Okami Wii

[vegeta1215]

...is awesome!

I don't own a PS2 so I never got to play Okami when it first came out, but I picked up the Wii version last week and I'm having so much fun with it! It is such a good game, and huge! I'm not even halfway through the game and I feel like it already dwarves Twilight Princess in size.

Is anyone else playing Okami or thinking about getting it for Wii?

[Aegix Drakan]

Getting it for my birthday next month. :P I was planning to buy it with my birthday money, but then my Grandma asked me if I wanted a game for my birthday. I told her "I have just the one in mind actually..."

...I'm hyped for it. :P I played about 5 minutes of the PS2 version in a store once, and I loved it.

[DarkDragoonX]

I have Okami on the PS2, and it's a real gem. It's unique and creative, well-polished, and personally I rather enjoyed it more than Twilight Princess. I'm glad it got a Wii port, because more people need to play the game.

[erm2003]

I am glad to hear some good news about this game on here. I was debating if I want to pick this up or not since it had some mixed reviews. I think the reviews were low because they are still complaining about another PS2 port coming to the Wii so it's not rated as high, but I have also heard about how great it is at the same time. I will have to look for a copy soon.

[ctrl-alt-delete]

I had it preordered at Gamestop because of all of the good things that I had heard about it.

I played it for about an hour or so, and am really enjoying it so far.

I have been spending most of my time on Brawl though...I cannot get enough Brawl.

There are so many game I have not played through...now that I am only working 39 hours a week, I have had a bunch of time to catch up. I am so excited.

[vegeta1215]

The main complaints I've read have to do with the paper filter being gone from the Wii version, and some of the controls.

With the paper filter gone, the game doesn't look quite the same as the PS2 version's aged, hazy, and almost glowing look. However the colors are more vibrant on the Wii, which some may like better. I like how it looks on the Wii, but I'm also curious about how it looks on the PS2.

The controls take a little while to get used to, as I'm sure performing the power slash and bloom techniques will frustrate many at first. But once you learn the nuances of performing them, they are a piece of cake. The power slash for example, seems to work better for me if I let the brush dab the paper for a second before I swipe (and swipe all the way through the object). Even if you mess up, it's so fast to try again. You use the d-pad to move the camera, which I'm not fond of, but it's not broken, just a stretch. Seriously, all Wii games need to just copy the camera controls from Tomb Raider Anniversay for Wii - the camera on that game is great.

[AtmaWeapon]

Okami was such a beautiful game; it's a shame I've spent my entertainment budget for this pay cycle already.

Also it's a shame that Capcom disbanded Clover, which leads me to not want to buy the game out of principle: you're playing a game that got a studio fired for "not doing well enough", and before the door closed Capcom was hiring some grunts to port it to the Wii. "Doesn't sell well" and "needs to be ported" don't really go with each other in my book. Maybe there's some behind-the-scenes face saving I don't know about going on, but it makes Capcom look like a bowl of dicks to me.

[ctrl-alt-delete]

Just in case you have not seen this...

http://www.gametrailers.com/player/32960.html

[DarkDragoonX]

That's actually rather interesting... the colors are definitely more vibrant on the Wii, but I find myself partial to the duller PS2 visuals. The PS2 version has a much more "ancient" feel, as though painted on a scroll that has long since faded.

I dunno... I find that the faded colors on the PS2 add to the atmosphere, but I can see most people preferring the brighter Wii visuals.

[Warlock]

I may get around to buying this eventually, but I have way too much on my plate right now to have any time to play it :P Maybe I'll wait and see if it goes on sale or something.

[Cloral]

Had I not gotten this on the PS2 I would definitely consider getting it now.

My main trouble with the brush on the PS2 version was getting the system to distinguish between the slash and the vine techniques. There's one point where you have to attach bulbs to other hooks with vines, and you have to do it within a time base. I found that if I drew straight lines connecting to the hooks, it would often think I meant to do a power slash even though I started the line on a bulb. In the end I got around this by making sure that all vines I drew had a bit of a squiggle in them.

One great thing about the brush techniques is later in the game when you start getting the optional upgraded brush techniques, like wind storm or fire blast. Make sure you save up your demon fangs so you can use these a lot.

[vegeta1215]

Actually, the paper filter isn't completely gone from the game - it's still there, but it's really subtle. I'm about 10 hours in, and the game keeps getting better!

[ctrl-alt-delete]

I am getting two sent. The pink, and the green. :-p

http://blog.capcom.com/archives/1154

[Warlock]

I am getting two sent. The pink, and the green. :-p

http://blog.capcom.com/archives/1154

Damn, I may have to do that (they can't see if I actually bought it yet, can they? :D) How are you getting two though, wouldn't they notice the same address?

[ctrl-alt-delete]

One for me at my address, and one for my wife's maiden name at my mom's address. :-p

[Warlock]

Hehe, cheater ;)

I ended up just ordering the pink one - that one is awesome. I suppose I'd really have nothing to do with the green one anyways, so I will probably just leave it at that.

[ShadowTiger]

Forget the cover. Just having the game alone is as much a treasure as anything I could imagine.

It is such an incredibly innovative and creatively artistic game. Easily among the best I've ever seen, much less played. It's like Ocarina of Time on steroids.

[vegeta1215]

I just finished rejuvenating Sei-an city. This game is huge (and amazing). It really makes Twilight Princess look pitiful, and you all know how big of a Zelda fan I am.

[erm2003]

I just finished rejuvenating the first village after playing for 5-6 hours and looking everywhere for little secrets. This game is great so far and I am really glad I made the purchase! Can't wait to see how much better it gets!

[Aegix Drakan]

Wow. Jsut Wow.

I got this game on saturday afternoon, and I can't get enough of it. It's absolutely awesome.

I think my brawl skills are gonna start to rust, man... :P I'm gonna be playing a ton of Okami.

[ShadowTiger]

That's what's been happening with me. I have a major Brawl Tournament coming up on Thursday night, ... ... but for the life of me, I just can't bring myself to care. Okami comes first.

I got into the major city and have been working my arse off grinding for cash so I can get the second taunt skill. I can't believe how much it costs. Oh hell, I can't believe what the taunt is. @ @. ... ... What either taunt is. Awesome other abilities though. :)


Seriously, it even has one of those "Cave of infinite trials" things. Except more than one. :D

[The_Amaster]

Well, damn, now I really want this game.
*sigh* I need cash...

[vegeta1215]

I got into the major city and have been working my arse off grinding for cash so I can get the second taunt skill. I can't believe how much it costs. Oh hell, I can't believe what the taunt is. @ @. ... ... What either taunt is. Awesome other abilities though. :)

Seriously, it even has one of those "Cave of infinite trials" things. Except more than one. :D

I haven't gotten the 2nd "taunt" move that helps you get demon fangs yet either, but if I were you, I'd save my money for getting the upgraded power slash moves, and the many other techniques you'll want to learn. They cost much more money. (btw, I LOVE that there's actually something to spend all of your money on unlike some other game ::Twilight Princess ::cough::) Besides, you can get lots of demon fangs fighting the monsters with the red skulls circling around them that you find in Shinshu (sp?) field later. They drop 3 fangs when you do a power slash floral finisher on them.

By cave of infinite trials, what do you mean? I found a few caves with upgraded versions of the spider boss, and when I return to them there are devils gates that start really long fights with lots of normal baddies. Once I finish the fight, it looked like I could keep playing it over again. Is that what you mean? If so, I wouldn't exactly compare it to a cave of trials, but it is a good way to get money, if you're good anyways.

[Cloral]

I got into the major city and have been working my arse off grinding for cash so I can get the second taunt skill. I can't believe how much it costs. Oh hell, I can't believe what the taunt is. @ @. ... ... What either taunt is. Awesome other abilities though. :)

Saving up for the golden inkpot? I'd have to say that is the single most important thing to get in the entire game.

[Aegix Drakan]

:P heh, just got the cherry bomb ability.

LOOOOOVE IT. I am now owning the crap out of stuff. Those dudes with the drums that take lot of hits to take down? I wait for it to surface, hide behind it....BAM! As soon as it gets up, BAM! I win.

oh, and Mrs Orange's Raging Demon Cameo FTFW. I almost rolled on the floor after that one. XD


And I finally found my one and only gripe with this game. It needs a *center camera behind Ammy* button. :P

[vegeta1215]

Saving up for the golden inkpot? I'd have to say that is the single most important thing to get in the entire game.

I have to agree. I just got the Golden Ink Pot, and it is such a huge help. But now I want more! I want the items that let me warp between origin mirrors and walk on water :)

Still, you could have the Golden Ink Pot long before you earn 2,000,000 Yen to get Brown Rage.



oh, and Mrs Orange's Raging Demon Cameo FTFW. I almost rolled on the floor after that one. XD

And I finally found my one and only gripe with this game. It needs a *center camera behind Ammy* button. :P

There's also a few Viewtiful Joe references in the game. They're great. (the dojo master's transformation is the big one)

I agree about needing a "center camera" button That would've been nice, although I'm getting used to using the d-pad to control the camera whereas initially it completely frustrated me.

[ShadowTiger]

I have to agree. I just got the Golden Ink Pot, and it is such a huge help. But now I want more! I want the items that let me warp between origin mirrors and walk on water :)Oh, never heard about that latter one! But I just saved the capital city though. I'll find it in due time.


Still, you could have the Golden Ink Pot long before you earn 2,000,000 Yen to get Brown Rage.Working on it now. :thumbsup: I don't need two demon fangs at once. I have the elusive famous shoto weapon called "PATIENCE" Huzzah!


I agree about needing a "center camera" button That would've been nice, although I'm getting used to using the d-pad to control the camera whereas initially it completely frustrated me.It's only really annoying when it doesn't tilt a bit down. I like looking at the ground in front of Ammy wherever I go, rather than off in the distance.

[vegeta1215]

Oh, never heard about that latter one! But I just saved the capital city though. I'll find it in due time.

You get both of those items from The Emperor if you give him enough demon fangs. He's the same person who you get the Golden Ink Pot from.


Working on it now. :thumbsup: I don't need two demon fangs at once. I have the elusive famous shoto weapon called "PATIENCE" Huzzah!

So what was that second taunt skill you were talking about? (I was thinking Golden Fury was the first, Brown Rage the second. After all, they are both silly, and you risk taking a hit when performing them, so I'd classify them as taunts)

[ShadowTiger]

Yep, those were them. No third taunt. And, yes, I've certainly spoken with the emperor and seen his 'warez. I'm probably not going to buy that Peace Bell though. No point. The battles aren't nearly difficult enough to warrant absolute avoidance.

[vegeta1215]

The Peach Bell was actually the first thing I bought. It's really nice to be able to walk by monsters and not have them chase me and trap me in their sphere of evil. I choose if and when I want to fight :D

[Aegix Drakan]

Well, I just now read the scroll on how to get demon fangs...

:rolleyes: And here I was, thinking they just had a rediculously low drop rate.

I really wish I had a way to induce nighttime. :P I wanna hunt down all those wanted monsters! And I almost NEVER skip an enemy. I see a scroll, I dash at it and LEAP into it. :P

...or, if I'm tired of it, I just give it a wide berth.


BTW, does you astral pouch have to be FULL before it can revive you? Cause mine had aobut 187 points in there when I got owned by the guy with the "lightsaber" kinda sword. >_< that guy freaking owned me the first time. ...The second time, I got desperate, and used one of those "deflect attack" scrolls, and got by too easily.

[Matteo]

So should I get this game for the Wii or the PS2?

(I never played the PS2 version)

[DarkDragoonX]

Either, just so long as you get it.

It's a real classic. It does Zelda gameplay better than Zelda does. It's creative, gorgeous, loads of fun, and it's relative obscurity is downright criminal.

[vegeta1215]

I really wish I had a way to induce nighttime. :P I wanna hunt down all those wanted monsters! And I almost NEVER skip an enemy. I see a scroll, I dash at it and LEAP into it. :P

BTW, does you astral pouch have to be FULL before it can revive you? Cause mine had aobut 187 points in there when I got owned by the guy with the "lightsaber" kinda sword. >_< that guy freaking owned me the first time. ...The second time, I got desperate, and used one of those "deflect attack" scrolls, and got by too easily.

Yeah... you can make it daytime whenever you want by drawing the sun in the sky, you'd think there was a brush technique that lets you change day into night, right? ;)

And yes, you need the astral pouch to be full for it to revive you. btw, don't feel bad, that fight with Waka was tough for me too. The trick with him is to use power slash to knock his sword back at him. Just wait to you fight the canine warriors...those were long fights.



So should I get this game for the Wii or the PS2?

(I never played the PS2 version)

I haven't played the PS2 version either, but I hear it's hard to find now...

Regarding the Wii version - many people say the controls on the Wii are bad, but I think the controls work great. Some things take practice, but that's it. After a few hours of play you won't want to play it any other way.

[ShadowTiger]

True enough. Not having ever really played a game on the Wii Before like that, I thought that the controls were actually a lot harder on the Nunchuck and Wiimote for Brawl than for Okami. The only thing I could say they could've done better was the way that you attack, (I can almost never get any reflector type weapon to work right. Anything else is just dandy though, especially Rosaries, which are all I ever use for primary weapons.) but otherwise, it was pretty easy to learn. :) Though, again, I did start from a fresh slate, as it were.

The Battles with the canines do require many power slashes, I think. Keep attacking them when they're not flashing and rearing back to stun them, and then when they stagger, give 'em a power slash. Repeat until dead. When they're powering up, just run away.

[vegeta1215]

The only thing I could say they could've done better was the way that you attack, (I can almost never get any reflector type weapon to work right. Anything else is just dandy though, especially Rosaries, which are all I ever use for primary weapons.) but otherwise, it was pretty easy to learn. :) Though, again, I did start from a fresh slate, as it were.

I actually find the Reflectors and Glaives really easy to combo with. With Rosaries it's harder for me to tell if I'm comboing correctly (like when following the tutorials in the Dojo) but so much damage is done I don't know if it matters much.

[vegeta1215]

Has anyone completed all the kimono drawings for Mr Chic is Sei-an city? I am stuck on the last one (the heaven kanji). I have tried dozens of times. I don't know what I'm doing wrong.

btw, for those stuck on earlier ones, here are some tips based on what worked for me:
Star: without picking up the brush, start with the upper left point, and draw down and right for the first line. (and continue the rest)
Heart: without picking up the brush, start at the bottom, and go up and to the left to draw it.
V: without picking up the brush, start at the top left and make a V
Clover: draw four circles, with each part touching the two next to it. I drew mine starting with the top right one, and went around counter-clockwise

UPDATE: I finally managed to get the last drawing. I just draw it smaller, and it seemed to work. So, if you're stuck on some of the other ones, changing the size of your drawing might just do it!

[ShadowTiger]

Six days since the last reply. Ew.

Yeah, those drawing weren't too easy. I had a bit of trouble on the heart, and then the size of the V, and then actually drawing the clover with the Wiimote. Got the Star and the God symbol on the first try, somehow. Somehow. X x.


I did the first spider gate in Ryoshima. I got in the vicinity of 100+ Demon Fangs from that run. (And promptly purchased all remaining Relics from the Emperor.) I tried the one in Northern Ryoshima first though, and good god, I had to use more than sixty small Bones! The real challenge began in the room with the Umbrella Vultures coupled with the ... whatever the hell else was in the room with them. It was like that Darknuts and Wizzrobes room from TLOZ Dungeon 6, only in a smaller space, and the Darknuts move really really fast, and everyone just slashes the hell out of you for no productive reason. Yeah, it's kinda like that. X x. Damn umbrellas. The wind doesn't really stop them either. They can use their umbrellas immediately even after being totally windswept. It's madness!

Well, I just entered Yoshpet, so we'll see what happens. I currently have all possible ink pots and wallet upgrades, (I shouldn't have gotten either wallet upgrade. Huge waste of points.) and one full row of hearts (Health, whatever.) and all but two on the next row, and two heart containers sun fragments, and nearly enough faith to fill in the last. Good lord.

I'm also definitely going to try to get all of the Stray Beads. I'm very much looking forward to the end prize. I know what it is, too, sort of. I just want to actually experience it.

By the way, that Fox Glove relic, is amazing. I heart it so hard. Use it everywhere, everywhen. Its usefulness cannot be overstated. It even harms enemies on occasion. You're just throwing Issun into an enemy to do whatever. It's great. :D He can even steal from bosses.

[Dogchew9]

I'm still trying to find a damn Wii o.O

[Aegix Drakan]

? Why are the wallet upgrades bad?

heck, what to they even DO?

[vegeta1215]

The wallet upgrades let you hold more money, but they're not that handy because you'll likely be spending most of the money that you get to buy new weapons and learn techniques as you go. Also, the most expensive item only costs 2 million yen, and iirc, one wallet upgrade may be enough to store that much. So, maxing out health and ink wells are the upgrades you should concentrate on first.

Yeah, that second devil gate trial was tough. I can't even imagine what the third one is like, which I'm about to tackle.

[AtmaWeapon]

This one might be spoilerific and it might be answered in the thread, but I'm sure someone can answer.

On the PS2 version, during the loading screen, if you timed your attack buttons perfectly in time with the loading animation you could get blue fangs for each successful completion. I haven't been able to do it yet or even get a single "large pawprint" success marker; did they take that feature out?

[DarkDragoonX]

I heard that the loading screen "minigames" were taken out of the Wii version. Of course, I could very well be hallucinating, so until somebody else with a proper source can confirm it, take my statement with a grain of salt.

[Kairyu]

Anyone else had freezing issues? I've had it freeze on me three times so far.

[ShadowTiger]

On the loading screen issues, I've heard they were all taken out. I haven't found anything to be in the least bit interactive on the Wii version, and haven't really touched the PS2 version for more than a minute, and all I did was bite a Tiger in that time.


I don't think it's frozen on me, (Maybe once, but I don't quite recall.) but a friend mentioned that it froze on him when he entered a cutscene and had it turn to day/night at the same time.

[vegeta1215]

Yes, the loading screen mini game is gone. But, the loads don't take hardly any time at all. My game only froze once,

-=SPOILER=-

It hasn't froze other than that one time.

[ShadowTiger]

I just did that very same thing this morning, and it didn't crash. It must be random.

That scene that you just mentioned though, that was pretty damn cool. I rather enjoyed seeing all of that. Not enough of the last character though. I heard he/she/it fights along with you in that scene, but I must have been mistaken. Nevermind.

[DarkFlameWolf]

Finally started playing it, so far it is glorious and it is awesome! However, it is me or is the Wii remote a bit too finicky with the brush strokes? Even as something simple as the Slash technique where a straight line should be easy to make, it is very hard to do. 90% of the time the game fails to recognize what I've done and the parts with Susano cutting things in a row are quite annoying because of this. Any tricks?

[erm2003]

I just try to do quick strokes with the brush, keeping the ink line as straight as possible. It took me some practice to get it down right.

[ShadowTiger]

Aye, me too. If you think that's tough, just try scratching off the name of one of the five monsters on the monster lists you'll get. It's frikkin impossible. X x. The "z" button helps a lot, obviously, but ... I think, ultimately, you just have to be sure of yourself. Really do it like you would a real slash. That actually seems to help quite a bit.

[Kairyu]

It froze on me on the match in the trial room in Ryoshima coast with the Tube Foxes. COME ON.

[vegeta1215]

Aye, me too. If you think that's tough, just try scratching off the name of one of the five monsters on the monster lists you'll get. It's frikkin impossible. X x. The "z" button helps a lot, obviously, but ... I think, ultimately, you just have to be sure of yourself. Really do it like you would a real slash. That actually seems to help quite a bit.

I never used the Z button. Ever. I actually think Power Slash is the easiest move to do, although it did take me a little while to get the hang of it.

Even after getting the hang of it, it did take me several tries to beat the "real" Orochi because the part where Nagi cuts each off it's heads of you have to be really fast, and there's a small area where you can hit.

Of the brush strokes, the Crescent is tricky to do at first, but I got it down now. Easiest way is to do a tiny backwards letter C in the sky. The Whirlwind one is really hard to get working each time though. (that's the 3 horizontal slashes) I don't understand why though, cause Veil of Mist is easy. Mist Warp is a little tricky too. A lot of the optional ones like thunderbolt and inferno and blizzard aren't too bad (well blizzard is, and you have to be fast for thunderbolt - at least that's how I do it), but they also depend on how big you draw it. The bigger, the more powerful it is, and the more ink it uses. If you don't have enough ink to do it, it won't happen, and you may think you're doing it wrong. So, when it doubt, try drawing smaller.

btw, I love fishing in this game!

[ShadowTiger]

I never used the Z button. Ever. I actually think Power Slash is the easiest move to do, although it did take me a little while to get the hang of it.Uncanny. Simply uncanny. It's easy to do freeform, without Z, if you can do it straight enough. I'm laying on a bed (In sleeping position, head up on a stack of pillows, sorta. Great Wii setup for midnight play. :p ) so I'm naturally tilted while I "draw."


Even after getting the hang of it, it did take me several tries to beat the "real" Orochi because the part where Nagi cuts each off it's heads of you have to be really fast, and there's a small area where you can hit.Yeah, that was a little bit hard. Actually the first time took me at least four attempts, because I thought I had to slash in the same direction (Left to right / Right to left, etc.) that he did; that turned out not to be true. Made it not only easier, but lazier as well.

My most difficult brush technique is actually the forward gust, (I never know where to start and finish the line...) and the Inferno technique. (I'm sloppy. :p Plus, I instinctually draw things small.)

[Cloral]

It's funny reading these comments on the brush drawing on the Wii, since everyone wanted the brushing on the Wii. None of the techniques were difficult to draw on the PS2. The main issue was sometimes the system would get confused about which technique you meant when more than one was possible - more than once on the first boss I ended up doing slash when I was trying to connect vines to his hooks (I later learned to always add a squiggle to my vines so it could never confuse it for a slash).

Of course I understand that the desire for the brushing on the Wii was for the feel of the brushing, not that it would make it easier. Still...

[AtmaWeapon]

Yeah, honestly they kind of screwed up the brushing on the Wii. I think the problem is how hard it actually turns out to be to move your arm in a straight line, particularly if the sensitivity is fairly high. I mean, when I'm gesturing to a person a lot of variance is allowable, but doing the same to a computer just confuses it. I find the slash to be so difficult to do consistently that it's frustrating.

[Breaker]

Yeah, honestly they kind of screwed up the brushing on the Wii. I think the problem is how hard it actually turns out to be to move your arm in a straight line, particularly if the sensitivity is fairly high. I mean, when I'm gesturing to a person a lot of variance is allowable, but doing the same to a computer just confuses it. I find the slash to be so difficult to do consistently that it's frustrating.

that is one if the major reasons behind why I've stopped playing this game.

[vegeta1215]

It's funny reading these comments on the brush drawing on the Wii, since everyone wanted the brushing on the Wii. None of the techniques were difficult to draw on the PS2. The main issue was sometimes the system would get confused about which technique you meant when more than one was possible - more than once on the first boss I ended up doing slash when I was trying to connect vines to his hooks (I later learned to always add a squiggle to my vines so it could never confuse it for a slash).

Of course I understand that the desire for the brushing on the Wii was for the feel of the brushing, not that it would make it easier. Still...

I've watched videos of people playing the PS2 version. I can't imagine playing it like that. It's looks so slow. I think I'd be bored.

For the vines, it doesn't matter the shape you make. You just have to make sure the brush starts out on a spot that makes green smoke. The same goes for waterspout (blue smoke), the cat walk (purple smoke), inferno (red smoke), thunder (yellow smoke), and blizzard (white smoke). etc. Another tip for everyone that I learned after playing all the digging games - for the left/right gale wind you can't just draw a loop de loop really fast, timing is important in that one. You have do draw the loop smoothly, slowing down a when you get to the hoop. Do it that way, and it works every time.

As for Power Slash, seriously, it is pitifully easy. You don't use your arm. You use your wrist. There's is a learning curve at first, but once you get it you will laugh at how easy it is. Crossing off names on the wanted lists was a bit tricky at first, but you don't even need to draw a line all the way across. A line 1/3 of the size of the row is enough to do it.

[Cloral]

For the vines, it doesn't matter the shape you make. You just have to make sure the brush starts out on a spot that makes green smoke. The same goes for waterspout (blue smoke), the cat walk (purple smoke), inferno (red smoke), thunder (yellow smoke), and blizzard (white smoke). etc.

Yeah I know, the problem was that I was drawing very straight vines and the system kept confusing them for power slashes, despite the fact that I was starting on the bulbs with the green smoke coming out of the brush. Maybe they've fixed that bug for the Wii version.

[DarkFlameWolf]

okay, I am getting better, especially if the power slashes have a bit of a diagonal slant to them. Sometimes bloom has a hard time registering on the objects it needs to. But for some reason, no matter how fooked up I make a cherry bomb, it always works. Go figure.

[ShadowTiger]

Yeah, Cherry Bomb is a lot easier to draw than bloom. It's awesome.

After getting Cherry Bomb 2, I've decided that I really should start to use it more often. The finishing attacks of the Ryoshima imp-equivalents is the cherry bomb, so it's a good idea to use them more often

Oh. Again, folks, use the Fox's Glove relic AS OFTEN as POSSIBLE. It's the greatest thing since sliced health pickups.

[Aegix Drakan]

0_o what the...I just noticed something today.

-=SPOILER=-

[ShadowTiger]

I noticed that too. Didn't think much of it though.


I figured out what my favorite parts of Okami are.

All of them involve This Song (http://users.sephiroth.ws/ST/music/OkamiDesperation.mp3).

[Aegix Drakan]

ok, wow, it's official.

the sei-an segment rocks hardcore.

-=SPOILER=-

[ShadowTiger]

On a side note, I heard somewhere that if you use the Fox Glove enough, Issun becomes a lot more powerful, and can often 1-hit KO enemies.

I sort of doubt that it's true, but the Fox Glove is useful enough that I'll probably find out in due time anyway.

[vegeta1215]

I don't really think the Thief's Glove is that great. I have so many items just from playing the game that getting items from enemies just doesn't really seem worth it, especially considering it costs 70 demon fangs.

This is the order I bought my accessories: Peace Bell, Golden Ink Pot, Wood Mat, Fog Pot, Water Tablet, Golden Lucky Cat, Thief's Glove.

[DarkFlameWolf]

Okay, tell me if I'm not screwed on getting 100% on my animal tome.
There are some mice on a high balcony over the entrance to the final room in the Gale Shrine that I totally missed earlier. You can get to this room via the rotating fan walkway just east in the shrine. But when I now go back there and move those fans with the galestorm brush stroke, they no longer move anymore, regardless of the direction I make the wind. So am I totally screwed in getting those mice fed?

[Cloral]

I don't think so. I read a faq somewhere that the only animal you can miss feeding is a dog behind the gate
-=SPOILER=-

That would suggest that there must still be some way to reach them.

[DarkFlameWolf]

damn, because those fans really aren't responding. Meh.
Anyhoo, as for Ryohoshimo Coast area, there is the moon viewing platform, I have the double jump ability, but I cannot, for the life of me, get on top of that platform. (now that's a run-on) any tips?

Also, is this game ever going to get hard? :P

[vegeta1215]

Cloral's got it right that there's only one animal you can miss. There is also an enemy you can miss, which I unfortunately did :( It's the Fire Doom Wheel. You can only fight it in the emperor's garden.

Hold the A button when you jump, you will jump higher. It also helps to do the tackle in mid air to get little horizontal distance. That should help you get onto the platform. And no, the game doesn't really get hard, though you will get destroyed playing the devil gate trials. (thankfully you can use items)

[ShadowTiger]

Yep. The first one isn't so bad. I spent about, perhaps, twenty minutes on it? Maybe a bit longer, I'm not sure. I know I used at least twenty Holy Bone S during the fight, with the Wooden Mat outside of each fight. Earned maybe 30,000 Yen after all was said and done, though I didn't bother to do the math as to how much the wooden mat cost me. Battles weren't that money-rewarding.

Yeah. The first one is okay. The second one quickly puts you into a stamina-fest, followed by one of those "Blue Darknuts and Red/Blue Wizrobes" situations. Yeah. It sucked. Badly.

Just don't forget to use your Fleetfoot technique (Shake the Wiimote.) to dodge the wheels' falling attacks. Surprisingly useful.

Also, if you have the Elemental Weapons, those are a great way to harm the wheels. Better than wasting all that ink on an Inferno or IceStorm (Which I still can't do.) or whatever.

[vegeta1215]

The enemies that gave me the most trouble were those ones in the last devil gate that spit acid and sometime change into those big knights. I think they were called The Great Tengu? Even with items, they tore me apart.

I was surprised at how easy the Evil Raos and Nagis were - I used vengence slips to deflect their projectiles, and they didn't touch me. Err... do vengence slips deflect only protectiles or all attacks? They were surprisingly easy after using those, I thought I was just dodging everything else. (I never bought fleetfoot)

[ShadowTiger]

Those Great Tengus are weird. I think that the best way to deal with them is to have a Glaive weapon equipped as your subweapon, jump in the air, and just slice big portions of health away from them on your way down. Doesn't work too badly, really.

I think the Vengeance slips pretty much make you invincible. (It's why they're so expensive.) I don't remember taking a single hit while under its effect. I used one against Ninetails' split personalities, and they actually killed themselves faster than I could kill them.

Fleetfoot lets you shake the Nunchuck (Not the Wiimote.) to do a quick rotating dodge in that general direction. It's definitely useful for getting out of the way of the ____ Mirrors/Wheels' aerial falling attacks. Otherwise, I rarely use it, and just use a doublejump. Hell, my enhanced doublejump attack (Where double jumping does an attack. :p ) doesn't seem to do anything at all. Still good to have though, just in case. Actually, Fleetfoot's damaging technique (Think .. "Screw Attack" added to Space Jump.) actually doesn't do too shabby against enemies. It's worth buying just for that alone. If it disrupts incoming attacks like I think it does, we'd be golden.




Alright. Plot-wise, I'm up to the point where I can get on the final area, up that rainbow bridge. I'll be staying the hell away from it though until I can get all the rest of the Stray Beads. I have to get Cherry Bomb 3 for that last Shinshu bead, and finish the last two Spider Gates, and then all the rest are found in Ponctan, and I have to get all of the beads in both Yoshpets. That's it. But damn, I just spent almost all of my money on items to use during those spider gates. I need 300,000 Yen for the Cherry Bomb 3 Technique. >.< Going to be a fun couple of days getting all that back.

Heh, I am NOT going to be fishing to get it all back. :p Takes too long. They have to make a show out of everything. :sweat:

[fatcatfan]

I think the problem is how hard it actually turns out to be to move your arm in a straight line, particularly if the sensitivity is fairly high.Seriously, hold Z and a quick flick of the wrist. Works every time. Makes galestorm quite simple too.

AGN comes up high on google when searching for "okami heaven kanji". Any more tips vegeta1215? I can't quite seem to get the last kimono drawing.

I had trouble with the thunderbolt - I was trying to do it as 3 separate straight lines. It was simple once I saw the video on youtube doing it all as one motion.

How about the fireball technique? No matter how big I make my infinity symbol, it only ever uses 3 ink bottles.

Anyhow, I've got the special devil gates, a nightingale, and a couple dogs to feed, then I'm off to the Ark!

EDIT: Apparently it is possible to miss more than one of the dogs, since some of them are involved in the story. I'm a 88% for dogs, but I've checked all the locations in the Sidequest FAQ on Gamefaqs and have no option to feed any of them. I distinctly remember feeding the dog the FAQ says you can miss, as I though it was odd to be able to do it in that location and the... social context there.

Oh, has anyone seen the glitch where Ammy's head sort of vanishes? It glitches into a polygon disappearing into the ground. Has happened to me in battle, once in Taka Pass, another time when fighting the canine warriors later in the game.

The interesting thing was after that battle, all the dogs were missing their heads. Then I talked to the girl, and the camera glitched. I wound up in a blank screen that warped me out past the windmill bridge as soon as I moved. So I was stuck on the far side of the bridge, but it wasn't connected to my side. That also meant the windmill blades were facing away from me, so I had to get a running leap, turn the camera sideways to make the wind blow in the right direction. It was a bit tricky, and I was afraid I'd have to reset to get out.

[DarkFlameWolf]

yep, got that glitch too, and in the exact same place fatcat!

[vegeta1215]

Seriously, hold Z and a quick flick of the wrist. Works every time. Makes galestorm quite simple too.

AGN comes up high on google when searching for "okami heaven kanji". Any more tips vegeta1215? I can't quite seem to get the last kimono drawing.

Cool :)

For the heaven kanji, the little thought bubble above the kid's head is pretty accurate in terms of how you draw it:
1. Draw the top line going left to right
2. Draw a line below the first line going left to right
3. Draw straight down from the middle of the top line, and after crossing the second line, curve left.
4. Draw a curve going right from the point where the last line intersected with the lower horizontal line.

I tried this so many times before I got it. I just drew it much smaller and it worked. I think it's all about proportions really. Still, I wish the developers would give a black and white explanation for how the game interprets brush strokes for the patterns and all the techniques you learn throughout the entire game.


EDIT: Apparently it is possible to miss more than one of the dogs, since some of them are involved in the story. I'm a 88% for dogs, but I've checked all the locations in the Sidequest FAQ on Gamefaqs and have no option to feed any of them. I distinctly remember feeding the dog the FAQ says you can miss, as I though it was odd to be able to do it in that location and the... social context there.

Aside from that one in the past, I don't think there are any dogs you can miss. Maybe you are missing one of the Canine Warriors? They change their location a few times throughout the game, and by the end of the game they are in a room in the Gale Shrine. (to the right after you enter)

[fatcatfan]

For the heaven kanji, the little thought bubble above the kid's head is pretty accurate in terms of how you draw it:
1. Draw the top line going left to right
2. Draw a line below the first line going left to right
3. Draw straight down from the middle of the top line, and after crossing the second line, curve left.
4. Draw a curve going right from the point where the last line intersected with the lower horizontal line.Ah... see, I was interpreting step 3 as two parts - a short segment connecting the two horizontal lines, then a diagonal down left stroke.



Maybe you are missing one of the Canine Warriors? They change their location a few times throughout the game, and by the end of the game they are in a room in the Gale Shrine. (to the right after you enter)Yes, I've visited them in the Gale Shrine, the one in Sasa throne room, the one with the fishing boy in the snowfield, and the one with the boy in Kamiki village. Maybe I *did* miss the one in the past, but according the FAQ it only accounts for 6% of the 12% I'm missing. I need to check again I suppose, but I'm fairly certain I've checked everything.

EDIT: Okay, it was a couple of the canine warriors - I wasn't getting the onscreen prompt to feed, but by entering the menu while standing close enough I had the option to use my feedbags.

All I lack now is one zodiac statue and the beads from the special demon gates.

[ShadowTiger]

Ah, you did the race with that girl in Yoshpet? How was it? Was it hard? I'm dreading that as much as I am the final Spider Gate.

The first Spider Gate is actually about as easy as any of the boss battles were, really. I can't see anyone having any problems with that.

The second Spider Gate is VERY hard when you find it. Even halfway between before you board the Ark and when you first are able to access it, it's absolutely brutal. It's like one of those Red and Blue Wizzrobe rooms with many blue darknuts in it, The Vulture demons protect the lesser demons with their umbrellas. Absolutely nasty. Just wait until just before you get on the Ark, (You're already there.) and have plenty of health items, and use Veil of Mist as often as you can. It's a true lifesaver.

The Third Spider Gate will be a true test of talent and bravery/stupidity. The best of it resembles the worst of Spider Gate Two's moments. Definitely. The worst of this gate, represents everything that you've come to fear and loathe about the game, multiplied many-fold. It's simply incredible, the gall of the things it forces you to face. Definitely buy as many Vengeance slips as you can, and use no more than two in each of the first five battles, then use up as many as you need on the last five. Do have as much health as possible. I already have all Ammy's stats fully maxed out, and I barely made it through the second Spider gate.

Maybe they're not as bad as I'm saying, but damn.



Anyway. I'm watching This Video (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s4fDWOqCYo4&feature=related), (SERIOUS SPOILERS!!!) and reliving the sheer, utter ownage of that first event. It was one of the most amazing joke-fights ever. It makes me want to do something like that in ZC; to create a "Power Zelda" for a fight alongside Link, and Zelda would do almost all of the work, with incredibly fast moves, and practically filling the screen with awe-inspiring blue magic, dispatching Ganondorf within nary a minute. Oh good god. Awesome.

[DarkFlameWolf]

The marlin at ryoshimo coast is taunting me. How can I get him landed? The fisherman has horrible stamina.

[AtmaWeapon]

I finally dusted off my GameBridge and bought the cables I needed at radio shack today. I decided to bite the bullet and get all of the stray beads since I never finished that on the PS2, and after getting super frustrated over trying to find one of them based off of vague directions in the walkthrough I'm uploading a video of the location of each bead. They're on my channel (http://www.youtube.com/user/SittenSpynne); I have only posted the three Tsuta Ruins ones so far. The wife's away for the weekend so I figure I'll get a lot done. I'm going to have to record the ones I already have on a second playthrough (I do hope it resets the beads, I'd like to play through with my shiny prize!)

Others have beaten me to the task, but the buy that posted them has posted them 20 or so at a time so my search last night for "Okami stray bead #7" didn't find his videos. Mine are individual and always end with Ammy barking :)

This is the mark I will leave on the world for future generations.

[vegeta1215]

When you beat the game, you keep your stray beads. I think the treasure chests that held stray beads are still there in the 2nd play through, but they are empty. I have no idea what happens when you try to do a task that would normally net you a stray bead. Maybe you get money or praise of just a thank you instead?

Really, I didn't have any problems following the guides to get the few stray beads I couldn't find on my own. But if you want to video tape yourself getting EVERY one, be my guest.

[DarkFlameWolf]

Just got the 5 CD soundtrack import from Japan today. Awesome music. ^_^

[ShadowTiger]

Totally. A lot of them are on youtube, and the lot of 'em are on ffshrine. (Assuming it's back up.) I got the "Giving Kushinada a ride" song that I've wanted so badly. Best song in the game, IMHO. I think I discussed it earlier.


I have one bead left. Spider Gate #3. I'm spending all of my time lately getting yen so I can buy Vengeance Slips and full health bones; having maxed out S and M sizes.

I almost wish I had something to spend all this extra Faith on though. I have about six hundred faith right now, and nothing to use it on.

[AtmaWeapon]

When you beat the game, you keep your stray beads. I think the treasure chests that held stray beads are still there in the 2nd play through, but they are empty. I have no idea what happens when you try to do a task that would normally net you a stray bead. Maybe you get money or praise of just a thank you instead?

Really, I didn't have any problems following the guides to get the few stray beads I couldn't find on my own. But if you want to video tape yourself getting EVERY one, be my guest.Crud. That means I'll probably have to do another playthrough for ~20 of the beads. Oh well.

And I'm glad for you that you had no trouble finding the beads based on the guides. I find a few of them have fairly vague descriptions, and even though I've only recorded 7 or 8 so far, I've already found 2 that took more than a minute or two of wandering to find. It would have been nice if, on the one that cost me a few minutes, my google search had turned up a video. Plus, I needed to get some mileage out of my GameBridge; I bought it over a year ago and I believe this is the first time I've ever actually used it. The only thing I'm curious about is if I could do away with the splitter and play it on my computer so I don't have a big drop in video quality (when I plugged the splitter in there was a visible loss of quality on the TV); I'm thinking the smaller screen would make brushwork too hard from close.

I find it fun, actually, and I hope it helps someone :)


Just got the 5 CD soundtrack import from Japan today. Awesome music. ^_^
Where did you order this from? I want.

[vegeta1215]

I sure they will help some people :D Have you gotten the stray bead from beating Kai in a race through Yoshpet? I think that was the last one I got.

ShadowTiger, you say you maxed out your S and M size bones? How many can you hold of each?

[AtmaWeapon]

I sure they will help some people :D Have you gotten the stray bead from beating Kai in a race through Yoshpet? I think that was the last one I got.No, basically I got as far as beating Oni Island, then I decided that I'd get beads, so I printed off a list of the stray bead locations and went back to Kamiki so I could pick them up in order. After I finished Shinshu field (which took 15 minutes too long due to a vague location description) I decided on this project. The latest bead I have is #72, which is Dragon Palace bead 3/4. I think I've got about 15 more to collect before I'm caught up and can advance the plot again.

I don't like that I lose visual quality while I play, but putting these videos up is kind of fun. It'd be even more fun if the multiple video uploader at YouTube wasn't made of fail; in Firefox 3 it doesn't acknowledge my input and won't let me upload because it thinks I need to give the videos a title and description. In IE 7 I suppose it works, but for some reason it doesn't render the text so I can't proofread anything.

I'm thinking of running through Earthbound and putting the major plot points up as well. Basically, at Something Awful they have this games sub-forum called "Let's Play" where people pick a game and play through it, posting screenshots or video of the important parts, and this is the style I'd be going for with Earthbound.

[DarkFlameWolf]

Any tips on beating Blockhead Grande and Kai at Yoshpet?

[vegeta1215]

Ugh... Blockhead Grande was a pain. It took me about a dozen tries to beat him. You have to do all the points in the correct order. I think I just got lucky the time I finally got it - I've read online that some people use a digital camera to video tape the sequence to get it cause it goes so fast...

[ShadowTiger]

ShadowTiger, you say you maxed out your S and M size bones? How many can you hold of each?Ninety Nine of each, unfortunately. Any item, actually. I think you can have triple digit maximum numbers of Demon Fangs as a maximum, but don't quote me on that.


Any tips on beating Blockhead GrandeI actually recommend taping a sheet of wax paper or clear saran wrap over your TV screen, and taking a magic marker and putting a dot over each spot on the screen. Note that doing that doesn't give you any sense of order. If you're really quick about it, you can slant the line in some sort of code-like recognition of the order. Horizontal dashes indicate early dots, while vertical dashes indicate later dots. Gotta be damn fast about it though, because the whole thing takes place in what, less than three or four seconds?

Better yet, get yourself a friend. Any stranger will do, really. (LOL, good god.. imagine that.) Have them memorize the position AND ORDER of either the first four dots or the last four dots. I find it's easier on them (And far more merciful....) to have them memorize the first four, since you're more familiar with the minigame, and know when the last four start and end.


and Kai at Yoshpet?Ah. I actually found this to be somewhat easy after practicing a bit beforehand, (And even getting totally sapped by four consecutive incapacitating hits from rampaging snowballs at the beginning of the third section. Still won.)

A few tricks:
Make a run through the entire Outer Yoshpet at LEAST Twice to bloom all the possessed trees. Not only will you get free food and faith from it, but being relatively still in an otherwise hectic area practically forces you to memorize your surroundings as you go, not to mention making your route slightly safer for your actual race. Definitely a plus.
Clear out all the chests on your way too, especially the one at the very beginning, (It kept nagging me about it every time I passed it, because I forgot to get it, even after finishing the race. :sweat: ) and there are no fewer than two stray beads to collect. One of them is in a chest that you pass by during the course of the race, and another is at the end of the dead end section at the end of the second segment, I believe. Here's the actual location from the Stray Beads FAQ (http://www.gamefaqs.com/console/wii/file/943732/52579). #88 - Yosphet 1/3
It's in the second section. When you pass the poison lake to reach the next
open area with those evil trees, just follow Kai and she'll run you past it.
It's a wide open chest. (This is the area just before the split.) #89 - Yosphet 2/3 [Buried]
In the third section, at the split, take the wrong way. It's an underground
chest at the end of this path, but you can see it.
Again, run a practice race beforehand, just to get to know the route. I took the first wrong end more than once, simply because the sign pointing me in the right direction was just a little bit too far to the right. :p So definitely, remember that after jumping through what feels like the last of those sharp purple/red coral jumping barriers in the first segment, keep right. If you keep to the right, you'll at least see the sign pointing to the right. Otherwise, your zeal to be fast will make you miss even that, and you'll lose.
By far our best advantage in this race, is that Kai doesn't think economically. Just wants to be the fastest. Even through molasses. We don't have to think that way. We just have to finish first. ;) You see, Kai likes to take the longest way around everything, and only likes to jump when she has to. We have the liberty of having an amazing jump ability. Definitely use that. Where there's a giant series of rocky hills in the middle of two paths around it, just jump right over and bound your way across, straight to the finish. This, I Believe, is what put me so very far ahead of Kai in the long run.
Next. Continuing the point above, Kai also seems to enjoy ice skating. Near the end of the third segment, there's a huge lake of ice with many dangers on it. Just veer off to the side when you get there, and walk on the perimeter of the frozen lake. (I used the left side.) ALSO, make sure you've bloomed all the trees before doing this!! Very important. You'll absolutely blaze ahead of Kai if you do this.
The first few times I tried this, I thought it'd be "smart" to follow Kai and see where she goes, because Yoshpet can be so confusing. (Sort of.) definitely a bad idea. I've said it before, and it must be said again. Blaze your own path through it. Kai's isn't efficient at all. Yours must be. It's the best way to beat her.
At the beginning of the third segment, you'll be facing rolling snowballs. I have two suggestions for these: Equip Solar Flare, (The last of the reflector weapons.) and use it to melt the snowballs when you see them. Don't worry about your time. You'll finish with plenty of time if you've been following these tips so far. Honestly. So yeah, melt all the snowballs before you even have to deal with them.
The snowballs follow a pattern of racing to the left, right, left. That is, when you first face them, keep to the right, and then when three or so snowballs have passed by, and there's a time gap between snowballs, keep to the left to run. (If my directions here are wrong, just remake the pattern as necessary.) Note that near the latter half of this snowball run, you'll want to keep left anyway, and just avoid them in the main path. I tried to jump up to the left to avoid them, but they were there anyway. It's just best to bare with them and try to run left or right in whatever space you have available.

Or maybe use the Veil of Mist technique. I haven't really tried that yet.

Oh yeah; it's a really good idea to somehow memorize where those falling icicles will fall. I know it's more or less obvious due to the shadow, but on more than one occasion, I've forgotten that one fell here or there, and got hit by it. It does make a big difference.

There's really not that much more to it than that. Again, Kai isn't that efficient in her run. Use that against her, and be as best prepared as you can be, and you'll be just fine. :)

And I suck at races, FYI. Should be pretty reassuring to you guys. :blah:



Again though, it's Spider Gate #3 that I'm absolutely dreading. I'm currently spending as much of my time on Okami as possible gathering Yen to buy Vengeance Slips and offense/defense sake. Apparently, you have to save as many vengeance slips as possible for the last of the battles. The Fire Tablet also works wonderfully against the Great Tengus, as you just seem to ignore his fire. Sweet. Veil of mist and inkfinity stones will work well against the Bull Chargers. Just keep them misted all the time.

[vegeta1215]

Ninety Nine of each, unfortunately. Any item, actually. I think you can have triple digit maximum numbers of Demon Fangs as a maximum, but don't quote me on that.

Okay... so you maxed those out yourself? :odd: Why? The game is not that hard. You're making a much bigger deal about the 3rd Spider Gate than you should. It's not that hard. You know what I had going in? About 15 of each bone, 8 vengeance slips, and under 10 of each of the two types of Steel Sake. That's it! (and of course I used the Wood Mat between fights)

[ShadowTiger]

Naturally. Well, just because I have them doesn't mean I'll use them. I usually use small bones during the fights to top myself off "just in case," and I don't use pretty much any other item unless I absolutely have to. And that's a very, very slim margin for usage. I think I've used two sake during the entire game, and three vengeance slips.

I just really don't want to be caught unprepared.


So, Vegeta, how did you deal with Spider Gate #3? Give us some tips. Could use 'em.

[vegeta1215]

How did I deal with it? You should play it. It's not that bad, honestly.

Umm...I use double Glaives exclusively. (with the 4 Shears and Sword Dance Dojo techniques of course) Reflectors and Rosaries suck compared to Glaives. I used a few vengence slips on the last few fights, which are comprised of Evil Raos and Nagis.

[ShadowTiger]

Aye. Thing is, I can't control the Glaive or Reflector main weapons at all. Waving around the Wiimote does absolutely nothing past the first strike, whereas Rosaries always have the desired effect, if not more. I only use Glaives as a secondary weapon, and I haven't even really considered using the reflector's secondary at all.

Maybe I could use it to block those arrows those later bosses will be sending out. Damn, I might have to. Those usually mess me up.





EDIT: Nevermind. Beat the game. Got my string. Pretty neat. Don't even need the health or ink displays anymore, so they just don't show up. Very sweet. Also got all the Karmic Transformers for some reason. Probably won't use them. Now have 1,700,000 Yen after boarding, from a mere 500.

[Aegix Drakan]

...and I haven't even really considered using the reflector's secondary at all.

:P you should try it sometime. You know that one that sort of splits apart? YOU CAN COUNTER WITH IT. Very impressive damage.

It's my usual sub-weapon.

[ShadowTiger]

I had heard that too, when timed correctly.


I also heard that using the Fox Glove, Issun can (Either "eventually" or "occasionally.") one-hit KO an enemy. There may even be some grain of truth to that. I've killed quite a few enemies using that so far.

[AtmaWeapon]

I hate the Kusa 5. Forget the Kusa 5. That fight pissed me off sooooo much. I don't remember any of the devil gates from my PS2 playthroughs, but I don't recall anything matching those stupid dogs.

Also practically the only weapon I find I can use with the wiimote is the bead-type weapons. According to some random article I read yesterday, Nintendo Power actually suggested playing the PS2 version of the game to get around this; I have no idea if it's true but I definitely agree. The glaives are exceptionally powerful and easier to control than the beads if you're using buttons.

[DarkFlameWolf]

I still can't beat Kai at the race, all trees are bloomed but she still gets me on the little things. Blarg.

[ShadowTiger]

Okay; More tips.

Maintain your speed. The instant the race begins, shake the Wiimote a bit to do a little dash, and keep the forward motion stick held in to continue the motion. Starts a dash. Everyone already knows this, so for those who don't, ...

Maintain your speed even in jumps. A bit tricky, and requires intimate knowledge of the movement engine, but it is quite critical, particularly because you'll absolutely need to be cutting through just about any obstacle that Kai simply runs around. It genuinely can be faster if you do it right.

Don't forget to just run around that ice lake in the last segment. Kai slows herself all through it. Running on the snow on the edge of the lake saves you the slowness, and keeps your stability. It's far faster than cutting through the middle in that occasion.


Definitely make at least five more practice runs at full speed.

[vegeta1215]

Aye. Thing is, I can't control the Glaive or Reflector main weapons at all. Waving around the Wiimote does absolutely nothing past the first strike, whereas Rosaries always have the desired effect, if not more. I only use Glaives as a secondary weapon, and I haven't even really considered using the reflector's secondary at all.

Are you serious? As many times as you've played through the game and you can't combo with the Reflector or Glaive? It's so easy! Here's a quote from someone who posted on the Gamefaqs message board that I thought might be helpful:


Flick the remote left, pause very briefly, flick it right, pause again, repeat. Adjust the timing slightly to get it exactly right. I can't give much more than that, it's something you just have to learn. I was awful at doing full combos my first time playing this, but by the time I reached Shinshu I had both it and the freehand Power Slash down.


I'll admit, when I got the first Rosaries weapon, I was excited because it seemed much stronger than the first Reflector weapon, but I stopped using Rosaries a short while later. Sure they can hit many enemies, but they are inconsistent, and weak.

[Cloral]

Rosaries are the weakest weapons for sure. For me their only useful feature was as a secondary weapon where they would become a projectile weapon. Especially the ones that fire in one big burst instead of individually. Then again they are even weaker when fired as a projectile so you don't really end up doing much damage with them.

[DarkDragoonX]

Roasaries also leave you wide open when you're swinging them around... my least favorite weapon, to be sure. The rosary that fires out in a shotgun-like spread makes a good subweapon though, as it does tremendous damage at point-blank.

Personally, I'm a fan of equipping dual reflectors and abusing counterattack. It's almost like cheating.

[Aegix Drakan]

WHOA...I just traded in the 100 demon fangs for the golden ink pot and holy crap... IT RECOVERS SO FREAKING FAST.

:o

[ShadowTiger]

It does. I honestly can't see myself being without it.

I did just learn of the reflector move. Not hard to use, really. Pretty kickarse. :p I'm now trying to use Glaives more often though. Just for kicks.

[AtmaWeapon]

Oh God I did the N. Ryoshima coast devil gate last night and it was so annoying! I spent 2 hours on it and now I'm out of healing items :mad: I had to do the last 3 fights with no healing items because I had no idea what I was getting into and didn't ration them in the early fights.

Man, it was extremely frustrating; I'd rather more enemies on screen than the 10x health thing. Golden ink pot saved the day.

[vegeta1215]

Wow. Two hours? Really? Did you use the Wood Mat between fights?

[AtmaWeapon]

No, I just apparently suck at fighting. It did take 2 hours, because I recorded the beginning and end for my stray beads project, and the fight with the spider started at 8:09 and I got the bead at 10:03. The first problem was I didn't know what I was getting into; I walked in with about a dozen holy bone L, 6 vengeance slips, and however many golden peaches is the number you can collect up to the point where you've cleared Oni Island.

I had no idea about the health, and I was using rosary beads for 75% of the time. I pretty much had veil of mist running perpetually. I'd try and lure enemies into groups, then veil of mist, then tear them a new one with the beads. When I couldn't manage the group, I'd use inferno for some damage then cyclone to break them up. I didn't realize what the later fights were like, so I didn't maintain my health and used a lot of my healing items. When I realized I probably didn't have enough healing items to make it through it all, I started using cherry bomb and attacking from afar. I ran out of holy bones and vengeance slips in the fight with the guys that have the pipes; at this point I tried the sword but couldn't reliably hit them without taking damage. The ogre fight was actually a piece of cake compared to the others. When a new ogre would appear, I'd spam cherry bomb until I had a chance to knock off his face shield, then I just wailed away with the sword. I found the sword more effective because the beads would home in on anything that was invincible and mess up my combos. In this fight, I took a lot of hits but my relentless combos ensured I was protected.

Even with the sword I wasn't really doing much damage; how do you finish this task quickly?

[vegeta1215]

You can beat the Spider Guardians and then come back later for the Devil Gates - not sure if you knew that...

But, when I tackled the Devil Gates I had max stats in every category, all the best accessories, the best weapons (upgraded with Gold Dust), and all the dojo techniques that increase your weapon strength when you equip doubles. I used double Glaives the whole time of course. It did take some time, but maybe about an hour or so.

btw, don't hesitate to use Infinity Ink! It comes in handy even if you have the Golden Ink Pot!

[AtmaWeapon]

Just got the 5 CD soundtrack import from Japan today. Awesome music. ^_^I'm asking where you got this from again because I really want it :mad:

[ShadowTiger]

I believe all (Maybe.) of the music is unlocked once you beat the game. Some tracks are on YouTube, and ffshrine has (Had?) all of the songs as well.

[DarkFlameWolf]

amazon.com had it for sail from musicjapan. That's where I got it. Quite a good set of songs.
Furthermore, just beat Okami yesterday with 100% completion! I feel satisfied. Great game. Even if it was a bit hand-holding via Issun.

[ShadowTiger]

Yeah, I know. I wish it was skippable, but a lot of those conversations were somehow tied into the plot.

You got your string of beads, eh? Are you starting a new game with it?

I've just entered Orochi's lair again on this new game. Play time so far is about four and a half hours.

I remember getting stuck in there for a while, at the part where you have to swing from konoha blossom to blossom without landing on one. I didn't know you could do that for a while. :p

[DarkFlameWolf]

bwhahah figured that one out on my first try. And no, I'm taking a break before I start up the game again, and will be using karmic transformer 9 to look 'REAL!' :P

[ShadowTiger]

I used that one for a few minutes. I found that it "broke" the flow of the scenery of the game, so I tacked on the Shiranui transformer, .. or at least the one I think was the Shiranui transformer, and am content with it now.

I find myself doing battles just for the demon fangs at this point, really. I can't wait to get to the third spider gate to let the money roll on in. I used all of my money on the last merchant before the final boss, and finished the game with about seventeen hundred thousand yen. That was kinda weird.

[AtmaWeapon]

Where the devil is Komuso in Sei-an city? I've fought him in Kamiki and in Kusa, but I can't seem to find the jerk in Sei-an.

*edit* It might be the fact that he's in the aristocrat quarters, where I haven't been looking. I suppose I'll know in a moment if I get the last bead :)

[ShadowTiger]

Ah, congrats! :D Very awesome. He's actually just off the path in the middle of the Aristocratic quarter. When you enter, head straight, while looking to your left. He should be near a tree, close to the entrance. (Relatively close, between the horizontal river and the entrance.)

[AtmaWeapon]

Did they delete the credits entirely? I knew they had altered them, but I didn't expect to see no credits at all. Poor clover :(

On a happier note, I just completed the game with all stray beads. I've recorded about 80 of them, so I still have about 20 to record. Unfortunately, I just tested and discovered that it looks like the chests that had stray beads in them are completely gone now. I'll probably end up GameSharking my way through the PS2 version to record those, but for now I'm doing a playthrough with the stray beads as a sort of victory lap.

Seeing the end made me remember how obvious a sequel was; it's a shame that it's probably never going to see the light of day. Knowing what I know now about how Okami sold, I understand why Capcom didn't feel like Clover was worth the investment, but it was such a great game :(

Also, I don't think whoever was having trouble with the Yosphet race is still having it, but here's my run:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kIeJFaEtGKo

It took me about 5 tries; I was always ahead until I got to the stupid snowballs. I didn't think about Solar Flare. I managed to find the shortcut around them on my 4th run, and on the 5th I managed to avoid enough snowballs to get there.