Capcom on Making Wii Okami

jess4mick

and this game aswell comming .................................................. ......US, November 16, 2007 - Ever since Capcom unveiled the PlayStation 2 game Okami, fans everywhere wondered why a Wii version wasn't also in development. After all, Nintendo's unique remote is an ideal fit for many of the adventure's engrossing gameplay mechanics, which challenge players to draw on-screen to complete actions. In an update to the company's official blog, Capcom's VP of strategic planning and business development, Christian Svensson, explains how Okami Wii came to be and what to expect from the finished project.

Svensson admits that Okami on PlayStation 2 was a retail disappointment. "It's not a secret that the game in its first outing didn't fare as well sales-wise as a game of its quality deserved." He attributes the game's lackluster performance in the sales arena in part to its arrival during the final stage of PS2's illustrious life cycle.

Although Capcom had no plans to create a Wii version of the title, feedback from fans helped spur internal interest in such an undertaking. "Okami Wii specifically exists because of that direct communication [from fans], especially those we receive on our message boards."

Svensson elaborates on the beginnings of the Wii port. "So at some time, we started thinking of several 'what if?' statements. What if we took another shot with Okami's content on another console? A platform people were repeatedly asking for it on? A platform that could help with some of the core mechanics of the game? Our team at CEI started putting together feelers to the pwoers-that-be in Japan to see if this would e something that wouldn't trod too heavily on anyone politically. True to form, our executives in Japan were supportive of the concept."

The Capcom executive says that the company began looking for a talented third party developer to make the Wii version of the game and eventually selected Ready at Dawn by way of a chance meeting. Svensson ran into Ready at Dawn's co-founder and creator director, Ru Weerasuriya, at the Game Developers Conference, and learned he was a great fan of Capcom's titles. "We talked for quite a while over more beers and by the end of the conversation, I really liked the cut of Ru's jib. The thins that R&D was really interested in dovetailed well with where I saw CEI placing its priorities with our fledgling production development operation."

The next week, Svensson chatted with Didier Malenfan, co-founder and president of Ready at Dawn, and the two hit it off. "I just blurted out, 'How would you guys like to bring Okami to the Wii?' I don't quite recall the next thing they aid. I think there were a few moments of silence on the other end of the phone as the question sank in."

So how is Okami on Wii coming along? "As it stands today, the team has the game assets converted (quite the laborious process), up and running in a ported version of Clover's engine," explains Svensson. "There are still several systems getting set up properly but there's most definitely a Wii-driven Amaterasu running around Wii-rendered environments as we speak. We've got the home videos to prove it (and no, you can't see them yet, sorry)."

Ready at Dawn's Wii-ized take on Okami will very much be a port of the PS2 title with added Wii remote functionality. Explains Svensson: "As we've stated before, Okami is such a huge game (40+ hours to complete isn't at all uncommon), we aren't currently planning any additional content but we're exploring a few possible things on the technical side of things that might make for an improved Wii experience (no promises yet though). Obviously, the biggest change to the game will be the introduction of the Wii motion controls, the details of which we'll also share at a later date

WiiZero

Wii wasn't out when Okami was released yet alone being developed

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JAKE196

its a port.

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Wii games: Super Mario Galaxy, Metroid Prime 3, Resident Evil 4, Zelda TP, SSX: Blur, Excite Truck, The Godfather, and Mario Kart Wii
PC games: Call of Duty 4, Halo 1, UT3, F.E.A.R., and The Orange Box.
PS3 games: Ratchet and Clank F.T.O.D., Resistance 2, Wipeout HD, and MGS4.

phillepino

if dis is going to be anything like the wolf version in Legend of Zelda:TP den itll be boring >.> but i dont know i nvr played okami before but heard that its really good so im looking forward to it! ... unless its like the wolf in LoZ:TP

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samXcor3

well the wolf was only one part of TP. im sure since the entire okami game features just the wolf character, itll be polished and awesome.

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AtomicB

Okami was an extremely under-rated game. This is one of the ports I'm actually looking forward to! If they do as good as a job as Resident Evil 4!

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GAME OVER

SensesFail

uhhh..what do you do in okami? i know G4 gave it a few awards.. nominated for game of the year as well.

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Byuakuya

I agree. It is a beautiful game which seems to be overlooked by many. This is definitely one port that I am looking forward to as well.

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Monsteroids

They're goin' half-assed on this game. I suggest it for those who haven't played it before. Like me!

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AtomicB

You have to remember, it's Capcom. This is one of their big games. Their not going to let a developer do a poor job on it.

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GAME OVER

jlspec

I do wish they would bump up the graphics with lighting effects, and other cool effects to give it a more atmospheric feeling.

blueovalboy7

What exactly was the premise of this game? I got it for my sister back when it came out on PS2, but I still have no idea what its about.

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sinx

This is music to my ears. Okami is simply incredible. Puts Loz:TP to shame IMO.

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