Okamiden: Sequel to Okami on DS

[Dr.Flintlock]

I know a lot of you are pretty stoked about the announcement of MvC 3 but I'm actually a little more excited to see that we may actually see this gem come stateside :

It certainly does look adorable and I have to say I like that the visuals look about on par with the PS2. Also nice to see familiar faces like Susano and Sakuya in this one. Perhaps they'll elaborate on Kaguya in this one as well, and maybe give us a boss fight against a chibi-orochi hehe.

And here I thought I'd be potentially selling my DS when I finished Infinite Space. So much for that brilliant plan

[JCvgluvr]

To be honest, the chibi-motif they went with this time around completely turned me off. I wasn't crazy about the first game, anyway. Not to say that I didn't like it, because I did, but still. No Okamiden for me. :/

[Thalzon]

Combines all the artsy action of Okami with the adorable puppy mannerisms of Nintendogs!

I'm a sucker for anything Zelda-like (except, oddly enough, Zelda. I have yet to finish Spirit Tracks because I beat the 4th dungeon and got hung up on side quests). I hope the adventure is still sizable, though. That's my one concern here -- that the game will be a babyish 8-hour romp rather than a 20-hour epic.

[Mirby]

I'm excited for this. What's wrong with a little puppy Amaterasu (or whatever her name's called). I may not have played the original, but the guide I read in Tips and Tricks was enough. I want this, and so it shall be mine!

Then again, I find the puppy so cuute~

[LuketheXjesse]

To be honest, the chibi-motif they went with this time around completely turned me off. I wasn't crazy about the first game, anyway. Not to say that I didn't like it, because I did, but still. No Okamiden for me. :/

Shouldn't the gameplay matter and not anything else?

Aesthetic value is one thing but to let a simple art style ruin a game for you is just...

[Zombie]

It looks really fun. I really loved the first game so this should be a blast. Plus, it's on the DS. Awesome.

[Mirby]

Shouldn't the gameplay matter and not anything else?

Aesthetic value is one thing but to let a simple art style ruin a game for you is just...

It's all about the gameplay. Yes, visuals are important, but letting them stop you from playing a game? That's like saying the sprites are too jagged in Super Mario Bros. so you don't want to play that! It's a stupid excuse!

That being said, I <3 the visuals in this, and the gameplay looks phenomenal!

Gameplay footage!

[cobaltstarfire]

To be honest, the chibi-motif they went with this time around completely turned me off. I wasn't crazy about the first game, anyway. Not to say that I didn't like it, because I did, but still. No Okamiden for me. :/

This doesn't really make sense since the original game had of deformed/chibi style even for the adult characters. The new game doesn't really look to have a different style at all, the characters just happen to be children so they're even more deformed than the adults in the original were.

I'll keep my eye on this game but I'm not sure if I'll get it, I quite liked Okami but I've been feeling more scheptical than usual about new games lately.

[Schwaltzvald]

I'd pre-order if it ever sees a US release.

[EC2151]

Combines all the artsy action of Okami with the adorable puppy mannerisms of Nintendogs!

I'm a sucker for anything Zelda-like (except, oddly enough, Zelda. I have yet to finish Spirit Tracks because I beat the 4th dungeon and got hung up on side quests). I hope the adventure is still sizable, though. That's my one concern here -- that the game will be a babyish 8-hour romp rather than a 20-hour epic.

I think it's pretty inevitable we'd be getting a shorter experience this time around if only due to hardware.

Though not like all games are just becoming 8-hour experiences these days...

Fuck, there's too many games I want, and too few caches of money to pay for them.

I'd like to have this, myself. I just hope it's as long as it can possibly be, and they don't pull a Spirit Tracks and make you travel across the world at a snail's pace (which won't happen... )

[Mirby]

Schwartzwald, I think it might have a good chance coming over here considering the success of its precursors and the fact that the in-game text is already in English... that might be a good sign. That being said, if it still doesn't come over here, I'll be sad.

[Gollgagh]

precursors what

was there more than one okami game

[Mirby]

I meant Okamiden's predecessors (couldn't think of the word earlier), namely the PS2 and Wii versions of Okami.

[Gollgagh]

oh

I don't distinguish between console versions of a game as different games

It certainly does look adorable and I have to say I like that the visuals look about on par with the PS2.

yeah, on-par if you consider texture sizes of 128 and 1024 to be the same thing

this might possibly be one of the prettiest 3D DS games I've seen though

[Lady Shinigami]

This is interesting, because I didn't think Okami – despite being a generally stellar game – had sold well enough to warrant even a cheap knockoff type of sequel; not that seeing that there will be a sequel has set off my Crap-O-Meter yet. I'm okay with the cutesy-ness, I guess, though I much prefer the comparative realism of Amaterasu's movements. And while I do agree that Okami as a franchise is exactly what something like the DS calls for, I have to say that I never felt that playing Okami on my PS2 did me any disservice as far as the quality of entertainment; when they re-released it for the Wii – which I do not own – I was only mildly curious to know what the experience would be like.

That said, I'm still not wildly impressed with what I've seen. I do like that the general style has been maintained from the original game, for sure, but unless they slowed the video down I don't like how strange and reined-in the battle sequences seem; despite being 'easy' (I personally found the game's story and music to mean more to me than the [lack of] difficulty settings, but that's neither here nor there), fighting multiple opponents at the speed one could achieve in Okami was exciting and distracting and could work against you at a careless moment. By contrast the apparent range of 'Chibiterasu's' mirror seems to lower the potential for danger even more, though brush-controlling your allies seems like fun.

What's known about the plot is what bothers me most because it does seem like it might just turn out to be a rehash of the original, however well-executed. The way the end of Okami played out, it seemed to me that if there was ever going to be a sequel then the way to go would have been to have the next adventure take place on/in the Celestial Plain with Amaterasu doing clean-up work with whatever evil creatures might still be lurking there from the initial invasion before the departure and fall of the Ark of Yamato. That would also have allowed for examination of Ushiwaka and the Moon Tribe's story, which was something that was glossed over in Okami.

In the end, since I have no DS I'm not going to be buying the game to find out whether any of what affects my enjoyment of the game itself. But if they release Okamiden for the PSP, then, I may go to the trouble of getting it if I have some spare cash.

~LS

[Thalzon]

Lady Shinigami, have you perhaps considered WHY Amaterasu has reincarnated, or why evil has descended on the land again? I think it's very possible Amaterasu lost that battle on the Celestial Plain, and with the last of her power, spawned a wolf pup to pick up her brush and continue her work.

But in the meantime, the evil forces on the Celestial Plain spill over and begin attacking the world from on-high.

That's my guess, anyway. It seems plausible, especially since it's the same world, with the same characters as before, taking place only a few months or years after the original.

[Mirby]

And I don't think it'll come out on the PSP; this game is being specifically designed with the DS hardware in mind. The only DS game I can think of that later came out on PSP is Chinatown Wars... and that's because GTA is a media juggernaut.

[Monobrow]

I really need to finish the first game... Looking forward to this though.

[Schwaltzvald]

So hey it is seeing a US release though next year...

[Dr.Flintlock]

Actually, as long as I get to see Ol' Man Bamboo, I will be happy as a clam. That character was awesome...Maybe even some more Mr. Orange dance would be nice too.

As far as getting into Amaterasu and the moon tribe from the last game, I don't really think that's a story that needs to get too much coverage. I mean, it was cool in the first title, but I felt it was a little melodramatic for the overall tone of the game. Getting into it too much may end up causing the tone of the title to dip a little too much into darker territory.

That's not to say the original story didn't have its dark moments, what with evil demons requiring maidens as dinner entrees and what have you. Just saying, I didn't care much for the overall sci-fi ish vibe near the end of the series, with the exception of the finale.

However, if we got to see Kaguya in the game again, that would be a welcome addition. She was in the game for what? 15 minutes?

[Lady Shinigami]

Lady Shinigami, have you perhaps considered WHY Amaterasu has reincarnated, or why evil has descended on the land again? I think it's very possible Amaterasu lost that battle on the Celestial Plain, and with the last of her power, spawned a wolf pup to pick up her brush and continue her work. But in the meantime, the evil forces on the Celestial Plain spill over and begin attacking the world from on-high.

That's my guess, anyway. It seems plausible, especially since it's the same world, with the same characters as before, taking place only a few months or years after the original.

That's exactly what I mean – that is what happened in Okami. The entire story behind the game was an attack on the Celestial Plain that was led by Orochi; the attack was followed by a mass exodus of the Celestials in the Ark that was borrowed/purchased from the Moon Tribe. Once the ship had set sail the Celestials were massacred prior to the Ark's fall in Nippon, after which the demons aboard swarmed across the land and did evil things to innocent people. Amaterasu, for her part, lost her initial fight against Orochi on the Celestial Plain and appeared in Nippon as Shiranui, she 'died' helping Izanagi defeat Orochi, and was then reborn as the weaker Ammy.

Or at least that's the way they made it sound in the game. The only difference between that and Okamiden, then, would be that Okamiden starts in Nippon as opposed to the Celestial Plain, and that Amaterasu has become smaller still. That's not very encouraging in my mind.

And I don't think it'll come out on the PSP; this game is being specifically designed with the DS hardware in mind.

Which is what I expect, although being able to take any format of Okami along in my pocket would be nice.

As far as getting into Amaterasu and the moon tribe from the last game, I don't really think that's a story that needs to get too much coverage. I mean, it was cool in the first title, but I felt it was a little melodramatic for the overall tone of the game. Getting into it too much may end up causing the tone of the title to dip a little too much into darker territory. That's not to say the original story didn't have its dark moments, what with evil demons requiring maidens as dinner entrees and what have you. Just saying, I didn't care much for the overall sci-fi ish vibe near the end of the series, with the exception of the finale.

Well, seeing as I enjoy sci-fi that inclusion didn't bother me even though the hundred-year-doorway bit did kind of make me think, "Say what?" But it tied in well and there was so much left unexplained in Okami that I feel a quasi-rewind to cover the return to the Celestial Plain and the Moon Tribe's involvement would wrap things up nicely, that's all. I don't see how it would necessarily make things darker, either.

However, if we got to see Kaguya in the game again, that would be a welcome addition. She was in the game for what? 15 minutes?

Sorry, but for me Kaguya's story is what seemed a little melodramatic. Amnesia is a way overdone plot device, and because of how minor a character she was they didn't explore it thoroughly enough to make me care; I found her more of an obstacle than someone I really wanted to learn about, like Ushiwaka. On the other hand, if there was an Okami game that related a little more to the Moon Tribe, wouldn't that almost guarantee seeing more of Kaguya, who would possibly be one of the few allies you could rely on?

~LS

[JCvgluvr]

I don't justify my lack of interest due to visuals. At the same time, I don't apologize for them.

[Gollgagh]

your loss

[DarkeSword]

Sorry, but for me Kaguya's story is what seemed a little melodramatic. Amnesia is a way overdone plot device, and because of how minor a character she was they didn't explore it thoroughly enough to make me care; I found her more of an obstacle than someone I really wanted to learn about, like Ushiwaka. On the other hand, if there was an Okami game that related a little more to the Moon Tribe, wouldn't that almost guarantee seeing more of Kaguya, who would possibly be one of the few allies you could rely on?

It's not really an overdone plot device. That is actually the story of Kaguya-hime. Kaguya's story, much like everyone else's story in Okami, is based on a specific Japanese folktale.

Okami is kind of like if someone took all the Grimm's fairy tales, mashed them all together, and made an action-RPG out of what was left, except that instead of Grimm's fairy tales, they used Japanese folklore.

So much of the game is lost on us here in the US because we don't get the references, but you're basically supposed to get to that part of the game and immediately realize, "Oh, it's the Moon Princess!"

[Mirby]

I think that might have been another goal of Okami, Shariq. To expose western gamers to the rich history of Japanese folklore, since it's so heavily dependent on that. Think about it this way, Lady Shinigami. Kaguya's story of amnesia was a plot device long before anything else that we know today. So everything else is copying it, in a way.