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Games => General Gaming => Topic started by: ScaryTooth on Friday, September 15, 2006, 08:02:40 PM

Title: Okami Reviewed.
Post by: ScaryTooth on Friday, September 15, 2006, 08:02:40 PM

By IGN, got a 9.1 (http://ps2.ign.com/articles/733/733122p1.html)

I'm betting Greg gives it a 9.0 even Monday, when his review goes up. I've been messing with the demo, and it rocks. Can't wait to pick it up next week.

Title: Re: Okami Reviewed.
Post by: ScaryTooth on Monday, September 18, 2006, 05:19:20 PM

Wasn't Gamespot supposed to review this tonight?

Oh well.

Title: Re: Okami Reviewed.
Post by: sirean_syan on Monday, September 18, 2006, 06:10:12 PM

I didn't think they posted any sort of time to expect it.

Title: Re: Okami Reviewed.
Post by: wizall on Monday, September 18, 2006, 06:33:40 PM

http://www.gamespot.com/ps2/adventure/okami/review.html (http://www.gamespot.com/ps2/adventure/okami/review.html)

Nice guess, man.  Yeah, this looks like an immediate buy.

Title: Re: Okami Reviewed.
Post by: sirean_syan on Monday, September 18, 2006, 06:42:13 PM

Oh, heck yeah.

We've got a winner. Odds are my copy won't show up until later this week, but I think I can wait.

Title: Re: Okami Reviewed.
Post by: ScaryTooth on Monday, September 18, 2006, 06:47:32 PM

Sweet!

I watched their live show last week, and Kasavin said he was going to review it, and that it should be up Monday. Should be good.

Title: Re: Okami Reviewed.
Post by: Quemaqua on Monday, September 18, 2006, 07:13:34 PM

Man that looks good.  Damn it to hell.  I can't afford all these games!!  Somebody want to buy a slightly used kidney?

Title: Re: Okami Reviewed.
Post by: ScaryTooth on Monday, September 18, 2006, 07:20:33 PM

You could always donate blood. They give you like $60 or something don't they?

Title: Re: Okami Reviewed.
Post by: Quemaqua on Monday, September 18, 2006, 07:23:45 PM

They still pay?  I thought they'd stopped doing that.  Heh.  That'd be a weird way to support my habit...

EDIT - Fuck.  I read the review more completely, and I can't even tell you how much I want this now.  It sounds like pretty much everything we'd hoped it would be it actually is, and that's a very, very good thing.

Title: Re: Okami Reviewed.
Post by: idolminds on Monday, September 18, 2006, 08:38:02 PM

They pay for blood? I was just giving it away! What a fool I've been!

Title: Re: Okami Reviewed.
Post by: Pugnate on Monday, September 18, 2006, 11:12:47 PM

Quote from: Quemaqua on Monday, September 18, 2006, 07:13:34 PM

Man that looks good.  Damn it to hell.  I can't afford all these games!!  Somebody want to buy a slightly used kidney?

I will arrange the money now, but I will hold you to your promise. One morning you will wake up on bed with red sheets and feeling slightly lighter on one side.

But first I have to check if your kidney is compatible with that creature I am building.

Quote

You could always donate blood. They give you like $60 or something don't they?

I've donated blood a couple of times. Never got paid. I guess the keyword is donate.

Quote

They still pay?  I thought they'd stopped doing that.  Heh.  That'd be a weird way to support my habit.

haha... you'd be reverse vampire man or something. Hey what was that crazy nick Sirean gave you? Inverse Man?

Quote

They pay for blood? I was just giving it away! What a fool I've been!

Haha!

Anyway Okami looks fantastic. It is funny how the GC and Xbox stopped getting great titles long ago yet the PS2 continues to score.

Title: Re: Okami Reviewed.
Post by: Quemaqua on Monday, September 18, 2006, 11:18:03 PM

It's a testament to the staying power of the PS2, I think.  It really dominated this generation by a huge margin.

Title: Re: Okami Reviewed.
Post by: PyroMenace on Monday, September 18, 2006, 11:27:45 PM

Oh hell fucking yes... finally a game to get sucked into.

Title: Re: Okami Reviewed.
Post by: Quemaqua on Tuesday, September 19, 2006, 07:37:36 AM

Kas' video review is up!

Title: Re: Okami Reviewed.
Post by: PyroMenace on Tuesday, September 19, 2006, 12:05:02 PM

Its game length clocks in at 30 hours, freaking awesome! and its even more gorgeous looking than I thought. Must have now!

Title: Re: Okami Reviewed.
Post by: sirean_syan on Tuesday, September 19, 2006, 02:21:07 PM

That's pretty amazing that it turned out that long. Almost nothing breaks the 15 hour mark that isn't a long-winded RPG these days, or ever for that matter.

Title: Re: Okami Reviewed.
Post by: Quemaqua on Tuesday, September 19, 2006, 05:36:45 PM

Yeah.  That actually makes me really happy since I love it when action/adventure games like this are nice and big.  Because they're generally so immediate (pretty graphics, fun little things to do, lots of crap to find and pick up), a bigger world can often be a good thing even if it doesn't make the game outright longer in itself.  But the fact that this one *does* add significant time, and the fact that it really doesn't drag out at all (so sayeth Kas, anyway)... that's just more than we could ask for.  I was actually expecting the game to be rather short just from what I'd seen previously.  I'm very glad to know that isn't the case.

Title: Re: Okami Reviewed.
Post by: Cobra951 on Tuesday, September 19, 2006, 07:18:31 PM

Holy cow, where did this come from?  Just watched the GS video review, and I gotta have it.  Will give me something feel-good to do for a change.

Edit:  Yeah, the epic length is said to be genuine, not extreme difficulty or needless repetition.

Title: Re: Okami Reviewed.
Post by: Quemaqua on Tuesday, September 19, 2006, 07:20:09 PM

Believe it or not, I actually wrote a poem about it today.  I know, I'm weird.  I find inspiration in odd places.  I'll post it later.

Title: Re: Okami Reviewed.
Post by: JacksRag(e) on Tuesday, September 19, 2006, 08:42:38 PM

Quote from: Quemaqua on Tuesday, September 19, 2006, 07:20:09 PM

Believe it or not, I actually wrote a poem about it today.  I know, I'm weird.  I find inspiration in odd places.  I'll post it later.

No, it's ok, you don't really have to.
Jokes jokes!

This game is so pretty I may just end up trying to buy it even though I don't even own a PS2.  I did that for Katamari Damacy.

Title: Re: Okami Reviewed.
Post by: Quemaqua on Tuesday, September 19, 2006, 09:38:48 PM

Well, there you go, as promised (http://www.overwritten.net/forum/index.php?topic=209.0).

Title: Re: Okami Reviewed.
Post by: Cobra951 on Wednesday, September 20, 2006, 02:59:54 PM

Got it!  It started out slow, but it's getting better.  (Get ready to spend about 20 minutes on the lead-off story.  Mostly reading and watching.  At first, you can't even speed up the text, which gets annoying.)  It's similar to Zelda, in the sense that you have this little critter sort of leading you by the nose.  Lots of interruptons with "do this" and "now do that".  There are fake voices too reminiscent of Banjo-Kazooie.  I can see that on 32MB N64 carts, not DVDs.  The brush mechanic takes a bit of time to get used to.  It's real easy, though.  So is combat, so far.  The look is, well, surreal, with cel-shading.  Part of the (short) learning curve is just understanding what it is you're looking at sometimes.  I like how you can destroy almost anything that doesn't serve some other purpose.  The gameplay mechanics are very good--great control, complete camera control, with exceptions in some places.

So first impressions are good, but I still have much to get used to.  It has some Zelda OoT flavor, with a radical look.

(http://home.cinci.rr.com/jgoods/images/Okami01.jpg)

Title: Re: Okami Reviewed.
Post by: Quemaqua on Wednesday, September 20, 2006, 06:07:51 PM

I picked it up today as well along with the guide so that Julia can play it later (she likes guides... even if she doesn't use them super heavily, they make her feel more secure and help pursuade her to try new things).  I'm really looking forward to it.  It's supposed to be super easy, which I could go for right now.  I need something to help me relax.

Title: Re: Okami Reviewed.
Post by: Cobra951 on Wednesday, September 20, 2006, 09:49:09 PM

Yeah, too easy, really.  I don't just mean the fighting, but everything is too spoon-fed.  It's a neat game which sorely needs an adult mode.  Turn off about 2/3rds of the hints,  info repetitions and spelling out of obvious conclusions, and it would be one hell of a game.  As it is, I'm enjoying it, but wishing for a speed-up button like on emulators.  It will suck you in.  I've put in over 8 hours today, according to the game saves.  I love just running around the world to see what I can do and find.  The Zelda influence is obvious, and that's not a bad thing at all.  I love games like this, and it's been a long while since Wind Waker.

(http://home.cinci.rr.com/jgoods/images/Okami16.jpg)

Title: Re: Okami Reviewed.
Post by: Quemaqua on Wednesday, September 20, 2006, 10:31:15 PM

I absolutely love it.  I agree that it's been a bit spoon fed thus far, and it would be nice if it didn't cater to you quite as much, but I can completely deal with it.  It really hasn't lessened my enjoyment of the game at all.

But yes, the game is unbelievable overall.  It's just so... so... I don't know.  It's one of those storybook themes that just tugs at my heartstrings.  I live for this kind of thing.  And the art is absolutely incredible.  The way the black bleeds as it moves and when you jump through it, like the world is constantly being painted over... amazing.  This is the kind of game I could spend a billion hours with and be perfectly happy every minute.  If things continue as good as the first few hours have been, then I'll be a happy boy.

Title: Re: Okami Reviewed.
Post by: PyroMenace on Wednesday, September 20, 2006, 10:59:42 PM

I'm thinking about getting it for this weekend to play. I want it sooo bad.

Title: Re: Okami Reviewed.
Post by: ScaryTooth on Wednesday, September 20, 2006, 11:41:32 PM

I only got to play it for about 40 minutes tonight, and I just couldn't keep my eyes open. I just kind of passed out. Not that the game was boring or anything, I was just so damn zoinked. I've worked 36 hours in the last 3 days, and I worked 62 hours last week. And now I actually have the next 4 days off. Gonna spend a lot of that time playing this. Gonna dive right into it as soon as I wake up tomorrow.

But those 40 minutes were great.

Anyone else get the cool art board thing?

Title: Re: Okami Reviewed.
Post by: sirean_syan on Thursday, September 21, 2006, 12:29:40 AM

I'm supposed to. My copy of the game probably won't arrive until Friday. It's too bad I'll be out town for the weekend, but I really can't wait until I can dive in.

Title: Re: Okami Reviewed.
Post by: Quemaqua on Thursday, September 21, 2006, 07:25:53 AM

I'm mad that I didn't preorder.  I just never really know how I'm going to squeeze money out these days so it's hard to do that sometimes.  I'd have loved to get the art board, but I just picked my copy up on the fly.

Played 'till a bit past midnight last night.  At around the 3 hour bar.  Absolutely loving things.

Title: Re: Okami Reviewed.
Post by: ScaryTooth on Thursday, September 21, 2006, 12:15:04 PM

I'm at 4 hours right now. Loving it. The game is beautiful. I also wish the game didn't point stuff out as much as it does, but it doesn't hamper my enjoyment of the game one bit. It's awesome.

And check this out. Saw this earlier. It's a side-by-side comparison of that the game was originally supposed to look like, and the finish product. Pretty cool.

Here (http://www.gamevideos.com/video/id/5057)

Title: Re: Okami Reviewed.
Post by: Quemaqua on Thursday, September 21, 2006, 07:03:59 PM

That's a crazy video, thanks for posting it.  They must never have released footage of that stage of development because I never saw it until it looked the way it does now.  That's really quite interesting.  I find that I'm really in love with the concept as much as I am the art, so I think I'd probably have enjoyed it even if it looked more realistic and all.  Makes you wonder, doesn't it?

Title: Re: Okami Reviewed.
Post by: ScaryTooth on Thursday, September 21, 2006, 09:27:26 PM

This game is so damn cool. I can't find a single thing I don't like. I'm right now at the 10 hour mark or so. Loving every second of it.

Just got past the ruins in the forest a while ago, and now I'm just running around doing various things.

Title: Re: Okami Reviewed.
Post by: Cobra951 on Thursday, September 21, 2006, 11:23:49 PM

Quote from: Quemaqua on Thursday, September 21, 2006, 07:03:59 PM

That's a crazy video, thanks for posting it.  They must never have released footage of that stage of development because I never saw it until it looked the way it does now.  That's really quite interesting.  I find that I'm really in love with the concept as much as I am the art, so I think I'd probably have enjoyed it even if it looked more realistic and all.  Makes you wonder, doesn't it?

I don't think the video on the left is gonna happen real-time on a PS2.  That looks pre-rendered to me, maybe a conceptual sequence.

I've been hammering away at the game, and it does get better. I don't want to give away anything.  It's very special.  Just have fun with it.

It cheats on the hours logged, though, because it does not stop the clock when you pause the game and walk away from it.  I'm not saying the game is short, though.  It's a massive world, with many individual characters and events.

Frustration prevention:  At least in one situation, you can rotate the scene with R1 pressed, to better position the area on which you need to use the brush.  Don't forget this.

(http://home.cinci.rr.com/jgoods/images/Okami22.jpg)

Title: Re: Okami Reviewed.
Post by: Quemaqua on Friday, September 22, 2006, 12:41:04 AM

I think the video on the left could be on the PS2.  It didn't look *that* impressive.  Hard to tell with such a small vid regardless.

But yes, I'm roughly where Scary is, though not at 10 hours.  At about 8 1/2.  And yeah, it does cheat with the pause thing.  I'm actually at 9-something hours, but I have to cut off 1 1/2 hours roughly for pause time.

Anyway, this game is just amazing.  I've debated for a long time what my game-related tattoo might be, and Amaterasu is looking more like the prime candidate every time I turn around.  This has been a great month for me gaming-wise, but I have to say that this game blows all the rest out of the water in a big way.

Title: Re: Okami Reviewed.
Post by: idolminds on Friday, September 22, 2006, 12:44:29 AM

I'm going to wait for a sale since I just got CoH...but I really want this. For some reason I thought it was a side scroller like Viewtiful Joe, but it seems to be even more awesome than that.

Title: Re: Okami Reviewed.
Post by: Quemaqua on Friday, September 22, 2006, 12:50:42 AM

It struck me earlier that this game really hits me emotionally.  I mean, I'm a complete sucker for anything with a kind of storybook vibe to it.  That sort of childlike simplicity of good versus evil where everything is laid out so squarely in front of you.  I think I love that because life is so much different... so complicated and full of mixed messages and confusion about which side is the right side.  It's refreshing to play games like this and just feel at ease.  But that doesn't quite explain why I find this game so beautiful.  It has a great number of silly moments and goofy characters, but there have been numerous times when I just felt like I wanted to cry after something monumental happened.  Am I really as fucked up as I feel, so much that this kind of thing can affect me that much?

Title: Re: Okami Reviewed.
Post by: Cobra951 on Friday, September 22, 2006, 05:55:22 AM

I don't think so.  I get the goose-bumpy jollies whenever I free up an area.  That dramatic scene with everything growing, and the awesome music, brings me a big smile.

The game is truly spectacular.  I really miss being able to play it on my 27" TV and my big stereo.  I know it would have an even better impact on my old setup.  I'm just glad to be able to play it at all.  It might be the last truly outstanding PS2 game.  And for me at least, it dropped out of the sky from nowhere.  Didn't know about it at all, until this thread!

Title: Re: Okami Reviewed.
Post by: sirean_syan on Friday, September 22, 2006, 08:44:52 AM

Damn. I really hope my copy gets here before too long today. I'd love to jump in and get going with all the comments being made.

Edit: Apparently my copy is "Out for Delivery" according to the tracking right now, but that can be decieving. Sometimes packages like that don't actually arrive until very late in the day.

Title: Re: Okami Reviewed.
Post by: ScaryTooth on Friday, September 22, 2006, 04:38:03 PM

I read a thing about how to get more demon fangs. But it wasn't very clear. anyone have a clue?

Title: Re: Okami Reviewed.
Post by: Cobra951 on Friday, September 22, 2006, 05:28:09 PM

The game should give you info on it along the way.  When you kill a baddie, it dies in slow motion.  During that, you need to draw on it with the correct brush technique.  Then it will drop a demon fang.  You're supposed to figure out what technique goes with which enemy.  Try the power slash first.  I think it's the most common.

Title: Re: Okami Reviewed.
Post by: Quemaqua on Friday, September 22, 2006, 06:07:48 PM

Yeah, the little flute-toting imp guys use the slash technique, but I haven't been able to get anything to work on any of the other baddies yet.

I'm currently working on a review for this.  Obviously I haven't finished the game, but I have the skeleton pretty much all fleshed out and the initial expository bits done.  This weekend I'm also going to post my Dead Rising review for general consumption so you guys can see some of the ideas I presented in action.

Title: Re: Okami Reviewed.
Post by: idolminds on Friday, September 22, 2006, 06:30:07 PM

Looks like this will be $40 next week. Really on the fence about buying it. $50 for CoH last week, and DoW expansion comes out in early Oct. Gah...

Title: Re: Okami Reviewed.
Post by: Quemaqua on Friday, September 22, 2006, 06:33:11 PM

It's already $40.  At least it is everywhere I've looked.  It debuted at $39.99.  Go buy it!  You can sell another limb for DoW later.

Title: Re: Okami Reviewed.
Post by: idolminds on Friday, September 22, 2006, 06:42:08 PM

Watch this: Last night I worked overtime in the shop from 3pm to 2am. That should cover the cost of the game and DoW, and put a dent in my future Wii.


I love being able to rationalize things I dont really need! Weee!

Title: Re: Okami Reviewed.
Post by: Quemaqua on Friday, September 22, 2006, 06:44:00 PM

Here are some official Okami wallpapers from Clover that are *awesome* (http://www.cloverstudio.co.jp/gallery/wall/wall04.html).  I hadn't checked out the Jap site yet, glad I did.  The game's official site is here (http://www.o-kami.jp/).  Looks cool, but don't expect to be able to read anything.  But at least those wallpapers are bloody wonderful.

Title: Re: Okami Reviewed.
Post by: sirean_syan on Friday, September 22, 2006, 08:16:01 PM

Well, I got it and managed to put about 45 minutes into it. Very nice... amazingly nice... I wish I could play more but I'm going to drive down to Southern California tonight once Aimee gets home for the weekend.

Oh, don't feel so bad if you didn't get that little pre-order gift. It's pretty cheap and the printed stickers are actually pixelated. The drawing surface is kinda cool, but they certainly didn't put much into this.

Title: Re: Okami Reviewed.
Post by: Quemaqua on Friday, September 22, 2006, 09:03:07 PM

Well, I'll still feel bad, but maybe not *as* bad.  Anyway... have a good trip!  You can play lots when you get back.

Title: Re: Okami Reviewed.
Post by: Cobra951 on Friday, September 22, 2006, 09:57:34 PM

You learn another technique later in the game, to get more demon fangs.  This is too funny.  It's not really a spoiler, but to be on the safe side:

(click to show/hide)

It's called "Golden Fury", and the dojo master just says it's used to "taunt" your enemies into dropping demon fangs.  Well, picture Amaterasu raising a rear leg and letting loose a golden stream.  Hahaha!

Title: Re: Okami Reviewed.
Post by: PyroMenace on Friday, September 22, 2006, 10:29:22 PM

Im getting it tomorrow, the anticipation is killing me!

Title: Re: Okami Reviewed.
Post by: ScaryTooth on Saturday, September 23, 2006, 08:27:48 PM

Those wallpapers are awesome. Just set one as my desktop; the forth one down.

Anyone complete a wanted list yet? Is it just a random encounter when you enter a scroll? Or are they in certain locations or something? I'm pretty sure it's just random. I've only gotten 2 of the first list. now I'm running around looking for more.

Title: Re: Okami Reviewed.
Post by: Quemaqua on Saturday, September 23, 2006, 11:54:26 PM

You get another list in Kusa village, but I haven't gotten anything from that one yet.  I finished the first list.  It's not entirely random, at least I don't think it is.  I think certain enemies appear in certain key locations.  I got one right outside the moon shrine where you get the list, then one at the Pyrotechnicist's place, one by the Hana Valley entrance, etc.

And good, Pyro.  I can't imagine anyone not liking this game.  It's really hard to put down.  Every time I play I find it extremely difficult to get up and go to the bathroom or something.  I'll say, "Okay, I have to go do this," then find that I'm still playing 10 minutes after saying so.

Title: Re: Okami Reviewed.
Post by: Cobra951 on Sunday, September 24, 2006, 06:00:19 AM

I missed that one.  There's at least 3 then.  There's another later in the game, in Seian City.

I have the same problem with leaving the game.  Once I start, I can't stop.  I started to nod late last night while I was just running around looking for stuff.  Can't even get enough sleep.  That's how addicted I am.

Thanks for the wallpapers link.  Those are awesome.  I assume you've already seen the others at the US site (http://ww2.capcom.com/okami/).  (Beware of Macromedia hogness.)

Title: Re: Okami Reviewed.
Post by: ScaryTooth on Sunday, September 24, 2006, 07:55:19 AM

Every second or third scroll you enter seems to be the one where the wanted list guys are. I think.

Title: Re: Okami Reviewed.
Post by: Quemaqua on Sunday, September 24, 2006, 08:27:26 AM

Hadn't even looked at the US site, heh.  Thanks for the link, those wallpapers aren't half bad either.

So I'm not going to let myself play today until I get that Dead Rising review posted.  Those of you too addicted to this game to stop, do please take a break when I post that over in the site forum and let me know what you think about the ideas I have, even if all you do is skip to the end to read the Difficulty Advisor and Parental Advisor sections.  Trying to use this review as a template for future reviews, hoping to come up with some things unique to our site we can use once it goes live.

But it's so hard to not play Okami.  I'm just about to get the last Canine Warrior...

Title: Re: Okami Reviewed.
Post by: Cobra951 on Sunday, September 24, 2006, 08:54:51 AM

OK, I'll try . . .

ftp://cobra951.serveftp.net/OrangeDance.avi  :) (Tee hee!)

Edit:  URL tags force an http:// in front of URLs.  Not cool at all.

Title: Re: Okami Reviewed.
Post by: Quemaqua on Sunday, September 24, 2006, 08:58:09 AM

Heh, your link reroutes me to some SmarFTP ad.  Can't seem to download it directly.  Good thing I've seen it already!

And what are you using to cap all this stuph, Cobra?  I've been thinking about getting something to allow myself to take screens and video from my consoles, but haven't yet decided on anything.  You seem to have some experience in this area.

EDIT - Ah, there's the trouble.  You're right, not cool.  We should report this to Cools.

Title: Re: Okami Reviewed.
Post by: Cobra951 on Sunday, September 24, 2006, 10:41:47 AM

Since I don't have a den anymore, with my TV and stereo set up, I've resorted to hooking up my PS2 to my TV capture card, and playing on the computer monitor and PC speakers.  Not bad, but it would look better on a real TV.  The upside is that I can capture stills and video whenever I want.  It's a Leadtek card, and its software is Winfast PVR.  It captures to MPEG-2 at several different bitrates.  I used Pocket DivX to convert to an AVI.

I think you can probably accomplish the same or better with something like Tivo?  Not sure about that, but I've seen people ask how to convert Tivo to things like PSP MP4s.  I'm sure there's something out there which replaces VCRs with digital capture and storage.

(http://home.cinci.rr.com/jgoods/images/Okami09.jpg)

Title: Re: Okami Reviewed.
Post by: Quemaqua on Sunday, September 24, 2006, 10:49:37 AM

I've seen some USB devices that look pretty attractive as far as convenience, but I wonder about quality.  I don't really want to buy a whole actual card if I can avoid it.  Things are so crowded in that box even as is.  Getting my HDs in and out is a royal pain in the ass.

Title: Re: Okami Reviewed.
Post by: ScaryTooth on Sunday, September 24, 2006, 03:58:08 PM

I think I'm nearing the end.

(click to show/hide)

I just got into the moon cave. But there was a whole other town that I haven't been to. The one with the draw bridge. I'm guessing something happens before I can actually fight Orichi that sends me to that place. Or not?

Title: Re: Okami Reviewed.
Post by: Quemaqua on Sunday, September 24, 2006, 04:06:46 PM

I don't think you're nearing the end.

(click to show/hide)

I'm not far from where you are, and I'm pretty sure you fight Orochi, but that it isn't the last fight.  There's the capital and a few other lands yet we haven't even been to.  So one way or the other, there's more to it.

Title: Re: Okami Reviewed.
Post by: Cobra951 on Sunday, September 24, 2006, 09:44:20 PM

The end?  Mwahaha!

(click to show/hide)

When you think you're done, you're about halfway through.

Title: Re: Okami Reviewed.
Post by: Quemaqua on Sunday, September 24, 2006, 10:03:42 PM

Heh, yeah, I knew it.

(click to show/hide)

More or less what I figured.  Just got passed it myself, things went as expected.  But that's only because I knew there was more to it they couldn't possibly have hidden from me.  It's really a great surprise all in all, because up until then it *would* really have made a nice little complete game.  But it's so nice that it isn't over, and Issun all but says something about this adventure is too great to just end there!  He's totally right.

Title: Re: Okami Reviewed.
Post by: ScaryTooth on Sunday, September 24, 2006, 11:31:22 PM

I was almost done with that section of the game.

(click to show/hide)

I was on the very last head of Orichi, and Meg wanted me to come to bed. So, to be continued tomorrow after work.

Title: Re: Okami Reviewed.
Post by: Quemaqua on Monday, September 25, 2006, 12:10:27 AM

I'm really impressed with the way this game manages to actually keep getting better and better.  I mean, a lot of games try, but a lot of them fail.  They just rehash the same concepts or add another little layer, but it just doesn't really make you feel like things are truly escalating.  This one completely does.  The last bit we've been talking about in spoilers was just incredible, and the cooling off period afterward is just really super pleasant and nice, and then all of a sudden you're off to explore new things and see new people!  I'm really impressed.  Games like this don't usually have that same "just another 10 minutes" kind of gameplay for me, but this one pulls it off and how.  I absolutely can't wait to get home from work tomorrow so I can play again, and that's no easy feat for a game I've been playing for 3+ days and have put nearly 25 hours into.  The fact that I haven't burnt out even a little bit is a testament to the design of this one.  Generally at least the newness wears off a bit even if you still want to play, but I'm almost more excited to get back to it now than I was when I picked the game up at the store.

Title: Re: Okami Reviewed.
Post by: Cobra951 on Monday, September 25, 2006, 06:51:53 AM

It keeps surprising me.  One thing I criticized early was the complete lack of challenge.  I have to revise that.  While you can't really die if you pay attention, I haven't had that early sense of flipping pages in a storybook for most of the game.  There are some genuinely taxing puzzles, and more than once, I've been completely clueless for a while.  It still bugs me when Issun decides that I will do one and only one thing, and refuses even to let me read signs.  But that by-the-nose feeling gets down to a bare minimum, gradually.  That's one of the criticisms I read in a review.  (Gamespot's, I think.)   Okami takes too long to let you have it with both barrels.  Then again, the game is so long that it can afford to take its time letting you fly the nest.

I can see post-partum depression setting in after I finish.  I know I'll go through Okami once more.  I always do that with the special ones (e.g., the 3D Zeldas).  But I have a feeling I'm not going to see another solo adventure of this caliber for a long while.  I fear the void.   :-[

Title: Re: Okami Reviewed.
Post by: Quemaqua on Monday, September 25, 2006, 07:17:50 AM

I feel exactly the same way.  I'm making this take as long as possible and trying my best to enjoy the concept outside of the game a bit (taking the soundtrack to work, going to try my hand at a couple drawings, etc.).  But yeah, at least this is one that can easily be gone through twice.

Title: Re: Okami Reviewed.
Post by: ScaryTooth on Tuesday, September 26, 2006, 03:32:55 PM

This is becoming one of my favorite games of all time. It's somewhere in my top 10 for sure. I love it.

Title: Re: Okami Reviewed.
Post by: Quemaqua on Tuesday, September 26, 2006, 05:37:42 PM

My review is now 99% finished.  Just have to complete it to make sure my few assumptions are correct and to make sure a couple miscellaneous facts are right, and then it's basically done.

Yes, this is easily one of my favorites ever, and I'm pretty well convinced now that the game tattoo I've been debating for a long time is going to be Amaterasu.

Title: Re: Okami Reviewed.
Post by: Cobra951 on Tuesday, September 26, 2006, 08:07:58 PM

Beware of still not being done when you think you are.

I'm having a tough time organizing and expressing my thoughts on the game.  Part of it I'm sure is that I'm over-tired.  But there's also so much I've experienced that I hardly know how to sort it all out. 

Okami is unreal.  It keeps dishing out more and more.  Items and powers are not the whole list of this bounty.  The little surprises just keep popping up.  There are so many side quests and devious little puzzles.  Last night I was laughing my ass off after I finally figured out one of them related to rejuvenating trees.  I spent hours on that one, and while it was getting frustrating, I'm so glad I didn't look up the answer.  (Don't ever do that to yourself with Okami.  Stick it out.  It feels so good when you work it through, and the game has yet to be truly unfair to me.) 

Exploring is very often rewarded.  Everything interconnects, and developing your character makes the pathways multiply.  Revisit places.  Those demon fangs are a lot more useful than I initially thought.  Getting enough means honing combat skills and techniques. 

I'm sure all the constructive complexity did not come about by luck.  The game is masterfully built and polished.  Against the backdrop of games getting shorter and basing their longevity on online multiplay, what an amazing achievement.

Title: Re: Okami Reviewed.
Post by: idolminds on Tuesday, September 26, 2006, 08:09:28 PM

I just bought the game. Woo!

Title: Re: Okami Reviewed.
Post by: Quemaqua on Tuesday, September 26, 2006, 09:18:05 PM

Go idol!

And I'm glad to keep hearing positive things from you, Cobra.  My feelings are basically the same.  Every time something new happens it almost always ends up being really different from the things before it, and I've yet to feel like the game has rehashed at all.  This game packed in so many good ideas, I'm really amazed.  And yes, this is a game where it's great to just keep experimenting and not resort to a guide or whatever.  It's not so hard it can't be figured out, but it's tough enough sometimes to be very rewarding when you actually do.

Title: Re: Okami Reviewed.
Post by: idolminds on Wednesday, September 27, 2006, 12:02:10 AM

Holy crap this game is amazing.

Title: Re: Okami Reviewed.
Post by: Cobra951 on Wednesday, September 27, 2006, 05:43:35 AM

In the DUH! category, I just discovered last night that pressing R3 (right stick inward) quickly positions the camera behind Amaterasu.  It locks it there too, if you hold it in.  (Get ready for a dizzying ride if you do.)  I had glanced at the manual, but not seen this.  So I open it up . . . son of a gun!  There it is.  Oi . . .  I read the rest of the control scheme, carefully this time, and found out another useful tidbit I've been living without for about 40 hours.  Pressing 'square' just before the left analog stick starts you moving at the 2nd speed.  Basically, it's a dash and a run.  I even got through some timed sections of the game without knowing that.  *urgh*

Title: Re: Okami Reviewed.
Post by: Quemaqua on Wednesday, September 27, 2006, 07:42:03 AM

Haha. I didn't know the R3 thing, but I did know the dash!

Title: Re: Okami Reviewed.
Post by: idolminds on Wednesday, September 27, 2006, 09:10:40 AM

It sure is nice to know this when I'm just starting...heh.

Title: Re: Okami Reviewed.
Post by: Quemaqua on Wednesday, September 27, 2006, 11:03:55 PM

And here is some fanart. (http://www.deviantart.com/deviation/40515506/)  Also posted that in the art forum, but I figure half of you don't ever go there and this is relevant to the thread.

Title: Re: Okami Reviewed.
Post by: PyroMenace on Thursday, September 28, 2006, 12:05:22 AM

Its really starting to suck me in now. This game mimics the zelda formula really well, but theres so much more to it than a zelda game... I think the little extras do a better job keeping you busy. The other tasks are more appealing and fun and wrap up with the games theme nicely. I like feeding all the animals I find and rejuvanating every plant.

So far I'm at...

(click to show/hide)

the windmill village, I have to find the rest of the dogs for Princess Fuse. I am eager to tackle the next dungeoun.

Oh and that fan art rocks Que, you did an awesome job.

Title: Re: Okami Reviewed.
Post by: Cobra951 on Thursday, September 28, 2006, 06:14:34 AM

Love the fan art.  Duly downloaded into my growing collection of Okami stuff.

I'm now really stuck on a spinning-gear puzzle.  I'll be giving it another go here shortly.  My one big gripe is being forced to stay put where I am.  The "Zelda formula", as you put it, seldom forces you to stay in a dungeon, facing one thing you can't figure out just yet, ad infinitum, or until you press the power switch in disgust.  I'd love to be able to warp out of here, and just go explore and find things, while my mind mulls over possible puzzle solutions.  I've been careful lately to keep free-roaming saves separate from the locked-up-in-dungeons saves.  But it doesn't make much sense to load up earlier saves if a lot has been accomplished since.  They're nice to show someone the game, and that's about it.

Title: Re: Okami Reviewed.
Post by: ScaryTooth on Thursday, September 28, 2006, 08:25:45 AM

I'm off today again. So, I'm going to sit down and probably spend most of my day with it.

(click to show/hide)

I got to the capital city the night before last. I didn't get to play last night because I was just to damn tired.

Title: Re: Okami Reviewed.
Post by: Cobra951 on Thursday, September 28, 2006, 04:46:16 PM

OK, finished it.  It got tedious for me toward the end.  It gets very linear, and there's a ton of story in slow text to wade through, not to mention difficult passages and a parade of enemies that never seem to take damage from the roomful of weapons I've been collecting for days.  There is some repetition too (but I won't spoil it) which I feel was unnecessary.  The game is very long even without it.  The biggest disappointent was the end-credit music stuttering like crazy.  Pretty song too, damn it.  I had noticed some stuttering earlier in the game, but I thought it was a fluke.  At least one of the videos I got (you get art, music & videos after finishing) stuttered like that also.  The PS2 can't seem to read the data fast enough.  Bummer, bummer.  Instead of being happy happy joy joy after all that work, I'm mired in technical difficulties.  Bah!  Bet you all the working real PS2s (non-overheating, non-slim, non-POS) can handle this just fine.

Good news if you want to start a new game.  You can skip the whole front-end story with a few button presses.  I imagine the rest of the repeat game will work the same.

(http://home.cinci.rr.com/jgoods/images/OkamiEnd1.jpg)(http://home.cinci.rr.com/jgoods/images/OkamiEnd2.jpg)

Title: Re: Okami Reviewed.
Post by: Quemaqua on Thursday, September 28, 2006, 06:59:45 PM

Holy fuck.  104 hours?  Please tell me at least 40% of that is pause-time.

Anyway, that really sucks.  I haven't noticed any skipping yet, but I'm not done with the game so I can't say about the videos and such.  Maybe they'll become available on the web at some point so you can watch them?

I want to play really badly, but I'm far too depressed.  Today just fucking sucked and all I want to do is get obscenely drunk.  Which I can't do because all I have left is a lonely bottle of Guinness.  Sigh.

Title: Re: Okami Reviewed.
Post by: idolminds on Thursday, September 28, 2006, 09:00:51 PM

Me play more. Me like more.

(click to show/hide)

Just beat Crimson Helm and got me some wind power! Woo!

Title: Re: Okami Reviewed.
Post by: Cobra951 on Thursday, September 28, 2006, 09:33:26 PM

I figure it's more like 60% inactive time.  For example, I started a new game tonight and played for a while.  Then it was dinner time, so I saved and paused it.  Came back later, played a bit more, saved again.  The difference in time between the saves was an hour.  The time played was about 20 minutes.  It really sucks that time keeps running during pause.  That completely invalidates the time stat.

I was pissed when I made that post.  I still love the game, and I'm not letting some comparatively minor flaws spoil the whole thing.  I've read a few reports of stuttering and momentary freezing.  (I've had that too, and I can hear the DVD seeking in the console.)  The question then is what's the problem?  Is it individual PS2s going out of spec?  Is it a disc-mastering problem?  Or is it software that was not tested enough on real-world systems?

Title: Re: Okami Reviewed.
Post by: Quemaqua on Thursday, September 28, 2006, 10:33:18 PM

Well, I have an original PS2 and I've got zero problems.  Those slim ones seem to be a nightmare with just about everybody that has one.  Glad I never cracked and bought one.

Title: Re: Okami Reviewed.
Post by: ScaryTooth on Thursday, September 28, 2006, 11:28:04 PM

I have a slim PS2. It's ran great so far. There was only one instance where the game slowed a little. Near the sunken ship. I was on the boat looking toward land, and I was drawing lilly pads. It seemed to make it strain a little.

Title: Re: Okami Reviewed.
Post by: Cobra951 on Friday, September 29, 2006, 06:14:29 AM

Yeah, if you go to the corners of big maps and look back toward the middle, there are some places where you will get slowdown.  Late in the game, there's one where it's rather severe.  But that's not what I was talking about.

I think I may have found the culprit.  I picked up the PS2, and it was *hot*, particularly on the bottom.  Even though it's hard-flat surface on hard-flat surface, there are no legs to speak of on this thing.  So there's very little air space underneath.  What I did was to drape the power and video cables over the external drive that sits flat next to it (and no, that's not the source of the heat--it's forced-air cooled, front to back, nice and cool all over).  That lifts the back of the PS2 up about 2 inches.  It looks precarious, slanted forward like that, but it's stable, and now has a big wedge of air under it.  I shut it off and tried the videos again later.  They worked fine, but I also pulled out the DVD, wiped it, blew on the lens, etc.  (Not a very well-controlled experiment, was it?)  My bet is on the heat, second place is on random misbehavior.  We'll see.

The "start from the beginning" option after finishing the game is quite nice.  It lets you skip absolutely all tutorial and story elements, including filling in constellations.  You also restart with most of whatever you had at the end of the first game.  I wish that didn't include the weapons, because it's a breeze dispatching early baddies with powerful late-game equipment.  Only the final column of weapons is missing, I guess because those are special.  Some of the special items you equip are there too, and again it makes sense why some are missing.  It all seems carefully designed to let you retrace the game with a minimum of fuss.  That suits me just fine.

I'm happy to have all the game music off the menu now.  It's organized by locale in the game, sort of like a chapter menu on a DVD with pictures.  And I got to listen to the end song without stutters.  Yay.  I haven't gone through much of the artwork yet.  I think it's the same as what you get in-game during some cutscenes and character intros.

The game itself is extremely good throughout, although toward the end it did start to feel like a chore--not just because of hard bosses, but also because you can't take 5 steps without running into another puzzle which blocks all progress until solved.  I suppose linearity in the final stretch would be hard to avoid in game design.  But the rewards continue to be there throughout.  I think Okami is required for anyone with a PS2 who still cares about games.  I only wish it had come at a better time in my life, so I could enjoy it more fully.

(http://home.cinci.rr.com/jgoods/images/OkamiArt01.jpg)

Title: Re: Okami Reviewed.
Post by: sirean_syan on Friday, September 29, 2006, 11:07:55 AM

Yeah, my slimmer PS2's been pretty good so far too. It ran GTA:SA pretty well too, much better than even my launch model PS2 did with GTA:III in terms of streaming in info at the time. I assume part of that is code cleanup, but I replaced the system because it was streaming so poorly for San Andreas.

Anywho, I haven't had enough time to really enjoy the game as much as I should. I'm like three or four hours in, tops.

Title: Re: Okami Reviewed.
Post by: gpw12 on Monday, October 02, 2006, 04:28:30 PM

Well, damn.  I just hooked my ps2 up again (in my room so I can play it whenever).  So obviously I have to get this game.  I don't know if I'll buy it just yet (too many other things that demand money right now), but I'll definitly try it out.  Thanks for the reccomendations.

Oh, by the way, can anyone reccomend anyother good ps2 action or rpg games besides God of War, Shadow of the Colossus, and FFX?  Pererably ones that are a bit older?  I plan on tracking down xenosaga since I liked xenogears so much, but I never really followed ps2 releases that much.

Title: Re: Okami Reviewed.
Post by: Quemaqua on Monday, October 02, 2006, 05:38:49 PM

Devil May Cry and Devil May Cry 3 are well worth your time, though avoid the 2nd.  Gungrave: OverDose is cool, but don't pick up the first game (the one minus the subtitle).  That one is really cheap, too.  Shinobi if you're into super-tough ninja action.  Zone of the Enders if you like giant robots... though particularly the 2nd game (first was just kinda' okay).  I don't know if they ever did Soul Reaver for PS2, but I know they did SR2.  Though you played those on PC, right?

That's all I can think of at the moment.  Oh, and ICO if you don't have that yet.  You mentioned Shadow of the Colossus but not ICO, so it had to be mentioned.

Honestly, I really didn't play that many great RPGs on PS2.  Shadow Hearts was actually pretty damned good for an FF-style RPG, and it has a sequel that I never played, but I can't think of much else.

Title: Re: Okami Reviewed.
Post by: gpw12 on Monday, October 02, 2006, 11:17:17 PM

Well, that's a bitch.  I ended up going to a store and couldn't really find much of anything, so I rented Xenosaga Ep 1.  Then the damn disk kept skipping/wouldn't load.  Great.  Originally I thought it was the ps2, but after switching it with my roomates, it must be the disk.  It's in good condition save for a little chip it has on the outer ring, which I guess kills it.  Then in my excitement I bought Xenosage Ep 1 & 2 from ebay for $35 combined with shipping.  Not a bad deal, but it doesn't solve my problem (of wanting to play ps2 games in bed).  Okami  was out and I don't really want to buy it at full price because I'm cheap.  I'll also try to track down Ico and maybe play SoC again, but I'm still a bit pissed off about this disk. 


IT's weird, it would load the starting cinema on one machine and freeze halfway through, while on the other I got nothing at all after the ps2 logo.  You'd think if it could start with the ring damaged it'd be fine, but I guess not.

Title: Re: Okami Reviewed.
Post by: Cobra951 on Tuesday, October 03, 2006, 07:15:04 AM

Cheap reader, cheap media.  Yuck . . .  You know, I would probably pay for a quality PS2-spec system (if I had any money to blow, that is).  I'd love to see something with a 4X load speed, and rock-stable.

You're not going to play through Okami in a rental period.  Even if you take off of work for the 5 days or whtever it is, and just play the game, you'd be hard-pressed to finish it without cheating.  This one's definitely worth the $40.  On the replay here, knowing what to do, and already having many items carried over from the first game, it's still taken me over 20 hours to get about 2/3rd of the way into the game.  (Saves say 30.)

Title: Re: Okami Reviewed.
Post by: gpw11 on Tuesday, October 03, 2006, 11:25:50 AM

Yeah, I'm tempted to but it's not really my ps2.  It's my friend's and although I've had it for about a year and he keeps telling me he doesn't really want it back anytime soon I can't help but think that the day after I buy it he'll want it again. I guess there are like two more in this house, but neither in places I'd want to sit and play for a while.

Title: Re: Okami Reviewed.
Post by: ScaryTooth on Tuesday, October 03, 2006, 01:41:10 PM

I hope to finish off the game tonight. I think I'm getting close.

Title: Re: Okami Reviewed.
Post by: Quemaqua on Tuesday, October 03, 2006, 06:05:07 PM

I still haven't played it for several days.  The bad mood is finally starting to wear off, so I'll probably get back to it at some point relatively soon.  Though since Pyro will be here, that's like 5 nights of no Okami.  And I still need to pick up another 360 controller so we can play some DoA4.

Title: Re: Okami Reviewed.
Post by: gpw11 on Tuesday, October 03, 2006, 08:12:35 PM

I'm starting to think about going out to rent it again tonight.  It just looks so awesome and since I now have Xenosaga 1 & 2 en route to me I can't really justify buying it.  Maybe a fun distraction for a week and then purchase later.  Damn, I hate how life is a never ending stream of constant wants.

Title: Re: Okami Reviewed.
Post by: Quemaqua on Tuesday, October 03, 2006, 10:03:51 PM

Just buy it.  Suck it up, be a man.  Go without cigarettes or booze for a week or something.  Xenosaga is just another turn-based RPG series [Ed note -- Tet, what are you doing to my genitals with that hacksaw?], but Okami is really something special.

Title: Re: Okami Reviewed.
Post by: TheOtherBelmont on Tuesday, October 03, 2006, 10:13:25 PM

Quote from: Quemaqua on Tuesday, October 03, 2006, 10:03:51 PM

Just buy it.  Suck it up, be a man.  Go without cigarettes or booze for a week or something.  Xenosaga is just another turn-based RPG series [Ed note -- Tet, what are you doing to my genitals with that hacksaw?], but Okami is really something special.

Haha nice Que, anyways I plan on picking up this game soon as well, I was thinking about renting it but have been hearing that its hard to beat in one rental, so I'm just gonna suck up and buy it in the next couple of weeks hopefully.

Title: Re: Okami Reviewed.
Post by: Quemaqua on Tuesday, October 03, 2006, 10:27:03 PM

I'd say that's wise.  Aside from just long, it's the kind of game that's really nice to relax with.  I think you'll have more fun if you don't rush through it, you know?  But doing so means that the game will run even longer, and most of the hour readings I've seen from fans on other boards are in the 50-60 hour range.  If you rush, you'll probably get 30.  If you play like a normal person, probably 40-50.  If you really love it and want to try to find every last thing, I'd say 50-60.  Rough estimates, but that's what I've gathered from others.  My total time may end up being more than that, though.  I seem to be going slower than some others, as I'm trying to get a lot of the stuff and I'm not actually using any kind of guide to do it.

Title: Re: Okami Reviewed.
Post by: idolminds on Tuesday, October 03, 2006, 10:52:18 PM

I'm not using a guide or anything, I just play a lot. At about 20 hours so far. I skipped a lot of the previous side quests and stuff, so I'm going to go and do some of them now. Also just run around and find clovers and burried treasure and stuff.

Title: Re: Okami Reviewed.
Post by: Cobra951 on Wednesday, October 04, 2006, 11:07:59 AM

That's why I ended up with 104 hours tallied, although there's a lot of pause time there.  (The second game, I'm trying not to leave it running so much when I walk away.  I may have even left it on overnight before.)  You can spend hours at a sitting just chasing stuff that isn't strictly required, and it's not a chore either.  It's engrossing.  Yet there's still stuff I haven't found at all (like there's one kind of big rock I still can't break, after one time through and most of a second time).  If you rent it and rush through, you're going miss out on plenty of good stuff.  Even so, I'd like to see someone beat this in a rental period without a guide on their lap.  That would be an achievement, although hard to verify that they didn't study walkthroughs ahead of time.

Title: Re: Okami Reviewed.
Post by: idolminds on Friday, October 06, 2006, 12:04:46 AM

I hate this damn wall bastard. You know the ones where you need to dot their weak points? I met one on Oni Island and just cant kill the bastard.

Title: Re: Okami Reviewed.
Post by: Cobra951 on Friday, October 06, 2006, 01:03:03 AM

There's one I gave up on. It was way harder than the others, and not essential. Oni might have been it.

Edit: Anyone figure out the secret of the loading screens yet?

Title: Re: Okami Reviewed.
Post by: scottws on Friday, October 06, 2006, 06:51:50 AM

Looks a lot like The Wind Waker, except much more awesome.  Must buy.

Problem is that I still don't have a PS2.  I still have Shadow of the Colossus and God of War queued up for when I get around to getting my PS2 repaired or buying a new one.

Title: Re: Okami Reviewed.
Post by: idolminds on Friday, October 06, 2006, 10:07:15 AM

Yeah Cobra, you can earn demon fangs from the loading screens. For the paw print progression across the bottom screen, if you tap X along with the progression to turn them all into large paws, you get a fang. If you're good you can get a couple fangs in a row...though its really hard. The other loading screen where you hit X and a paw print is placed randomly, just pound X as fast as you can. The 50th print will be a fang. You can only get one fang on this loading screen.

Title: Re: Okami Reviewed.
Post by: Cobra951 on Friday, October 06, 2006, 11:53:32 AM

I didn't know all those details.  I've only managed to get a fang once on the screen with the pawprints across the bottom.  My timing must be off.  The other one's easy, if the loading goes on long enough.

The stone guy I can't beat is underground, out in the Kamui area.  Tried again today, and there's no way.  I can't retain the whole sequence.  I wonder what I'm missing out on.

Title: Re: Okami Reviewed.
Post by: idolminds on Friday, October 06, 2006, 12:00:50 PM

Mine is after I got the lightning ability. Hes kind of outside on some massive "stairs".

Title: Re: Okami Reviewed.
Post by: Cobra951 on Friday, October 06, 2006, 01:31:32 PM

Yeah, that one you have to beat.  Good luck with it.  I'm getting near the end again.  Once I complete it the 2nd time, that will be it for me for a while.  I haven't put this much time into a game since, well, Oblivion.  Console games much longer than that.

Title: Re: Okami Reviewed.
Post by: idolminds on Friday, October 06, 2006, 02:04:50 PM

I even got a marker and marked my screen when the things showed up and I still couldnt get it. Gah...I hope I can beat him. This is the kind of thing that can ruin a great game, too.

Title: Re: Okami Reviewed.
Post by: Cobra951 on Friday, October 06, 2006, 02:12:04 PM

I'm not a fan of that guy at all either.  Yeah, if you just can't follow the bouncing dot, your world comes to a screeching halt.  Not a good thing.  But I did get through it, and I'm faar from the best gamer on the planet, so, I have confidence in you.   :)

Title: Re: Okami Reviewed.
Post by: gpw11 on Friday, October 06, 2006, 11:55:08 PM

Well, I went in the store to buy it today and ended up walking out with Shadow of the Colossus instead. I don't know how it happend, but fuck I love that game.

Title: Re: Okami Reviewed.
Post by: PyroMenace on Saturday, October 07, 2006, 12:20:59 AM

Smart buy my friend. Probably just as amazing as Okami, probably more beautiful than stylistically awesome as Okami is but its just an incredible experience.

Title: Re: Okami Reviewed.
Post by: gpw11 on Saturday, October 07, 2006, 12:55:07 AM

Yeah, I actually played and finished it when it first came out, but it's one of those games I'd love to just have in order to play all the time.

Title: Re: Okami Reviewed.
Post by: Cobra951 on Thursday, October 12, 2006, 05:09:50 AM

Finished it a 2nd time, and got a few extra goodies.  That realistic-rendering video (which we saw on the side-by-side comparison with watercolor) is in here.  It's an internal company presentation.  But they must have worked on that approach for at least a while.  See here.

(http://home.cinci.rr.com/jgoods/images/Okami28.jpg)
(http://home.cinci.rr.com/jgoods/images/Okami29.jpg)

That's fully playable for me now, and looks good too.  But I still can't break those quartz-looking big rocks.  I wouldn't be surprised if the technique is behind that one Blockhead underground in Kamui.  Never could beat him.

(http://home.cinci.rr.com/jgoods/images/Okami09.jpg)

Title: Re: Okami Reviewed.
Post by: gpw11 on Friday, October 13, 2006, 11:17:47 PM

...bought it.  I have very high expectations now.

Title: Re: Okami Reviewed.
Post by: gpw11 on Saturday, October 14, 2006, 10:26:17 AM

AWESOME!

Title: Re: Okami Reviewed.
Post by: gpw11 on Monday, October 16, 2006, 10:44:50 AM

I was wasting my life before I bought this.

Title: Re: Okami Reviewed.
Post by: Pugnate on Monday, October 16, 2006, 10:47:57 AM

A PS2 game has given your life meaning.

Title: Re: Okami Reviewed.
Post by: idolminds on Monday, October 16, 2006, 10:56:11 AM

I still havent passed that damn wall guy.

Title: Re: Okami Reviewed.
Post by: gpw11 on Monday, October 16, 2006, 01:37:42 PM

Quote from: Pugnate on Monday, October 16, 2006, 10:47:57 AM

A PS2 game has given your life meaning.

Look man, if it came down to it and both you and Okami were hanging off a cliff, I'd fucking save Okami over you.  Even if I could still save both, I'd probably just let you drop.  It's that damn good.

Title: Re: Okami Reviewed.
Post by: Cobra951 on Monday, October 16, 2006, 03:37:37 PM

Quote from: idolminds on Monday, October 16, 2006, 10:56:11 AM

I still havent passed that damn wall guy.

The best suggestion I've heard is to record it on a VCR, play it back frame by frame, mark the spots with numbers (because it has to be done in order) using eraseable marker, then hit them dots in the game.

The only one I can't do is the 8-spot guy underground in Kamui.  Are you sure you're following the dots in order?

Title: Re: Okami Reviewed.
Post by: idolminds on Monday, October 16, 2006, 03:47:37 PM

Oh, you gotta do em in order? I figured you just had to hit the spots.

Title: Re: Okami Reviewed.
Post by: JacksRag(e) on Monday, October 16, 2006, 09:04:13 PM

Yea, I was having a lot of trouble with the wall dudes.  Then I realized my tv tuner can record...then it helped.

Title: Re: Okami Reviewed.
Post by: Cobra951 on Tuesday, October 17, 2006, 05:58:43 AM

Quote from: idolminds on Monday, October 16, 2006, 03:47:37 PM

Oh, you gotta do em in order? I figured you just had to hit the spots.

 :o  (http://209.85.12.234/951/17/emo/banghead.gif)  ;D

Title: Re: Okami Reviewed.
Post by: Xessive on Monday, January 01, 2007, 01:02:23 AM

I just played Okami on my bro's PS2!

The game beautiful! The style, the art, the gameplay, it's a lot of fun!

There's only one thing that bugs the crap out of me.. The absolutely irritating jibberish voices.. I get it, it's a cool idea, but it's so damn annoying! Especially when they're high-pitched, squeaky voices. Thank God I can mute my TV.

Other than that it's an incredible game.

Title: Re: Okami Reviewed.
Post by: PyroMenace on Monday, January 01, 2007, 01:27:49 AM

The voices didnt bug me, I kinda liked it, added to its charm. But yea, the game is nearly flawless, I never did finish it though. :(

Title: Re: Okami Reviewed.
Post by: nickclone on Monday, January 01, 2007, 01:38:58 AM

As a Nintendo fanboy, let me plant the seed of how much better this game will be on the Wii. Hell, I', surprised nothing like it came  to the DS.

Title: Re: Okami Reviewed.
Post by: Quemaqua on Monday, January 01, 2007, 01:56:18 AM

Wait... what?  It's not coming to the Wii, unless there's some huge news I missed.  Not to mention the developer tanked right after it was released.

Title: Re: Okami Reviewed.
Post by: Xessive on Monday, January 01, 2007, 06:31:44 AM

Yeah, it's a shame that Clover closed down. At least they went out on a great note. I really wonder why though.. I mean the titles they did release were decent and Okami is fantastic.

Title: Re: Okami Reviewed.
Post by: idolminds on Monday, January 01, 2007, 10:50:14 AM

The head Clover guy is already off forming a new studio, so there is hope.

Title: Re: Okami Reviewed.
Post by: Quemaqua on Monday, January 01, 2007, 11:20:43 AM

I have no doubt they'll all find work again... just a shame to see a good studio go under.

Title: Re: Okami Reviewed.
Post by: gpw11 on Tuesday, January 02, 2007, 01:17:59 AM

I really is a shame.  Personally, I think I may have liked this game more than any Zelda I've played. 

Title: Re: Okami Reviewed.
Post by: Cobra951 on Tuesday, January 02, 2007, 06:38:12 AM

I was playing some Twilight Princess on my daughter's GC, and suddenly, I turned into a wolf.  Gee, where have I seen this before?

I loved Okami, enough to play twice through, and even start a 3rd game.  The one and only sig I've ever had speaks even louder about it.  Wasn't it Capcom who decided to close Clover?  I don't think those guys were doing too bad, just not well enough to suit the modern short-term business mentality.

Quote

On October 12, 2006, a Capcom Co., Ltd Board of Directors meeting resolved to dissolve Clover Studio. The dissolution is scheduled to take place at the end of March, 2007.[3] All of Clover's intellectual properties will be default back to Capcom, leaving the possibility open for further sequels.

  Wikipedia helps out once more. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clover_Studio)

Title: Re: Okami Reviewed.
Post by: gpw11 on Tuesday, January 02, 2007, 08:59:22 PM

I wish there was more information on why exactly it was closed down.  I mean, if you look at the games that they put out, all of them got a lot of press attention, and the average score for all their games is probaly around an 8 (at gamespot).

I'd blame poor sales, but I thought the Viewtiful Joe games were pretty popular, I'd be suprised if Okami did that poorly, and a lot of people were talking about Godhand when it came out.  I mean, none of them were huge, but they were all somewhat popular.  Maybe it's just something like Capcom wants to keep the clover properties as something directly credited with being developed by Capcom itself? 

Title: Re: Okami Reviewed.
Post by: Quemaqua on Tuesday, January 02, 2007, 09:13:30 PM

I don't think they did a very good job advertising them and such which probably accounts for some sales issues.  There was virtually nothing on Godhand prior to release, and little more for Okami.  I think it was probably a case of a publisher not doing their fucking job and then getting angry when the game didn't sell like they wanted it to.  Just a guess, but it fits the stereotypical movements so often seen in these circumstances.

Title: Re: Okami Reviewed.
Post by: Quemaqua on Sunday, June 24, 2007, 09:23:22 AM

So I know idol has been playing this again, and I absolutely can't help myself.  I need to play it.  It's been an overwhelming urge that's really come over me in the last week or so and just hasn't subsided the way these urges often do.  I loved this game and I just have to play it again.  It was magic, and I need some of that love in my life right now.  Soon as I finish this fucking podcast...

Title: Re: Okami Reviewed.
Post by: gpw11 on Sunday, June 24, 2007, 11:24:27 AM

Dude, I know.  I'm trying to finish Xenosaga episode iii, but everytime I turn on the playstation I think about just putting Okami in instead.  Maybe the best game purchase ever.

Title: Re: Okami Reviewed.
Post by: idolminds on Sunday, June 24, 2007, 11:44:04 AM

I forgot just how large the game is, too. Like I've put in 10 hours already and am just now getting to Crimson Helm.

Title: Re: Okami Reviewed.
Post by: Quemaqua on Saturday, June 28, 2008, 04:20:26 PM

Okami art book has finally been released in English.  I picked up a copy and it's really a pretty sweet deal.  Amazon has it (http://www.amazon.com/Okami-Official-Complete-Works-Capcom/dp/1897376022/ref=pd_bbs_sr_3?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1214695173&sr=8-3) for a pretty decent price, and I can't see any real fan wanting to be without this.

Title: Re: Okami Reviewed.
Post by: TheOtherBelmont on Saturday, June 28, 2008, 04:23:07 PM

Quote from: Quemaqua on Saturday, June 28, 2008, 04:20:26 PM

Okami art book has finally been released in English.  I picked up a copy and it's really a pretty sweet deal.  Amazon has it (http://www.amazon.com/Okami-Official-Complete-Works-Capcom/dp/1897376022/ref=pd_bbs_sr_3?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1214695173&sr=8-3) for a pretty decent price, and I can't see any real fan wanting to be without this.

Damn you, quit showing me things to spend money on.

Title: Re: Okami Reviewed.
Post by: gpw11 on Friday, September 23, 2016, 12:20:15 AM

I started playing through Okami HD this week on the PS3 and dug up this old thread - I had no idea it was basically ten years exactly from release when I started again.  It's a great game to revisit in HD and has aged extremely well.   I can't wait to explore it again over the next little bit.

Title: Re: Okami Reviewed.
Post by: Quemaqua on Friday, September 23, 2016, 02:29:20 PM

Yeah, still a great game. I got the HD release also and was playing it in Japanese for a time.