Video 17 - Grandma Plays Okami

Grandma is in the final stages of Okami, a beautiful platform game on the PS2 that was well deserving of its drawn out hype. The unique "Brush System" in the game is both beautifully done and incredibly frustrating at times; the new strokes one learns begin to layer themselves in such a way that one occasionally forgets the easiest way of battle in favor of newer methods, or at least those most recent in memory which tend to be the more complicated drawings.

Drawing using the thumbsticks isn't as easy as you'd hope it would be, so it takes some getting used to- but it's worth it. The saturation of color and form make the game, which functionally holds up on its own in gameplay, a true work of art- but you've probably already gathered that from over two years of E3 demos and teasers.

For Grandma, the worst aspect of the game would be the very "StarFox-esque" gibberish anima language that drums on your head during dialogue reading. It's a shame, really- the soundtrack is rather pretty, but sitting at the computer a few feet from where Grandma tortures herself trying to learn a new brush stroke is usually done in silence (other than Grandma's exclamations of course).

If you have a Playstation 2 and you dig the platform genre, you should own Okami.

That brings me to the other reason you shouldn't eat anything this week:


Grandma got her copy a few weeks ago when Square sent it over to be reviewed for The G-Hole. She violated one of her standing gaming rules by interrupting Okami to play FF:XII so the review would be ready by deadline, but there are no regrets when it comes to this game.

Simply this: FINAL FANTASY IS AWESOME AGAIN.

There is so much to say about XII but goddamit it will have to wait.

If there is any gas in your car; if your bus pass for November just kicked in; if you have the necessary funds to acquire it- GET IT.

It's magnificent.


We have a lot coming up, including our perspective on The Lumines Situation and the upcoming holiday battle of corporate entities.

Game on!