On how the colossi fell

Today we finished Shadow Of The Colossus. One of the 5 or so games that I wish I had a PS2 for. Now that I got a PS3, I'm playing through them.
Colossus is an amazing feat. Not because it's so original, or because the Colossi are beautiful creatures that are huge, but because of the way it presents itself, and the way it tells its story.

The game starts off with you carrying a dead girl in to some sacred place. A voice from above tells you to go and kill 16 Colossi, after which she'll be resurrected. And that's about all you get to know. The game is about you, your horse, and the huge environment in which you've got to find the Colossi, and try to beat them.

Each battle is a huge task in trying to work out how a single human, armed with nothing more than a sword and bow, can down the beast. Our hero isn't that agile either, he's no Kratos or Lara, he stumbles around, has limited breath and grip, and doesn't bounce up when falls. All this adds to some really tense, nail biting moments of sheer clinging on to huge beasts and hoping you don't get flung off.

One by one the creatures fall, and after you kill the 16th Colossus the game truely shines, mainly because it has the most breath taking end sequence of any memorable game. Revealing a lot about the story, who you are and what you've really done, and ending in a very thought provoking and clever way, you finish the game both upset that you've finished it, and amazed at the story it was telling without you knowing it.

The whole isolation and emptiness you feel as you go hunting the Colossi one by one, and the lack of any story or cutscenes (very few in game) before the climatic end are all forgivable when you finish, as it's clear that the creators of the game wanted the player to feel lonely, isolated, and in doubt as to what is really going on. A very clever way of telling a story, and as a videogame a great addition to anyone's list.

If you've not played it and have a PS2/3 I strongly urge you to. If you don't, pick up a used machine and play the game then sell it, it really is a milestone.

Finally, somewhere in the game something terrible happens, something you wouldn't have thought would affect you that much. But when it happens, you can't help but feel very sad at the cruelty of it all, and it's all because of something you do. When you start realising that you've got to do the said thing, you're not sure whether you want to continue playing it or not. It's that powerful.. Pan's Labyrinth of games. GET IT.