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Breathtaking

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 8 / 11
Date: September 23, 2006
Author: Amazon User

This game is gorgeous. Its rich in Japanese culture and art of course, and the art is just stunning. Ive never seen a game look more beautiful than this. It's also easy to get into playing, and enjoyable once you do. Lots of dialogue, but its enchanting so its bearable. The lack of voice acting is a blessing, because thats something that can often ruin a game. Overall its just a joy to experience this game. I havent played games in years, I usually just watch my husband play them, but I played this time and had no trouble figuring out the controls and getting started. Good stuff, if you like japanese culture, lore, if you like wolves, or even if you just appreciate really good art... this is a game you need to try.

A game that came out of the darkness to shock me...

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 5 / 5
Date: September 29, 2006
Author: Amazon User

I was walking through the store the other day when I stumbled upon this gem. I picked it up and immediatly brought it home, and proceeded to dive right into it. I was immediatly greeted with a tale out of Japanese (Shinto) folklore.

I was mainly suprised because I had heard of the Japanese game, but had not heard that any US company was translating it. The translation is excellent, although they committed the usual sin of shortening some of the more complex japanese names for people, places, and gods.

You control the sun Goddess (genderless in the game) who has come down in the form of a wolf to rid Japan of a demonic curse of darkness. I'll give you a basic rundown on what to expect from the game in what I consider a few key areas.

The Good:

- Graphics: The graphics are simply amazing. Its almost like the whole game is in the visual style of the old Japanese ink brush paintings. The vivid colors and light vs. dark playing off each other are beautiful. They might not be ultrarealistic, but they are amazing to watch.

- Sound: The sound in the game is absolutely amazing in all details EXCEPT the gibberish used for interaction with people (gets annoying after a while). The traditional japanese music and the other sounds in the game add to the experience.

- Story: Imagine taking characters from tons of Japanese folklore, various stories from the folklore, and then rolling them all into one big fight to restore the island of Japan to beauty. I don't want to spoil any of it for you, but suffice it to say I am looking into getting a book on Shinto folklore.

- Gameplay: I am going to split gameplay into two parts. first is the basic adventure style gameplay. You control a wolf. You can run and the longer you run the faster you will start running. You can jump, and even double jump off of a wall. You can headbut things. Its your basic adventure controls but in the context of controlling a wolf. I won't go into it much except to say that it controls very well, and is very comfortable to use. I've played some games where it was more frustrating to control and it detracted from the game, this is not one of them.

Second is the Celestial Brush controls. You'll notice a lot of the world is outlined in black. This is because you can hit R1 and use your brush powers at any time in the game. The game tilts and its like you're staring at a frame out of the game drawn with the japanese brush and ink. The amazing part is you can control the brush with the analog stick and touch it to the paper with Square. This allows you to paint, and depending on what you paint various things happen in the game world. This goes from repairing bridges and water-powered mills, to bringing gusts of air to power windmills, to slashing through enemies or rocks, on through a total of 13 special powers. It controls very well, and the switch between the regular game and the painting is instantaneous. It gives you the feeling you're really controlling a god in the form of a wolf.

Yes...it's that good.

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 5 / 5
Date: October 08, 2006
Author: Amazon User

I won't go into the technical aspects of the game here - other reviewers have already done that, and it'd just be redundant. You know how the game plays, what you're probably wondering is...what's so special about it? Why does everyone fall so insanely in love with it? Besides the Celestial Brush, it doesn't sound *that* unique/inventive. So, here I'll go into the little things that make this game truly something special. Don't worry, I won't list everything you'll discover - that'd be spoiling the fun for you. I'll just say that I spent an HOUR simply running around the first main area you come across, and I still haven't found all the secrets.

This is one of those rare games in which it's simply fun to move. When you run, you gradually go faster and faster, until you're speeding along with flowers erupting in your trail. When you jump, you leap gracefully in the air. When you jump off walls, fall leaves/grass erupts where you touched the wall. Sure, they're just graphical effects and don't stay permanently, but they're nice touches that just have to bring a smile to your face. As you play the game, you gain more moves, and it becomes that much more fun.

You can "pause" the game at any time by pressing R1 - this makes the screen go into a sepia tone, making it look like beautiful sketches on a scroll. You can swing the camera around and view the frozen action onscreen. This, of course, leads to you pulling off cool maneuvers and pressing R1 at JUST the right moment to view the cool, graceful action onscreen.

Use the brush at any moment to draw your powers, draw a smiley face (which will simply fade when you release R1), or just draw a big blob of ink on the person/enemy (they'll be covered in ink when you release R1, and they'll pause, surprised, and then shake it off). Draw dots in the night sky and watch stars appear, then fall away - shooting stars, created by you for the people of this cursed land.

...The same people who call you "Snowy", or "Chalky", or "Snowball." There's something incredibly special and satisfying about being this powerful being who saves the land...and the people you're saving have no idea it's YOU. I love Amaterasu in this game...she's not doing it for praise, for glory, for adoration. She's just doing it for the people. You save the village, everybody's happy - and they just might share some food with the stray white wolf who appears at their celebration. On the other side of the coin (or spiritual realm, literally) - whenever you meet another god, they're all bowing to you, worshipping you, acknowledging your power (she's the Mother of All, after all). But Amaterasu takes it all with the same dignity she does the villagers.

Ridiculously enough, the game only gets better as you progress. The areas you go, and the situations you run into - it's just beyond your imagination. The characters you meet are all extremely memorable, the story is awesome, the gameplay deepens and expands - the combat becomes even more awesome as you learn new moves and gain new weapons. And of course the new brush techniques you learn open up abilities you simply couldn't conceive of before.

The ONLY thing I think you should be aware of is that, besides the things you do for the plot, such as clearing a cursed area, nothing you do with your powers seems permament. You can draw the sun in the daytime sky, and it'll shine proud and red...for all of 10 seconds. You can create trees and grass, and people will gape and animals will run towards them...but they disappear in 5 seconds. Drop a bomb in front of a villager and they'll go flying...then disappear and reappear back at their previous location, happily doing whatever activity they were doing before. But while disappointing, it also adds some flexibility to your powers - would it REALLY be fun if everything you did was permanent? Of course not - you'd be afraid to try anything for fear of killing off someone, or whatever. It's nice to be able to play a "freeform" game like this and not have to worry about Factions and things like that.

I also wasn't too thrilled with the music, ESPECIALLY the music that plays when you use the Celestial brush. It wasn't BAD, but it was definitely...I don't know, Medieval Japanese? It obviously went very well with the rest of the game, but just wasn't to my personal taste. It certainly wasn't bad, though, and really did help set the mood and add to the game.

Overall - yes, you should buy this. You're guaranteed to smile, to have fun, to enjoy yourself. And the best part is, it's at least a 30-40 hour long game. That's easily worth the $40 you have to pay to own this masterpiece.

A masterpiece on the PS2 and maybe even games in general

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 5 / 6
Date: September 26, 2006
Author: Amazon User

In an interview, David Jaffe, the man behind the overrated/slightly enjoyable God of War said that game execs were thinking in terms of franchise and sequels rather than creating something good and original. We have Okami from Clover Studios which not only has a quite striking and beautiful graphic style but a unique gameplay idea which made many magazine and website people make it a buzz game and a must play. It's certainly a great game and one that, unfortunately, probably won't get as much attention as it should.

Story: In Kamini Village, it became a tradition to offer a maiden to the dreaded demon Orochi. But when one maiden is picked which a swordsman named Nagi harbors a love for, he steps in to take him down only he's not as powerful. A white wolf named Shiranui steps in and helps and vanquishes Orochi before Shiranui succumbs to his injuries. 100 years later, Orochi is reborn and the white wolf is brought back with the spirit of the powerful god Amaratesu and with the help of a companion Issun, the mystical Celestial Brush and Nagi's descendant have to once again bring down Orochi.

Graphics: I always grow suspicious of game creators' claims that a game is a painting come to life and whatnot but with Okami that's literally the case. It makes you feel that you're literally inside a painting and such scenes, such as restorations of cursed areas are quite beautiful and awesome. And I never got tired of seeing them either with probably my favorite effect being the water splashes and waterfalls. This is an example of a game creating an atmosphere and not needed expensive flashy FMV's to do it.

Sound/Music: Similar to Animal Crossing, the characters don't necessarily speak in English but in gibberish with English text provided. While it is disappointing that there's no voice, it probably would've took too much space anyway but seeing a dramatic scene and see character ramble like they're intoxicated is kind of odd. The music though is quite appropriate and even lovely in places.

Gameplay: One of the 2 aspects to get attention, one of which being the graphics, was the Celestial Brush. Basically you can unleash your inner Picasso where pressing R1 turns the screen into a canvas where you can draw certain shapes. Enemies can be cut by drawing a straight line, trees and flowers can be fully restored and bloom by drawing a circle around it and there's others but I don't want to spoil them. While there's not a lot of variety in the patterns, it's still quite a cool gameplay idea that never gets stale or useless.

The game isn't really chockful of sidequests where you have to hunt down certain people or do certain things to get anywhere but instead it offers a whole range of stuff to do that is optional yet recommended. Certain actions, such as feeding animals or restoring trees and cursed grass nets you Praise, which you can use to upgrade your guy, by getting him more ink or more health. You'll become a bounty hunter going after certain enemies on your wanted list and filling your fish catalog when you go fishing. There's so much to do that it seems daunting but that's ok, it works just fine.

Should you play Okami? Definately. Like fans of Ico who didn't get it upon initial release. Okami will probably get fans that way as well, unless people find its merits right from the get-go.

Game Of The Year!!!!!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 5 / 6
Date: October 19, 2006
Author: Amazon User

When I first looked at this game in the store I wasn't real sure about it. I was totally surprised when I got it home and tried it out. It starts out slow but that is only to prepare you for what is to come! It has the greatest storyline and add great graphics, wonderful characters and easy to learn controls. Put all that together and you have OKAMI!! I am an avid gamer I love all types but mainly enjoy action/adventure. I am a 36 year old mother of 4 and I so enjoy sitting down with my kids and kicking their butt (in a game of coarse)we all have so much fun together. I know that alot of people look down at video games in general but I DO SPEND QUALITY TIME with my kids! Anyway, this game was an absolute masterpiece! It had it all! I have played god Of War, Samari Warriors 1,2 & EX. Legends, Dynasty Warriors, Norrath, Balders Gate just to name a few. This game was the icing on the cake! I have never written reviews about any games before but I just couldn't keep from saying something about this game!! I plan to play it over and over because I know there is plenty more to do in this game that I may have missed the first time. This game has to be a qualifier for, if not the winner for GAME OF THE YEAR!!!!
Respectfully,
Pretty Mama

Mmmm, Mmm. I love the smell of fresh games :)

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 4 / 4
Date: December 12, 2006
Author: Amazon User

WOW! This game is extremely awesome. The graphics are a style all their own. The spoken dialog is refreshingly unique. The battles are really cool. The boss battles will keep your brain on edge. (In a Good Way :)
If your looking for a nice change of pace then buy this game. I fear Okami will be one of those missed treasures.

absolutely stunning

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 4 / 4
Date: January 06, 2007
Author: Amazon User

Okami is stunningly beautiful.

the controls are easy to master, the brush techniques are explained well and are a welcome change to standard gameplay. The story is well written, compelling, and (along with all the clever side quests) offer at least 50 hours of play. The characters are memorable, the humor falls a tad bit short in a few instances but generally, when it was intended that the player be laughing out loud, I was.

Graphics: 10/10 simply stunning. the only game i've played that blows me away anymore is Shadow of the Colossus for entirely different reasons. the gameworld is bright and colorful, and while the areas are your typical snow/woods/field, the characters and quests contained inside are always different and leave nothing to be desired.

Sound: 8/10 the music is good... but dialogue grows annoying almost immediately. The designers use a... squiggly? sound for voices. the squiggles and tone/pitch are different for every character, so that you can tell all the major players apart by their voice, but it does get old fast. Otherwise sound is find.

Control: 9/10 simple and very intuitive. The brush techniques are explained and demonstrated very well.

Gameplay: 10/10 the entire game is pure fun. There are... 3? boss fights where you fight the same creature ((under different names, colors, and circumstances)) that may be a bit tiresome, but otherwise it never gets old.

Story: 10/10 the writing is absolutely wonderful. Just when you think you've beaten the game, a new evil is introduced, and while this might become old for some, the numerous sidequests offer a welcome change of pace; I especially loved the 2 girls you have to impress w/ your brush techniques.

Overall: 10/10 You owe it to yourself to *at least* rent this game, this is definitely a Must-Have for *any* gamer. It's a shame that Clover was shut down, they've done an amazing job.

Beautiful and Original

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 4 / 4
Date: October 23, 2006
Author: Amazon User

Okami rates among the most beautiful games I've ever seen.

The main point of the game is that you're the reincarnation of a god, awakened after a hundred years to dispatch of the evil that's overtaken the land. The entire landscape is bleak and dead--affected by the evil, and it's your task to both fight the ultimate evil, and restore the land using various techniques you learn throughout the game.

One of the really interesting aspects of the game is that, since the main character is folk tale diety (in the form of a wolf), the player can affect the environment of the game by drawing with a calligraphy brush. A circle stroke in the sky creates a sun to turn night into day. Another stroke across a dead tree brings it bursting into full bloom. A slashing stroke across your enemies cuts them.

My only minor complaint so far is that perhaps it does a little too much shepherding in terms of letting you know where to go next. However, this doesn't detract for the game overall. At the same time, the player does have a good deal of freedom--I haven't felt railroaded through the storyline at all. Perhaps the extra guidance will make this game more accessible also for people who aren't usually gamers.

If you're looking for something visually interesting, occasionally humorous, and with very different gameplay from the usual fare, Okami is highly recommended.

Game of the Year?

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 4 / 4
Date: December 18, 2006
Author: Amazon User

Even though it is on a "last-gen" system, Okami is a real contender for the 2006 Game of the Year. That alone should give some idea of just how wonderful the game is. The graphics are nothing short of works of art. The gameplay and story line is extremely innovative -- finally a breath of fresh air in the industry!

Give this game a try, it is definately worth a chance.

Zelda for the PS2

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 4 / 5
Date: November 10, 2006
Author: Amazon User

Okami is a fantastic game, perhaps the last great game released on the PS2. Stylish, fun, and packed with a good bit of humor, this game kept me occupied for over a week. Although it can certainly be played a good bit faster, most people will probably rack up 30+ hours playing this game through the first time. The action-adventure style gameplay owes quite a bit to the Zelda series, but the celestial brush adds a nice (and original) gameplay element.

Okami is not overly difficult, I found it a bit on the easy side. The camera can also be a bit troublesome in a few places as well, but I would be hard pressed to find many other faults with this game. Unless you have a real dislike for cel-shaded graphics, I would heartily recommend this game for any PS2 owner.

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