At first glance, Okami looks kind of like an art house movie, with its weird visual style and unusual subject matter. Okami's unorthodox aspects only add to its appeal and enhance nearly every aspect of the game.

Stunning graphical style gives extra live to vibrant characters - and for a game where there is not a single spoken word (at least, not in any human language), that's impressive. All the interaction is done through text, but each character has its own "voice" - a series of burbling chirps that lends each NPC its own character. It's a bit weird for the first couple hours of gameplay, but after that you can practically hear what they're saying without reading the text. These characters are more expressive and empathic with their non-language than most games' NPCs are with full-on voice acting.

The plot is also truly epic - by the time you defeat what you thought was the final boss of the game, you realize that you're less than halfway done. Timeless themes and morals are brought forth over the course of the game. Their presentation is a bit heavy-handed at times, but the game's earnestness and sheer heartwarming power more than compensate. This game made me tear up more than once, and with the exception of Homeworld is the only game to accomplish that. Ever.

If there is any weakness in the game, it's that the combat is pretty darn easy, right up to the end of the game. Once you key into the celestial paintbrush mindset, you can defeat pretty much any boss the first time through without too much frustration. That said, combat is never boring, just easy, though fighting a few of the more common enemies is repetitive at times. This might put some off, but like I said above, Okami's other features make it a must-play.

Learning Curve: Instant!

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I don't normally do reviews, but Okami deserves it. It's underplayed here in North America, but it's a beautiful game and incredibly fun. The difficulty level is fairly low, which makes the enemies and situations easy, but this is overcome by harder unlockable enemies later on that are so difficult it's surprising that they are in the same game. The characters are charming and heart warming, and I didn't find anything in the game that I didn't like. And that's all there is to say, really.

Learning Curve: Takes a second

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I remember when I first played this game I had actually rented it from gamesnflix. The first thing that caught me was the graphics and gameplay which while maintaining traditional action-RPG elements managed to create something that a lot of action-RPGs fail to do: it made the game feel fresh and new. The great thing about the game is the calligraphy techniques that you learn to do essentially what are magic attacks and you can also use the brush to fill in parts of the landscape or even make the sun appear (by drawing a large circle in the sky). The thing that really gives this game an incredible feel is the graphics. The game is beautifully rendered in a cell shaded style that has a Japanese style brush stroke quality to it which makes the game very enjoyable to look at. The gameplay is excellent and attacks get more complex and combo oriented as the game progresses. Okami does something new and different in a tried and true format. I would have to say after playing this game that it is one of the most rewarding and enjoyable action-RPG experiences that I have ever had.

Learning Curve: Instant!

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Simply a great game. Not only visually stunning, but it plays fantastically. Only fault against it is that the battles can feel a little too easy at times. One of the best I have ever had the honour of playing.

Learning Curve: Instant!

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The last amazing gasp from the PS2. GoW2 aside, it's the only real reason to have that sleak little slim-line around.

Learning Curve: Instant!

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