 A Classic Goes to the Wii |
| Review Date: April 17, 2008 |
| Reviewer: S. Rhodes, |
Pros:
+Reissue of one of the best Playstation 2 games.
+A good storyline
+A beautiful and stylish game
+Incredible soundtrack
+Wii Controls work well
Cons:
-There aren't any Wii Exclusive Extras
-No voice acting, though this isn't a big issue
-If you own this game on the Playstation 2, the new controls probably don't justify buying the game
In 2006, Capcom released Okami. It's a game that didn't have a long lifespan, despite being on the PS2. It has commonly gone on to be labeled one of the most underrated (and probably underplayed) games of all time. However, it quickly garnered a cult following. For anyone who missed the Playstation 2 version, here's a chance to play it on the Wii. Even if you played the Playstation 2 version to death, Okami on the Wii is worth giving a try.
You play as Amaterasu. She's the Sun God of Japan and must now save the it from being overtaken by an evil curse that has spread across the land. Amaterasu is joined by her companion Issun. The overall story of Okami is brilliant. It's told through text dialog with no voice acting to speak of. While there's some garbled gibberish going on when the words appear on screen, there's no voice acting whatsoever. This is forgivable, though. What may throw some people however, is that some of the games cutscenes are pretty long, and they're pretty text heavy.
When it comes to graphics there are some games that put style over substance and some that put substance over style. Okami manages to do both. Not only is the game one of the most beautiful looking games ever released on a video game platform, it's also incredibly stylish, colorful, and detailed. Despite being released in 2006, Okami still manages to be one of the best looking games out there. Even today, there are few games that look as good as Okami does. From time to time you may just want to stop your progress and admire the game's beauty.
In terms of gameplay, Okami is very reminiscent of The Legend of Zelda games. You'll go into dungeons and villages and battle bad guys and solve puzzles most of the time. Combat itself is fairly simple, and the Wii controls are actually pretty good here. You'll flick the Wii Remote to attack and you can use the Nunchuck to dodge. For the most part, the controls are pretty similar to The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess. Combat is also pretty simple. Even against the bosses. It's very unlikely you'll die even once through Okami. The biggest draw to Okami, however, and the main reason it makes sense to release this game on the Wii, is the Celestial Brush.
The Celestial Brush is more than just a gimmick. You'll need it to get through much of the game's moments and you'll find you have to use it very often. Using the brush you can do things like, make the sun come out when it's dark, or cut through stone. You'll gather more skills as you traverse through the game. You'll even need to use it in combat to defeat enemies. What makes the Wii Version so much better is that actions with the celestial brush can be executed much faster than could be done on the Playstation 2 version. The moment you start using the Wii Remote as a paint brush, you probably won't want to go back to using an analog stick for the task again.
If there was any problem concerning the gameplay, it would be that the controls take time to get used to and that they do not always respond. The controls work well, but stringing together attacks can be a problem sometimes. When you finally get the rhythm down, though, the controls are pretty solid.
There may not be any voice acting in Okami, but there is a fantastic soundtrack at work. There are still few games that sound as good as Okami does. Part of what helps the music, however, is that it really gets you absorbed into this world. More so than most video games. The adventure also lasts for quite some time, but it isn't boring and just when you're positive you've mastered everything there is to master, the game throws in another mechanic to keep it interesting.
The only major thing holding Okami back, really, is the lack of Wii exclusive extras. It's worth trying the game if you played through the Playstation 2 version. On the other hand, it might not be worth buying just for the controls alone if you've still got your original copy.
The good news, however, is Okami has aged well. Even by today's standards, the game is fresh. |
Beautiful
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| Review Date: April 17, 2008 |
| Reviewer: Fryfat, San Francisco, CA |
Too often we read about "good graphics" in techincal jargon; 1080p, 60FPS, or 9,000,000 polys. If any game proves that visual beauty can't be quantified in numbers, and should instead be described with color, line, and form, it's Okami.
The reason is simple. Okami is the most beautiful game that's ever been made, an opinion shared with major magazines when it was heralded as Game of the Year in 2006 (it was competing with Zelda: Twilight Princess and Gears of War for the title, and won). Now in 2008 and released for the Wii, still no game has surpassed the artwork in Okami. After you rescue the first sapling, you'll understand why.
The gameplay is more original than magazine reviews would lead you to believe. They all agreed it's great, but said it's similar to Zelda, though I found it to be much more original, adult, and the gameplay to require more skill and depth. Pulling off a 4-strike combo, for example, takes the timing of a Guitar Hero veteran.
Okami was originally a PS2 title, but don't let that turn you off. It belongs on Wii. This had to have been made for the Wii, there's no other explanation. The brushstrokes, which are used for nearly every fight and obstacle, come so naturally to the wiimote, that it's impossible to remember how it was ever done with a gamepad.
What's sad is that Okami bombed on PS2. It had great reviews and a Game of the Year title, a strong fanbase, but for some strange reason nobody bought it, and the development studio went bankrupt.
I hope Wii owners prove to be different. This is hands down the better version of an already great game, and deserves to finally be played.
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Still spectacular, a must own
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| Review Date: April 20, 2008 |
| Reviewer: N. Durham, Philadelphia, PA |
| Back in 2006, Capcom and now defunct developer Clover quietly released a game for the PS2 that ended up being one of the most original, inventive, and addicting masterpieces that ever graced the system. That game was Okami, and now it is here on the Wii, and it is certainly a match made in heaven. For those unfamiliar with Okami, you play as the goddess Amaterasu, who has been reincarnated in the body of a mystical white wolf. Armed with a celestial paint brush that is used to progress through the game and take out enemies, Okami never ceases to amaze even to this day. Though the story and quest elements borrow heavily from Legend of Zelda, Okami features an engaging narrative and interesting and charming characters to come across. The game is still a gorgeous sight to behold, and the quest itself is quite lengthy with plenty of side quests and collectibles to be found as well. On the Wii, Okami makes solid use of the motion controls when using the paint brush, and it works pretty well. If there are any downsides to Okami, it is the same single flaw that the game featured when it was originally released: the combat may be found to be too easy for some. That aside, Okami is still a masterpiece of modern gaming, and now that it has hit the Wii, a whole new audience of gamers can discover just how wonderful this game really is. If you missed out before and you own a Wii, don't miss out on Okami again. |
A modern classic revisited
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| Review Date: April 20, 2008 |
| Reviewer: Cloud, Canada |
It frequently happens when a game or a movie comes out that everyone seems to love yet nobody even bothers to go see it. Sometimes they have the good sense to know when something is awful so they avoid but then on other occasions they don't support it enough even though the general attitude is how incredible it was. When Okami was coming out for the PS2, it became one of those anticipated titles thanks to its unique and utterly beautiful visual style but despite the acclaim and awards, it wasn't a success and the studio, Clover Studios, had to close down. But fans kept speculating that the unique gameplay involving the brush could work well on the Wii or DS and pretty soon a Wii-port was announced. With some enhances features, the game is just as good on any system.
Story: The people of Kamiki Village used to live in fear of the 8-headed demon Orochi, who demanded a sacrifice from one of the village maidens during their festival. But the swordsman Nagi, who secretly loved the maiden chosen, had enough and decided to fight him off but couldn't damage him in anyway until Shiranui, a mystical white wolf, appeared and together, they banished Orochi away but Shiranui succumbed to his injuries. 100 years later, Orochi seems to be resurrected so the wolf, reincarnated as Amaterasu, is brought forth to restore beauty and peace to the land.
Graphics: A lot of times sayings like "work of art" when it comes down to graphics is usually because of how shiny and sharp it is but when you say Okami is like a painting come to life, it's literally the case. Done in Japanese watercolor style, the game is filled with beautiful moments and rarely does the game ever get boring to look at. With the progressive scan on and the game running in 16:9, this is bound to be one of the more gorgeous games in your collection.
Sound/Music: Another successful feature of the game was its soundtrack which seems to marry traditional Japanese instruments and melodies with more grandiose arrangements and using synthesizers and it's one of the more memorable soundtracks on the PS2 and the Wii. Unfortunately, rather than using just text or voice acting for the dialogue, they opted for a more "Animal Crossing"-type vibe where it's gibberish which you can't turn off and while scenes can be skipped the story goes with it so you have to suffer through that chipmunk chatter in order to get the story and listen to the music.
Gameplay: It's hard not to compare Okami with the 3D installments of the Zelda series and indeed memories might flood in of playing as the wolf from Twilight Princess. But the game is so immersive that you don't even bother noticing. With puzzles to complete, sidequests, praise to get (do a good service and you can get points to level up certain attributes) and even animals to feed, there's lots to do and that's not even including the main quest. Only thing that might turn gamers off is that first initial hour or so which feels slightly sluggish but once you start beating bosses, exploring and restoring the land, it's very easy to get into.
What made Okami so unique was the idea of the "Celestial Brush" where the screen would turn into a canvas and drawing certain shapes could bring special events. Draw a circle during nighttime and it transforms instantly to day, do the same to a dead tree and it magically comes to life. Others such as drawing a straight line either to cut enemies and things in the environment or swirls to represent wind are just some of the special techniques you can do with the brush. Thanks to the Wii-controls, it's also more accurate and quicker and not sluggish like the PS2; however it's very easy to have a drawing fail and it actually took me a couple tries to draw a line through an enemy so even if it is more accurate, it can also be a bit picky.
The other slight nitpick people might have is during combat where instead of button presses, shaking the Wii-mote has you attack and it takes a bit of getting used to and timing tends to count for a lot this time. It's kind of a weird situation when the accuracy in the drawing is better in one version but the combat mechanics were better in the other. Go figure. Oh and also: slight nitpick though it's not as serious but there was a slight paper effect on the screen on the PS2 so that it really made it look like the game came to life on paper but here it's not as pronounced but the game looks incredible anyway so complaining about a paper effect seems kind of trivial.
While I really doubt Okami will have the success of Brawl or Twilight Princess, this game really should be in the hands of a lot more gamers than it'll probably get. Very recommended. |
Astounding!
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| Review Date: April 22, 2008 |
| Reviewer: Autumn, |
This game is absolutely astounding in almost all aspects.
The story is immersive, original, and provides a great window to Japanese culture, specifically: the Japanese religion of Shinto and its surrounding mythology. Dialogue is lively and interesting, albeit a little slow at times, but in the end it all adds to the storyline.
Graphics are amazingly beautiful: this is probably the most beautiful game on the Wii (rivalling Mario Galaxy, for sure), and definitely the most original visual style of any game on any console in the past couple years. Landscapes are detailed to the smallest aspect and I can agree with a common view: the game itself is a piece of art. Framerates and camera are all solid, though the camera can be slightly clunky at times, but nothing major at all.
Gameplay is great, with a wide variety of side missions to take on between dungeons, plenty of items and upgrades available, and big, challenging dungeons. The fighting is fun and rewarding especially as you unlock and use more of the celestial brush moves, stringing combos and specials together. Some say the controls are a bit hard, but for me, they took less than half an hour to get used to, and I rarely have problems now. Controls overall are very smooth, again, rivalling those of Nintendo's games.
At $40, this game is an absolute steal, good fun for almost anyone with a liking for adventures and epic stories. The learning curve is there, but not very steep, and the game holds your hand through all the initial stages. Various reviews have given it a 9+ out of 10, and I'd agree, it's definitely at least a 9.5. For $40, you're getting at least 40-50 hours of solid, brilliantly crafted gameplay, set in an immersive environment of colorful artwork and deep culture. |
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