Everybody knows what happened to
Okami. It was a critically acclaimed game by Clover Studios, but no matter how much respect and praise it won for its beautiful art style and interesting gameplay, the mainstream consumer didn't give a crap and the game suffered an injustice of sales. What is now Platinum Games has continued to make great titles that don't become hits, and Q's Tetsuya Mizuguchi believes games like
Okami and
MadWorld need more respect.
"It’s actually a coincidence that I mention two games by Clover/Platinum, but it’s a shame that unique games like this aren’t embraced by the public more," said the man responsible for
Space Channel 5 and
Rez while talking to
1UP.
MadWorld really didn't sell that terribly, but it certainly wasn't the big success that Sega was hoping for, and there's no denying that Platinum Games, formerly Clover, doesn't get enough attention from the average consumer, despite producing some pretty damn good games.
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Contest:
1:40 PM on 09.15.2009
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A prediction as to your next outlandish header image?
In a rush or something?
Fix them so the haters don't have any ammo.
Sure, you bought Madworld today, but how much will be you playing it after you've beaten it? Okami will always have my love and respect, but Madworld is a shallow thrill. The game is intensely gratifying in its initial playthrough, but has virtually no replay value and the "multiplayer" is a joke. Other than it's somewhat unique art style and initial shock value, Madworld has few redeeming qualities and is ultimately a very shallow and silly game. In no way is Madworld in the same league as Okami. I keep hoping that Bayonetta will live up to Clover's former glory, but I have a feeling that Plantinum as a developer is all flash and no substance.
And I fucking MEAN that.
I normally beat games I like several times, like I did with No More Heroes (3rd playthrough right now). I like beating games later on with harder difficulties...
I beg to differ in terms of replayability. I have both Okami and MadWorld and I think MadWorld has more replayability.
It is true that the game was very short vs Okami's 40+ hour adventure. However, after beating both games, I think I'm much more likely to pick up MadWorld again before Okami. The reasons for this is because MadWorld is the perfect game to throw on during a boring afternoon and just pick a random level and enjoy some simple killing fun and have a laugh listening to the announcers and whatnot even if its only for a ten minute spurt. Whereas after beating Okami, I'm not sure I'll ever commit the time to play through that whole adventure again.
You did nothing to help. It was already too little too late. I hope you enjoyed your added mouse draw.
Both are really well made games with great graphics, music, gameplay and controls. In my opinion, MadWorld's only faults are with its short gameplay length. As for Okami, it could have done without the recycled boss battles, too much dialogue and the inaccurate but optional dodge move used with the nunchuck.
@SonicTHP
Okay, then you buy everyone PS2 copies. Sound good?
Here's to hoping that in the future games like this will become more popular and viable to a larger audience. While they are being made and supported currently, if the sale don't pick up we can all kiss these type of games goodbye.
Also, Okami is desperately overrated. I don't know whether it's the nostalgia or the idea that "hidden gems" (most of which are far to talked about to be truly hidden) should be somehow exempt from normal critism. I'm not saying Okami is a bad game, but it does have notable flaws and a style that won't appeal to some people. Just because a select few remember it fondly and want to lord their experience with the game over others doesn't mean those flaws should be overlooked. Beyond Good & Evil has the same problem... a good game that gets elevated above where it deserves because some silly online fanboys.
Also, I agree with MiOdd about replay value of MadWorld vs Okami. Okami is the better game, but MadWorld is definitely easier to pick up and play through on a whim.
Madworld was too short, had an art style that is not inherently good enough to ever hope for mainstream usage, and was so incredibly violent it severely limited it's audience, even among the most avid core gamers. It was also repetitive.
Now Mad World is one of the most fun games I've ever played, and Okami is Zelda-esque, but Zelda-esque is just a Zelda copycat with tons of Japanese references Americans couldn't hope to understand, and MadWorld is incredibly obviously quirky and niche. OF COURSE THEY AREN'T GOING TO SELL WELL.
For the gamey part, I just wished a few of the puzzles would have been harder.
I'd also be hard pressed to give a better example of art direction making sense with the gameplay.
I admit that it is cool making the landscape beautiful. However,it isn't a be-all-and-end-all (at least for me). No one should expect Okami tto sell well, because it wasn't made in a format that could hope to sell well.
The game might have actually been bearable if you could play it with a controller instead of the stupid nunchuku. Why do they always use the control scheme that was meant to attract "casual" players for the "hardcore" games on Wii?
Anyway: I originally was going to say that I disagreed that Okami "public embrace" as when I first read the quote I thought of how much the gamers who played Okami universally loved it (by the way, I own both PS2 and Wii versions and I strongly disagreed with Linde's opinion of the Wii version), Madworld however was rightly slapped on the wrist for its repetitive mechanics, and even though I found it's lack of pretension refreshing in the era of Heavy Rain and FFXIII Madworld isn't suited to long play sessions (I found it best enjoyed in small sips, like a fine tea or spirit). Then I realized that he was also referring to the publishing and marketing people as well. Abstract idea's like Okami especially aren't the usual hollywood-esque safe bet, so the publishers only give enough marketing money to pay for magazine ads and a few web ads.
Give me Halo 3's marketing budget, and I'll sell you 3 million copies of Okami.
Certainly not everyone can be expected to love the game, no games appeal to everyone. Not everyone did have a PlayStation 2, but considering it was one of the best selling consoles ever, statistically if you are a gamer, you had one or had access to one. Should every person who owns or has access to a PS2 game buy it? No, because that is an obviously irrational expectation.
With all that said, this video game industry, for the most part, is a business that runs on money. You show your support through your wallet. Clover is a studio who at the time had an outstanding record with the quality of their games. It was a game that took a familiar formula (Zelda-style adventure) and added it's own visual style and gameplay elements. As noted by many upon release, it was well made. Clover did not see their effort rewarded in the marketplace. This was likely a contributing factor in the team's dissolution. Had that financial success been achieved things may have been different. Buying the Wii version would have done nothing to save them, so I personally was bothered by the push to make the game successful on the Wii when similar effort was not expended on the original version.
Obviously, Clover is not lost completely in teh form of Platinum Games, but I hope that their current work does not go unnoticed the way their last releases with Capcom did.
Madworld, on the other hand, I found to be fuck ugly in its presentation, and I can't really make a comment with much weight after that. My copy from GameFly freezed up near the end of the training mission, and I never felt the need to play it any further. I love mindless action, but a combination of looking like ass and motion controls soured me considerably.
Nice opinions, but I don't think Okami had ANY "inexcusable" aspects. Also, the majority appears to disagree with you as well, as of the 76 reviews on gamerankings.com, only 7(!) of them are below a 9.0. Your problems (from what I can gleam from your post) seem asthetic at best and borderline OCD.
In fact, I can't remember a single thing I disliked about it at all.
And what the hell does "its art style isn't inherently better blah blah" even MEAN? Art is completely subjective but if Okami didn't have ITS particular art style (which I think is gorgeous and I don't agree with any of your assessments of it), then the game as it stands couldn't have existed.
Okami is a game where the art style is actually an important part of the game. And to be honest, if it had a more mainstream style, I don't think it would have sold as much as it did (as little as that was) because it was the main/first aspect everyone notices that makes the game stand out.
Now, if they made a stylized FPS with zombies, they'd be bathing in the Benjamins...*sigh*
I am not going to use metacritic when discussing Okami. If I were to do that, then I would have to assume Okami was a huge success, because in metacritic it is a very highly rated game. But Okami was not a success, and we both know that.
No when I say "inexcuseable", I refer to aspects of the game that prevented it from selling that cannot be merely explained away. It's art style is one of those aspects. And by inherently better than the norm, I refer to art styles that are so good, they become the new standard. Now we both know that Okami's style is not going to be copied by anyone (including Capcom outside of Okami games), which if you think about it, means that the style was not worth copying into other games. It was an asthetically quirky game, and quirky simply has never meshed well with mainstream.
Clover/Platinum is an amazingly creative talented studio with a glaring flaw - most their games do not have the potential to draw large audiences. This is because most the unique elements of their games are also niche elements of their games - the stylization of Okami and MadWorld, MadWorld's violence, Okami's constant references to Japanese lore, etc. I would feel more sympathetic towards Platinum if they weren't determined to make these extremely niche games that form a cult around a few and disinterest among the rest of us. they should really find ways to add creativity without limitting their audience to a niche.
You know, now that they are at Sega, I would love for them to take the game engine from "Shadow the Hedgehog" and make an original IP, a 3rd person shooter with very fast movement speeds like the original Shadow the Hedgehog game. I have always hated haters of that game for guarenteeing that I would never see that gameplay in another game again, as while Shadow was an inferior game, it was in the best genre ever invented (IMAO).
Sure, the graphics were interesting, but the gameplay and camera were ABSOLUTELY ATROCIOUS. I got through three of the levels/worlds before sending it back to GameFly because I couldn't stand being attacked blindly from behind.
Okami, on the other hand, that's a fine game right there.
My birthday cake for my 20th birthday :D!
[/img]http://i406.photobucket.com/albums/pp141/Mellowmimi/DSCN2432-1-1.jpg[/img]
Another reason why Okami may not have done too great on Wii is because there are only two types of people who own Wiis: People who don't actually like video games and just bought it because TV told them they want it, and people who bought it because they can't play Smash Bros. on their PS3 or 360.
Here is my Okami birthday cake. Still love this game.
That could have something to do with it, but it doesn't. Klonoa for the Wii was a failure too, and I saw those ads for myself. Can't we just agree that for fairly obvious reasons Okami has no main-stream appeal and attribute that to it's sales problems?
How does Klonoa disprove my point. If anything, I'd say it proves me right. Klonoa probably failed for the same reasons I said Okami did. Klonoa was a remake of an older game too. Also, Klonoa was never going to appeal to the people who play Wii Sports and Wii Fit. I'm convinced that almost all of the "hardcore" gamers who own Wiis(outside of the Nintendo fanboys) own a 360 or a PS3 also, and only bought a Wii for a hand full of exclusives that they couldn't get on other consoles.
@Hcapt
I couldn't disagree with you more. Following your logic, every game would be cookie cutter and there would never be any innovation or risk taken by developers which would be a very sad thing for the gaming industry. Harmonix has taken chance after chance and while we can argue the virtues of the rhythm game industry, they have been wildly successful -- because they've taken risks. It may have helped that they were an independent development house and not ruled by the executive bullshit of a major corporation cutting its costs, but they changed the industry.
Okami should never be beleaguered for its beautiful art style, it's deep game play, its fascinating (and educational) storyline.
I imagine your game collection consists of very few interesting or unique games.
On a side note, I am so very disappointed that the sequel is coming out on the DS. Bah. We need a 360 Okami!
The "hardest of the hardcore" gamers play games like Dead Rising and Mega Man and Ikaruga.... Okami was hardly that. Did you even play it? Where do you come from? Who are you?