~Kami...Oh,Kami~

"Okami"...A game developed by "Clover Studios",child company to "Capcom". It seems like all the games that Clover made were all sent to the outskirts of Capcom history, only to be dug up every so often to be referenced in a crossover game. That being said Okami is of course one of those hidden gems that DESERVE more attention than it received.

             Okami is a game that I enjoyed,even before I played it. Visually the game grabbed my attention and pretty much ran with it. Its just simply amazing to look at! The premise is pretty that you control the sun god Amaterasu (who HERself is pretty much a really bad ass wolf), who has to rid the world of evil with her smiting paint of death while helping normal folk in the process.  Okami is a blend of action and puzzle solving with beautiful music to go along with it. The game pretty much revolves around using the celestial brush to manipulate different elements of the world around you. Such as cutting a tree down to get across a body of water,or other things like that.

            A simple mention from a friend is what prompted me to even look into this game, but if not for the fact there was a motion control Wii version I may not have played this masterpiece of a game. Capcom themselves almost missed out on alot of sales and introducing players to the world of Okami. The port was in limbo for some time because of something Capcom did as the game was being released for the Ps2 which i mention in my last gamer friday post. The team that worked on the original had departed, and their saved work scattered. In short, the Wii port(and i would assume part of the PS3 port) was made almost from scratch, but it was done out of fan support and the development team's love of Okami.

            Like I stated before this game pulled me in with its stylized cel-shaded graphics and its environment based on Japanese folklore. Like mentioned as well the Celestial brush is the main mechanic of the game. Its made only better by the fact that on the Wii and PS3 you can actually draw the strokes of the brush by moving the controller instead of just an analog stick. Even thought the game is fairly easy I cannot recommend this enough for a casual gamer, At the end of the day I think that Okami is  a very relaxing game and is well worth the price tag that is put on it today.

            Again,i wish that Amaterasu had more adventures than the one. There was a quietly released sequel that focuses on a pup with the same powers as the Sun god on the Nintendo DS. This game (Okamiden) however was nowhere near up to par with the original. Maybe Capcom will will one day take her off the leash shes on...Until then Amaterasu will have to "Play dead".

~Ranzignus~