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I have never played a game that saddened me as much as the Wii port of Okami. Not because the game was horrible. As a matter of fact it was one of the most stunning artistic achievements to come out in a long time… When it came out on the PS2.
Where the Wii version almost completely fails is in the control. This is probably the most important aspect of a game because they are an interactive media. If this interaction is clouded by poor control then the whole experience is terribly frustrating.
At least one aspect of control for this version is perfect. Movement is located on the Nunchuck. You use the analog stick and it feels absolutely just as good as playing on the PS2 in this respect. Still, this is not at all an enhancement of the PS2 version and does not offer the spine-tingling immersion that Nintendo promised the Wii would deliver.
Okami's other main aspect of control is using a brush to draw things like wind and sun. Even slashing like a sword. These strokes effect the game world by adding the drawn elements into it. The problem with this mode of control in the Wii version is that, in the PS2 version, the developers used a style of brush that actually moves naturally. This looks and works great… on a regular controller. Those have easily defined parameters and are extremely easy to use. Using the Wii Remote does not have this same set of parameters. Often the actual bristles of the brush will get away from you and cause you to mess up because of these natural flowing bristles and the Wii Remotes jerkiness. This also makes accuracy with sword slashes and other movements much harder. It is the same reason your character starts spinning in circles in FPSs when you point the Remote too far away from the TV.
Even drawing a circle with the Remote playing the Wii version of Okami is a chore. On the PS2 it was as simple as pushing the stick around the preset boundaries.
Even worse, the developers did not add in an option to use the Classic Controller. This should have been an easy option to add since the game was originally designed to be played on a game pad. Sadly, this is an option developers neglect to add often when making Wii games.
This problem could also have easily been resolved simply too. By making the brush in the Wii version a reticule, and by asking to player to imagine that the Wii Remote was the brush itself, the whole issue of the bristles moving too naturally would have been eliminated and the control would have been modified to play to one of the few strengths of the Wii Remote– acting like a pointer.
I hate to gripe about the Wii version of Okami so much. I would love to spend this time talking about Okami's lush visual style, engrossing story, and Zelda-like design. However, I would steer anyone who does want to try a truly amazing game to the PS2 version of Okami. The Wii version should simply be left on shelves to die… And the Wii Remote is the reason why.
