'Okami' paints a pretty picture

The world isn't full of second chances, but Capcom is giving you one. If you ignored "Okami" when it premiered in 2006 on the PlayStation 2, you now have an opportunity to right your wrong and play the freshest game to come out that year, now on the Wii.

To say "Okami" models certain conventions after Nintendo's 3-D "Legend of Zelda" games is a kind understatement. But unless you've ever witnessed a watercolor painting come to life, enter the third dimension and move at the mercy of your two hands, you truly have never seen anything like this before.

Developer Clover's art direction is so stunningly original and expertly executed that all charges of me-too-ism would be forgiven had "Okami" merely aspired to be a "Zelda" copycat in gorgeous clothing.

Happily, that's not the case. Whereas Link employs gadgets to save the day, our hero in "Okami" -- a wolf with a better back story than perhaps any wolf ever -- wields a paintbrush.

A button press transforms the world before you into a canvas, and from here you're free to alter it as needed to move forward. Paint a sun to light up the sky, swipe a straight line to cut down trees, color a path to reach a point. Sketch out a bomb when all else fails. The brush factors in during combat as well, with some memorably original boss fights ensuing as a result.

If this sounds gimmicky to you, guess what? During the first hour, as Clover lobs remedial challenges at you, it is. But once practice ends and your abilities increase, novelty gives way to integration.

And if there's anything more impressive about "Okami" than its art direction, it's how Clover takes a should-be gimmick and brilliantly employs it as the heartbeat of an adventure that's every bit as satisfying as Nintendo's best.

Given the vast technological leaps that have occurred since it first appeared, "Okami" has aged remarkably well. The art style was designed to be at least somewhat age-proof, and sure enough, "Okami" emerges as perhaps the Wii's prettiest game despite only modest technical upgrades over the PS2 version.

Things are dicier when it comes to the controls. The PS2's analog stick provided slow but steady brush control. The Wiimote, while snappier, isn't as precise, and the game is accidentally harder as a result.

Fortunately, while strokes occasionally won't register as they should, the problem is not prevalent enough to ruin the experience, and a little practice will mitigate most issues in this regard.