Mmm.. looks like I have another Christmas must-have. I love concept artbooks and wish I had more of them. Wish they did more of'm for other video games.. and not just art, but story chronologies and all that... in english, mind you, I'm sure Japan has loads of those books *tear*.

MelodyKitn

is it REALLY worth an 11 month wait ?
man, i would have done something about it after just 1 month. like demand it from them or what not.

you sure have the patience (or the forgetfulness) heh heh

Mr.Sad

@Fishballs: It's underrated to a certain extent. But not nearly as underrated as titles such as Psychonauts or Beyond Good & Evil.

Relevant to the topic at hand; It appears to be a very intriguing art book that seems like it would be the ultimate companion book to the game.

B33

@Fishballs:

Universally adored, unfortunately, not universally purchased, a la Psychonauts =/

That said, this book is now on my MUST-HAVE list. I'll put it next to my Oddworld Inhabitants one. Now if only Mistwalker would release the goddamn Lost Odyssey art book...

Byakko

@VixDiesel: I don't know how it sold, but I don't think that Okami could really be called underrated considering how universally adored it is.

Fishballs

Interestingly enough, I saw a used Okami art book at Book-Off the other day for 1000 yen.

Prolly should have picked it up and sold it on ebay. ;)

ハリセンボン

Oh man, I definitely want one of this. Okami was one of the most amazing and totally underrated game ever.

VixDiesel

I got it on Amazon for $26 or so. It's pretty sweet and one of the rare occasions I've actually purchased real life merchandise for a game. After playing it I knew I had to have a physical copy of this book so I can read it when I'm old and reminisce about this masterpiece of a game :D

Korey

"Mine certainly didn't come with an audio CD. Or are you saying that you got a separate Okami soundtrack to listen to?"

It tells you to listen to the soundtrack if you have it. Likely refering to music in the game at certain points so the soundtrack is to remind you of that part of the game.

Yetanotheruninspiredscreename

I ordered one over Christmas from Amazon Japan. I received it in, honestly, 2 days. Of course, shipping cost more than the actual book, but when 2 day international is the only option available, that's kind of just how it works.

Mine certainly didn't come with an audio CD. Or are you saying that you got a separate Okami soundtrack to listen to?

Nevertheless, it's definitely an excellent book. I liked it so much that I recently ordered the books for Shadow of the Colossus and Ico (again from Amazon Japan). They are much less art books than they are strategy guides, but when you love these games as much as I (and many others) do, you'll take anything you can get and I'm loving these books just the same.

I don't regret any of these purchases.

sholmes

I got it for under $30 in amazon as a preorder. but it took literally 11 months for me also. It was worth the wait just like Luke says. It's the english version. The paper and print quality isn't as good as the Japanese version. but it's in English and cheaper to purchase.

Alucard400

I got the Japanese version. I wonder how it compares.

everybest

That looks pretty freaking sweet.

Morithain

Ugh I want... they'd better sell this at the Anime Expo this year or somewhere accessible to me... but damn you're lucky :3

Kaizuden

Oh I so want one!!!
The albums on the website arent enough!!!
Okami was realy a wonderfull peice of art.

hk458

I ordered mine about the same time. Hoping it will turn up in the mail this week. Glad to know it was worth the wait.

atomicstrawberry

i'm still waiting for my Kingdom Hearts art book to be published. The 2nd edition was supposed to be printed in January this year, then got bumped to march and now its up there somewhere for an August release.

I'm a huge fan of Tetsuya Nomura and his work, particularly KH and FFX. I've given up trying to get the visual arts companion for ANY FF game.

haracas

That's quite a wait, but it looks like it was definitely worth it. The book looks great! I liked Okami, so I may consider picking this up sometime.

.em.

crap, but i want that. how much was it?

TheIrishNinja

I hearted Okami on the PS2, got to get this art book.

maybe it will inspire me to use the calligraphy set I bought a year ago. One piece created, an Okami piece :3

AntiZERØ

Damn, now I need to get the soundtrack to get the most out of the book when it comes in

DarkLinkinfinite

i love art books. i bought one for odin sphere and it sure was pimp. ima try to get the okami one now at j-town.

maraxusofk

I had ordered the Japanese version and got the English version after 1 year of waiting as well. It's totally worth it. Now I have Japanese version I don't need tho....

Vabor

my order got canceled, that's how long I was waiting. they just never got the books in. This is good to know, i'll be surely purchasing one now.

orangeclover

I was never really into game art books before, but seeing these pics really got me interested in getting this book. I think concept art is a lot more interesting and educational than "finished" art.
Anyone got some good recommendations of other good game art books that are "Full of concept art, level design sketches, character reference models"???

Bluetribal

I got mine last week. I was very surprised when, out of nowhere, there was finally an e-mail notifying me it had shipped. It's actually alot bigger than I was expecting.

I haven't looked thoroughly through it yet, and in fact hadn't noticed the soundtrack thing. That sounds like an amazing idea though, I'll have to check it out.

StarStabbedMoon

Ooh, I like the soundtrack collaboration aspect. More end user experience is always a cool thing with things like these art books.

Blah8

@nesdude: It runs in a similar vein to the Zelda games in terms of providing a engaging fantasy experience with RPG elements. Though it's not directly a Zelda game and can be enjoyed by those burnt out by the Zelda franchise or looking for a different type of title.

B33

Where did you order it from? Sounds like you needed to complain more, and louder. No one should take your money and then not send your goods for almost a year.

aelfin

So, uh...

My friend let me borrow Okami (PS2) a while back, and since I've gotten it, it has sat upon my shelf collecting dust. I heard that it was "similar" (and I use this word loosely) to the Zelda games (in terms of it being an action/adventure game in the same vein). Because I was so burnt out on Zelda and the like, it's still sitting there.

Should I stop what I'm doing right now and go play it? Is it THAT good? Mind, I'm one of those people that got frusterated to the point of quitting Shadow of the Colossus...

nesdude

I love art books. One of the reasons why I preordered the special edition of Soul Calibur 4 and for going for the special edition of guide (which also has the soundtrack, another thing I love). I really want this art book because the style is so different. I will try and get one now since I know they are actually ready for release.

Ryodestined

I'm so jealous!!! Seriously. Like you, I ordered this book right after I beat the game along with the 5-disc soundtrack. Got the soundtrack all right, but after one year of waiting for the at book, I got an e-mail around November of last year or so that was basically an apology letter from Amazon saying that they were unable to ship it. Lame... Oh well. At least I can live vicariously through your pictures, or whatever. That's some purdy stuff I missed out on.

finalgearsolid

Man, that does look awesome.

Talleh