Spiffy
Best graphics on PS2; incredible soundtrack and FX; endearing story; great action/adventure.
Iffy
No widescreen; no progressive scan mode; can't skip some cutscenes; camera can be awkward.
It feels like Clover Studios' Okami has been "nearly here" for a couple of years now. Well, I can at last attest to a firm release date of September 19 here in the US, and I'm doubly sure, as I've been playing the final reviewable version of the game for the last few days. And what an experience it's been so far. Without gushing too much at this point, I'm fairly confident that Okami will turn out to be a strong contender for PlayStation 2 game of the year. More on the final word a few weeks from now.
In case you got bored waiting to play the game and have forgotten what it's all about, I can best equate the gameplay elements of Okami to those found in the likes of Ocarina of Time or The Wind Waker. Okami has enough of its own original content to separate it from the current crowd of action/adventure games, but at its core, it plays like a classic Link adventure.
The story sees a mighty battle between demon, man and god end 100 years ago, finally restoring peace to the lands of Nippon. But something evil stirs once again, and a cursed energy is begging to cover the lands once more. Assuming the role of the sun god Amaterasu -- who chooses to appear in the form of a snow-white wolf -- it's your job to restore the balance of nature to Nippon and banish evil once more.
The most striking aspect of Okami still remains the watercolor-style visuals. The game is a thing of true beauty and easily ranks among the best-looking of PS2 games (in fact, it might just be the best). The use of color, cel-shading and brush-stroked artistry is second to none. It doesn't hurt matters that, for the most part, Okami runs at a smooth 60 frames per second, either. The game simply looks incredible. I am, however, a little disappointed that there is no native 16:9 aspect ratio or progressive scan mode, as these additions would have served to enhance the artistic style even further. No matter. Okami's visuals make it a work of living art.
The game's soundtrack and effects are equally impressive and capture a very traditional Japanese fable-style theme. Looking and sounding fantastic are huge hooks for a video game, and given my extended play time, it's looking like the play mechanics of the game are not going to let their side down either. So far (and I'm only about six hours in) Okami delivers a solid gameplay experience. There are many different aspects to the game aside from the story's progression to keep you engrossed. These include leveling up your abilities, uncovering secret items and treasures, and gaining "praise" (which is like xp) from performing kindly tasks.
The other big hook with Okami is the celestial brush aspect of the game. As he's a god, Amaterasu can interact with the world through divine means, thanks to this heavenly brush. With the environments acting as his canvas, Amaterasu allows the player to draw signs and shapes in the game, which in turn alter the environments around him. For example, an old lady laments the loss of her wooden clothes pole, but with a quick flick of the celestial brush, a new one magically appears. But for the most part, the brush techniques (of which there are 15 to learn over the course of the game) play a greater role in progressing the plot line and of course, kicking ass in combat.
The combat system found in Okami is also pretty good fun. From the set boss battles to the roaming encounters, the game gives you plenty of cool on-the-fly fighting techniques to play with and learn. It's a solid fighting mechanic that basically completes the overall Okami package for me. But the GameSpy jury must remain silent for a few more weeks on the final verdict for Okami. Needless to say, Clover Studios' upcoming release has been featured in our Best of Show and Most Anticipated lists for a few years now. I'm pretty confident that although its taken its sweet time getting here, gamers on the PS2 are not going to be disappointed.
