Shadow of the Colossus PS2 Feature Strategy Guide

This is a special week here at 1UP, one we've been planning for the better part of seven months now, since the tumult and chaos of E3. This week the spotlight is on Shadow of the Colossus, the spiritual successor to Ico that, while different in name, still bears all the hallmarks of a development team working on a totally different level. Led by the soft-spoken Fumito Ueda, Sony's Product Development Department #1 has now produced two of the most elegant delights in the history of gaming.

The first, as you may know, is Ico. A gossamer wisp of a game "designed by subtraction," in which Ueda and his team reduced an adventure game to its barest elements, while retaining just enough to make it a compelling, playable game. Their immaculate follow-up to Ico is Shadow of the Colossus, which finds similarly minimal play mechanics bolstered by muscular new elements like a heroic new quest, breakneck horseback riding, and the eponymous, towering colossi that define the game. It's a whirlwind experience that tugs at not just your emotions, but your conscience as well. I could go on about the contents of the week that lies before you, but I'd rather just let the material speak for itself. After all, if Ueda's games have taught us anything, it's that action speaks louder than words.

-James Mielke, Executive Editor
Talk about Shadow here