Innovative gameplay, eye-catching graphics, excellent sound, and intruiging story make Okami an instant classic!
Gameplay - Simply put, Okami's gameplay is pure innovation. The Celestial Brush is truly unique, and has yet to be seen in a home console game. The closest thing to this could be found in Black & White (1 and 2) for the PC, or possibly on the Nintendo DS. They way it's executed in Okami is pure genious, and a testament to the developers' hard work. All other gameplay elements are extremely Zelda-esque. If you like Zelda's gameplay, chances are extremely good you will like Okami's.
Graphics - Very unique. Again, similar to Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker. Similar, but not the quite same. It's enough to keep it game-defining. My only complaint: No 480p, or 16:9 modes! There's an "LCD" mode, but I'm not sure if this actually does anything. It could be layman's terms for 480p, but I have yet to find anything that explicitly states this.
Sound - I don't have surround yet, but based on the 2.0 mix the sound is spot on. Sound effects are ear pleasing, and don't get repetitive. The music is catchy, and fresh. My only complaint with the sound: No voice acted dubbing! I think the voices in Okami use the same voice mimicing engine as Killer-7. It sounds like a cross between R2-D2 and Charlie Brown's teacher. With all dialogue, I find I rush through dialog as fast as I can speed reading as I go.
Value - I like to get $1 per hour of playtime out of my games. I'll make exceptions for games that are truly exceptional. Or, for games that compete for playtime for games in the same genre. So far Okami lives up. I've sunk approx 22 hours into it so far, and there's no end in sight. My inventory is still largely empty. At the rate it's filling, I plan to be finished around the 30 to 35 hour mark. This is right up there with the competition (namely Zelda).
Overall, Okami lives up to the hype. This was definitely one to watch, as it could have tanked horribly. Fortunately, it stands and stands strong. I have one more complaint not mentioned above, and that's how long-winded this game is. There's way too much dialogue, and you're given some extremely obvious hints to most puzzle solutions. You'd think this is meant for young kids, but with all the sexual references I'm not sure what the developers were intending. Either way, Okami is an extremely satisfying experience full of gorgeous graphics, innovative gameplay, and a laugh or two. Instant Classic!