Uh-Ohkami: Capcom botches Okami Wii box art, inadvertently advertises IGN

by Griffin McElroy { Apr 20th 2008 at 11:00AM }

With all the work that goes into the designing, writing, and programming of a game (especially for a title as hotly anticipated as Capcom's waggle-infused port of the PS2 under-appreciated gem Okami), we assumed that there would be one person at every video game publisher who would give the final retail packaging a once-over, keeping a keen eye out for any typos, printing errors, or hidden watermarks from popular video game news sites. Then again, maybe that's just us.

As is the unfortunate case with the Wii Okami box art -- NeoGAF user Bob Digi discovered that right above a permanent "sticker" promoting the game's high score in Play magazine (an unsightly blemish in its own right) sits a fairly clear IGN watermark, the result of the artwork's background being photoshopped from an image on IGN's Okami PS2 site. Then again, perhaps the game underwent some serious changes in its Nintendo transition, and now features protagonist Amaterasu traveling throughout feudal Japan, devouring the logos of major gaming news sites.

[Thanks, Riven.]

Tags: boxart, capcom, ign, neogaf, nintendo, okami, okamiwii, readyatdawn, watermark, wii

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 3)

dmbrandon @ Apr 20th 2008 11:04AM

Ameratsu looks as if he's trying to eat it. Maybe it wasn't a mistake... c_c

Joe @ Apr 20th 2008 12:03PM

Ammy is female.

NukeAssault @ Apr 20th 2008 12:42PM

Female eh? Ive just gained interest in this game.

Vegnagun bwf @ Apr 20th 2008 1:20PM

NukeAssault is a furry.

Neebs @ Apr 20th 2008 1:34PM

Furry eh? Ive just lost interest in this comment thread.

forestofdeath @ Apr 20th 2008 1:48PM

amaterasu is a female! how DARE you.

freelance @ Apr 20th 2008 4:52PM

"Female eh? Ive just gained interest in this game"
I am curious but I'm not going to ask.

I Love Bowser @ Apr 20th 2008 11:05AM

What a fail...

...though, to be honest, I don't see anything...

...but it's fail anyway.

Rockel @ Apr 20th 2008 11:23AM

I couldn't see it either, but the image in the article isn't a good example. The one they link to, however (http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y56/Xisiqomelir/00001-3.jpg) shows it very clearly.

It's a shame. I preferred this to the original box art.

Jacksons @ Apr 20th 2008 11:26AM

Holy crap, it's not even hard to see in that picture. It's hard to believe someone missed that.

Joshua @ Apr 20th 2008 11:30AM

I couldn't see it at first, either, but I was looking for the acronym "IGN" or something. You have to look directly to the right of Amaterasu's mouth, and be looking for a kind of cross-shaped symbol.

t_m @ Apr 20th 2008 1:06PM

it says IGN too..

FOXHOUND @ Apr 20th 2008 1:28PM

At least it's going in, instead of coming out, right? LoL

Gewurztraminer says: R.O.B. is the last Cylon! @ Apr 20th 2008 3:56PM

I couldn't see it on screen either so I looked at my own copy of the game. Sure enough, still there.

Joshua @ Apr 20th 2008 7:36PM

Yeah, it says "IGN", but it's much harder to see the letters than the symbol.

Cesaria (SSBB: 3136-6466-5083) @ Apr 20th 2008 11:10AM

Nice! I'm going to have to see this for myself. On a side note, this is my first experience with this game, and I must say, it's truly beautiful. I was on the fence whether I should get it for PS2 (which I intend on buying one day) or the Wii and ultimately decided to buy it for the Wii to give the game my full support, and hopefully get more great games like this.

Sir Fidlious Wong (Zeon Defense Force) @ Apr 20th 2008 1:04PM

Not trying to incite a flame war but throwing support to get more great games like this, how?

After all, if you mean supporting a developer who didn't MAKE the game moving it to a new console and ending up with worse controls than the original but charging full price for a 2+ year old game just because it's on Wii, this is behavior to be supported how?

If you mean the sales of this game would leave Capcom with the choice to let Clover resurrect themselves for a sequel, this ship too has sailed to no end and there is no way the original creators will work on the sequel since all have moved on.

If you mean supporting ports of games in the past so they could enjoy a new life on the console, once again I ask where the good idea behind this is because if Okami Wii becomes a success, who's to say certain companies (you know which ones) wouldn't attempt their own plug and plays since this one did so well. And more importantly, we've been seeing this behavior in the past and hating on it, but now it's cool because it's Okami?

I mean, buy it if you want it, but don't say you're throwing your support behind it because all you're doing there is giving EA, Ubisoft, and Activision ideas to raid their back catalogs rather than developing the fresh original wii specific content the system should have been getting from day 1.

t_m @ Apr 20th 2008 1:09PM

well... if they release Beyond Good & Evil and Psychonauts on the Wii (and dont bugger up the controls as much as they reportedly have done on okami) then I say he should support it.

Purely because I want those games to get played by as many people as possible. Even if it is too late to help the devs...

Cesaria (SSBB: 3136-6466-5083) @ Apr 20th 2008 1:44PM

By supporting Okami, I hope to, yes, get a sequel. Or even ports of other forgotten gems like Beyond Good and Evil. What is wrong with supporting a great game? If these great games find an audience on Wii, then everybody wins! Oh, and the control issues are definitely there, but also exaggerated. Slow down and take your time.

Cutty @ Apr 20th 2008 2:57PM

Fidlious Wong: Or maybe people should buy it because it's a superb game?

Tim The Enchanter @ Apr 21st 2008 12:36PM

Burnout had a port to 360 before Burnout Paradise hit. I didn't buy it, but I know people who did. As long as it's fun and they don't mess up the controls, then I say support away people.

nerrrrrrd @ Apr 20th 2008 11:12AM

won't really matter. No one is going to buy this on the Wii either (which is a shame!)

Ninjakamster @ Apr 20th 2008 11:23AM

Well, what makes you think that? I'm guessing this will at least sell decently on the Wii, shouldn't it?

Dopple Boppler @ Apr 20th 2008 12:13PM

I bought it on day one. Heard too much good stuff about it to skip out~

ILPC @ Apr 20th 2008 12:15PM

i ordered it, never had it on PS2 so I thought I'd try it out.

samfish @ Apr 20th 2008 12:50PM

Supposedly retailers are actually moving through their stock very quickly. I personally grabbed the last copy on Friday night (or was it Thursday...I can't remember? Scary.) and various people who work in stores are saying it's having a really good first week.

That's all, of course, completely anecdotal and should be taken with a shaker of salt, but it hopefully bodes well.

nerrrrrrd @ Apr 20th 2008 1:03PM

well I definitely hope it does better on the Wii.

t_m @ Apr 20th 2008 1:14PM

If this sells well it might be an indication that the publishers ten to pull support for these kind of games too quickly.

A lot of game now considered classics didn't sell great at first (Grim Fandango, System Shock 2, Psychonauts, etc..) but I keep running into loads of people who've played them. I think it takes these kind of games a really long while to build up a reputation... and unfortunately, by that time its often too late to pick them up.

Games like these need a long tail... or re-releases.

SoulBlade @ Apr 20th 2008 11:17AM

Joystiq never ceases to have quality 'journalism':

"... Capcom's waggle-infused port..."

Rock on. I'm glad I don't have to pay for any of it... but that's probably why the quality is where it's at.

Esat Dedezade @ Apr 20th 2008 11:22AM

I hope you were being sarcastic.

This is a game blog. Last time I checked fun and lightheartidness were still allowed here?

I for one liked that particular sentence.

If you don't like the journalism then why are you here?

SoulBlade @ Apr 20th 2008 11:27AM

Partly sarcastic. I've been coming less frequently - it's mainly because things like that influence people to be trolls more than contribute intelligently.

I've heard this game was actually really good on the Wii, and since I, like many others, have missed it on the PS2, I'll probably pick it up at some point.

Esat Dedezade @ Apr 20th 2008 11:47AM

Wow, a good mature post by a Joystiq user.

I like this. This is nice.

*To waiter*

Can I get an another orded of non-biased comments with an extra dish of anti-troll sauce?

Hold the flame bait. Thanks :)

playwhutyalike @ Apr 20th 2008 11:54AM

If you're looking for non-biased with the anti-troll sauce you're in the wrong place.

Flamebait is free, whining is extra.

Noshino @ Apr 20th 2008 12:35PM

"Joystiq never ceases to have quality 'journalism'"

Journalism? this is a blog, if you want to brag about Journalism, you should visit 1up, Gamespot, or IGN instead...

"Partly sarcastic. I've been coming less frequently - it's mainly because things like that influence people to be trolls more than contribute intelligently."

There are trolls on every single site that offers the option to post your comments, 1up, Gamespot, Kotaku, IGN, Destructoid, you name it, they have their own share of trolls, but hell, why worry anyway? just like in every other site, Joystiq has about 10 people for every one troll that completly and shamelessly destroy his/her comment...

"I've heard this game was actually really good on the Wii, and since I, like many others, have missed it on the PS2, I'll probably pick it up at some point."

Where in this article do they state that Okami Wii is a bad game?

IGN
"The nunchuk-mapped dodge move, for instance, feels much worse..."
http://wii.ign.com/articles/865/865958p3.html

1up
"Now, too many of those same actions take more tries than they should; drawing simple horizontal lines can cause headaches..."
http://www.1up.com/do/reviewPage?cId=3167381&p=44

Gamespot
"Standard reflectors, on the other hand, may cause you frustration at first, because you can't string attacks together simply by incessantly flinging your remote forward and back...."
http://www.gamespot.com/wii/action/okami/review.html

See? they all agree that side from the Celestial Brush, the controls for the Wii are clumsy, and that that is where the PS2 version beats the Wii one handsdown...

That's exactly what Griffin meant by "waggle-infused port of the PS2 under-appreciated gem"...

Actually, its kind of Ironic that you are bitching about uninformed trolls, yet you just came and bitch about what Griffin said...

Justin B @ Apr 20th 2008 12:39PM

Noshino that was extremely well done.

Fatass of Kickassness @ Apr 20th 2008 12:43PM

Noshino, I'd have to agree with you on all but this little tidbit.

"just like in every other site, Joystiq has about 10 people for every one troll that completly and shamelessly destroy his/her comment..."

Where the heck have you been, dude? As of late, Joystiq has been overrun by tools and trolls. In fact, for every one smart post there are about 10 trolls who have to fuck the comment thread up.

Sir Fidlious Wong (Zeon Defense Force) @ Apr 20th 2008 12:52PM

Wow, SoulBlade, with each passing day you are going beyond the duties of the NDF. Mainly because most of the NDF were not acting like fucktards.

Waggle-Induced port is inciting flamewars.... HOW?!?! How can you POSSIBLY even claim this game isn't a simple port when the developers have stated they left the game, purposely, largely unaltered? When the ONLY advantage this game has over the original is a widescreen mode and largely lauded unresponsive controls related to waggle wanding, where does the comment fall short?

And hate to break it to you but there is no such thing as unbiased news. But if you're expecting as such from a blog, I pity you. I really do. This whole "internet" concept must confuse the fuck out of you.

SoulBlade @ Apr 20th 2008 12:56PM

I'm impressed you took that much time to point out the flaws in my comment. No problem with me though and it was pretty well done - more effort than I've ever put into a comment on a blog ;)

I never meant to imply the article said the game was bad - but just had a problem with "waggle infused" - there's a better way to state that it uses the Wii mote without encouraging the trolls to come out.

DangerMouse @ Apr 20th 2008 1:00PM

Every system takes flak on this site from the bloggers. It's just that when someone insults YOUR favorite system... all of a sudden it's personal, and feelings get hurt. Whatever happened to being self-centered and not giving two shits about what others think? Develop your own opinion and stop caring what others say. It's a childish playground mentality. Get over it.

samfish @ Apr 20th 2008 1:02PM

"I for one liked that particular sentence."

Really? I was rather fond of this sentence:

"As is the unfortunate case with the Wii Okami box art -- NeoGAF user Bob Digi discovered that right above a permanent "sticker" promoting the game's high score in Play magazine (an unsightly blemish in its own right) sits a fairly clear IGN watermark, the result of the artwork's background being photoshopped from an image on IGN's Okami PS2 site."

Look at it! Just look at it! It's a freakin' masterwork. It has proper punctuation, parenthesis, correct use of dashes and capitalization and it's LONG, too! Any other sentence would have been deemed a run-on sentence, thus being roundly and rightly criticized as a piece of crap.

But this...THIS! Such craft! Such skill! I would print this out and hang it on my wall, but that would not do sufficient justice to such a likable sentence.
No, instead I shall project it onto the sky like the bat symbol for all to see so that they, too, might marvel at such flawless word-smithery.

SoulBlade @ Apr 20th 2008 1:43PM

DangerMouse - maybe I'm not making my point clear. I don't care if people hate on the Wii or any other console, but when the posters - the providers of information - are prodding it along, then it's lame. My favorite systems remain the SNES and Dreamcast - I dig the Wii, but I also like the 360 and PS3. I can state faults in all the systems too - but there are those that refuse to recognize the greatness in them.

It's cool to formulate your own opinion - I respect people that do. I can't stand the small minded ones who repeat a lot of the garbage that they read.

/rant - apologies. I'll drop it.

Esat Dedezade @ Apr 20th 2008 4:28PM

Samfish: "word smithery"

Yes, yes, yes, YES!

I am totally adding that phrase to my vocabulary Unless you have copyright protection on it.

In which case may I please add it to my vocabulary?

samfish @ Apr 20th 2008 4:49PM

You'll have to pay a 6% royalty fee per usage, but otherwise, it's all yours, Chief!

Nesagwa @ Apr 20th 2008 11:28AM

This is like that Imagine Babies game that stole images from a clipart site and left the watermark in the final product.

I can guarantee you that whoever was responsible for this is fired yesterday. I know I would be if I did such slackass mistakes at my job.

Rule #1 is dont grab important artwork off the internet.

j.howlett @ Apr 20th 2008 2:26PM

perhaps they didn't have orignal art because Clovers been shut down awhile now

BPM [SSBB: 5026 4120 1186] @ Apr 22nd 2008 4:29AM

I doubt that'd be a problem, as Capcom would have full access to all original content, artwork included.

They were just lazy with this. -_-;

Keiichi @ Apr 20th 2008 11:32AM

Better be sorted for the Euro release. That is shoddy presentation beyond compare.

elmer @ Apr 20th 2008 11:32AM

This port has been one painful failure after another.

Nearly two years late, but still rushed, but somehow delayed again, zero gaming additions, none of the original team, an under-resourced American team put to picking through lost hard-drives, failure to implement the parchment effect that represents the original artistic vision, from what I'm hearing a mixed bag on motion controls, disk read errors and now this, stolen effort free artwork.

I think Capcom has done as much as they possibly can to ensure the Wii port of this game will fail, as if to make some insane internal case that if a great game can't sell on Wii then they should cut all resources to Wii development. Judging from the Bionic Commando fiascos, I'd say this sounds like their intention. Remember, they did mention this was another one of their 'Wii tests'.