The Playstation 2 is dead. With the Xbox 360, Nintendo Wii and the Playstation 3 performing so well, the old warhorse’s time is now over. Well it seems nobody told Capcom that. Although the future undoubtedly belongs to the next generation of games console, with titles like Final Fantasy XII, God of War 2 and Okami, the Playstation 2 is certainly going to go out with a bang. While FFXII and God of War 2 will need no introduction to gamer’s familiar with their prequels, what is Okami all about? Basically Okami is a cell-shaded action/adventure game, based loosely on a Japanese fairy tale, in which you play as a wolf. Putting it politely, not your usual gaming experience. Putting it bluntly, in an age of endless football games and generic World War 2 titles it’s nothing short of a miracle that such a game as this has been granted a release outside of its native . However gamers everywhere should be thankful, because Okami is one of the most unique and innovative titles ever created.

So, the strange story in full then. An ancient evil has taken over the land (ancient in this case) and has turned what used to be a beautiful and spiritual place into a very harsh and desolate land. Trees and flowers have died and everywhere has become covered in thick dark smog. The people need a hero to destroy the evil, thereby restoring light and goodness to the land. In many ways your standard video game plot - evil causing bother, cue a hero to save the day. However the hero in this case is a little different from the norm. You play as the Sun God Amaterasu, reincarnated into the body of a wolf. Of course playing as an animal is not necessarily a new thing in games. Ignoring the obvious Sonic the Hedgehog and Crash Bandicoot comparisons (what the hell is a Bandicoot anyway?!) there was even a ’dog-simulator’ (A Dogs Life), released by Sony for the PS2 as recently as 2003. However a big part of Okami and one that adds so much charm to the game is how realisticly Amaterasu behaves. Although blessed with God-like power he/she (Amaterasu is never gender defined in the game) reacts just like a real live animal. Your wolf moves slowly and stealthily before building into a galloping run. It howls and whines like wolves do in the wild. Leave the controls alone for a few seconds and Amaterasu will start to pace before settling down on the ground. Minor details to be sure, but when coupled with some truly stunning character animation, you truly start to feel for and bond with the character. Of course none of this would matter if the gameworld was a bland, empty place but it certainly isn’t that. In fact its a very dark and troubled place teeming with monsters and demons and this of course is where Amaterasu comes in.

As an action/adventure title the nearest comparison to Okami’s gameplay would have to be the Zelda series (and in particular The Ocarina of Time) as it shares many of the traits of that classic series. Features such as the open, free-to-explore game world, enemy filled dungeons and even an annoying little on screen helper very much like Link’s buddy Navi mean there are several similarities to Nintendo’s genre defining titles. During your quest you will travel across the land helping villagers, exploring dungeons and killing huge boss monsters. So far, so very typical of the genre. However Okami does have one unique selling point and that is the ’Celestial Brush’.

As the game progresses Amaterasu will start to obtain godly powers from the spirits and people that he/she helps. These powers are accessed by using the Celestial Brush. At any point during the game, whether you are fighting enemies or simply wandering around the land, a quick tap of the R1 button will freeze the action and a small calligraphy brush will appear. It is then a question of drawing whatever you want to happen depending on what powers you have obtained. A quick slash across the screen - your enemy is now cut in half. Draw a lily pad on top of a lake - you can now hop on it and cross the lake in safety. As Amaterasu becomes more and more powerful, your options will expand. This feature has been implemented brilliantly; what could have been just a cheap gimmick becomes the key part of the game and is also a lot of fun to use. Although you could fight your enemies using Amaterasu’s physical attacks as the combat is very fast and fluid with the moves easy to pull off, why would you want to when you could simply freeze them in place and use a cherry bomb to blow them up? It’s not just in combat where the Celestial Brush comes in useful though as it is also your main tool in fighting off the darkness that is consuming the land. The brush has the ability to rejuvenate and bring life back to the land and as you can use it at any time you can find yourself constantly looking for places to use your powers. Watching a dark and blank landscape suddenly burst into life and colour with a sweep of the brush is something that produces an enormous feeling of satisfaction in the player especially as Okami is one of the most beautiful created titles available on any console let alone the PS2.

Graphically, Clover Studios have worked wonders with the aging PS2 hardware. Okami is a truly stunning game to look at. Although it’s a million miles away from such photorealistic titles as Gears of War on the 360 or even the PS2’s (and Gamecube’s of course) Resident Evil 4, the cel-shaded graphics fit the title brilliantly and make for a truly unique-looking adventure game. Although some will argue that Nintendo already beat Capcom to the punch with the first real cel-shaded adventure, Zelda: The Wind Waker (a move that annoyed many fans of the series), there’s something about Okami that means the cel-shading is a perfect fit for the game. From the animation of Amaterasu, to the intricate character and monster design everything about Okami looks simply superb.

This is one of the finest games Capcom has ever published and when you have titles with the calibre of Street Fighter 2 and Resident Evil on your TV, that is quite an achievement. Okami is surely one of the best and most unique titles currently available. However in some bizarre way it seems that this uniqueness looks like being the games only real downside. Unfortunately the Playstation 2 has a history of producing brilliant (if somewhat ’arty’) games such as the phenominal Ico and Shadow of the Colossus which were totally ignored by the gaming public. With gamers seemingly content to buy the same FIFA and Need for Speed titles again and again, will people really be prepared to take a risk on a title where you play as a wolf or will Okami simply follow suit and become yet another lost classic?