remake.
I get it, you know the original game which I donāt. So I donāt have those references to compare them.
But it makes sense. And it is true that Wander looks a bit emotionless in this 2018 game.
I think itās meant to be realistic - e.g. even if you grip something, if youāre being shaken, thereās a good chance that youāre going to fall off, regardless of how you respond. The Last Guardian has a large degree of this unresponsiveness too; the creature Trico very often doesnāt obey your commands and has a mind of his own. Team Ico games are very organic in that regard, itās part of their DNA to not provide a purely mechanical experience.
I have yet to play the remake, so perhaps someone who has played both versions can comment on whether the new control scheme is different enough that it was worth including?