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Chibiterasu plush will paint a smile on your face
No matter how you feel about the prospect of a DS Okami sequel made without the participation of Clover Studio staff, there's one thing that absolutely everyone is agreed upon: Okamiden's protagonist, Chibiterasu, looks extremely huggable. And now Capcom has made a Chibiterasu that can actually be hugged: a 45 cm (17.7 inch) plush version. Here's the bad news (yes, there is somehow bad news related to something so wonderful): the doll is only available through Capcom's Japanese online store, and is expected to ship October 31. If you happen to have a friend in Japan, they can order it for you for 5,040 yen ($58). [Via Siliconera]
Okami and Okamiden mugs warm up Capcom online store in Japan
Starting in June, Capcom will be offering a pair of Okami-based mugs for ¥3,150 ($34). Siliconera spotted the "tea cups," which feature the canine protagonists from Okami and the upcoming DS sequel Okamiden. The vessels also change color as you pour hot liquid into them, blossoming from dark designs into the full-color scenes depicted in the image above. Now, cut up your credit card before you try to ship these internationally! [Via Siliconera]
Okamiden in North America in 2011; Ghost Trick and Sengoku Basara in 2010
We may have had clues about a localized version of Okamiden, but that doesn't mean we aren't thrilled to see it officially announced. Capcom's DS sequel to Okami will be available for Nintendo DS in North America sometime in 2011. The trailer above relates the story, in which a very cute wolf god named Chibiterasu teams up with a new cast of characters to restore color to the world once again. Of course, the Celestial Brush item is back, allowing you to paint directly onto the world with the DS stylus. After the break, you can see some gameplay footage. Also after the break are new trailers and screens for Ghost Trick on DS (now Ghost Trick: Phantom Detective) and Sengoku Basara Samurai Heroes for Wii and PS3. Ghost Trick, an intriguing puzzle adventure about a dead man possessing the environment to solve his own murder and prevent others, has been given a winter 2010 date. Sengoku Basara, known in Japan as the latest game in the action series that spawned a popular anime and a Japanese history craze (and known in America, to a few people with good memories, as the latest sequel to Devil Kings) is currently classified as "TBD 2010." %Gallery-91176%
Trademark paints a picture of American Okamiden release
The evidence continues to build for a worldwide release of Okamiden. Less than a week after a European trademark appeared for the DS Okami sequel, Siliconera discovered an American trademark for the same thing, filed February 12. At this point, it seems assured that Capcom will localize the game, unless it decides not to do so simply to punish us for presumptuousness. At the same time, the company filed a trademark for Ghost Trick, another interesting DS game shown at TGS, whose North American release has already been officially announced. Between these two games and Ace Attorney Investigations, Capcom is single-handedly making continued DS ownership worthwhile in 2010.
Okamiden trademarked in Europe
Though we're confident Capcom wouldn't leave Okamiden, the DS followup to the critically acclaimed Okami, in Japan, it's nice to have some supporting evidence. Siliconera spotted a trademark for Okamiden on the European trademark database, suggesting that Capcom plans to publish it in Europe. And if Capcom Europe is picking it up, it's a sure enough bet that Capcom USA will as well. We look forward to playing it for more than a few minutes! We're going to celebrate the impending localization by first asking Capcom about it, and then staring dreamily at the character art of Chibiterasu. So cute.
Viewtiful Joe's Kamiya would 'like to finish' series, won't henshin-a-go-go back to Okami
Hideki Kamiya, creator of the forthcoming Bayonetta, would be up for making a sequel to his stylish side-scroller Viewtiful Joe if given the opportunity, according to a report by Game Informer. Not so much for Okami, though, which he'd wanted to revisit until he learned Capcom was making Okamiden for DS. "I heard the announcement that someone else would be making a sequel," he told the magazine. "Now I'm just not interested in it anymore." Kamiya, who left Capcom along with Resident Evil creator Shinji Mikami and other key staffers to form the now-defunct Clover Studio, doesn't retain the rights to any of the IPs he created at either company -- but nevertheless feels that the story of Viewtiful Joe "is incomplete," adding "I'd like to finish it someday." While that's probably a long shot, Kamiya has already proven he's a man full of amazing ideas, which we'll hopefully see many more of after Bayonetta -- a game he could very well make a sequel to -- is released in the US on January 5.
Okamiden trailer is in desperate need of a cheek pinching
Is it a good idea to pinch the cheeks of a rabid, killer God-wolf? Most definitely not -- however, after watching the latest trailer for Chibiterasu's handheld babysitting adventure, Okamiden, we don't think we'd be able to help ourselves if ever placed in the lupine protagonist's presence. Forget that. We'd cheek-pinch every single thing in this adorable video: the little kid who accompanies Chibi, the enemies the duo swiftly cut in half, even the barren trees they magically bring back to life. And trees don't even have cheeks. How crazy is that?
TGS 2009: The Recap Post
Last week, the Tokyo Game Show brought in over 100 posts worth of news, previews, interviews, galleries, and videos. Clearly, a lot happened. If you're looking for a comprehensive list of all the goings-on during TGS 2009, Joystiq has you covered -- and organized! Click on a platform below to scan the highlights: (On the far right: that's "News" and "Culture" on the top and bottom, respectively)
TGS 2009: Hands-on: Okamiden
I've waited in long lines for two things at TGS: the Level-5 demo session, which has been packed since the first minutes of the show, and Okamiden, which required more standing around than I expected. How can the sequel to a game that is regarded as a sales failure, developed by someone else, be such a massive draw to the TGS crowd? Perhaps the adorable Chibiterasu and Kuninushi statues inside the demo area helped bring people in. Or maybe people are just way into sitting down -- an amenity offered (and required) by both the Level-5 and the Okamiden demo.
Capcom launches multistage assault on TGS attendees' wallets
While we're sure there will be plenty of video games and stuff to cover, it's going to be difficult for us to spend our time at Tokyo Game Show doing anything but documenting Capcom's wonderful shop offerings. In addition to the tiny Chibiterasu paw screen cleaning straps seen here, Capcom is offering a shirt with Okamiden art.There's also the requisite pile of Monster Hunter and Sengoku Basara gear, as well as Resident Evil (the zombie shirt!) and Lost Planet 2 stuff. The real big-ticket item for us (in terms of both interest and, unfortunately, price) is the Ace Attorney jacket, featuring a Blue Badger graphic.[Via Andriasang]
Okamiden screens are predictably cute
At this point, Capcom's Okamiden is succeeding with its two-pronged attack of nice graphics and adorable baby wolves. Looking at these screens, we feel only vestiges of the outrage we once felt about the idea of continuing Clover's work in the developer's absence. Instead, the feeling of wanting to play this game has overtaken us.These lovely screens show possibly the most sensible reason for putting Okami on the DS: reduced development costs the Celestial Brush. Chibiterasu can use the Brush (which, for you, is the stylus) to rebuild a bridge, restore life to a tree, and, of course, to cut stuff. But really cutely, because everything Chibiterasu does is adorable.
Finally, a real Okamiden trailer
Following last week's heartbreakingly brief teaser video, Capcom has released a new, more satisfying trailer for Okamiden. Somehow, between last week and today, the company seems to have taken care of the framerate issue that was previously apparent. The new footage is silky-smooth, looking a lot better than a 3D DS game would seemingly have the right to. It demonstrates that between the Celestial Brushing and the self-contained fighting sequences, the game hasn't changed much in its transition to DS. Which means that this is basically the Okami sequel that we all wanted. Except so much cuter. And, of course, not developed by Clover, which is admittedly troubling.
First Okamiden footage: it's Okami, but smaller
As part of a "Tokyo Game Show Click Theater" showing off its TGS lineup, Capcom released a brief teaser for the DS Okami followup, Okamiden. The gameplay footage looks slightly choppy, and the textures are slightly rough, but the game is unmistakably Okami and looks pretty impressive for a DS game. Besides, it's still in an early stage.We're officially torn now. We don't want to trust an Okami game that doesn't involve Clover Studio, but Chibiterasu is unbelievably cute, and we want to own anything with his/her image on it. The game will be playable at TGS, and attendees will receive a free fan (with Chibiterasu on it, so see above for our opinion of the item).
Okamiden's new protagonist: Chibiterasu the lil' wolf
1UP has summarized the Famitsu article about Okamiden (which, yes, means it's real). The DS sequel, produced by Ace Attorney Investigations' Motohide Eshiro and directed by Dino Crisis series staffer Kuniomi Matsushita, takes place a few months after the end of Okami, at which point demons return for some reason.Instead of Amaterasu, the wolf being that comes down to help the village is Chibiterasu, a younger, less all-powerful wolf. Chibiterasu is helped by a partner character, the first of whom to be revealed is Kuninushi, the child of Susano from the first game. Chibiterasu will work with other partner characters throughout the game, each of whom can also be controlled independently.
Rumor: Famitsu scans show DS Okami sequel 'Okamiden'
Apparent Famitsu magazine scans are out, revealing what would appear to be the promised "Okamiden" game. We can't see the title in this scan, but if an Okami sequel and an unrelated game called Okamiden were revealed at the same time, it would be a pretty weird coincidence.If this is real, it shows a DS sequel to Clover Studios' beloved PS2 action-adventure game, which captures the original's watercolor style admirably, if a bit blockily. Of course, the DS is even more of a natural for the Okami paintbrush mechanic than the Wii is!
