Up until their PS4 remake/remaster of Shadow of the Colossus, Bluepoint Games was one of my favorite developers. Their PS2 masters on PS3 were always best-in-class, kind of representing something akin to Criterion Collection versions of the original games. I think that they are the best remastering studio in the industry, and in a lot of ways they did a great job updating SotC to modern audiovisual standards with their PS4 remake.
Now we could nitpick about the overall vibe and atmosphere of the game differing from the Team ICO-developed original, but at the end of the day I feel that's somewhat inevitable and subjective in nature. But what is NOT subjective or debatable is how callously and carelessly they butchered Wander in the PS4 version.
Ugh. God damn it all to hell.
As if it wasn't bad enough that they elongated his proportions and changed his animations to reflect a more athletic build and poised stature that deviated considerably from his clumsy-yet-determined original presentation, what they did to his FACE is something that to this day I still can't forgive. It sounds dramatic, but it really, really holds back the entire remake from greatness IMO. It's so bad that I simply can't recommend a new player try the PS4 version before the others. The thought of someone experience SotC for the first time with mannequin Wander as the sole human protagonist is unbearable for me.
Like, it's so unforgivable in my eyes that Bluepoint has never addressed this via patch or at least acknowledged it. Part of me wants to never support another Bluepoint project again because of this one little thing, as dramatic as that sounds. It eats away at my soul and torments my every waking thought. How could they do this? Why? Given the level of care give to so many other aspects of the remake, how could the one SINGLE playable human character end up looking so unfinished and ridiculous?
Look at what they've done to my poor, sweet boy.
So yeah, that's easily the smallest detail that has had the largest negative impact on my enjoyment of a game. It physically raises my blood pressure, seriously. I look forward to hearing some other small details that torpedo'd your appreciation for games that you otherwise enjoyed.
Now we could nitpick about the overall vibe and atmosphere of the game differing from the Team ICO-developed original, but at the end of the day I feel that's somewhat inevitable and subjective in nature. But what is NOT subjective or debatable is how callously and carelessly they butchered Wander in the PS4 version.
Ugh. God damn it all to hell.
As if it wasn't bad enough that they elongated his proportions and changed his animations to reflect a more athletic build and poised stature that deviated considerably from his clumsy-yet-determined original presentation, what they did to his FACE is something that to this day I still can't forgive. It sounds dramatic, but it really, really holds back the entire remake from greatness IMO. It's so bad that I simply can't recommend a new player try the PS4 version before the others. The thought of someone experience SotC for the first time with mannequin Wander as the sole human protagonist is unbearable for me.
Like, it's so unforgivable in my eyes that Bluepoint has never addressed this via patch or at least acknowledged it. Part of me wants to never support another Bluepoint project again because of this one little thing, as dramatic as that sounds. It eats away at my soul and torments my every waking thought. How could they do this? Why? Given the level of care give to so many other aspects of the remake, how could the one SINGLE playable human character end up looking so unfinished and ridiculous?
Look at what they've done to my poor, sweet boy.
So yeah, that's easily the smallest detail that has had the largest negative impact on my enjoyment of a game. It physically raises my blood pressure, seriously. I look forward to hearing some other small details that torpedo'd your appreciation for games that you otherwise enjoyed.
