Capcom's Japan branch has released six screenshots to illustrate the difference between the PlayStation 2's 2006 version of the stylish Okami and its upcoming PlayStation 3 re-issue.
Sharper imagery and a widescreen format are the most immediate improvements and, as the PlayStation 3 version appears to be based on the PlayStation 2 original, Okami's hallmark paper parchment graphical effect is carried over -- though appearing slightly less intense in the HD makeover.
A direct lineage to the PlayStation 2 version would mean avoiding many of the difficulties encountered by the Wii's Okami, which eventually emerged in 2008.
The most notable omission for Wii players, in North America and Europe at least, and aside from a much muted parchment effect, was the absence of Okami's carefully constructed credits sequence.
At the time, the game's dismayed designer Hideki Kamiya (Resident Evil, Viewtiful Joe) explained that "each game I've directed does not finish with a mere introduction of the staff, but ends full of this special tribute to staff and players, enabling a true sense of closure."
Conversion studio Ready At Dawn (God of War Collection and PSP originals) had enough trouble as it was, working with incomplete source material and adapting Okami to work with the Wii's different coding and control methods.
Still, that didn't prevent Okami from wowing critics upon its second debut: the Wii ratings average remains a mere 3 percentage points below the PS2 version's 93/100 Metacritic grade.
Capcom Japan's Okami HD website: capcom.co.jp/o-kami/zekkei
