Okami review

What the hell happened? Ready at Dawn had a year and a half to successfully port one of PS2’s greatest games to the Wii - what we all thought was a match made in heaven - only to nerf the controls and subsequently bungle gameplay. However, that’s not to say all is bad. You still get the lengthy, top-notch quest blending the best puzzle aspects of Zelda with a visual style that no other can match.

Graphics aren't everything, but in Okami's case, they help define a universe. It’s hard to imagine Okami’s visuals getting any better than what wowed us back in 2006 on the PS2, but that’s exactly what the Wii hardware has done. From the cherry blossom trees to the sprawling fields, everything is that much crisper and that much more vibrant. Whether you're searching for lost warrior dogs or scouring a labyrinth for an eyeball-shaped key, you'll never once discover some glaring visual flaw that yanks you out of the mood.

The dungeons, people and environment are pieced together in such a beautiful, artistic way that they don't even look like graphics - they look like another, existing realm that we've been lucky enough to witness. Even your character, the revived wolf-goddess Amaterasu, radiates with divine energy.

Even smaller details, like babbling water and chirping insects, breathe constant life into every area you visit. Even though most new locales are covered in a murky, cursed fog, your godly powers slowly cleanse the countryside and bring blue skies back to the delight of cuddly forest animals everywhere. People start moving back into their homes, rivers flow once more... there's always a reward for pressing on.