Wii Okami bumped to April 15

Capcom confirms Ready at Dawn's port of Clover Studios' well-received lupine action adventure will hibernate three weeks longer than expected.

In light of its innovative paintbrush gameplay mechanic, many considered Capcom and now-defunct Clover Studios' Okami to be a far better fit for Nintendo's Wii than the PlayStation 2 it appeared on in 2006. Luckily, despite the game's original development house being dispersed shortly after Okami's release, Capcom signed on Daxter developer Ready at Dawn to pick up the title for a Wii port.

In laying out its release lineup for the first half of the year in mid-January, Nintendo gave the game's fervent following happy tidings, marking Okami for release on March 25. However, that reveal now appears to have been premature, as Capcom has today confirmed to GameSpot that Okami's prowl has been postponed three weeks to April 15.

Capcom gave no explanation as to why the game was delayed. One possible reason for the hold-up, however, could have been a reallocation of resources to God of War: Chains of Olympus, which Ready at Dawn has prepped for release on the PlayStation Portable later this week.

For more on Okami, check out GameSpot's extensive coverage of the PS2 version of the game.

92 Comments

  • sakuranoame

    Posted Apr 15, 2008 4:09 pm PT

    Nice... I'm receiving my copy tomorrow~ I'm so excited~ I bought the Wii because of this game.

  • mskittykat

    Posted Mar 12, 2008 1:30 pm PT

    SAAAWEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEET!!!! Love that game! SO getting this one too! (For the record I'm an animal person AND an artist - I was meant to have this game!)

  • godbird06

    Posted Mar 5, 2008 8:32 pm PT

    @bawathegamer-too bad you quit cause the REAL Orochi at the end of the game puts that first encounter to shame.

  • KingKoop

    Posted Mar 5, 2008 1:50 pm PT

    Dis is good ya.

  • bawathegamer

    Posted Mar 5, 2008 8:12 am PT

    i loved the ps2 version.............until i killed the main boss and found out i have to play 20 more hours to finish the game. the game never got better after that.21 hrs in and after expecting the game to end with that 8 headed boss i thought cool game,then i checked out thers like 20 hrs more ....i gave up.

  • lego863

    Posted Mar 5, 2008 5:41 am PT

    A must-buy for Wii users. I really enjoyed this game on PS2, one of the best games i've ever played...

  • kavadias1981

    Posted Mar 4, 2008 11:42 pm PT

    @ChampionOfLight - Don't diss Final Fantasy VII or i'll have to hit you with my Wii remote! lol

  • kavadias1981

    Posted Mar 4, 2008 11:39 pm PT

    @kpsikill - I AM one of those people buying the original games for the Wii. I loved Zack & Wiki, Umbrella Chronicles, Metroid and Mario Galaxy, and am looking forward to buying No More Heroes any day now. Original and new games like this make the Wii amazing. It is when they keep porting stuff that it drives me nuts.

    I own Okami for the PS2 and think it is amazing. But just leave it there, dont port it over. Make Okami 2 on the Wii by all means just stop using it as a "lets try it again" console. It wastes the whole meaning of the Wii; innovative, ORIGINAL and exclusive.

  • ChampionOfLight

    Posted Mar 4, 2008 10:27 pm PT

    Ditto any recommendations on this game, especially if you missed it on the PS2 and now own a Wii. It's not the easiest game to find second-hand. It'll be worth the wait.

    For the record, I DO own the PS2 original, played it and enjoyed immensely. I think the hype is deserved. I've played some games over the years that were way over-hyped to death and played by millions (Final Fantasy VII anyone?), only to find they were complete letdowns, or were lacking in something that, when I played Okami, just made it really stand out in my mind.

    Okami I guarantee was not played by millions of people.

  • 100percentgamer

    Posted Mar 4, 2008 6:09 pm PT

    im sure i expect better from delayed games because they test it and to see if its at perfection i mean every1s roaring about the soon release of super smash bros 3, did u see the extra things u can do on it so realy there should be some more we can expect

  • thepuzl

    Posted Mar 4, 2008 4:02 pm PT

    Okami was a brilliant game from an equally brilliant studio. God Hand was such fun too. Hope the port does homage to the original!

  • x-2tha-z

    Posted Mar 4, 2008 3:32 pm PT

    I've got Okami on PS2. Great game. One of the best I played last year. I'd recommend this to anyone, especially Zelda fans because there's some similarities. I might buy this Wii version too when it comes out.

  • Kekira

    Posted Mar 4, 2008 3:09 pm PT

    @AngelCage Agreed perfectly, especially for the final battle. Wii owners should have just played the PS2 version before talking about how the controls will work because they were perfect on the PS2. And I have the game too.

  • xblane

    Posted Mar 4, 2008 1:34 pm PT

    Saw this demoed in 'On The Spot' (and they said they'd be adding no new content)... I'm just not getting the appeal

  • Kar3

    Posted Mar 4, 2008 1:16 pm PT

    this game was good and beautiful on PS2 and will be well worth the wait. unfortunately the only thing on my mind right now is smash bros.

  • Lumenadducere

    Posted Mar 4, 2008 11:57 am PT

    Ah, well. As long as it comes out and it's of good quality, it can be delayed even more.

  • Glade_Gnarr

    Posted Mar 4, 2008 11:53 am PT

    This is good since march is the Brawl month.

  • ghost867

    Posted Mar 4, 2008 11:50 am PT

    Most people who claim that Okami was so great didn't even buy it. Some never even played it. It's called the underhyped, decent game becomes and overhyped, still decent game, but "seemingly awesome" game by the hardcore syndrome. It happens a lot.

    So does anybody actually care that much about the Wii port? I don't wanna be rude, I'm just voicing my opinion, so don't knock me for it. But I'd be willing to be most people going "how cool, this works perfect" wont' buy it, and might not even play it. Plus, how much extra content is this game gonna get.

  • Skreb-Masters

    Posted Mar 4, 2008 11:03 am PT

    This seems like a perfect fit for the Wii. And with Ready At Dawn's already impressive prowess, this should be a decent port at least. Lack of extra content is a bit disappointing but hopefully not the sales this time.

  • cristian321

    Posted Mar 4, 2008 11:02 am PT

    @ angelcage:

    i was being sarcastic, and i also would like a new okami not a port, sorry, i 'm not a native speaker so i can't express my sarcasm very well.

  • KingSigy

    Posted Mar 4, 2008 10:35 am PT

    Aw, I want Okami

  • AngelCage

    Posted Mar 4, 2008 10:25 am PT

    @Fallen_Legend

    Putting real voices in okami is a bad idea. Those groans and noises give the game a perfect fit for its surreal feel. i simply can't imagine issun talking over and over with a kiddie real voice.

    As i said before Ps2-to-WII-port can't have:
    Better graphics: both of them are in 480i wii in 480p, i never has seen anything wrong with the graps of okami. Fo the style of the game, the graphics simply can't be better than that. Maybe a little brigther, but nothing more.

    Sound: Dolby in both of them... the sound and audio in okami is just perfect... wii version can't have any significant change or upgrade in the sound department.

    Gameplay: Yes, celestial brush will be more easy with wiimote than analog stick. In ps2 never was significant hard to make a circle or a line, i hardly fail in okami to make a celestial brush tech, except when i try to draw at high speed, wich happens too when i try to draw a circle with a mouse at high speed, or in a tablet or yes, with wiimote.

    But, battle in okami have a tendency to be fast, complex and button killer. you can make large combos between multiple foes switching the primary and secondary weapons, even juggling your enemys, and yes you not only need to make fast combos, but switching to celestial brush drawing between hits... I really doubth that you can play okami with the wiimote as fast as you can play it with dualshock...

  • TrueIori

    Posted Mar 4, 2008 10:02 am PT

    I missed out on the ps2 version so when i get my Wii i get this and No more heroes after i buy my psp with god of war lol

  • frankeyser

    Posted Mar 4, 2008 9:50 am PT

    no worries i have smash now and was worried about time constraints in my gaming schedule, hell i am still playing devil may cry 4!

  • DFTricks

    Posted Mar 4, 2008 9:15 am PT

    Again -_-'

  • RaiKageRyu

    Posted Mar 4, 2008 9:03 am PT

    That's to be expected and it's fine it is.

  • razu_gamer2

    Posted Mar 4, 2008 8:37 am PT

    must be god of war.

  • Fallen_Legend

    Posted Mar 4, 2008 8:34 am PT

    I really enjoyed Okami on the PS2, so I'll probably buy this version (never bought it). And uhh, it is kind of logical that the drawing will be better on the Wii. Unless RoD really whiffs the interface, I can draw circles and shapes quite a bit better with a pointer than with an analog stick. Otherwise the game will probably be identical. If Capcom was really feeling generous, they could add real voices. Graphics I can't really see them improving without changing the style. Even then, few third parties have ever really made a good looking Wii game (making Galaxy that much prettier). It'll be fun, though.

  • peeweeshift

    Posted Mar 4, 2008 8:30 am PT

    okami was beautiful hopefully they brighten it up a little(emphasis) in teh hue contrast department, and clean it up a bit

  • Bodboy466

    Posted Mar 4, 2008 7:44 am PT

    Hopefully, after this those creeps at Capcom will let the girl rest. Without Clover it just won't be the same.

  • Can-o-Mark

    Posted Mar 4, 2008 7:28 am PT

    Actually, Andy639 that might just be the reason why they delayed it a bit. Considering the PS2 sales for the game were pretty bad, they probably dont want to take many risks with this version.

  • 6h05tly

    Posted Mar 4, 2008 7:16 am PT

    I've heard Okami for Wii was delayed till summer of this year. I guess I was off by a long shot on that one

  • Andy639_basic

    Posted Mar 4, 2008 7:06 am PT

    No big deal. Nobody would have bought it two weeks after Brawl anyway.

  • magicaldropking

    Posted Mar 4, 2008 6:55 am PT

    This would've been the perfect opportunity to finally bust out that DS-as-Wii-controller interface that's been hyped before the Wii's release but never materialized (no, Pokemon Battle Evolution, you DON'T count).

  • xgalacticax

    Posted Mar 4, 2008 6:13 am PT

    Actually, I got this game on PS2 like 5 months ago and till now its still sealed, lol. As I know with Wii PS2 ports, the graphics are always the same and the only difference is the control scheme so I'll just stick with the PS2 verison. Its different from Resi4 cos, apart from the awesome feel of the wiimote in a point-and-shoot style game, the Wii Resi was a port from (and looked exactly like) the Cube version and not the PS2 one which had the graphics cut down abit because of the power.

  • puablo

    Posted Mar 4, 2008 6:11 am PT

    @AngelCage

    I like the Wii, but you're absolutely right at least regarding Okami. The aiming on the wiimote is one of its weaker points so I doubt that the ink strokes are going to be much simpler on the Wii than the PS2, and it was easy on the PS2. Really where this interface would have been superior is, of course, the DS.

    Myself, I am just excited that Okami is getting more exposure, because not enough people played it. I consider it one of the best games I've played in years.

  • AngelCage

    Posted Mar 4, 2008 5:57 am PT

    To all the idiots who are saying things like: "oh yes!!!! the wii version owns the ps2 version because i can draw a line with the wiimote!!!!"

    Hum, you seems very proud of your 'next gen' game system, so proud that you are comparing it with the most underpowered system of the last gen. Say whatever you want, but this will be another last gen game, released in the new system with -MAYBE- a little better graphics (i don't think so) a better sound work -but the audio in general of the original okami is just perfect- and yes, a new control schema...

    I just LOVE okami in PS2, and while even i think when i first play it that it COULD fit well in the wii, at the same time i are a little worried cause in the final part of the game, Ammy made some insane combos a-la devil may cry (not that espectacular, but fast paced and cool looking)

    You will be able to draw lines and circles and 'SS' and 'Q' and other symbols more easy yes (since when was that difficult to do with the analog sticks in the ps2 version????), but the combos.... i don't know.


    How much can be upgraded a perfect game to deserve a re-release, and how much better the wii version can be than the PS2 version, for have fanboys saying stupid things like "Wii version >>>>>>>>>> Ps2 version"

    That kind of crap only give the reason to the people who think about the wii like the old-game-port-system

    A original and new okami game could be much better, but of course: why in the world a developer will invest money in made an original, high-budget, 5-stars game for the wii, if they can release a old game using little money, sell it for $50 and make a ton of cash????

    Only for Wii

  • grognard

    Posted Mar 4, 2008 5:45 am PT

    3 weeks is no big deal. Ready at Dawn is turning into one of the better small developers out there.

  • 02sfraser

    Posted Mar 4, 2008 5:43 am PT

    im kinda glad. i have way to much to play through

  • Robio_basic

    Posted Mar 4, 2008 5:42 am PT

    Very happy to hear about this delay. March was getting pretty packed for the Wii with a lot of solid titles. I was getting a little concerned that Okami might get lost in the shuffle once more.

  • curua02

    Posted Mar 4, 2008 5:29 am PT

    Trust me, Wii-people: Okami is worth waiting a few extra weeks for. You're going to have a blast.

  • Lightchaos

    Posted Mar 4, 2008 5:24 am PT

    Can't wait to play Okami, but SSBB is first.

  • ViVi110

    Posted Mar 4, 2008 5:10 am PT

    THANK GOD. They really need to space out all these releases....

  • kbaily

    Posted Mar 4, 2008 4:31 am PT

    Good, I want to play this but it was coming out so close to SSBB so now I have some time to save some more money.

  • hazuki

    Posted Mar 4, 2008 4:00 am PT

    Now we just have to hope this game has a true widescreen 16:9 display setting, unlike resident evil 4 wii edition did. That game simply stretched itself, and looked awful from being cropped. I know okami's widescreen doesn't fill up the whole screen, and thats kindof disheartening right there. Hopefully whats on there isn't stretched.

  • Litchie

    Posted Mar 4, 2008 3:58 am PT

    Delay it some more and include the rice paper backgrounds, please.

  • ShadowLupus

    Posted Mar 4, 2008 3:31 am PT

    I can't wait for this game. Better delayed than never and polished to a teeth rather than rushed and terrible.

  • Generic_Dude

    Posted Mar 4, 2008 3:30 am PT

    I've been wanting to play this, and if the Wii version rates better than the PS2 version, then maybe I'll pick that up, but I'm still a little irritated that the Wii seems to just represent to developers a place where they can resurrect the PS2 games they made for a second round of moneygrabbing.

  • heroofwinds1

    Posted Mar 4, 2008 3:30 am PT

    iam from europe and i do not think that was the best move they could do because it will arrive very close to mario kart(11 april)and wii fit(25 april).i do not know what effect this will have on it's sales but iam sure that i will get it because it is an awesome game.

  • wolf360rev

    Posted Mar 4, 2008 3:30 am PT

    They can take there time and hopefully the game will turn out well. I'd rather have clover studios back though.

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