I just finished looking at a piece by which reminded me of an article I read in an issue of EGM last month. Okami has been out for several months now, and in my opinion is one of the best games to be released for the PS2 in its dying years. However, this love for Okami is not shared by many, as its lackluster sales sealed the fate of its creator, Clover Studio. The combined problem of release delays, limited budget, and a less-than-enthusiastic fan base banished Clover to the leagues of Enron.
It makes me so sad to think about this, because Okami was a great game. Clover's bankruptcy also closed the book on the argument of whether "Games are art". Well, apparently in the eyes of the majority of the world, games are not considered works of art, and should not be developed as such. However, I think different. Who is to stop a visionary from releasing a great game such as Okami? I ask you, while i add "Art and beauty are in the eye of the beholder." This world, especially in the game industry, is so biased and so fixated on the certain set of standards on which games are based. You know what I say? Screw these standards! So many game companies are hopefully glued to them, despite the fact that these standards bring about nothing more than mediocre games. Hell, I saw numerous game review for Okami all reach above an 8.0! X-Play gave it a 5 out of 5! There is so much innovation and uniqueness in it, yet it is overlooked by critics and consumers because it doesn't involve sex and/or violence.