(In this 3-part series, I’ll be talking about one game that has made me less apathetic toward the game industry of today.)
With its original release date now three years behind us, playing Okami is both very pleasing and a little sad.
As I usually do when I see the hype machine trundling towards me, spewing critical acclaim and imprinting glorious scores on the hapless packaging in its wake, I stayed largely on the sidelines for Clover Studios’ classical Japanese adventure, Okami. It certainly was a curiosity, as woodprint stylings and non-human main characters are not typical fare for a gaming press field-day; and, since it prominently bore the good Capcom name, I did want to believe in it–just a little. Yes, I would try it first, be won over, and then be more than willing to pay the 60 dollar asking price.
Seeing it in action gave me the initial impression of a remarkable style and design. But when my friend let me try his PS2 version starting at the opening cinematic, the illusion fell apart: I was bored stiff by the shadow-puppet storytelling, put off by the cheeky comedy, and found the gameplay to be ridden with that 3-D-action-adventure aimlessness that can never seem to hold my attention. So I put it down, and watched the tide take it out.
Still, the quiet praise for Okami, from almost everyone I knew, echoed throughout the years. (This should have set off some alarms for me, but as my friends would tell you, there’s no rushing me.)
Thankfully, time does change some things–and with the Wii version of last year, I have come to appreciate just how immersive, masterful, and significant Okami really is.
To be continued….
problemgamer
