Okami

Review from Brett - Monday, 16 April 2007 @ 12:00am

PREFACE

Making up facts is what I do best. It's a life affirming policy that I pride myself on maintaining and it has led me to the point in my life where I can easily sit through an entire episode of "Berts Family Feud" and not produce a single answer that matches any of the other contestants.

Some would say that this makes me unqualified to pass judgement or review a title such as Clover Studio's Okami. Others would say that I need to shower more often and not wear my underpants on the outside of my jeans or on my head as a beanie. During this review it is my intention to prove these nay-sayers wrong.

I could do the hard work and research and inform you in this review that Okami is the last game from Clover Studios, an independent arm of Capcom dedicated to creating quality entertainment software.

I could talk of their disbanding and lament the relative commercial failure of some of their titles compared to "Need For Speed Carbon Copy 14" and thus build myself up as a pariah of fine gaming who uses large words such as "lament" and "pariah".

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But instead I will keep my feet on the ground and write an entirely sensible review of a game that many say crosses the line between art and entertainment.

I present to you, my Okami review. Written in Haiku Form


OKAMI HAIKU REVIEW

Eventually
In Every Mans Life
We Question What's Art?

My Haiku Review
Of A Unique Video Game
For Playstation Two

Very Hard to Squeeze
Pop Culture References
Into Haiku Review

So Heres Just One Now
Michael Boltons Real Name Is
Michael Bolotin

Back to Okami
Compared To Zelda Is Apt
Also Stands Alone

Japanese Fable
A World Without Colour
Can A Wolf Save Us?

Watercolour Art
And Style Kicks Mucho Arse
Graphics Are Unique

But Looks Are Not All
Just Ask Michael Bolotin
Substance Is Needed

Arcade Adventure
Slow At First But Later
Engrossing To Play

You Control The Wolf
In Top Down Three "D" With A
Sidekick To Guide You

You Can Move Within
Reasonable Distances
Not Quite Free Roaming

Analogue Stick Is
Used To Draw And Solve Puzzles
And Smite Enemies

When Combat Begins
Display Becomes A Paint Scroll
A Unique Effect

Slicing Them Up With
The Paintbrush Is Great Fun And
A Change From Shotguns

The Puzzles Can Be
Slightly Obvious And Yet
Still Entertaining

Most Also Solved
With The Paintbrush Drawing Tool
Slightly Overused

Michael Bolotin
Big Hair And Nothing
To Do With Okami At All

Yet I Still Refer
To Him , Its Almost Like I've
Got Nothing To Say

This Game is Good Though
The Humour Is Misplaced But
Who Am I To Talk?

A Great Soundtrack
Accompanies The Action
Of Japanese Style

Sound Effects Also
Are Apt And Fitting Of All
The Onscreen Action

So With Fighting And
Puzzles And Interesting
Story What's Not Good?

This Game Is Easy
Not Much Of A Challenge And
Much Too Slow In Parts

The Paintbrush Overused
Hard To Use When Hung Over
Jumping Parts Shit Me

A Fair Amount Of
Wondering, What To Do Next?
Translation Is Poor

Many Gamers Now
Selling Kidneys To Pay
For Playstation Three

Makes Me Wonder Out
Loud, "Who Will Buy This Great Game?"
"Should They Port To Wii?"

Is Okami Destined
To Be Another Ico?
A Rare Curio

Despite What You Think
About Art In Our Genre
This Is A Nice Game

And Judged Next To
Other Games, Okami Is
Really Very Good

According To Brett
That's Enough Of A Reason
To Check It Out Soon

Forget All The Hype
Enjoy Okami As Is
A Quality Game

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EPILOGUE

Ah, Michael Bolton jokes, confusing grammar and bad spelling, everything you could want in a review and perhaps more. Feel free to vent your frustrations or lavish me with your praise in Haiku in the Okami Haiku Form Review Forum.

Summary

Pros

Fantastic graphics, soundtrack and presentation. An interesting and new take on the arcade/adventure genre.

Cons

Difficult to review in haiku form, Very slow start and dull in places, Paintbrush mechanic overused and a bit fiddly.