The game has long been rumored to come to Nintendo's platform and while Capcom's Keiji Inafune didn't outright deny the port of Clover's beautiful adventure game, no confirmation has come our way.

Reaction to the rumor hasn't been 100% positive, however. When reached for comment, Okami superfan Luke Plunkett of Australia said "I hate the internet." Regardless of the tiring roller coaster of emotions, we thank you for your tips on the matter.

Okami confirmé sur Wii [Jeux Actu]

On October 1, 2007, SEEDS Corporation will merge with ODD Corporation to create "Platinum Games," which will be a fresh step forward.

Seeds [Official Site]

Eds Note: As pointed out on forum NeoGAF, the ODD Corporation linked above (ODD Solutions) might not be what SEEDS is merging with. SEEDS is merging with a company called ODD Corporation, but info about that company is scant.

The action adventure title beat out Nintendo's import-only Bit Generation series and Wii Sports, Canis Canem Edit (nee Bully), Dead Rising, DEFCON, Final Fantasy XII and Test Drive Unlimited to take the honor.

Fantastic! Now we've confirmed that just about everyone, everywhere loves the hell out of Okami. Please leave your "Where is the Wii/PS3/Xbox 360 port?" comment in the textarea field below.

Okami wins Edge award [Gamespot]

He was about as blunt as one could be. Here's the Q&A.

When you looked over the games that came from Clover Studios, why do you think that audiences didn't respond to those games, Okami and Viewtiful Joe in particular, which got excellent reviews?

Perhaps I might get into trouble if I say this in front of people from the mass media. Games are not a work of art. It's actually a product. If we think of it as a work of art, then... when we think about Picasso and Van Gogh's paintings, the end result is beauty, so it doesn't matter if you sell it or not. However for games, it's a product. It is a commodity. The producer has to think about that.

Okami and Viewtiful Joe, I think, are wonderful games and because they are wonderful games I think, the job of the director was fantastic. But the producer didn't do his work. The producers work is to make the team make good games and then sell those games. The producer has to do the promotion. They have to think about the promotion. The producer has to take those good games and think about how to deliver it to as many users as possible. Certainly to get good reviews is part of his job. However, the producer has to make sure the game sells [on par with the review]. I think the producer dropped the ball there. Capcom said they would do it, but Clover said "Oh, we'll do it ourselves." And I think this was a failure.

Great directors may exist in great numbers, however, if you don't have a good producer it won't lead to sales. And I think this Clover Studios example is a really good example of that.

Daaaamn! Who knew Keiji could be so harsh? Let's hope Clover producer Atsushi Inaba has better sales success at his new venture Seeds. Michael McWhertor

Just last month we wrote briefly about the collected art works of Clover Studios' Okami, then lamented that it was a Japanese only release, making an import of the book an expensive ordeal.

Now, thanks to the eagle eyed shoppers at NeoGAF, we know that Capcom and Udon Entertainment will be publishing it stateside, translated into English. From the Amazon product description:

Okami is one of the newest Capcom action games boasting a very unique art style, heavily inspired by Japanese watercolor painting. The Okami Official Complete Works art book will take you behind the scenes to the amazing artwork that defines the wonderful world of this beautiful video game! The 288 full color pages are filled with character and location designs, concept sketches and production notes from the creators giving you an in-depth look at the fantasy world of Okami! A truly inspiring book, translated into English for the first time!

And only $40! Cheap! Michael McWhertor

Okami Official Complete Works (Paperback) [via NeoGAF]
Okami Art Collected For Your Benefit [Kotaku]

You can order from the Japanese Amazon site (there is an English option) for a cheap 3,360 yen (about $29) plus potentially scary shipping, but I'd check your local import stores or favored online import shop to make it just a lil' bit easier. Michael McWhertor

Okami Art Book At Amazon.jp [via Insert Credit]

Sick of hearing about how Capcom smothered Clover Studios with a giant throw pillow and left the arty studio for dead in a dumpster out by the airport? Me neither! Gamasutra's Brandon Sheffield has an insightful interview with Atsushi Inaba from way back at TGS, way back when there was still a Clover Studios. While the word has always been that Clover was a word play on "creativity lover," Inaba points out:

Well we thought pretty hard about it, and it comes from Mikami's name and mine. It takes the 'mi' from his name, meaning three, and the 'ba' from my name, meaning leaf. Put those together and it's 'three leaves,' so even though the logo is a four-leaf clover, the idea actually comes from what plant would have three leaves.

An unlucky clover at that. Brian Ashcraft

Interview with Inaba [Gamasutra]

Former Sega marketer and current Capcom VP, Charles Bellfield pulls no punches in a recent GameDaily interview. With Clover Studios (God Hand, Okami) recent closing, Bellfield talks about what that means for Capcom and what exactly the subsidiary was. He points out that it was "physically a floor in our sixteen-story R&D building in Osaka in Japan. It was identical to the other fifteen floors that were in the same building..." Moreover, the majority of the team has been transitioning from Clover to Capcom for months. Continuing, Bellfield adds:

Does it change the type of content we develop? Not in the slightest chance. Does it change the company at all? Nope. Have a couple of individuals left? Yes... Mikami-san (Resident Evil creator) is still a contracted producer at Capcom, so he's very much part of the team, part of the family just as other producers are... Both Inaba-san (Viewtiful Joe producer) and Kamiya-san have left the company.

He adds that that And Bellfield not only attempts to clarify the Clover situation, but kicks sand in Sega's face for bonus points! When asked for comparisons between his current employer and his previous one, Bellfield dishes:

Capcom's not going to do anything that will cheapen itself in the eyes of the gamer, and we'll only do things to add credibility to who we are as a company. We are not in the market to cheapen ourselves or deliver below par content to our consumers.

This Bellfield guy is a regular barrel of monkeys! Brian Ashcraft

Chatty Charles [GameDaily]

I didn't go to sleep until 4 a.m. this morning and was back up at 7:30 a.m.

I've got a throbbing headache that seems to be in the squishy center of my medulla oblongata and it feels like I've got vaseline in my eyes. Thanks, Clover Studios, for the little devil ass-smacking you delivered to my sleep schedule and addictive nature via God Hand.

Bah!

Brian Crecente

God Hand [Clover Studio]

Word from Capcom was that Mikami didn't do many interviews. Perhaps he wasn't allowed to do them, because when he did, he'd say things like he would rather cut off his head, than see PS2 ports.

"This is the director of Okami," Inaba said right off the bat. The previous day, I saw Inaba is a cubicle, looking down a flock of European journos. He looked bored.

"Nice to meet cho."

We shake hands. And Mikami adjusts his sunglasses. The morning haze still hangs over LA. There's no sun in the sky.

"I'm really impressed with Okami. When's it going to be out in the US?"

"September?" Mikami asks Inaba.

"Yeah, September."

"Are you working on anything now?"

"I'm on vacation until June," the director says. "So I'm just thinking now."

"Enjoy your time off."

"Thanks, and tell everyone about Okami," he says fiddling with those shades.

"I will."

Shinji Mikami [Answers]

More Here Okami Game Play Footage Is Beyond Stunning [Kotaku]

Osaka's Clover Studio held a symposium for the eagerly awaited Okami for the PS2. Company prez and developer Atsushi Inaba (Viewtiful Joe) sat down to discuss the arduous process of creating the game, which has been pushed back several times. When the overseas media praised the game at 2005's E3, the team's confidence was given a boast says Inaba.

Japanese mythology-inspiredOkami ("Wolf") puts the player in the role of the Shinto sun goddess Amaterasu, who restores color and light to the world. The graphics unique cell shading look like traditional Japanese inked drawings. Okamihas been years in the making and a work of technical virtuousity. This game is a work of beauty.

Also, Clover announced the upcoming God of Hand, an action titled for the PS2. The game is being produced by Inaba and directed by Shinji Mikami, who's worked on several big Capcom titles like Devil May Cry and the Resident Evil games. Expect beauty, but with Okami's cherry blossoms suplanted with upper cuts.

Still Purdy [Kotaku]
Screens Here [Watch Impress]

Gamespot has a bunch of sweet, high-res screens of the game.

God Hand Images [Gamespot]
God Hand Official Site