Capcom and Tango Gameworks veteran, Ikumi Nakamura, and former Capcom and Platinum Games director, Hideki Kamiya, have joined forces in a new video in which they talk about a variety of subjects back when they were working together. One of those projects was the beloved Okami, which was supposed to be developed by a “dream team.” However, Kamiya says that this wasn’t the case with some developers shining brightly, and some less so. He even uses the term “weak” and that there was a “very drastic contrast within.”
“Ōkami was supposed to be Clover Studio’s signature title,” he says. “That’s why we wanted to create a dream team. It was supposed to be a dream team with all the best staff in each section. That was the plan, but in the end, not everyone, but as the whole team, I frankly think it was weak.”
“It wasn’t a dream team. There was a very drastic contrast within. There were certainly people without whom there would be no Ōkami. Those members shone brightly. Some of them really shone stronger even more than ones I had worked with previously. I’m not saying this as flattery, but you [Nakamura] certainly did. Naoki Katakai and Keniichirou Yoshimura, Sawaki Takeyasu, Mari Shimazaki, Hiroshi Yamaguchi. I’m really grateful, but when viewed as a whole, it wasn’t a dream team.”
I really liked Okami, I don’t remember thinking some parts of it were weak. It was universally praised and if I remember rightly it won IGN game of the year. Don’t quote me on that though.
He didn’t say any part of the game was weak; he said that parts of the team were weak, which then resulted in the development team not being the “dream team” that he hoped it would be.
Man, I still need to play Okami one of these days. Was the DS game any good too? I rarely hear people talk about that one
Okidem was great, I wouldn’t say, on par with Okami, but it’s definitely a great game.
*Okamiden.
One of the best games ever though. Sequel any minute.
Yeah, I’m not sure if the dev were weak when this game is beyond loved by everyone and their moms. Now if they want to make another Sequel even if it starts on kickstarter I’m all for it and would try to donate.
That’s not what he’s saying at all. It should also be remembered Okami was critically acclaimed but it didn’t sell initially. Capcom just really believed in it and kept porting it.