Okami

Using the celestial brush is a breeze - if you worried that it would disrupt the gameplay, don't. You'll soon find yourself using it instead of Amaterasu's regular attacks, even if you don't need to. And with 10 more abilities to discover that we haven't even dipped our brush in to yet, Okami ought to be more than just a one-trick pony. Or wolf, even.

Above: The celestial brush is used for everything from combat to puzzle solving

It's beautifully strange, and you either love it or loathe it, but we need more games like Okami. There's no confirmed release date at the moment but, on the strength of this showing, Okami could be released today and still top our must-buy list. Until it finally slinks on to PS2, we suggest you try perfecting your brush grip and stroke technique in preparation for taming this sure-to-be-a-classic title.

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Ben Richardson is a former Staff Writer for Official PlayStation 2 magazine and a former Content Editor of 12DOVE. In the years since Ben left GR, he has worked as a columnist, communications officer, charity coach, and podcast host – but we still look back to his news stories from time to time, they are a window into a different era of video games.