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Amazing

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 0 / 0
Date: May 13, 2008
Author: Amazon User

Having never owned a PS2, I had not ever played this game before. I certainly heard the critical acclaim that this game has received over the last couple of years, and was stoked to say the least about hearing its arrival on the Wii. I bought it for my 8 year old daughter, and have been fighting for time on this game ever since. She loves it. I love it. I am impressed with the depth and the intensity of the story. The Wii remote works perfectly with this game. I had reservations about how my daughter would pick up the "strokes" and movements in the game, but she hasn't missed a beat. This game cannot be described accurately in words. It's just beautiful. Stylized animation, a great story, along with a unique style of combat, using gestures and strokes of a giant brush, make for a gaming experience that I have fell in love with. These games do not come out very often. A joy to play.

My absolute favorite game.

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 0 / 0
Date: May 13, 2008
Author: Amazon User

I can't say enough good things about this game. The game universe is huge. The whole game looks like a japanese painting, which is not only beautiful, but a nice change from other games. The characters are numerous. Using the Wii remote to control the brush is probably the best part of the game. The more you play, the more adept you become at using specific brush strokes. I particularly like the different enemies you fight, which are based on japanese folklore.

Best Game Out There

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 0 / 0
Date: May 13, 2008
Author: Amazon User

When trying to describe the game Okami, several words come to mind....Delightful....Charming....Lovely....Interesting. I guess what I'm trying to say, is that "fun" and "cool" simply don't seem to cut-it even though those words easily apply as well. I won't go into plot and storyline since many of the other reviews have done an excellent job in detailing. Instead I'd like to tell you why I feel Okami is a must-have game. For those gamers like me who love puzzle and adventure games, Okami is a feast for the soul! Beautiful graphics, charming and witty characters, and plenty of difficult quests to accomplish plus awesome use of the Wii Remote-- This is what you get right from the start. And just when you think the game can't top itself, something mind-blowing happens--Something so unique and imaginative....well....words just fail to describe it. To compare Okami with other games out there is like comparing a fast-food meal off the dollar menu with a three-course meal at a gourmet restaurant. Except that with Okami, you aren't going to pay "gourmet" price because unlike other games, Okami is a great value! Basically, what it all comes down to is that Okami is extremely satisfying in pretty much every way....and if you STILL don't believe me, there's nothing else I can say except-- Give it a try! I promise, you will not be sorry.

Beyond Epic

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 0 / 0
Date: May 11, 2008
Author: Amazon User

This game is an incredible work of art and imagination. It is unfairly compared to Zelda games, yet it occupies a space of its own. It does not follow the familiar Zelda pattern of travel/dungeon/item/boss/heart. The feel is more open, and yet you never get lost.

The one thing that nobody can deny is that this is an amazing game to look at. Every frame looks like a hand drawn Japanese painting.

The game is extremely long and deep - perhaps even too much so. And yet there is a constant supply of new characters and locations, all meticulously detailed. As an example, even though the typical warp locations are available to move from point to point, I prefer to travel only by foot, because there will always be something I missed - and even if not, it's just nice to look at.

Some have complained about the controls. For combat, I use the rosaries and have never had a problem with getting the desired response. The game can be hard-headed about recognizing the intention of your ink strokes at times. However, you will discover that the practice of playing the game eliminates this as an issue. (I struggled with multiple power strokes and making trees bloom at first, but now those moves go off without a hitch - somehow you just lock in with the game)

As mentioned, the game is very long, and can be chatty at times. Sometimes you'll wish your little companion would let you figure things out on your own. However, it does eliminate the problem that plagues most games of this type - vague or misleading clues. No need to refer to internet guides here.

The music is wonderful and complements the game perfectly.

I should also say something about the enemies - although you acquire a number of brush techniques, weapons, scrolls etc. there is a great variety in enemy weaknesses and attack patterns. You can't just power button mash your way through. So save at every opportunity, because the game doesn't take you back to any place other than your last save spot. Also, the save "mirrors" are scattered quite unevenly. It would be better to have a Resident Evil 4 style continue system, but if nothing else, it increases the urgency of encounters.

this game is really awful

1 Rating: 1, Useful: 1 / 17
Date: May 07, 2008
Author: Amazon User

The only way I can explain all the good reviews for this game is that clearly all the people who hate it are trying to forget that they dropped a chunk of change on it and it's absolutely awful. You might notice that other reviewers have said the controls are a bit finicky. That is an understatement. And think about it...it's a bit like saying, "hey, that's a really great-looking car...it's too bad THE STEERING WHEEL doesn't work!!!" Having responsive controls is pretty important to be able to enjoy a game, in my opinion. This game is incredibly frustrating. You can paint the same brush stroke 18 times and do absolutely nothing different on brush stroke 19, and for some reason, it will work. It's often also not at all apparent what you're supposed to do. Although there's a certain amount of (enjoyable) discovery required for other games, Okami takes this to a rather unenjoyable level. My partner bought it and was so frustrated with it after spending a few days trying to get into it that I ran out at 8:30 on a Sunday night to get her something she would actually enjoy. What did I buy? Zelda. She loves it. We'll be selling Okami on craigslist the first chance we get. The up-side to all of these misleading good reviews is that we shouldn't have any trouble unloading it!

Truly Beautiful....but

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 0 / 12
Date: May 03, 2008
Author: Amazon User

First off, don't get me wrong. The artwork in this game is absolutely breathtaking and beautiful. Original to the extreme, and for awhile I did have fun. But in the end I was more frustrated than happy with the game. The tutorial in the game takes forever to get past, I know its necessary but it's a little long-winded if you ask me. Once you finally get past that you're free to play the game and defeat a TON of demons. I do mean a lot. It can get a little repetitive, at least for me it did. And sometimes I was at a loss for what to do next. Than I found out that once I beat the what I thought was main boss the game is only about half-way over. Sorry, its too long for me. Maybe it was because I rented it and only had a week to play and it was near finals week at school but I just don't think the game was the best it could of been. I gave it three stars for the artwork and story.

For the Uninitiated, an Amazing Experience

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 1 / 1
Date: April 29, 2008
Author: Amazon User

Play Okami for fifteen minutes and you'll definitely get the sense that this game is different. From classic style sumi-e paintings used during cut scenes to kanji characters flying at you from all directions during special effects, Okami does more than remind you that many video games originate in Japan -- it might just give you culture shock.

Yet, at the same time, the perspective the player takes allows an easy and almost total immersion into this world of Japanese mythology. You are a god -- that's really all you need to know. Given the open avatar of Amaterasu, it's easy to start to fall in love with the game world whether or not you identify with the cultural motifs present. The story is superbly polished, and probably the game's greatest draw. It's a whopper, full of twists and turns, and very well written. It's amazing the pains to which the dialogue goes to stay consistant, often times minutely changing depending on the order in which you visit certain (seemingly trivial) locations.

Of course, the graphical feel of the game, from the cel-shading to the excellent animation (few games seem to get wolf animations to the point where they actually appear realistically graceful), is almost the game's claim to fame. The game is as close to a living painting as I've seen interactive entertainment get. Despite being a few years old at this point, it stands up amazingly well thanks to its reliance not on polygon count but on effective creative decisions, such as the stylized mountains that serve as a backdrop to the game's first village. The aural and visual reward you get for completing simple tasks, such as revitalizing a dead tree, make simply exploring the over-world a treat.

The gameplay is fairly reminescant of the Zelda series, to an uncanny degree at times (such as the "you solved a puzzle!" sound, and dungeon camera pans). However, the Celestial Brush gives the game something truly unique, and might even make you feel like an artist of sorts as you draw your way across a crevass or through a solid wall. Drawing with the wii-mote makes me wonder how anyone ever used a joystick to do the same thing, although it takes a little practice to get the lines straight.

The combat is where the flaws of the Wii controls stand out; things can get rocky with certain weapons, as the motion sensitive controls do not always make the most sense for timing precise attacks, especially when you need to hold a certain position to charge an attack and then move to release it. Still, all the weapons are usable with practice, although it's true that the dodge move bought at the Dojo (which you can choose not to buy, with no penalties) rarely goes the direction you move the Nunchuck. However, the quickness with which you can draw using the Celestial Brush outweighs this disadvantage in my opinion, although I have not personally played the PS2 version.

In conclusion, for those new to the game, I would give my highest recommendation. For those who already caught it on the PS2, without any new content it's hard to justify the purchase just for the control change. Looking back at the sad story of Clover Studio's disbanding, it's truly a pity we aren't playing a sequel instead of a port, even if a game like this is hard to top.

EDIT: An addendum. Of note to those playing this game on the Wii is the fact that Capcom has cut the original staff credits/epilogue at the end of the game, a beautiful 5 minute cinematic set to the "Reset" song (japanese lyrics). Apparently this was simply because the cinematic contains the clover studios logo, which they do not own the rights to. The credits cinematic is an essential part of the ending I feel, and I am saddened that Capcom did not include it. If you beat the game, I would recommend you find it on Youtube as soon as the ending sequence they left in concludes.

Fantastic, few flaws

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 3 / 3
Date: April 24, 2008
Author: Amazon User

Amazing game.

If you missed out on the PS2 game and own a wii, buy this. Now.

The graphics are unique and creative, gameplay is solid (with only slight control problems), and the music is fantastic. It supports 420p and widescreen, which even improves the great look of the game even further. The story is good and presented fantastically. It has a great deal of similarities to Zelda, but is still very different, which things like the celestial brush. Only problems with it are the slight control problems within combat and a difficult camera system.

Overall, great game.

Astounding!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 5 / 5
Date: April 22, 2008
Author: Amazon User

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.

Still spectacular, a must own

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 13 / 14
Date: April 20, 2008
Author: Amazon User

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.

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