Nintendo Power endorses PlayStation 2
Thursday, April 3rd, 2008 at 10:58am by Blake
From the 7.5 review of Okami on Wii (May 2008 issue):
The controls just didn’t make the jump to Wii as well as they should have… Okami is a work of genius, but you should play the original [PS2] game instead of the Wii version if you can.
There you have it.
April 3rd, 2008 at 11:03 am
Whoa… I let my subscription run out after the big NP switch. Play the PS2 version instead? This is a more grown up NP indeed. Not that their reviews were ever dishonest or anything like that. I think I liked it better when the mag never let on that they even had competition.
April 3rd, 2008 at 11:09 am
The cats at IGN are absolutely raving about the Wii version. Someone has got to be wrong, right?
April 3rd, 2008 at 11:28 am
No surprise here.
2008 will see the end of the Wii Port era after Nintendo lights a fire under developers’ ass with their showing at E3 in July.
April 3rd, 2008 at 11:42 am
I’d rather have the opinion of someone who hasn’t played Okami and just let me know if it’s good or not instead of “it’s not as great”.
Whether the game is great or not, I can’t wait for more developers to learn from Konami’s Pro Evolution Soccer team, not just because they put more muscle behind the Wii porting process but because they actually made the game better as opposed to just making it run and shipping it.
April 3rd, 2008 at 12:37 pm
Hmmm….I’m calling bluff on NP. This was a savvy move to break the myth that they’re still biased. A shame that Okami had to be the sacrifice, but a clever move indeed.
April 3rd, 2008 at 12:57 pm
hmm- only 3 reviews still make NP the metacritic outlier. But what will we play if not this port? perhaps more 1st party games?
It’s early, but I call shenanigans/ Ministry of Thought. Plus I really just wanted to say shenanigans.
April 3rd, 2008 at 2:19 pm
I don’t see the big deal. Nintendo Power isn’t so much exclaiming the PS2’s greatness as comparing a port of Okami to a previous version. If the previous version had been on the DS and the reviewer found that superior, then you would read, “Play the original on Nintendo’s portable love-child.” It’s not console preference; it’s competitive awareness.
April 3rd, 2008 at 3:52 pm
Oh well, i never thought Okami was that amazing anyways. Sure it looks great but it’s easy as hell (beat it without dying), the story falls apart past the halfway point, and the combat is so repetitive that I started just avoiding enemies. It is a entertaining game and I generally enjoyed it, but I don’t think it deserves nearly as much praise as it gets.
April 3rd, 2008 at 8:22 pm
your all missing the point.
the ps2 version, assuming you can find it, is likely alot cheaper then the wii version.
it has no extras, the brush is still functional, gameplay is built around the controllers limitations, and it has barely graphical enhancements.
so whats the point of this wii version if you have a ps2?
you can brush faster and shake the wiimote to attack?
its understandable for them to say go for the cheaper alternative in this case.
as far as IGN goes, they are weird in what they like and dislike, always have been a mixed bag, but then all reviews are opinions.
no need to bash nintendo power for having a different feeling about the controls of a game.
April 3rd, 2008 at 9:35 pm
“2008 will see the end of the Wii Port era after”…
…the Playstation 2 becomes irrelevant in the marketplace. Then instead of seeing lots of PS2 ports, you will see fewer games in general. Here’s hoping that the ones who DO make the effort to develop from the ground up will do it right.
Until sales reward quality, I don’t see that happening.
April 3rd, 2008 at 10:05 pm
I find it hard to see any real reason to recommend the PS2 version instead.
April 4th, 2008 at 4:08 am
… How exactly were the controls *worse*? Not being able to see the article makes me question that quite a bit, since at the very least the brush mechanic seems to be ideally suited to a pointer over a thumbstick.
April 4th, 2008 at 5:44 am
@kentbphat I was under the same impression too.
Even if I dont own (and never have owened) a PS2, should I still pick up that version?
I knew the Wii had backwards capabilty, but I didnt think they meant like this. /sarcasm
April 4th, 2008 at 4:39 pm
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April 4th, 2008 at 5:01 pm
I’m happy they said play the PS2 version instead. All these ports are clearly cash-ins.
April 13th, 2008 at 11:18 pm
Actually, the PS2 version is not so readily available. Looks like it’s going for around $30 with shipping on ebay for a used copy.
April 14th, 2008 at 12:50 am
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