A cherished gaming underdog (actually it’s a wolf) is coming to the PlayStation 3 in the fall. Fully remastered in high def with added PlayStation Move support.
Normally when games bomba at retail, they seldom, if ever, get a second chance at life. Beautiful, critically beloved (and woefully underperforming) Okami on the other hand, is about to get its third wind – possibly fourth if you count the incredibly cute Okamiden for the Nintendo DS – in the fall with a digital PlayStation 3 release that gets a much-needed HD convert and PlayStation Move support.
Priced at a reasonable “take my money” $19.99, Okami HD stars the Japanese sun goddess Amaterasu. Bringer of light, restorer of color, and a boss-looking white wolf that can dispose of its enemies with the clever stroke of a paint brush. She also can learn combat techniques and pick up weapons, which will be quite useful as she tries to reverse the lifeless curse placed upon the land by a nasty monster named Orochi.
A long, long, looonnnggg journey to save the world will be before her, but one now presented in a proper 16:9 aspect ratio and a HD polishing that looks to have taken away the Vaseline-coating of the original PlayStation 2 version. There’s also Trophies. Of course. And ported from the Nintendo Wii version, PlayStation Move support that can allow players to perform Amaterasu’s Celestial Brush maneuvers.
If there’s one thing Okami stands out for, it’s that spectacular Japanese woodcut art that encompasses the game’s world. And as the player progresses, defeating whatever evil rooted in that area, the sudden growth of beauty that returns is simply magical, like a mourning sunrise that catches you off guard. I bet it would be nice living there… aside from the monsters roaming around and attacking villages.
Anyway, bob almighty, Okami HD looks absolutely great in that announcement trailer above. I was so afraid that Capcom would use the B-Team for this remastering – sort of how they did for Resident Evil 4 HD – but it seems they went all out here. Fears averted, indeed. There’s a greedy part of me that wishes we could see a retail release, but understanding perfectly well how this game has performed in the past, I’m just glad we’re getting this.
Nothing spot-on about a release date yet for Okami HD, but hopefully Capcom doesn’t wait too long to release this. Always a good thing to have a hobby to pass the time when occasions like this arrive. Hobbies like painting a Chevy Camaro in Tron colors or building a Legend of Zelda-styled nursery.
