We can already sense your eyes rolling skyward. And - yes - PSM3 is a Sony-only magazine. But the truth is exactly the opposite.
From its 8-bit beginnings through to modern-day masterpieces such as Majora's Mask, we reckon we've stuck around for every last 'der-der-der-daaah' the Zelda series has had to offer. And so we feel authorised to tell you the words few dare to utter - Okami beats Twilight Princess hands down.
That already seems like an impossible position, but let's up the ante even more. Design-wise, Twilight Princess is by far the better game. It's clear that Okami is a 'tribute' to Zelda, and like all cover versions it doesn't quite pull it off.
Its dungeons never hit the heights of, say, the Temple of Time, where the entire level is so fantastically turned on its head at the halfway point. No, a dog and its flea could never compete with that. But regardless, Okami wins out.
Art attack It's as artist Marcel Dechamp once said: "It's not what you see that is art - art is the gaps." There's considerable debate as to whether Zelda and Okami are RPGs or not. Whichever side of this particularly tedious fence you fall, there's one thing that Zelda definitely has in common with the most beardy of genres; you spend inordinate amounts of time doing precisely bugger all.
And that's where Okami outshines its bigger brother. See, TP might have the odd piece of puzzling brilliance, and it might be able to throw up cut-scenes powerful enough to make Mike Tyson weep. But to say that those moments alone make TP better is like putting forward that Starship Troopers is a better movie than Star Wars because of that bit where the dragonfly-thing decapitates a soldier.
The simple fact of the matter is that neither of these games is to be played if you've got an imminent bus to catch, and you'll spend 90% of your time just pottering around.
And exploration is infinitely more enjoyable in Okami - due in part to its art direction. While TP's designers clearly whittled down their brown and green crayolas into stubs, Clover's palette contains hues you didn't know existed.
Shallow? Perhaps - but the fact remains that each section of Okami's world is different from the last to, firstly, implore you to explore it, and secondly, to give it some context within the rest of the world. Conversely, we can confidently predict that if you were to dump a player into a random Twilight Princess field, they'd have no idea where they were.
Life in colour And not only is Nippon a brighter world than Hyrule, it's also busier. There seems to be no end to the interactivity of Okami's waterpaint world: with a flick of your brush, you can drench, blind or frazzle passers-by, and a circular stroke prompts dank, dark deadwood to explode into a torrent of technicolour.
Some minor RPG leanings aside, there's little point doing this other than that it's fun; exploring old lands with new skills has the joyous feel of a less dogmatic Castlevania.
Each new skill genuinely feels like a new toy to play with - as typified by the many amusing effects your strokes have on Nippon's denizens. By contrast, in Twilight Princess it just feels like you're carting around a bunch of junk, a malaise not helped by the by the messy controls that pale when compared with the immediacy of Okami's brushstrokes.
It's important to remember that Twilight Princess is still a 90% game - but it suffers from sticking so rigidly to its own aging recipe. The Zelda series, no doubt, will continue long after Amaterasu's name has been wiped from the gaming canvas - but in this particular battle between the Sun Goddess and the Twilight Princess, there's only one winner. Why, it's as clear as day and night.
The Top 5 Okami/Zelda Comparisons
Main character No contest. Ameratsu has a mischievous charm betraying her position as a goddess. Link just rolls around shouting 'Huh?' Okami 1 - Zelda 0
Support Midna looks vile, but you soon realise the story is actually about her. Issun is irritating from the kick-off. Okami 1 - Zelda 1
Villains Okami's antagonists are well-defined, but nothing makes sense in TP until halfway through. Okami 2 - Zelda 1
Dungeons They follow the same pattern, but Zelda's dungeons are far larger than Okami's. Okami 2 - Zelda 2
Extras and collectibles There's not much to discover in TP. In Okami, everything has an impact. Okami 3 - Zelda 2
I love Zelda, mainly OoT and thought TP was, though excellent, a bit over-rated and did not live up to OoT.
But i have not played Okami but will soon on the Wii maybe or pick it up on PS2. Though i do not think a PS3 magazine should even write something like this, the PS2 magazine (before the change) didn't do things like this, they commented on other good games on other platforms like Zelda. Nintendo magazines always put down other consoles, and i think a PS3 magazine should comment on Sony things, with comparisons only when necessary, like whether Killzone is a "Halo killer".
I don't want a PS3 magazine like the Nintendo one.
Though having not read the PSM3 article i suppose i should not comment, it may be well written, un-biased and claim Zelda is good...leaving this messege worthless
Though having not read the PSM3 article i suppose i should not comment, it may be well written, un-biased and claim Zelda is good...leaving this messege worthless
Ive read it & it does.
PSM are a surprisingly brilliant single format mag. They dont tend to be bias & have great reviews
It seems like a bizzare choice of article considering both games are well over twelve months old.
They're right, don't get me wrong. Okami is the better game. But has anyone aside from the odd Nintendo diehard really disputed that fact in the last year?
While I don't entirely disagree with this article, TP was a bit of a letdown mainly in the sense that it felt more like an homage to OoT than it's own game, I feel it sort of glosses over an important aspect of both games - combat. While they're both adventure games at heart you still have to fight a lot of enemies and TP wins hands down in this respect. The one thing that really let me down about Okami is that they came up with an awesome idea for a battle system and then never bothered to balance it. I mean it was fun but way too easy. I wouldn't upgrade my health or ink just to make it harder but I don't ever remember dying. If they had just upped the challenge as the game went on it would have been so much better. It's not like combat in TP is that difficult, but you have lots of different options available to use and sometimes feel tested as you progress.
I do like Okami but I don't think its the second coming, nor do i think it would replace Zelda. It's easier than Zelda, which I thought I'd never say, which is sometimes a criticism leveled at Zelda. It also made the lazy design choice of making you reface previous bosses just to make the last stretch a bit longer and more emphatic, plus the last boss was uninspiring.
Okami borrows heavily from Zelda and is appealing because its fresh. Not hard when your the first in a series {if they will be any sequels}. I really do like Okami, one of last years best games. I just don't agree with the Zelda bashing in comparison to it that happens sometimes. We all know Zelda needs a shake up and could 'borrow' some ideas from Okami but I'd still look forward more to Zelda than Okami 2.
This is opinion rather than 'fact' anyway, no? I've not played Okami, and sure, I may think it better than TP (which I thought was excellent btw - miles better than MM and WW, and a worthy sequel to OoT), but still, that's just my opinion.
And reading that in a Playstation magazine would surely be like reading in a Ninty one that Mario Galaxy is better than Rachet and Clank...
Should I wait for Okami on the Wii, or should I buy a PS2 sooner?
*decisions*
As for opinion, I can only go as a long-term Zelda fan, in that TP didn't make much of an impact with me. It was empty and (for me) gutting. No magic, a rerun of OoT without the heart and not the game I saw in E3 in '05.
Okami was the biggest surprise of 2006, for sure. But I wouldn't call it better than TP. I do agree, though, that TP was relatively uneventful in terms of overworld action, but the raw gameplay is superior. And while Okami has slightly better art design, TP has much better graphics.
But yeah, it would be more controversial to put Okami up against either Majora's Mask or Ocarina of Time. It'd be even LESS appropriate (since both games beat Okami by a country mile), but "controversial" sounds about right.
Okami was probably better, to be honest I never got too far in the game, but after completing TP I just felt kind of let down. It was a solid enough game, but it didn't really bring anything particularly new to the franchise. I don't like how the fights work in Okami and wish the enemies walked around on the map rather, but apart from that it seemed like a fun little game.
a malaise not helped by the by the messy controls that pale when compared with the immediacy of Okami's brushstrokes.
Oh dear, a typo. You have lost all integrity and are wrong in the assumption that Okami is better.
Okami was quite repetitive, unlike TP. The only time I ended up pratting around in TP was when I actually wanted to, I always had some clue what to do.
Lost in the field? That's what a map is for.
Items in TP feeling unused? unlike the brush strokes in Okami they are not the main gameplay elements; how many situations can the spinner be used and still make sense.
Okami has the better art direction? possibly but TP was obviously made to feel more realistic. Real is brown.
I was interested in Okami for the Wii already, now even moreso, since Im a big zelda fan. Will truly have to play this game through and see how it compares.
I loved Issun. He nearly made me wet myself when he said stuff like 'Busty babe!' or 'Whao, that babe's stacked!' I thought... what the.
But anyway, I'm a massive Zelda fan. I absolutely fell in love with Okami when I first played it, and it's probably just after Ocarina of Time in number 2 spot in my all time favourites list. To me, TP felt like a remake of OoT - a love letter to all Zelda fans from Nintendo, if you will.
Now, Okami definitely gets its inspiration from the Zelda series - even Okami's director, Hideki Kamiya, says he gets his gameplay design from Zelda, being a fan. Just the way you wandered through the land talking to people reminded me of Zelda.
But yeah, I'd probably go with Okami being better than TP aswell.
I find it amusing as Okami should've been released on the Gamecube rather than the PS2 simply because it would've gotten the sales it deserved. But then I wouldn't have read that great article.
If you like the game manual, then I'd recommend the official artwork book. Okami Official Complete Works it's called. If you can find it that is, and if you do it'll more than likely cost upwards Ł30. I had to order it from Japan, benippon.com. Just over Ł20, not a bad price for a book of this quality and beauty.
This is just more Nintendo bashing if you ask me, Okami could have been alot better than Twilight Princess and although Okami was a great game I just don't see what is the point in comparing these two games because if you don't have both already your an idiot!
I always thought that TP was a big let down, and yet its what the people asked for, they wanted a new OoT rather than a variation on the theme like was tried with Wind Waker. That really annoyed me that Nintendo was stupid enough to listen to the general populace rather than just doing what they always do and making what they want.
I can't wait for Okami on the Wii, never managed to get it for the PS2, couldn't find it anywhere , but played it a couple of times and I think its fantastic, if they get the controls right it may well stand shoulder to shoulder with Galaxy as one of the best Wii games.
Should I wait for Okami on the Wii, or should I buy a PS2 sooner?
I'd wait and see how it converts to the Wii, if they nail it, it will be the best thing since, since...
*try's to think like Bosker*
Since gaynes!
It feels somehow wrong to say it, but it might be the best game ever (for me). Just ticks all the boxes! Right down to the booklet!
I'm on the edge of buying a PS2 this week... should really.
The shock horror of the matter is I may miss out on a Wii, altogether. The only thing that'll change that is if Kart turn out to me the most amazing thing ever. If it's another dividing version, I'll probably pass on that too.
Oh, no... sorry, I lied. If another Zelda comes out, then I'll have to get a Wii, then.
This article infuriates me. I love Zelda. Actually love it, but I have never played Okami, so I can't comment. I want to shout 'Shut up!' at everyone who is agreeing, but then I would just be a t**t. The points made about zelda in the 'Face off' of this article were wrong though. TP has ace baddies and link is more than someone that rolls around saying 'huh'. A lot more infact. I would love to play Okami, but I will not let a playstation into my house.Ever.
I didn't enjoy TP much, but loved the rest, but when they changed graphics style to wind waker, everyone complained, yet people now complain about the colour's next to okami,
I think it's better than TP the second worst Zelda game, but is it better than phantom hourglass the latest Zelda.
Owning both of these, and having played them all the way through, I can say that it is a very close call (certainly not the "hands-down" that PSM describe it as - and even on their own scoring system Okami only won 3-2). They are both excellent games.
Okami is, quite simply, the most beautiful game I have ever played, not just in terms of its art style, but for the game's whole "feel". It's not perfect, and does rely on a fair bit of recycling to get to its end point - you fight Orochi three times in total, and although you could argue that the second time does fit in well with the plot, the third is definitely superfluous.
LoZ:TP was definitely trying to be an Ocarina of Time for 2006 (or 2005 you could argue, as that's when it was originally supposed to be released), and as such, follows a fairly set pattern (go to Temples to get parts of mythical object; world/self undergoes transformation; go to more Temples for more parts of different mystical object; have big fight with Ganondorf), which of course OoT borrowed from LttP in the first place. I'm not saying there's anything particularly wrong with that per se, but it's clear that there does need to be a deviation from this when the next true home console Zelda gets released (Crossbow Training certainly doesn't count!)
Both games are a bit too easy really - the only tough bit in Okami is one of the entirely optional side-quests with the ever-reappearing demon huts.
I love both games, but I do think Okami shades it for me - but just. I will be picking up Okami for Wii when it gets released, to see how good of a job they can do, and also to help their sales, because I think this game was criminally under-appreciated by the games-buying public when it had its PS2 release.
To those people who have a Wii and haven't played it the first time - you should definitely pick it up when it gets released.
I will be Okami for Wii when it gets released, to see how good of a job they can do, and also to help their sales, because I think this game was criminally under-appreciated by the games-buying public when it had its PS2 release.
An issue shared with other games too - Beyond Good and Evil being one. Truly great game, woefully unappreciated. I remember it came to the PS2 first, and had such poor sales that when it released on the Cube it was half the price that it should have been... Yowser.
Really? Oh, c'mon, surely you're just attempting to ruffle a few feathers! Don't get me wrong, Okami is an excellent game.....but better than Twilight Princess? I'm not even sure if you actually believe that yourself.
Although the design and structure is ageing, it's still a structure that has no equal, and with Okami also copying it's style, regardless of whether as a homage or simply due to the fact that there is currently no better way of doing it, I don't believe that TP can be criticised on this basis.
Ramblings of structure aside however, teh fact of the matter is, TP, like so many Zelda games of teh past is absolutely jam packed with standout moments that few games can match.
To attack the visuals is also a crime....ok, so it clearly doesn't have the colour or creative streak of Okami, but the world of TP is once again a joy to behold. From the dank dark corners of the Twilight to the exuberance and beauty of the the sun setting on another busy day in Hyrule - there truly are few games as beautifully created as TP.
Ok, have gone on long enough....needless to say, Okami is great....TP is exceptional.
I loved the art style of Okami but the game became very boring. I don't think I ever fully completed it. I got to what I thought was the final boss, beat him and then was told I have to go to some city or something. At that stage I just couldn't have been bothered.
I loved the art style of Okami but the game became very boring. I don't think I ever fully completed it. I got to what I thought was the final boss, beat him and then was told I have to go to some city or something. At that stage I just couldn't have been bothered. Okami was a lot easier than TP as well.
In that case you were only about a third to half of the way through the game - it went on for a lot longer than that, and got more difficult too.
This article infuriates me. I love Zelda. Actually love it, but I have never played Okami, so I can't comment. I want to shout 'Shut up!' at everyone who is agreeing, but then I would just be a t**t. The points made about zelda in the 'Face off' of this article were wrong though. TP has ace baddies and link is more than someone that rolls around saying 'huh'. A lot more infact. I would love to play Okami, but I will not let a playstation into my house.Ever.
If you won't get it for a PS2, and I don't see why not, you silly man Then you owe it to yourself to get it for the Wii. If you love the Zelda franchise, then I guarantee you will love Okami too. Otherwise you're missing out on one of the best games ever made.
I loved the art style of Okami but the game became very boring. I don't think I ever fully completed it. I got to what I thought was the final boss, beat him and then was told I have to go to some city or something. At that stage I just couldn't have been bothered. Okami was a lot easier than TP as well.
In that case you were only about a third to half of the way through the game - it went on for a lot longer than that, and got more difficult too.
It took me around the same time to complete both Okami and Zelda - 45ish hours. I just never wanted either game to end, which is a rare feeling for me while playing an adventure game. Last game to make me feel like that was FFXII I'd say TP was easier to do than Okami - but to be fair, both games were fairly easy.
This is a great comparison of games here. But they Zelda should've won. Again, this is from Sony's newsletter, so I see why it won, but Zelda would've won. Like, it says for maain character, Link just rolls around saying "huh"? Seriously, he's a couragous person CHOSEN BY THE GODS. Guess they purposly missed that.
Who cares? Okami will (with some luck) be released on the Wii: so people who has a Wii, but not a PS2 can play both and make our own opinion on them, without buying another console.
Should I wait for Okami on the Wii, or should I buy a PS2 sooner?
I'd wait and see how it converts to the Wii, if they nail it, it will be the best thing since, since...
*try's to think like Bosker*
Since gaynes!
It feels somehow wrong to say it, but it might be the best game ever (for me). Just ticks all the boxes! Right down to the booklet!
I'm on the edge of buying a PS2 this week... should really.
The shock horror of the matter is I may miss out on a Wii, altogether. The only thing that'll change that is if Kart turn out to me the most amazing thing ever. If it's another dividing version, I'll probably pass on that too.
Oh, no... sorry, I lied. If another Zelda comes out, then I'll have to get a Wii, then.
I'm just a whore, that way.
When I was more frequent on these pages I'm sure you were saying you would have one for Mario Galaxy, has that not happened? If you didn't get one for that then I seriously doubt you'll get one at all. Very surprised you don't have one, such a pivotal console. Not that my humble words carry any wait but I really wouldn't know which of the 2 (Wii and PS2) I'd want to get if I didn't have either.
While I can't really comment until Okami comes out on Wii, some parts of that were very strage. I have played Zelda and while slightly overrated it is still a great game. The two things I don't agree with are: "Nothing makes sense in TP until halfway through." That's a good thing isn't it? One of the strongest elements of Twilight Princess is the storyline, and while it takes a bit to get going, it keeps you guessing right to the very end. Also, "There's not much to discover in TP." If you hadn't put that in, I would agree with your article now. If you spend time with TP after you have finished it, there's the constant challenge of getting the heart-pices, the golden bugs, looking through all the mini-dungeons, going to back to previous dungeons, things like that mean I have never completed a Zelda game properly. As I said, I havn't played Okami yet and will buy the port on Wii, but some of those comments are just plain wierd. Oh, and Ocarina of Time is still the best game ever.
I am i big fan of Zelda. But if it's between TP and Okami then i have to say that Okami COMPLETELY kicks TP's ass. I liked TP, but it was no where near as good as Okami. If i was to try and compare Okami to MM or OoT i honestly wouldn't be able to say which i prefer.
Seriously, he's a couragous person CHOSEN BY THE GODS.
Well the fact he's chosen by the gods dosen't really matter or make the game any better. But if it were to matter then you should also take into account that Okami actually happens to be a god.
I've never read such an incredibly biased and blinkered article!
We are all entitled to our views and preferences, but to say that there are no secrets to discover in TP is just plain wrong. The hearts, the bugs, the tunnels and caves, the mini games.
Having played and enjoyed both games, TP is most definately the more fleshed-out experience. The dungeons, which have always been Zelda's meat on the bones, are so superior to Okami's it is frightening.
There is no doubt, TP was a homage to OOT and some gamers felt let down by this. It wasn't the fresh, new experience that many were hoping for. I can only say that personally, I thoroughly enjoyed it from start to finish and maybe, when Ninty have reinvented the Zelda formula for its next outing, many will be wanting the OOT design back.
Zelda remains the holy chalice of action rpg's. Okami comes close, but in my humble opinion, not as close as Beyond Good and Evil.
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, but played it a couple of times and I think its fantastic, if they get the controls right it may well stand shoulder to shoulder with Galaxy as one of the best Wii games.
Then you owe it to yourself to get it for the Wii. If you love the Zelda franchise, then I guarantee you will love Okami too. Otherwise you're missing out on one of the best games ever made.
Seriously, he's a couragous person CHOSEN BY THE GODS. Guess they purposly missed that.
