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The PS2 cult hit paints its way to the Nintendo Wii. Will it be another masterstroke?

In any given year there are hundreds of games fighting for our attention. Many are sequels to established franchises, licensed jobs based on TV or film properties and games that fall into familar niches.

The PS2 classic Okami didn't plug into a single one of those categories. It was a truly unique game that unfortunately didn't connect with as many gamers as it should have. Even more disappointing was that Clover Studios, responsible for that game and other innovative games like Viewtiful Joe, got shut down.

Capcom approached Ready at Dawn about porting the game to the Nintendo Wii, giving it another chance to find that audience it richly deserves. Ready at Dawn acknowledges that this game wasn't broken, so they're certainly not trying to add any elements that would be out of place.

They've vowed to keep the game's distinctive visual style, which calls to mind Japanese watercolor paintings with their bright colors. For those unfamiliar with Okami, (which from the sales numbers was a lot of you) its story involves sun god Amaterasu. The god is reborn as a white wolf but still retains much of her divine power. The god is trying to rid Japan of an ancient evil sweeping through the nation.The combat uses "brushstrokes" painted by the celestial brush to create miracles. For example by painting a circle in the sky, the player can change night into day.

Combining the brushstroke combat with the Nintendo Wii-mote would seem to be a match made in gaming heaven. Using brush strokes to cleave enemies in half earned rave reviews on PS2 and Capcom is hoping that adding a little "Wii-motion" to the mix will draw in gamers that passed the title up before.

Okami boasts more than 30 hours of gameplay and high replay value. But since much of the Wii's fanbase is non-traditional gamers, it's hard to tell if Okami will fare better, worse or about the same than it did on PS2.

If the port is anywhere near as good as the original, it will be a game with great potential to open a lot of these new Wii gamers' eyes. It's probably not going to be a reasonable expectation to think Grandma's going to put down Wii Bowling though.