The conclusion to Jim Hargreaves' retrospective two-part tangent based on Team Ico's Shadow of the Colossus. In this article, he describes how the unique elements in gameplay, storytelling and visual presentation made it one of the best games of the previous decade.

...So, after traversing the Forbidden Lands for a little, you will eventually come toe-to-toe with one of the several colossi. Each of these formidable foes is usually stationed where the environments benefits their habits. For example, one of the flying colossi lurks above the arid desert, allowing it pinpoint targets with precision, and the smaller “bull” colossi who linger in the shelter of ancient temples. Though there are a couple of colossi who may be duplicates in terms of appearance, but there is a unique strategy for taking down each one, with every encounter being memorable.

Each colossus has its own health bar; draining this to zero will slay the beast and return Wander to the ancient ruins at the centre of the in-game world. However, if you thought you could simply stab away at their huge stony feet for several minutes, you will be sorely mistaken.

PangTong_Blademaster via gamekudos.com »