More Okami? Sounds Delicious

With the coming release of Okamiden on the DS, any fan of the Okami series has good reason to be excited for what’s to come. It turns out the new title may not be all for Amaterasu, our lovable god dog. In a recent interview with GamesRadar, producer Motohide Eshiro mentioned that another entry in the series would be ideal as long as the fans call for it. With the reasonable success Okamiden is currently receiving in Japan, chances are good we may see the same strong sales in North America and Europe when the March 15th release date rolls around.

“We’ll see what happens here in North America on March 15: how many people deem the game worth playing, how they feel about it once they’ve played it,” Eshiro said. “We’re certainly willing to explore the option of another Okami game if the market is there for it. If people want it, we’ll be pleased to deliver it.”

Hopefully sales will be strong enough to convince developer Clover Studio that the people do, in fact, want it. I don’t want to see another Okami game falling bythe wayside. Though it was a sales flop on release, Okami has gained quite the reputation in the years since. Whether it be someone raving on the quality or– well, no, that’s the only thing people will say about it I suppose. Okami’s eventual success came from the word of mouth it generated, and I hope this new title gets a similar reception. Of course, that’s all dependent on Okamiden’s quality.

Given the platform jump from Playstation 2 to Wii and now to DS, it’s easy to wonder what future hardware we may see Okami on? Motohide Eshiro explained, “As for what hardware, it will depend entirely on what ideas we have and what the demands of the market are. We will pick the appropriate platform from there.” I suppose we won’t get the scoop on where it will be no matter how ravenous we are for information, but it’s speculation after all. I would personally like to see a new Okami on the major current gen systems.

Apparently Eshiro also has an interest in resurrecting the insanity that is God Hand, a Clover title that was released in 2007 on the PS2. Once again, he stated that it’s all dependent on the demand from the fans, even joking with the notion of sending letters to Capcom. “We could definitely use your continued support – if there’s something you want to see, be vocal about it! We most certainly are listening!”

It really does seem that for the Western market to receive more sequels to these cult hits, there needs to be a push from the fans. Hopefully the vocal majority can come out of the woodwork and send in some letters. Even if Eshiro’s joking, it certainly couldn’t hurt.