the OFFICIAL Okami thread

[quote name='Z-Saber']Not sure how this game warrants a "Zelda clone" badge. Yes, it treads in the same water, but similarity does not a clone make.[/QUOTE]

Well ... I'm reluctant to do this, since I'm always afraid that well-meaning criticism will show up somewhere as fodder for "This game sucks" posts somewhere along the line, so let me just reiterate: Okami = in the top ten games this gen, no doubt.

But ... I think that some of the "It's better than Zelda!" posts may have missed that a lot of its quality is because it pretty much IS a Zelda game. It's very well done, but it's not exactly reinventing the wheel.

So ... yes, it's an "adventure game" like Zelda, which means it will have some things in common, like a similar balance of exploration and puzzles and combat. Okay, no prob: can't blame fighting games for all having health bars, right?

But there are some other areas where they tread the same ground: the mechanics of solving puzzles by changing night into day, the past and the future, the seasons, whatever. And there's the damn fixation on fishing minigames. Okay, still.

Then there are the similarities of presentation. All the characters speak in gibberish with subtitles, with the important words appearing in color, so you have a clue as to your next step. Hrm. There's the start screen scroll, which tells the story of the main character as an ancient legend, as watercolor for Okami and stained-glass etc. for Zelda.

Even some of the smaller touches are closer than they really need to be. There are chests surrounded by rings of fire, until you solve a small puzzle. Yes, Ameratsu has a jump button ... but also auto-jumps at times. Sakuya looks (and acts) an awful lot like a Great Fairy (not the hideous ones -- the others). Heck, the voiceless main character even has a little glowing ball of light for a sidekick, who points out things you need to inspect.

See what I'm getting at here?

Are there differences? Sure. Are some of the similarities more than simple coincidence? Mmm ... yeah. It's not like they NEEDED to have a quest where you have to find a way to stop a frantic delivery person who's running laps around the first main field you come to.

Also? Great sig you've got there, Z-Saber.
 
Thanks for the compliment, but I'll go on record as saying that the developers were absolutely inspired by Zelda, but the didn't seek to copy it. They don't speak gibberish in Zelda, Okami is not cel-shaded (though similarly styled yet different enough), the auto-jumping in Okami is ONLY over fences and other obstacles (with the intention of allowing the player to run full sprint and not slow down by hitting a fence), NOT edges, the intro is a pathetic comparison because the same thing happens in so many other games it's not even half of an argument, the rings of fire can be directly manipulated in Okami, not so in Zelda (though it is a pretty direct similarity), differences between day and night are in tons of games, and the fishing mini-games are completely different.

Longest sentence I've ever written.
 
One of the things that makes me love this game is that it so closely resembles a Zelda-esque adventure without actually being Zelda. I am a huge fan of action/adventure games and Okami is gorgeous and engaging so far (only about 6 hours in). There have been MANY moments already where I have thought "Wow, this is just like Ocarina of Time" but to me that is a GOOD thing.
 
[quote name='Z-Saber']Thanks for the compliment, but I'll go on record as saying that the developers were absolutely inspired by Zelda, but the didn't seek to copy it. They don't speak gibberish in Zelda, Okami is not cel-shaded (though similarly styled yet different enough), the auto-jumping in Okami is ONLY over fences and other obstacles (with the intention of allowing the player to run full sprint and not slow down by hitting a fence), NOT edges, the intro is a pathetic comparison because the same thing happens in so many other games it's not even half of an argument, the rings of fire can be directly manipulated in Okami, not so in Zelda (though it is a pretty direct similarity), differences between day and night are in tons of games, and the fishing mini-games are completely different.

Longest sentence I've ever written.[/QUOTE]

Well, like I said, there ARE differences. And I understand that the Zelda games have established lots of things that are just convention now, like ye olde "Bombs blow up cracked walls, leading to secrets." But there are differences between GTA and Saint's Row, too. And differences between Street Fighter II and old school Art of Fighting. I'd say it's a little more than "influenced." Again: a chatty glowing ball sidekick who points out things to interact with? The runner quest? And this is just thinking back, off the top of my head.

Whatever. It's one of the things I found slightly disappointing about the game, but that still doesn't detract from its quality.

Slightly off topic: they DO speak gibberish in Zelda, though not quite as much, no?
 
[quote name='Diiz']One of the things that makes me love this game is that it so closely resembles a Zelda-esque adventure without actually being Zelda. I am a huge fan of action/adventure games and Okami is gorgeous and engaging so far (only about 6 hours in). There have been MANY moments already where I have thought "Wow, this is just like Ocarina of Time" but to me that is a GOOD thing.[/QUOTE]

Right. For example, I actually find myself enjoying the slightly easier difficulty -- I get to zip through things and constantly find new stuff, since I'm not hitting the occasional brick wall of a puzzle like I would in Zelda.
 
[quote name='trq']Slightly off topic: they DO speak gibberish in Zelda, though not quite as much, no?[/quote]I really don't recall it.
 
[quote name='trq']Slightly off topic: they DO speak gibberish in Zelda, though not quite as much, no?[/QUOTE]

It's not really gibberish...they make a noise, so you get a feel of a characters voice, but they don't make gibberish to sound like they're speaking (like they do in Okami).
 
[quote name='Z-Saber']Thanks for the compliment, but I'll go on record as saying that the developers were absolutely inspired by Zelda, but the didn't seek to copy it. They don't speak gibberish in Zelda, Okami is not cel-shaded (though similarly styled yet different enough), the auto-jumping in Okami is ONLY over fences and other obstacles (with the intention of allowing the player to run full sprint and not slow down by hitting a fence), NOT edges, the intro is a pathetic comparison because the same thing happens in so many other games it's not even half of an argument, the rings of fire can be directly manipulated in Okami, not so in Zelda (though it is a pretty direct similarity), differences between day and night are in tons of games, and the fishing mini-games are completely different.

Longest sentence I've ever written.[/QUOTE]


Longest sentence I've ever read :lol:


But ... I think that some of the "It's better than Zelda!" posts may have missed that a lot of its quality is because it pretty much IS a Zelda game. It's very well done, but it's not exactly reinventing the wheel.
Click to expand...


There are many similarities, but the differences
---extremely fast running that makes it easy to get around the whole world
---brush techniques
---combat style
---graphical style
---storyline and characters

make me like it better.

TP might change this, but I dunno...
 
OK, after a long Wii-induced break I started playing Okami again (I was only about 2 hours in before I stopped and I was having a hard time knowing WTF was going on and what all the items do (there are so many!). Anyway, I only had my PS2 at the in-laws over Christmas and I put in a solid 6 hours into the game and I just got to Tsuta Ruins (sp?). It seems to be a Zelda-like dungeon with different rooms and doors and stuff - very cool. I really really like this game so far. I'm still not sure what everything does and reading the map is a little strange for some reason. Do things start making more sense or is it confusing the entire way through?
 
[quote name='javeryh']OK, after a long Wii-induced break I started playing Okami again (I was only about 2 hours in before I stopped and I was having a hard time knowing WTF was going on and what all the items do (there are so many!). Anyway, I only had my PS2 at the in-laws over Christmas and I put in a solid 6 hours into the game and I just got to Tsuta Ruins (sp?). It seems to be a Zelda-like dungeon with different rooms and doors and stuff - very cool. I really really like this game so far. I'm still not sure what everything does and reading the map is a little strange for some reason. Do things start making more sense or is it confusing the entire way through?[/QUOTE]

it's pretty easy to follow once you get to 1/3 of the first story... I still have to beat the game, I just think it's too damn long >_
 
It seems strange to me that the latest Zelda included a dog which reminded me of Okami.

Do you think one team saw the other's WIP and got an idea? I don't know which was developed first.
 
[quote name='willardhaven']It seems strange to me that the latest Zelda included a dog which reminded me of Okami.

Do you think one team saw the other's WIP and got an idea? I don't know which was developed first.[/quote]Either way, after playing both, you can see how different they are.
 
[quote name='Z-Saber']Either way, after playing both, you can see how different they are.[/QUOTE]
Really? I found Zelda: TP to feel like a weaker Okami. Midna's character reminded me a lot of Issun's. Plus you can tell the Zelda developers played Shadow of the Colossus.
water serpent boss in both, killed in the same way
 
[quote name='zewone']Really? I found Zelda: TP to feel like a weaker Okami. Midna's character reminded me a lot of Issun's. Plus you can tell the Zelda developers played Shadow of the Colossus.
water serpent boss in both, killed in the same way
[/quote]Personally, I'm totally blown away by the gameplay and nostalgia of TP. I still love Okami (though I'm not even close to beating it and I haven't touched it in weeks), and as fun as it is, I don't think it is any better than Zelda. They each have their strengths, and many of them are totally different.

I'm digging Zelda so much because of the little references, like the whistling stones being OOT ocarina tunes and such. The gameplay is also as solid as ever, and
I just beat the Arbiter's Grounds, and while I thought the dungeon itself was dull, the spinner thing and the boss were freaking terrific. It also tells me that they are really trying to change the gameplay formula around a bit. Even though you still had to use the newly acquired item on the boss, the item in the context of the boss fight was totally different from anything that's ever been in a Zelda game.

Okami is great because it's new and different. While it and Zelda have some definite similarities, Okami has a gigantically better art style. The humor and dialogue are also leagues above Zelda's. The platforming/walking around gameplay is great, but I really don't like the battles. Boss fights are good, but regular ol' battles are tiresome, to the point where I skip as many as possible. That really hurts my appreciation for the game. Everything else about it is fine, but battles are a central part of the experience, and, for me, they are the worst part of it. Zelda's battles, on the other hand, haven't gotten old in the least bit, and I've put just about as much time into both.

About your spoiler...
I did think that he moved around like the SotC water serpent, and the overall idea was similar, but I thought the fact that you could freely swim around changed it up quite a bit. Well, that and you weren't fighting for survival, dashing to the front of his head while taking down electrical spines, and keeping an eye on a grip gauge.
 
I finally played and beat this game over the holidays. I know I'm probably a few months behind on the times, but wow, what a great game. I think I clocked 46 hours, but that includes long, lame attempts at trying to collect stuff (which I gave up on cuz I really wanted to progress the story) and long game breaks/pauses. All the extras I never got and sidequests I never finished are making me go through another playthrough (or at least watching my bf go through the game). I'm not ready to put this game away yet. Not sure if I like this more than Shadow of the Colossus, but it's pretty close. The one thing I like better in Okami than Zelda (aside from the sumi-e art style) is the perks/rewards/rankings you get when you beat the game. It makes me feel like playing the game again. I remember playing Wind Waker and being kinda pieved that my only motivation to play the game again was to take pictures or something.
 
Just picked it up from best buy with that $10 off coupon. I'll have to weigh in with my preference concerning Twilight Princess when I've got about 10+ hours into each of them.
 
Just finished Twilight Princess, so it's back to my Okami game which is 13 hours deep so far. While TP left me awestruck, Okami has me laughing. It's definitely a quirkier, funnier game with much funnier dialogue and animations. It's funny how the "gods" are so fallible: bonking themselves on the heads with balls, tripping over their own feet, and getting hopelessly stuck in bottles. Plus, Issun always manages to say something hilarious every few minutes.
 
Okami is without a doubt, my PS2 game of the year, and maybe my game of the year across all systems. How can you not love a midget wandering artist swordsman pimp?
 
[quote name='sblymnlcrymnl']Just picked it up from best buy with that $10 off coupon. I'll have to weigh in with my preference concerning Twilight Princess when I've got about 10+ hours into each of them.[/QUOTE] Well I've got 12+ hours into each, and I have to say Twilight Princess is better in just about every way.

Okami is still very good, and well worth the $30 so far. Now I need to put another 12 to 24+ hours into each of them and see if things change when I've finished them both. :lol:
 
[quote name='sblymnlcrymnl']Well I've got 12+ hours into each, and I have to say Twilight Princess is better in just about every way.

Okami is still very good, and well worth the $30 so far. Now I need to put another 12 to 24+ hours into each of them and see if things change when I've finished them both. :lol:[/QUOTE]

Okami is one of my top 5 games last year. Zelda is one of my top 5 games of all time. Okami's damn good, but it didn't out-Zelda Zelda.
 
So I've got 30+ hours in now, and I have to ask one thing. Am I the only one who is bothered by the completely horrible (at least 50% of the time) camera?


I kind of wish this would have come out on the gamecube (or xbox). I imagine there wouldn't be nearly as much slowdown, and the PS2 analog sticks are awful. It's a good thing I'm mostly drawing straight lines and circles, because it can barely handle that. :lol:

I've now got about twice as much time in Okami as I do in Twilight Princess, due to circumstances not under my control. I still prefer Zelda, however.

EDIT: Forgot to complain about the load times. But at least you can get something out of it. :lol:
 
[quote name='sblymnlcrymnl']So I've got 30+ hours in now, and I have to ask one thing. Am I the only one who is bothered by the completely horrible (at least 50% of the time) camera?


I kind of wish this would have come out on the gamecube (or xbox). I imagine there wouldn't be nearly as much slowdown, and the PS2 analog sticks are awful. It's a good thing I'm mostly drawing straight lines and circles, because it can barely handle that. :lol:

I've now got about twice as much time in Okami as I do in Twilight Princess, due to circumstances not under my control. I still prefer Zelda, however.

EDIT: Forgot to complain about the load times. But at least you can get something out of it. :lol:[/quote]

Adding to the complaints after 35 hours of play with Okami, I'm constantly frustrated by the draw-in and pop-up. I regularly run past treasure boxes , NPCs, and other goodies because I don't get close enough to them for the graphics to appear. To compensate for that, I often run blindly into empty areas in hopes that the graphics engine will finish drawing the stuff that I'm hoping might be there. Sometimes the stuff is there, sometimes this "exploring" is a waste of time. Other than the pop-up, and the problems you mentioned (camera, controller problems), I'm having a great time with Okami. Although I prefer Twilight Princess (which I have completed).
 
[quote name='boyward']Adding to the complaints after 35 hours of play with Okami, I'm constantly frustrated by the draw-in and pop-up. I regularly run past treasure boxes , NPCs, and other goodies because I don't get close enough to them for the graphics to appear. To compensate for that, I often run blindly into empty areas in hopes that the graphics engine will finish drawing the stuff that I'm hoping might be there. Sometimes the stuff is there, sometimes this "exploring" is a waste of time. Other than the pop-up, and the problems you mentioned (camera, controller problems), I'm having a great time with Okami. Although I prefer Twilight Princess (which I have completed).[/QUOTE]

The only problems I've had with drawdistances is from far away. I don't have a problem up close. I generally only have slow down during cutscenes. I don't have any problems with the analog sticks. I've got TP but haven't even opened it yet. To be honest, I've been so disappointed by my Wii. I haven't even touched it in nearly two months.
 
Yeah, I've noticed a lot of pop-up, but it hasn't been a big deal.[quote name='GTZ_NSR']I've got TP but haven't even opened it yet. To be honest, I've been so disappointed by my Wii. I haven't even touched it in nearly two months.[/QUOTE] I wonder how you might fix that ... :whistle2:k :lol:
 
[quote name='GTZ_NSR']Ha! Another Wii joke. Good one though.[/QUOTE] Actually I just meant that you might not be so disappointed if you had started playing TP.


Sounds like you're a bit insecure, though. Did someone tell you it was "a good size"? :lol:
 
[quote name='sblymnlcrymnl']Actually I just meant that you might not be so disappointed if you had started playing TP.


Sounds like you're a bit insecure, though. Did someone tell you it was "a good size"? :lol:[/QUOTE]


..or wario ware.
 
I'm stuck on this game, I found hayubasa in the first village you go to. My friend played while I was away so I don't know where I am now, just that I found that dog.
 
I purchased Okami back in October 2006. I played for 14 hours and loved it, but once I got my 360, I abandoned the game altogether.

A few weeks ago, I started over from the beginning. Today, after 8 hours or so of play (not consecutively) between last night and today, I finally finished the game at just over 35 hours.

I need some time to put it in perspective, and at least one more play through, but I feel that this game is one of the greatest of all time, and could compete with Ocarina of Time as the greatest. Pretty much everything about the game was brilliant. It is, hands down, the best PS2 game ever in my opinion, although I have yet to play Odin Sphere or the God of War games (although GOW 1 is next on my list).

It's rare that I complete a game these days, especially one longer than 10 hours, but Okami provdied such a rewarding experience. It's one of the few games I would rate a 10 out of 10.

It's a shame that this game only sold 220,000 copies or so. It should be required playing for every gamer.
 
How necessary would you say the sidequests are? I'm about 25 hours in and I just
woke up the emperor and met Queen Himiko
for the first time and there seem to be a ton of sidequests to do. I sort of wanted to keep moving with the plot and all, but I don't want to be so underpowered that I get stuck in some dungeon.
 
[quote name='jalu6']How necessary would you say the sidequests are? I'm about 25 hours in and I just
woke up the emperor and met Queen Himiko
for the first time and there seem to be a ton of sidequests to do. I sort of wanted to keep moving with the plot and all, but I don't want to be so underpowered that I get stuck in some dungeon.[/quote]

I think being underpowered is one of the least of your worries in this game. These are just my eyewitness observations though b/c I haven't truly played it myself.

Correct me if I'm wrong.
 
[quote name='primetime']I think being underpowered is one of the least of your worries in this game. These are just my eyewitness observations though b/c I haven't truly played it myself.

Correct me if I'm wrong.[/QUOTE]
No, this game is terribly easy for the most part.

I liked this game a lot, but parts of it were too repetitive, and like I said, the game was very easy. I also think that there were too many boring parts that didn't fit in with the whole of the game and should have been cut out. I would say at least 5-10 hours of the game should have been cut, and we would be left with a better overall product.
 
[quote name='RollingSkull']No please, don't make me play any more Okami. I am bored to tears of it.[/quote]

...then why play it?
 
[quote name='Dead of Knight']No, this game is terribly easy for the most part.

I liked this game a lot, but parts of it were too repetitive, and like I said, the game was very easy. I also think that there were too many boring parts that didn't fit in with the whole of the game and should have been cut out. I would say at least 5-10 hours of the game should have been cut, and we would be left with a better overall product.[/QUOTE] I say it should have been cut to 5-10 hours. Then it would be incredible all the way through. :lol:
 
[quote name='sblymnlcrymnl']I say it should have been cut to 5-10 hours. Then it would be incredible all the way through. :lol:[/quote]

I agree 100%... although I think this of just about every game. 10-12 hours is the sweet spot, I think.
 
I disagree. I know I back-tracked a lot looking for more items and going back when to older places when I had new abilities, so I finished the game at about 55 hours. the pacing didn't move at a crawl, and since it was just plain fun I never had a problem with the length. I was ready to play more when I beat it. okami was just about perfect to me, there were only a few forced mini-games that I could have done without.
 
[quote name='javeryh']I agree 100%... although I think this of just about every game. 10-12 hours is the sweet spot, I think.[/quote]

the game was definitely too long. i think it would have been perfect at 12-15 hours.
 
Am I the only one that is having trouble with the wind brush technique, or do I just suck ass? I'm at the part where you go fight Crimson Helm, and I can't get the flap like things to raise in the air so I can jump across them to advance in the stage. I only got it like twice, but I was on the bottom level. Why the hell can't I do it? I am drawing it exactly the way it supposed to but the flaps never go all the way up. Any help?
 
I agree with everyone about the length. It's one of my favorite PS2 games, if not my absolute favorite, yet I still haven't finished it because it's so damn long.

long games suck. I think 10-20 hours is good enough-- but if it's near 20, every last minute needs to kick some ass.

anyway, funny how everyone was saying they were waiting because the game was going to hit the bargain bin within a few weeks. it's still full price everywhere, so maybe it did better than we thought? :)


[quote name='Blackout542']Am I the only one that is having trouble with the wind brush technique, or do I just suck ass? I'm at the part where you go fight Crimson Helm, and I can't get the flap like things to raise in the air so I can jump across them to advance in the stage. I only got it like twice, but I was on the bottom level. Why the hell can't I do it? I am drawing it exactly the way it supposed to but the flaps never go all the way up. Any help?[/QUOTE]


Are you drawing it towards the wind flaps? if you're lefty, you might be doing it backwards?
 
10-20 hours!? While I guess that's ok for action games like Resident Evil and Metal Gear, I need my games to last longer than that. It's one of the reasons I buy so many games. Even 40 hour RPGs I can finish in less than a week...

I'll agree that towards the very end Okami got a bit drawn out (haha!), but at the same time I enjoyed every second of it. If I'm enjoying the game it can last 1000 hours for all I care. The more the better for me.
 
[quote name='Apossum']I agree with everyone about the length. It's one of my favorite PS2 games, if not my absolute favorite, yet I still haven't finished it because it's so damn long.

long games suck. I think 10-20 hours is good enough-- but if it's near 20, every last minute needs to kick some ass.

anyway, funny how everyone was saying they were waiting because the game was going to hit the bargain bin within a few weeks. it's still full price everywhere, so maybe it did better than we thought? :)





Are you drawing it towards the wind flaps? if you're lefty, you might be doing it backwards?[/quote]

I start drawing it on the right side (each section has two flaps). Not sure what I'm doing wrong. I'm going to go back at it tonight, I might be drawing it backwards, I don't know.

I already have 14 hours, I'm "behind" right? I was kind of exploring and stuff.
 
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