By Stevie Smith Feb 20, 2008, 7:34 GMT
While some videogame titles (mentioning no names) undeservedly sit pretty at the top of the retail charts, assured of their position due to little more than annual upgrades, statistical tweaks, perennial polish and an apathetic public, there are some titles that go unrecognised despite being absolute classics.
The evolution of videogame creativity near demands that Okami is finally given its due on the Nintendo Wii. Credit: Capcom.
For the most part, superb games lost in the ether of franchise mediocrity remain that way, assigned to eternal obscurity while easily appeased gamers willingly laud and raise aloft lacklustre development and a startling lack of creativity.
One such criminally ignored masterpiece is Capcom’s breathtaking Okami, a classic action RPG adventure that appeared on the PlayStation 2 boasting more beauty, style, invention and originality in one game than a certain third-party publisher has in its entire gaming back-catalogue.
However, unlike most standout videogames sucked into the quicksand of oblivion, the game-buying public has been afforded a second chance with Okami, because wolf-god Amaterasu, evil demon Orochi, inch-high artist Issun, and the mighty powers of the Celestial Brush are coming to the Nintendo Wii.
M&C Gaming truly hopes that the motion-sensing attributes of the Wii -- which are perfectly suited for Okami’s various battle and gameplay-related brush strokes -- cause gamers to sit up, take note, and grab the chance to lose themselves in one of the greatest games of the last decade.
Check out this teasing gameplay footage from GDC as sun god Amaterasu battles to beat back Orochi’s clawing darkness and restore light and life back into the world. We defy you not to be impressed.
Okami on the Nintendo Wii will be released in North America on March 25, and Europe on March 28. Of course, if you have a PlayStation 2, you can get it now… and you really should.
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