Cel-shaded goddess

I was introduced to Clover Studios' latest outing after their highly rated Viewtiful Joe series, titled Okami. Quoted from Gamespot: "In the game, you play as the reawakened Amaterasu, a god that's been reborn as a wolf and whose mission is to restore Japan to glory." Hmm, isn't Amaterasu a goddess?


Amaterasu (above) amidst a lush backdrop in Okami

The difference between Okami and the rest of the cel-shaded games currently available is the use of paintbrush-like watercolour painting and caligraphy. This makes Okami one-of-a-kind game that deserves the attention from all cel-shaded game lovers. Even during the encounter with the enemies within the game that Okami presented a unique style of dispatching them amidst the usual claw and tackle attacks - a celestial brush to finish off enemies. No kidding.

The environment created by Clover Studios was awesome; with every movement and step that Amaterasu takes, colours sprung to life behind along the path she took. Flowers popping up, dull becomes lively... you get the idea. Hearing me rambling about it is one thing, but to see it in action is another. If you're interested to have a gander at this wonderfully crafted game, copy and paste this link to the address bar in your browser:
www.gamespot.com/ps2/adventure/okami/media.html

There was no word yet from Clover Studios' website on the actual release date of Okami, but rest assured that you all will be kept informed by me as much as I can.

In the meantime, I'm looking forward for the Metal Gear Solid-meets-Splinter Cell-meets-Burnout game that will come in the form of Batman Begins. Let's hope the release date (14th June '05) stays true and will not be delayed. Oh, and not forgetting Battlefield 2: Modern Combat as well, one of the most highly-anticipated war-oriented games of all times. It's all hype and excitement until reality settles in, whether it lives up to expectations or otherwise.

Till then, enjoy the suspense of waiting!

Update: Looks like the PS2's Battlefield 2 won't be seeing the light of day anytime soon until November 2005. Sigh!