Ones & Zeros

Yep, seriously.  Not having a tv for the last six months has put a serious damper on my game-playing, but fortunately Santa brought a slew of Best Buy gift cards this year and now we’ve got a shiny new tv to stare at.  The Xbox 360 games look fantastic on it, of course, but I recently broke out one of my favorite old games for my long-neglected PS2, Okami.  This is simply a fantastic game; beautiful and unique visuals with a sumi-e ink style, a captivating story based on Japanese legends, and unique gameplay.

Players control the main character, Amaterasu, the Shinto sun goddess in the form of a white wolf.  Ammy (for short) completes a slew of side missions and activities along the quest to defeat the eight-headed demon, Orochi, and rid the lands of his curse.  Earning praise from animals and people you meet along your quest enhances Ammy’s power, and your character collects new “Celestial Brush techniques” as you progress, allowing you to do things such as make the wind blow and plants bloom with a quick gesture of your ink brush.  The gameplay is a mostly linear combination of puzzles, battle, and exploration, which manages the difficult balance of being challenging enough to stay interesting without becoming frustrating.

From the sound and visual design to the plot and characters, Okami is a truly charming gameplay experience with excellent replay value.  A must-have for gamers and japan-fans alike, it is available for the PS2 and Wii.  10 out of 10 stars.

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