PS2 impressions: Okami

by Ross Miller { May 11th 2006 at 7:30AM }

Great game, wrong input. After all this talk about how the Wii's control adds nothing to titles like Madden and Tony Hawk, Capcom's Okami is a title that would really be complemented by the Wii remote (or, better yet, the Nintendo DS's touch screen). The game is beautiful and its use of cel shading is rich and artistic, the control scheme has a wonderful pick-up-and-play-feel (the embedded tutorial in the demo helped, too). Since on-screen drawing plays a huge role in Okami, we felt it troublesome that the Dual Shock's controls felt digital: either the on-screen paint brush moved at full speed or it stopped. Since this game requires a delicate art, we're hoping the controls become more sensitive.

Okami, now available in Japan, will hit US shores in September.

Tags: capcom, CCOEF.PK, cel shade, cel shaded, CelShade, CelShaded, shade

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

Zero_ @ May 11th 2006 7:43AM

Did you consider the game's merits without acknowleding that it could be done on other systems? This is a risky game and the Playstation 2 is possesses the largest potential market. This game looks fantastic and from what I've read, plays fantastic as well, so it's definetly on my list for this generation.

Cringercat @ May 11th 2006 8:31AM

Playing it right now, great game! And yes, the wiimote could benefit this game.

ZombieWrangler @ May 11th 2006 9:19AM

I've been playing around with the demo of Okami and I think it's wonderful. Yes, I'll agree that the game would have been interesting on the Wii, but the controls are really simple to learn on PS2 and easy to get used to. I'm not sure that the Wii would have had that success.

It deffinetly would not have been as easy to intigrate the brush moves with the fighting. In general, it would be frusterating to have to turn the controller everytime you wanted paint. So would this have led to a different style controller, with yet ANOTHER thing for the Wii that we would be forced to purchase seperately? Or would it have changed the scematics of the game into more painting, less exploring and fighting? I think either would have made the game less disirable.

Gonzo @ May 11th 2006 9:48AM

I'm definitely getting the ps2 version but I also thought it would be perfect for the DS when I first saw it.
I just hope it ends up being as rich as it looks.

Shabran @ May 11th 2006 10:29AM

I have been keeping up-to-date with this game from day one and i have to say this is the most beatiful game that i have ever seen.....PURE ART FORM

But yeah this game would have been excellent on the Wii and as good on the Nintendo DS. I feel that the brushing aspect of the game plays a larger part than most expect so would have been desirable on the DS and/or the Nintendo Wii

darryl @ May 11th 2006 10:31AM

"Capcom's Okami is a title that would really be complemented by the Wii remote (or, better yet, the Nintendo DS's touch screen)"

Are you guys going to start reviewing games as they are, or as you would like them to be (on Nintendo)? I'm not trying to interrupt the Nintendo circle-jerk that is Joystiq, but this isn't even a Nintendo game! On top of that, you like the game as it is... it's not like the controls suck because the game isn't a good match for the input system. Please spare us the unadulterated fanboyism and focus on each system's own merits, please.

Sieth @ May 11th 2006 10:54AM

I have had the japanese version for a weeks now, it is a great game, but I do think having a control like nintendos would have made the painting section a bit more interesting. The ps2 controls seem not quite as reponsive as I like and later in the game when you have to draw a bit more complex stuff it can get a tad annoying. Other then that, and the fact that it is a bit easy, this is a great game and everyone should buy it when it hits the US.

Jamesology @ May 11th 2006 12:14PM

LMAO for the DS, then the game would look like crap if played in the DS. I played the demo of this game and it's one of those games that the art is part of the gameplay, just like Shadow of Colussus.

Madster @ May 11th 2006 3:32PM

Hm... DS would be a no-go, as the graphics seem quite complex.

PS2 has a big estabilished base, to which niche titles can cater and still get decent numbers. While I agree that Wii's control scheme is a better match (and those who complain about the comparison should watch gameplay videos) I'd say its a matter of timing.

If this game was still on planning stage, maybe they should have aimed for Wii. PS2 is the right choice for launching today.