Howl of a powerful Wolf!
The Good: This game is on par with the Zelda franchise (actually it reminds me a lot of Windwaker), not a "killer" mind you but on par. The graphics are gorgeous, although I've never been a big fan of cell shading it works perfectly on this game. What I mean by that is the game is practically a painting come to life. The characters are cute, Ammy (the wolf) is beautifully animated and the world around her moves just as smoothly. Some of the enemy designs are based on actual creatures of Japanese folklore that makes the game very authentic, much like the Otogi series did on the Xbox. The story is very engaging and the character Issun who is the voice for Ammy on their journey is hilarious! The game is extremely innovative, utilizing the Celestial brush in many creative ways. You never feel like your not part of the game, even through some of the cut scenes. And if you think you’re in for brief adventure, think again! There are a ton of cool side missions, due to many of villager's problems that need solving. Then the story itself keeps you going too! In the end I spent over 50 hours playing Okami but felt sadden after the final curtain. The Bad: The only real issue I had with Okami was that early on in the game the enemies felt a bit too easy, even the bosses seemed like a breeze.
The Ugly: Some of the digging missions are extremely annoying!
Final: Okami will hopefully go down in gaming history as one of the greatest games every made. While most certainly not a "Zelda killer" (I hate that term anyway) it is definitely up there. With all the "gang banger" games and first person shooters flooding the market now, it is quite refreshing to play an artistic masterpiece like Okami. You owe it to yourself to play and own this game. Now if you'll excuse me I have a new entry in my top 10!