System: PS3
Dev: SCE Studios Japan / Bluepoint Games
Pub: Sony
Release: September 27, 2011
Players: 1
Screen Resolution: 480p-1080p

Shadow of the Colossus centers around a young man trying to return the soul of his fallen companion to her body. In order to have this wish granted, he must take on and defeat the 16 Colossi that roam the land. Through harrowing skill and cunning willpower, players must brave this magical landscape of grandiose size.

Shadow of the Colossus also masters the art of visual storytelling through beautiful landscapes and striking animations. It takes the same pacing of ICO, but it manages to make it all its own. The peace Wander has with his horse, Argo, is menacingly eerie, yet contemplatively hypnotic. This game is epic in scope, and simply delivers on levels many games have continuously failed to even scratch the surface of.

With this collection, there is no reason potential new fans of these masterful games should miss out. For many years, finding copies of either game was practically a "Holy Grail" quest. Now, with both of them fully realized in HD, these exceptional titles are well worth a fresh visit. The frame rate of Shadow of the Colossus looks better and delivers a much crisper experience, while ICO is filled with vibrancy and color that pops out at the player when diving deeper into its world. The developers behind the conversion need to be commended, as you can tell the amount of work that went into accurately transferring these titles over to this generation.

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The ICO & Shadow of the Colossus Collection delivers on every aspect it promised. Both titles look and sound so much better than when originally released. They both maintain the magical allure they once had, and if I had but one game to recommend to new gamers, this would be it. Both titles bring back memories. They have shown me again why I chose a career in the gaming industry, and they will always hold a special place in my heart. Now, everyone has the chance to welcome them into theirs. Truthfully, there's no reason not to.

By Matt Walker
CCC Editor-In-Chief