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makingmusic476 on 10 August 2008
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Onyxmeth said:
makingmusic476 said:
Onyxmeth said:
makingmusic476 said:
Onyxmeth said:

I don't understand. What seven months of extra time are you talking about? Do you mean if they scrapped the PS2 development and moved the game in it's entirety to the Wii? I could have sworn there were only 2-3 months between the PS2 release date and the Wii launch.

Personally I think Twilight Princess would have cannibalized it. We're talking about two eerily similiar action adventures both featurning wolves, with one being quite possibly the most respected franchise on Earth. I personally don't think anything could have saved Okami.

 

It released in April '06 in Japan.  They would've had 7 months to port it and improve it, assuming they waited until it was actually finished to switch to the Wii.

So you're saying they shouldn't have released it on PS2 in America and PAL regions then? It took them another 4 months just to translate the game to English, plus they had another game, God Hand to finish, so I just don't see how all of that could have been done to make the Wii's launch. Plus if they still release the PS2 version, and first, they would haver to contend with the people that already purchased it on PS2 as potential lost sales.

 

I'm saying they shouldn't have released it on the ps2 at ALL.  They should've just delayed it and made it a Wii launch title.

 

They could have but looking through the eyes of 2006, would Capcom rather have the lay of the land in September on PS2 or go head to head with one of Nintendo's biggest franchises during a Wii launch? In hindsight it seems like it could have been a good idea, but back then it probably looked a bit like software suicide. I personally think Okami's art style and having the main character as a wolf holds the title back from selling well, so no matter where they put it, it'll just never quite catch on. That's just my take on it though as someone who bought it for both consoles. Look at the most artistic games of last gen and find me how many flopped compared to how many soared high on the charts.

 

 

In the OP I said:

"If only Capcom had forseen the success of the Wii... :("

Obvious they had their doubts about the Wii, hence why the game is a ps2 title (despite the controls screaming "Wii!").   However, this thread is hypothetical.  Had they for some reason made the game a Wii launch title, how would it things turned out?  

Also, we didn't know that TP would become a Wii title until E306, after Okami's release in Japan.

And I don't think the art style and playing as a wolf were the main things that held it back. The lack of knowledge about the game (advertising) in addition to those things is what held it back.  Had it been "The Legend of Zelda: Okami" it would've sold gangbusters.  After all, the Wind Waker had a cartoony artstyle, and Twilight Princess went the wolf route, and both sold extremely well.  It's because people know more about Zelda, while people knew next to nothing about Okami.

Of course, had it been the only other really good Wii launch title, word of mouth probably would've helped quite a bit, making up for some of the lack of advertising.  People would've bought it because there was nothing else to buy.  Then they would've told their friends, etc.