The Colossi
The central and most important part of Shadow of the Colossus is not the main character, but the 16 Colossi that you engage in battle with. You witness first hand some of the most awe inspiring and jaw dropping cinematic moments while you're simply attempting to climb your way toward the opponent's weak points.
Each Colossus has at least one weak spot, which is a glistening white design that can be seen only when the sword is drawn. When struck on this spot the Colossi takes a large sum of damage, versus the pitiful measly amount that a normal bowshot generates.
The varying types of Colossi can usually be compared to others that you have fought previously. For instance, the Underwater Colossus is akin to the Underground Colossus, and the Bull-esque "Small" Colossi are quite similar in overall mentality and way of attacking. However, this doesn't mean that all Colossi are alike, and it also doesn't mean that they all will be as easy as one another. Some of the Colossi have very simple and straightforward weaknesses, while others may leave you scratching your head as to how to defeat them.
Next we will look at how to defeat each Colossus. Note that for the Hard Mode battles, the battle is the same except for one or two new weakspots. This strategy will be discussed after the basics.