Okami impressions

[semiconscious]

A comment someone made on GAF really struck home for me- the brush interface is really brilliant in the way that it gives you access to all of your tools at any moment.  Other games like this (Zelda for example) are limited in how many "quick access" tools you can use at any given time so you have to periodically go into the menu to swap around your quick action selections depending on the needs of the situation.  Not necessary in Okami.  It's one of those mechancis like the dagger in Sands of Time that is so brilliant that it should become a genre standard yet is so closely linked to the concept of the game that it's hard to imagine appropriating in any other series. 

it's only after i'd been playing for a while that i appreciated the almost dante-esque ability to really style the combat that the brush allows for - field encounters in okami are about as flat-out fun as in any game i've ever played, including dmc...

okami's 2 strong points, the graphic/music presentation & the brush mechanism, could've, each on their own, probably provided for a unique & enjoyable experience. bound together as they are, they pretty much put the game in a league of it's own...

[Destructor]

http://www.rpg-o-mania.net/gallery/okami/artwork3.jpg

I've been cycling Okami backgrounds for about a month now and this picture is definitely the most beautiful.  I want it in a frame :/

*grabs, as well as scowers the site for lots more wallpaper to grab*

Thanks!

[ATB]

Questions: 

No spoilers please. If I'll find out as I progress, tell me...but otherwise help away!

Shrines: It says to offer something at the little shrines dotted all over the place.  How?

I have nearly 300 praise. Is it worth upgrading my astral pouch?

Digging: Are there advanced digging techniques that I'll learn later to dig through leaves/rocks etc? Or is there another trick?

Cherry bomb rocks!  Just got it.

[Kevin Grey]

ATB:

Shrines:  You can't do the offering yet.  Even when you can, you have to figure out what it is yourself.  It's not required though.

Astral Pouch:  If you are finding combat difficult then it might help.  Otherwise I would focus on the other things you can upgrade.

Digging:  Yes, you will get enhanced digging abilities later. 

[Pharaoh]

Absolutely perfect image.

[Gratch]

The more I play, the more Okami feels like a Myazaki (sp?) anime in game form.  The settings, characters, music, and art style would fit perfectly into Princess Mononoke or Spirited Away.  That's a very, very good thing.   

[The Grue]

This game just kicks so much ass.  I didn't understand why everyone was saying it was Zelda-like in the previews, given that I knew it was a game that had a paintbrush focus.  I totally get the comparison now and honestly, I think it out-Zeldas Zelda. 

[WinoMcCougarstein]

About 3 hours in now and I LOVE this game.  Easily the best I have played this year on the PS2 and probably will end up in my PS2 top 3. 

[Canuck]

Impressive.  I can't really see the Zelda comparisons myself.  Now if you said it reminded you of playing a Japanese painting then I would be apt to agree with you!

[GGMark]

i said zelda simply becasue of the quest style.  The coin and ink collecting, things like that.  Hearts, and coins.  Do the dungeon, rescue the worl/princess.  It was a base comparison for those that just weren't uderstanding the whole painting, and reviews and stuff.

[ATB]

Can someone explain why this game did so poorly in Japan? 

[Gratch]

Can someone explain why this game did so poorly in Japan? 

That's very surprising to hear it didn't do well in Japan.  I would think something like this would be a huge seller over there.

Has anyone heard how the US sales numbers are looking?  I've seen little to no promotion on it, so I'm afraid it's going to end up as another wonderful failure (a la Beyond Good & Evil).

[The Grue]

Impressive.  I can't really see the Zelda comparisons myself.  Now if you said it reminded you of playing a Japanese painting then I would be apt to agree with you!

Interesting.  I can't see how you can't see how it is like Zelda.  You have this open world that you take on fairly linearly, though you can backtrack.   You have sun things instead of hearts which you can upgrade (though you mainly do it with Praise, you can also do it by collecting heart, I mean sun, pieces).  You get new abilities as you play which allow you to access areas you couldn't before.  You get new combat techniques.  You go into dungeons and can find a dungeon map.  You have to solve little puzzles in those dungeons to progress in them.  THere are locks on the doors that require dungeons to open (and the dungeons have rooms separated by doors).  There is a big boss battle at the end of the dungeon.

To me, it is played in the exact style of Zelda, except instead of a sword and shield, you use a paintbrush and your two God items.

[Kevin Grey]

Can someone explain why this game did so poorly in Japan? 

I seem to recall that it released at the same time as some much higher profile games.  Plus, it would probably be viewed as too artistic for many even over there.  As much as the art style really makes the game, I can see it scaring a lot of people away too. 

The game is going to be a tough sell, no matter what.  As amazing as it is to play, the basic concept of "see, you're this wolf who is actually a god from Japanese myths, and you have to restore beauty to the world" is going to have a lot of people saying WTF. 

Has anyone heard how the US sales numbers are looking?  I've seen little to no promotion on it, so I'm afraid it's going to end up as another wonderful failure (a la Beyond Good & Evil).

Won't really know until next month when the numbers get released but I have heard reports that some stores were running out which is either a good sign or shows that they didn't expect it to sell and therefore didn't ship very many.  I'd be happy if it did Shadow of the Colossus type numbers.  It's not in the PS2 Best Buy Top 10, It's not in the overall EBGames.com top 5 (though it made #3 just for PS2 titles), and it's Amazon's #4 best selling video game. 

[ATB]

and it's Amazon's #4 best selling video game. 

That's good news as I expect that even though it's a subset of their overall product, the sheer volume that Amazon deals with should mean that it's moving quite a few copies.

[Pharaoh]

At Qt3, their resident Japanese Gamer Hardcore talked about the reason it tanked so badly in Japan was because its views on Shinto religion and the folklore itself were considered extremely disrespectful or such for some reason. Hense, the public avoided it.

[wonderpug]

I guess sometimes it pays to be an ignorant American! 

[ATB]

I guess sometimes it pays to be an ignorant American! 

Huzzah for us!

[CeeKay]

At Qt3, their resident Japanese Gamer Hardcore talked about the reason it tanked so badly in Japan was because its views on Shinto religion and the folklore itself were considered extremely disrespectful or such for some reason. Hense, the public avoided it.

so..... no sequel then?

[Kevin Grey]

So, I've logged about 35 hours and I'm what looks like about 5/6 of the way through (at least based on the strat guide) and I'm really hitting the wall and starting to feel restless. 

Basically, my core problem with the game right now is the collecting aspect is poor.  I've got about 1300 or so Praise Points stocked up that I haven't allocated because I haven't felt a need.  I'm swimming in Yen and, at least at this point, have purchased every single item and upgrade I could possiblly get.  And don't get me started on Stray Beads- no way will I ever get all 99 of them and since they don't provide you with incremental rewards, they kind of feel useless.  So my motivation to explore has plummeted.  This was kind of an issue for most of the game, but then the actual act of interacting with all of these different environments was a reward in of itself.  While the world is just as great as ever, at this point I can't help but be disappointed when I climb some out of the way tower only to be rewarded with a clover and 5 praise. 

The rest of the game still holds up and the story is going to some interesting and surprising places.  Really, I have only myself and my compulsive need to do every little sidequest and check out every little out of the nook to blame.  So while I know that I should just focus on the throughway to the endgame, I almost cant' help myself for going off the beaten path everytime I see the top of a chest sticking out of the ground or an animal that needs feeding. 

[JCC]

You guys have me very tempted to pick this up. I can't help but wonder though - given the paintbrush mechanic, doesn't this game just scream for a Wii port?

[Kevin Grey]

You guys have me very tempted to pick this up. I can't help but wonder though - given the paintbrush mechanic, doesn't this game just scream for a Wii port?

Not really. 

First- the mechanic works great as is.  There is a very slight learning curve, but I'd say that I have in excess of 90% accuracy at making brush strokes the game recognizes and they are quickly and easily done with the PS2 controller.  All of the brushwork is very basic, simple shapes and lines.

Second- the brushwork is just one mechanic.  The vast majority of your time will be spent controlling Amaretsu as she explores the world and engages in combat, all of which is perfectly suited to the conventional controller.  So while the brush stuff seems an natural fit for the Wii, most of the games controls would have to be adapted to work on remote/nunchuck and that would probably be harder to implement than the drawing was with the PS2 controller.

An Okami game designed from the ground up for the Wii or DS might be a great fit, especially with the opportunity for some more complex brush patterns.  But the current game, as designed, works perfectly with the PS2 and it's controller so there is pretty much no reason to wait and hold out hope for a never even rumored port. 

[Destructor]

You guys have me very tempted to pick this up. I can't help but wonder though - given the paintbrush mechanic, doesn't this game just scream for a Wii port?

Yes and no. While having the Wii controls would enable you to use the brushstroke system without pausing the game (in theory anyway), it would make things far more difficult because bringing out the brush gives you a bit of a breather in what might be a difficult segment (boss fights mainly). And some of the moves (the one to tap your opponent multiple times to do damage) would be very annoying with it.

And ~15 hours in for me now. Going to some fireworks ceremony (being vague to avoid spoilers) and loving every minute I put into it. I just picked up the 100k yen move - the one that causes the enemies to drop additional Demon Fangs. Let's just say that it's just a bit...wrong. 

[Kevin Grey]

I just picked up the 100k yen move - the one that causes the enemies to drop additional Demon Fangs. Let's just say that it's just a bit...wrong. 

Heh, wait until you see the "upgrade" to that move. 

[semiconscious]

I just picked up the 100k yen move - the one that causes the enemies to drop additional Demon Fangs. Let's just say that it's just a bit...wrong. 

it's not the only thing 'wrong' with this game, and, despite the fact that some parents might find some of it offensive, none of it's so awful, in my opinion, as to make the game unsuitable for kids (much like some of the 'wrong' conversations in ac:ww), & i'm very glad clover/sony kept it all in...

Basically, my core problem with the game right now is the collecting aspect is poor.  I've got about 1300 or so Praise Points stocked up that I haven't allocated because I haven't felt a need.  I'm swimming in Yen and, at least at this point, have purchased every single item and upgrade I could possiblly get.  And don't get me started on Stray Beads- no way will I ever get all 99 of them and since they don't provide you with incremental rewards, they kind of feel useless.  So my motivation to explore has plummeted.  This was kind of an issue for most of the game, but then the actual act of interacting with all of these different environments was a reward in of itself.  While the world is just as great as ever, at this point I can't help but be disappointed when I climb some out of the way tower only to be rewarded with a clover and 5 praise.

just about to the point in the game you've reached, &, while i understand what you're saying, i'm finding the world not so large (as compared to, say, dqviii) so's to make exploration that much of a chore, fruitless as it sometimes is (unless, of course, you're really, really into gardening)...

meanwhile, as you say, the story has continued to develope in some very clever ways (some of which i should've probably seen coming, but not a whole lot), and that, for me, continues to make the game very solid, fun going, and easily the most magical i've played since colossus - very, very impressed with how smoothly the whole thing's stitched together...

and, yeah, were i to compare it to another game, it'd be majora's mask as well - innovative mechanics, big-but-not-so-big game world, with an excellent supporting cast & a number of truly memorable moments...

[Destructor]

I just picked up the 100k yen move - the one that causes the enemies to drop additional Demon Fangs. Let's just say that it's just a bit...wrong. 

it's not the only thing 'wrong' with this game, and, despite the fact that some parents might find some of it offensive, none of it's so awful, in my opinion, as to make the game unsuitable for kids (much like some of the 'wrong' conversations in ac:ww), & i'm very glad clover/sony kept it all in...

Well, I found the move funny as heck. But yeah, I could see the offensive part to it. Same  with some of the many funny jokes the 'little bug' makes during the course of the game. But it also gives the game a lot of charm because of it.

[Canuck]

Can someone explain why this game did so poorly in Japan? 

I don't want to typecast the Japanese but I suspect it has something to do with the lack of anime highschool girl panties.  After living in Japan for one and a half years I have to say that I've come to expect such high production values in all my entertainment products as well!

[rrmorton]

Man, Issun loves tits.

[Kevin Grey]

just about to the point in the game you've reached, &, while i understand what you're saying, i'm finding the world not so large (as compared to, say, dqviii) so's to make exploration that much of a chore, fruitless as it sometimes is (unless, of course, you're really, really into gardening)...

Yeah, while I do think the poor collection aspects is a legit weakness to the game, I readily admit that my compulsion toward collecting prevents me from doing the obvious and ignoring that aspect of the game and focus on the rest. 

[semiconscious]

Man, Issun loves tits.

Spoiler for Hiden:

keeping issun happy = bumping rao at every opportunity...

[rrmorton]

I love it when you first meet her and there's a close-up with rays of sun surrounding her twins.   

[JCC]

Well, I gave in to the GTFE and picked it up tonight. I only got about 45 minutes in (cut down the piece of fruit to restore the village).

Man that opening cinematic was BRUTAL. I thought Wind Waker's unskippable intro was bad, but this seemed even longer. The graphics are quite stunning. Not in the "Wow, this is such a technical achievment" way, but more in the "Wow, this is goregious and I have never seen anything like this in a video game" kind of way. The controls are very fluid and intuitive, with one exception. I find the brush thing to be a cool gameplay mechanic but find painting with the analog stick a little awkward. I am even more convinced that this game NEEDS to be ported to the Wii (or a sequel or something). The Wiimote would be PERFECT for the whole painting dynamic. Also, I could see potential in a DS version of the game as well.

They might as well have just called Issun, "Navi".

Anyway, so far so good, though I have barely scratched the surface. I doubt I will have a chance to get back to it before Sunday - which stinks.

[rrmorton]

The graphics are quite stunning. Not in the "Wow, this is such a technical achievment" way, but more in the "Wow, this is goregious and I have never seen anything like this in a video game" kind of way.

Exactly. Which is really the only way for a six-year-old system to wow us anymore.

[TheMissingLink]

Brutal?  I thought it was pretty emotional and was actually tearing up at one point.  I loved the opening cinematic.

[Gratch]

14 hours in, and I'm still in love with Okami.  Most adventure games start to bore me 8-10 hours in, but this one shows no signs of slowing up.  I just (slight spoiler, I guess):

Spoiler for Hiden:

Beat Crimson Helm (which was a fantastic boss fight), and headed into the Moon Cave after the French bastard.  God, that guy bugs me!

Mrs. Gratch even watched me play for a couple hours last night and commented on how stunningly beautiful the game was.  High praise indeed, coming from someone who usually doesn't like games at all.


A couple questions:

1.  Treasures.  Is there any reason to hang on to these, or can you just sell them as soon as you pick them up?  I didn't know if there was some sort of uber-treasure reward for collecting one of everything.

2.  Where is the guy that trains new moves?  I found him very early on and learned a couple moves, but now I can't remember where he was.  I've collected a good bit of Yen, and want to learn some new moves.

3.  Is there any gameplay function to barking?  I know Ammy will do it when you press circle (when you're not next to an NPC), but it doesn't seem to affect anything.

[CeeKay]

Brutal?  I thought it was pretty emotional and was actually tearing up at one point.  I loved the opening cinematic.

If it was skippable or if it automatically scrolled through the text it'd be great, but as it stands the intro is the games weakest link.

[Gratch]

Brutal?  I thought it was pretty emotional and was actually tearing up at one point.  I loved the opening cinematic.

If it was skippable or if it automatically scrolled through the text it'd be great, but as it stands the intro is the games weakest link.

+1.  They should have found a way to tell that story in-game instead of making it a long, unskippable scene. 

[semiconscious]

Brutal?  I thought it was pretty emotional and was actually tearing up at one point.  I loved the opening cinematic.

If it was skippable or if it automatically scrolled through the text it'd be great, but as it stands the intro is the games weakest link.

+1.  They should have found a way to tell that story in-game instead of making it a long, unskippable scene.

my take: it was an attempt to place the game in the context of an old, spoken/painted folktale, told around a fire at night, and, going back just now & checking it out again, it works just fine on that level for me, tho i was basically anticipating a game-as-folktale (or vice versa). maybe not so much for someone who wasn't?...

iow, i think that it was slow & deliberate, well, deliberately, in an attempt to create a mood. unfortunately, as will happen when old men tell stories, it looks like it created a certain amount of impatience as well ...

1.  Treasures.  Is there any reason to hang on to these, or can you just sell them as soon as you pick them up?  I didn't know if there was some sort of uber-treasure reward for collecting one of everything.

2.  Where is the guy that trains new moves?  I found him very early on and learned a couple moves, but now I can't remember where he was.  I've collected a good bit of Yen, and want to learn some new moves.

3.  Is there any gameplay function to barking?  I know Ammy will do it when you press circle (when you're not next to an NPC), but it doesn't seem to affect anything.

1) don't know if there's a 'collect everything' reward for simply finding everything, but there's none for having one of everything - sell'm all...

2) the dojo is up the hills to the right as you enter shinshu field from kamiki village...

3) barking's for barking's sake, pretty much (if you find the howl button, let me know )...

[Kevin Grey]

Re: barking- you can buy an upgrade for it from the Dojo mast that makes it much more useful. 

[TheMissingLink]

It makes the post-battle-stats screen go away quicker, too.