the last time I replayed the PS2 Shadow of the Colossus was about 5 months ago. I was moving out of a house, testing out an older bulb TV before I donated it for charity. And just seeing Shadow running on a PS2, I can just count the frames, maybe 5 or 7 fps, if I’m lucky 15 and that’s not when a Colossus’ arm is moving.

What’s fascinating by 2006, HDR isn’t impossible. High Dynamic Range Lighting is a technique that’s part of photography where light is distributed through the lens. The technology was made for Fight Club and Matrix in 1999, it’s relatively top of the line but the PS2 just couldn't pump it out. So Team Ico had a super clever way of faking it in their first game Ico, but in shadow they pushed it through the processing power through the sound chip. But it wasn't just that, there’s more sophisticated motion blur, fur and clothing physics. It’s something where you have to admire their technical chops in such a modest system.

By the time 2006 Valve had made HDR lighting tech open to their Source Engine so just trying to emulate PS2 games wasn't far behind. But that’s emulation of emulation, it’s totally possible to get shadow running a bit better, but it’s not quite what the game really needed. In my attempts at PC emulation of Shadow never quite gets there, sure it’s sharper but always something is off. What’s amazing about the Ico and Shadow HD collection isn’t so much they are massive upgrades it’s that are what they are. It’s not that Ico is vomiting out BLOOM or has SSAO glowing bits where it doesn’t need to. It’s a direct contrast to the recent Wind Waker HD release which is more of an experiment then actual restoration.

This is really restoration at it’s best, are we not getting “what the artist originally intended” excuse for something radically different. And we are getting a smoother Shadow without it running at 5 FPS.