Shadow of the Colossus has a golden legacy that easily makes it one of the greatest and highly influential games of all time. It’s also one of the few rare games from the classic era that was overhauled not once but twice for two different generations: remastered for PlayStation 3, while getting a complete remake for PlayStation 4. Hence, Shadow of the Colossus has lived three lives, an honor courtesy of Bluepoint Games.
In a recent interview with SegmentNext, president Marco Thrush was asked to pick one remaster or remake that he feels had the most impact and was the one that people really needed. Thrush chose Shadow of the Colossus on PlayStation 4 without hesitation, noting that the action-adventurer is “recognized as one of the pillars of gaming that defines games as art” in the industry.
He explained that since the original was only available on PlayStation 2, many modern gamers were unable to experience why Shadow of the Colossus is given such critical acclaim. Those with PlayStation 4 who never got to play Shadow of the Colossus on either PlayStation 2 or PlayStation 3 had to be given the opportunity to do so. Hence, the current-generation remake of Shadow of the Colossus on PlayStation 4 was a much-needed one.
Many gamers on the PS4 never had a PS2 to play the original or the PS3 to play our remaster. Similarly, many PS4 gamers who had access to those previous consoles never played either version. Shadow of the Colossus is recognized as one of the pillars of gaming that defines video games as art. The opportunity to work with Ueda and further realize his original vision at the quality possible on the PS4 is the easy choice.
Thrush also noted that remasters and remakes are incredibly important. They help developers to understand hardware limitations and formulate new tools and methods that ultimately maximize the quality of new games. Hence, as far as Bluepoint Games is concerned, remasters and remakes are a good practice and greatly beneficial when it comes to working on new projects. In addition, they help a brand new audience walk the bridge to masterpieces like Shadow of the Colossus that they would otherwise never come to appreciate.
Following the announcement of Half-Life: Alyx last week, Bluepoint Games expressed a wish to remake the original Half-Life, something that millions of fans out there would be hoping for Valve to read.
Bluepoint Games certainly has a clean record when it comes to high-quality remasters and remakes. Unless Valve wants to go full virtual reality with Half-Life 3 as well.
Shadow of the Colossus, the remake, is now available on PlayStation 4.
