Monday, September 05, 2005
d e m o
The demo that comes with Official Playstation Magazine this month (Shadow of the Colossus is on the cover) is the finest, most well-rounded demonstration disc I played in a while and is probably the best demo the magazine's had since their Metal Gear Solid disc way back in 1998. There is a bigger variety of gameplay on this demo than most full games have. And next month looks bright as well: it'll have a sample of Soul Calibur III's single- and multiplayer and the character creation mode. Righteous.
The main attraction on this month's demo is the chance to try out Shadow of the Colossus, a breathtaking new game from the people responsible for 2001's incredible ICO. The object/story is to kill the giant, ancient giants roaming the vast land to save your girlfriend/wife/sister/whoever her relation to the main character is. There is no spoken dialogue or expository text ("Press Triangle to jump" and similar instructions are all you get) so most of the plot is largely left up to your interpretation... your interpretation of such things as the state of the world, the various ruins that dot the landscape, the sweeping orchestral music, the statues in that first hallway, your own feelings... much like ICO.
For instance, when I scrambled up the colossus' back and onto its head, and delivered the finishing sword thrust - I effectively pithed the creature - jets of black blood gushed out like I put a pin through a water balloon. The music shifted to something sadder, more choral than the booming Evangelion-esque fight music heard during the struggle. The monster shambled and collapsed much like the cave troll did in Fellowship of the Ring. Like I felt bad for that cave troll I felt even worse for the colossus. This big, ancient-looking golem was just minding its own business when I decided to climb up his body and repeatedly stab his head with a broadsword. And I have to do this fifteen more times to... to do what, something selfish like revive my lost loved one?
...There's something being said in this game. Something about loneliness (the nameless playable character and his horse seem to be the only living things in the world) and desperation. How far would you go to save someone you love? Would you do something like kill the world's oldest, most majestic magical creatures? Would you kill a unicorn for its blood or, given the grace and scale of the colossi, would you climb atop Mt. McKinley and... stab it to death?
The game's tone is somber, it's melancholy, it's dark... something which is evident in the image of the lifeless maiden at the beginning but much more obvious after you defeat the colossus and finish the demo. I won't spoil what happens but if you saw Princess Mononoke you saw something similar. Hayao Miyazaki's influence was felt in ICO too. And, gaw, that was a stunning experience. I forgot I was playing with a controller at times, I just wanted to save the girl. I don't know if that absorption will be in Shadow as it was in ICO, as its gameplay is far more combat-oriented and I am much more aware of my violent actions and goals but if it can yield the same sweeping, emotional air as ICO did by the end, that kind of beauty that hurts, then I don't mind waiting another four or five years if it means the next game from the ICO team will be a peerless masterpiece as well.
Now, for a change of pace...
The other standout on the demo, Burnout Revenge, is stupid. And a little ridiculous. No, make that fucking ridiculous. You race as fast as you can, with five other cars, through traffic, and the more crashes and chaos you cause the more "boost" you get to speed your car up, and the more points you get. It's a racing game where you don't race, but fight the other racers by forcing them into walls or tractor-trailers and watching them 'splode in slow motion. Even better than destroying the other cars - no, it's the BEST - you can EXPLODE YOUR OWN CAR. Don't worry, you automatically respawn after such a move and go back to racing and exploding your car all over again, but look: YOU CAN EXPLODE YOUR OWN CAR.
Didn't I say Burnout Revenge is fucking ridiculous? It is. It's dumb as hell. It's FUN as hell. I haven't had this much fun racing a virtual vehicle since Mario Kart: Double Dash. There's only one course on the demo but I've learned its various strengths, weaknesses and alternate routes and I hope the finished game is as polished and even more expansive than this demo is already. After something "arty" like Shadow of the Colossus I didn't expect to find something just as... well, probably not just as, but there is a brilliance to Burnout Revenge. Those penalties and rules I can't stand about racing games (in my opinion, if they don't involve turtle shells and banana peels, they're pretty boring) are gone. Instead, you're rewarded for your recklessness.
I'll say it again: you can EXPLODE YOUR OWN CAR then immediately race again as if nothing so catastrophic and deadly even happened. It's utterly fucking fantastic.
The main attraction on this month's demo is the chance to try out Shadow of the Colossus, a breathtaking new game from the people responsible for 2001's incredible ICO. The object/story is to kill the giant, ancient giants roaming the vast land to save your girlfriend/wife/sister/whoever her relation to the main character is. There is no spoken dialogue or expository text ("Press Triangle to jump" and similar instructions are all you get) so most of the plot is largely left up to your interpretation... your interpretation of such things as the state of the world, the various ruins that dot the landscape, the sweeping orchestral music, the statues in that first hallway, your own feelings... much like ICO.
For instance, when I scrambled up the colossus' back and onto its head, and delivered the finishing sword thrust - I effectively pithed the creature - jets of black blood gushed out like I put a pin through a water balloon. The music shifted to something sadder, more choral than the booming Evangelion-esque fight music heard during the struggle. The monster shambled and collapsed much like the cave troll did in Fellowship of the Ring. Like I felt bad for that cave troll I felt even worse for the colossus. This big, ancient-looking golem was just minding its own business when I decided to climb up his body and repeatedly stab his head with a broadsword. And I have to do this fifteen more times to... to do what, something selfish like revive my lost loved one?
...There's something being said in this game. Something about loneliness (the nameless playable character and his horse seem to be the only living things in the world) and desperation. How far would you go to save someone you love? Would you do something like kill the world's oldest, most majestic magical creatures? Would you kill a unicorn for its blood or, given the grace and scale of the colossi, would you climb atop Mt. McKinley and... stab it to death?
The game's tone is somber, it's melancholy, it's dark... something which is evident in the image of the lifeless maiden at the beginning but much more obvious after you defeat the colossus and finish the demo. I won't spoil what happens but if you saw Princess Mononoke you saw something similar. Hayao Miyazaki's influence was felt in ICO too. And, gaw, that was a stunning experience. I forgot I was playing with a controller at times, I just wanted to save the girl. I don't know if that absorption will be in Shadow as it was in ICO, as its gameplay is far more combat-oriented and I am much more aware of my violent actions and goals but if it can yield the same sweeping, emotional air as ICO did by the end, that kind of beauty that hurts, then I don't mind waiting another four or five years if it means the next game from the ICO team will be a peerless masterpiece as well.
Now, for a change of pace...
The other standout on the demo, Burnout Revenge, is stupid. And a little ridiculous. No, make that fucking ridiculous. You race as fast as you can, with five other cars, through traffic, and the more crashes and chaos you cause the more "boost" you get to speed your car up, and the more points you get. It's a racing game where you don't race, but fight the other racers by forcing them into walls or tractor-trailers and watching them 'splode in slow motion. Even better than destroying the other cars - no, it's the BEST - you can EXPLODE YOUR OWN CAR. Don't worry, you automatically respawn after such a move and go back to racing and exploding your car all over again, but look: YOU CAN EXPLODE YOUR OWN CAR.
Didn't I say Burnout Revenge is fucking ridiculous? It is. It's dumb as hell. It's FUN as hell. I haven't had this much fun racing a virtual vehicle since Mario Kart: Double Dash. There's only one course on the demo but I've learned its various strengths, weaknesses and alternate routes and I hope the finished game is as polished and even more expansive than this demo is already. After something "arty" like Shadow of the Colossus I didn't expect to find something just as... well, probably not just as, but there is a brilliance to Burnout Revenge. Those penalties and rules I can't stand about racing games (in my opinion, if they don't involve turtle shells and banana peels, they're pretty boring) are gone. Instead, you're rewarded for your recklessness.
I'll say it again: you can EXPLODE YOUR OWN CAR then immediately race again as if nothing so catastrophic and deadly even happened. It's utterly fucking fantastic.
# posted by magusart @ 3:43 PM 
