Before this review gets underway, do me a favor and breathe in through your nose. Smell that? No, I don't mean the smell of days-old pizza, dirty laundry and other things that are best left unidentified. I mean the smell of freshness, the smell of something new and unique, that heavenly aroma with an added lemony-fresh scent. That, my pungent friends, is Okami you smell. Smelling metaphors aside (which I can get away with because you play as a wolf in this game), Okami is one of those games that come out of nowhere and actually manage to present some unique gameplay ideas that *gasp* have not been seen before. It's also a game worthy of supporting the "games can be art" argument, sitting smugly beside other games such as Ico and Shadow of the Colossus as something you'd feel comfortable playing in front of your high-class, snobby friend who still thinks that all games are for kids. And you get to play as a wolf god in ancient Japan who uses brush techniques to restore the cursed land and battle giant, eight-headed dragons. If all that still doesn't appeal to you even the slightest bit, I can only conclude that you are a vegetable of the gourd family (most likely a cucumber).

What could have been an all-too-obvious song choice for the soundtrack? "Bark at the Moon." *forced laughter*

   Developed by Clover Studio, a subdivision of Capcom that for some silly reason has now been re-integrated back into its parent company (perhaps a bout of jealousy on Capcom's part after they were up-staged by their smaller subsidiary), Okami is simply a game that any self-respecting gamer should at least try. In Okami you play as the god Amaterasu in wolf form, self-assigned with the task of ridding Japan (or Nippon as it's called in the game and in the tongue of the Japanese) of the evil dragon Orochi, who has re-awakened after 100 years of being sealed away. The story starts off simply enough, but includes some surprises and twists later on which, while not gasp-worthy, help to give the story a meatier feel than certain other games (which shall remain nameless) where you are just tasked with rescuing a princess and sent off on your merry, sewer-crawling way.

   Okami is such as a beautiful game that I run the risk of going on and on about its looks for too long, just as a smitten, love-sick teenager might bore his friends with how adorable his latest crush looks. And how she is finally a real girl and all that. Chances are, you've probably already heard about Okami's unique look anyway, so I'll keep the fawning to a minimum. To set the record straight, it's not that Okami has some groundbreaking graphics that will knock your socks off - last time we checked the PS2 still wasn't able to stand up to the next-gen platforms in terms of raw graphic power. Instead, the game impresses with its great use of color and an absolutely unique, as far as video games go, visual presentation. The game uses a rather muted, simple style that looks a little bit like a watercolor painting, and which, mixed with Okami's traditional Japanese artwork, just pleases your polygon-beguiled eyes to no end. If you are too young (or too old, or too medicated) to have actual orgasms, just stare at this game for as long as possible because it's definitely the next best thing.

Sure, she looks great, but what about her personality?

Psst. There's a special move you can buy for 2,000,000 yen that lets you drop an exploding piece of doggy doo on the ground. I'm not even kidding!

   The best aspect of the game comes from the brush techniques that you continue to learn throughout the adventure. You start off with the "rejuvenation" technique, which lets you use the celestial brush by holding down R1 and then painting over the screen with the brush in order to restore ruined objects. As you play through the game you gain plenty more abilities and learn all kinds of fun things that you can do with your, umm, instrument. There are 13 different brush gods, all of whom, once found, will teach you a new technique. By the end of the game you'll be able to turn day into night by drawing the moon in the sky, create trees simply by dotting the ground with the brush, make dead trees bloom, and even create bombs by drawing a round circle with a line coming out of it for the fuse. There is a great multitude of abilities in all, since most gods give you more than one technique, and existing abilities can be powered up to higher levels. Beg as you might, I won't be going into them all here, however, for fear of spoiling the experience. Trust me, it's for your own good. One of the most enjoyable parts of the game is finding the brush gods and gaining the new abilities, as each one opens up new areas to explore and secrets to find, so you'll be eagerly awaiting to see what kind of magical trickery will be added to your arsenal next.

Mini (lazy) review: think of the parts that you play as Wolf Link in Twilight Princess, replace Midna with a bug and make it last longer! (Pay check now, please!)

   Monsters roam the land in Okami, depicted as floating scrolls on the screen, and when these are touched by Ammy, you enter a combat zone and fight using one of three different types of weapons that you have at your disposal. Aiding you in combat will be all your brush techniques, and the one you'll probably find yourself using the most is the "power slash" move, where you simply draw a quick horizontal line over the enemy to cut them with the brush. God, I wish I could do that in high school. The flow between combat and the point where you "pause" the action to use the brush techniques is smooth and feels natural, and linking together your attacks and your techniques is very satisfying.

   All of the game's dungeons are very well designed, (albeit reminding me somewhat of many of the dungeons I had been through in some of The Legend of Zelda games), and each features the standard end-of-level boss. I'm starting to feel a little sorry for these guys: waiting around for an eternity just so the hero can come and dispose of them isn't the greatest of jobs, after all. In Okami, these bosses are the strongpoint of the game as far as monsters are concerned, as they usually provide the first opportunity to really put that new move you just gained to the test. And just wait until you finally reach the end boss of the game! This one won't go down so easy, and you will be using all your techniques in many imaginative ways in order to finally dispose of him.

Who let the wolves out?!

   Remember how I said that I'd keep the fawning to a minimum? Well, to hell with it. Okami is one of the best games to come out for the PS2 library, and if you play it you will see why. (And if you don't you will learn that my name is the Lord when I lay my vengeance upon thee). The music and sound effects are great - I wouldn't mind getting my hands on the soundtrack for this game - and the game sucks you into the story of Ancient Japan, and holds you there quite effectively for most of the way through it. I say "most of the way" because, after finishing the game (and finding every secret, I add with only a slight hint of bragging!), with a total run time of around 60 hours, I did occasionally find my mind wandering. Yes, the game is very long, which could put a few of you off, but you have plenty of side-quests to keep you entertained, which includes finding 100 stray beads (the game says 99, but you get the 100th one after the credits end, the sneaky sods) which are scattered throughout the game. Incidentally, the story that the game is based on is completely true, though not many people realize that Japan was saved and then ruled for a couple of years by a dog; the period was called "The years of surprisingly little advancement", also known in the US as "The Sixties".

My angry gamer protection plan

   To keep anyone from saying "You said the game was great, but I bought it and it sucked so I stopped playing after a few hours, so you lied, waah waah", here is the official list of all the tiny, insignificant Okami flaws I could come up with:

   - The opening is rather slow, and long, and some other cut-scenes might try your patience as they go on for a bit. Just suck it up.

   - The bosses in the game are all fantastic, but you end up fighting a couple of identical ones too many times. To remediate, I suggest searching the web for one of the many illegal ways to temporarily impair your short-term memory.

   - Some fools might be frustrated that the game contains no voice acting, only text and nonsense speak that is similar to that used in Banjo Kazooie. If it really bothers you, just convince yourself that it's Japanese - you probably don't know any better anyway.

   - The game's pace is also slower than that of some other games that you might be used to, so don't go into it expecting non-stop action and you'll do fine. If RPG/Adventure games aren't your thing, rent before you buy.

   - Lastly, and most damningly, the game is easy, sometimes almost laughably so. Most monsters and bosses can be disposed of quickly, and dying requires a bachelor's degree in Ineptitude. Having said that, near the end of the game, if you want all the stray beads, you'll need to fight a few battles that are pretty tough and long, which balances things out a little bit.

   Not much more needs to be said. Do yourself a favor and play this game, unless you feel that you don't have the spare 50-60 hours for it. Easiest conclusion ever, really.

       ... Travis Whipps