It's been a long time coming, but finally Capcom's stunning Okami has hit the aging PlayStation 2. And there are few games this year that can hold a candle to it. We've previewed the hell out of Okami over the past two years, and for a while there, it was looking as though the game might fall foul to its own lengthy development cycle. But, having been well received in Japan earlier this year, I can happily report that the U.S. localization is just as impressive. This is more than likely the best game released for the PS2 this year, and certainly one of the most visually stunning games of all time.

There are many comparisons being made to Nintendo's The Legend of Zelda franchise, and while some of the core gameplay elements are very similar, I believe it's a disservice to Okami to brand it as such. There's no doubt that Okami has enough of its own unique substance to stand alone in a genre that's overly full of clones and rip-offs. Link still does his own thing, and now Amaterasu the white wolf has carved herself a niche right there along side him.

The premise of the game sees you assume the role of the sun god Amaterasu, who appears in the mortal lands of Nippon in the form of a white wolf. Along with your pint-sized helper, Issun (who's somewhat of a master calligrapher), it's your task to take on the evil eight-headed demon Orochi and prevent the destruction of Nippon and all its inhabitants. To do this, you'll find yourself traveling the lands, restoring the balance of nature to the trees, fields and forest-dwelling animals with your godly powers.


This is where the very cool and original celestial brush gameplay mechanic comes into play. Amaterasu is able to interact with the world via this magical brush, and as such can bring dead trees to life, remove cursed sections of environment, and take on enemies and bosses too. There are 15 different brush techniques to master throughout the course of the game, some of which range from passive abilities like fixing broken bridges or creating giant Lilly pads on bodies of water, while others perform offensive moves like slashing rocks in half or shooting celestial bullets.

The sheer variety and creativity behind the celestial brush is one of the most engaging reasons to play Okami. It adds a whole new dimension to the 3D action-adventure genre. The core gameplay involves exploring the vast lands of Nippon, solving puzzles, removing the various curses, and interacting with a myriad of different NPCs. Each NPC has something to say, and another one of Okami's strong points is the storyline. The localization from the Japanese version of the game has been done impeccably. Amusing and witty dialogue conveys the plot very well to the player, and I never tired of reading about the backstory. It adds so much to a game when the story is told in an interesting manner.