Okami HD coming to PlayStation 3 this Autumn

Gorgeous cult hit Okami gets an HD upgrade on PlayStation 3 this Autumn, Capcom has announced.

Okami Zekkie-ban, which roughly translates to Okami Magnificent Version, was announced in the latest issue of Famitsu (via Andriasang). It's an HD remaster of the original game and featuring Move support.

A Western release was then confirmed on the PlayStation Blog - it'll launch on PSN sometime this Autumn priced at $19.99/£15.99/€19.99. Sorry Xbox patrons - it sounds like this is a Sony exclusive.

There's no mention of new features, and it's unclear if this will be based on the PS2 version's grainier graphics or the Wii iteration's glossier palette. We've pressed Capcom for info and will update if we find out more.

The original Okami was considered something of a gem at Eurogamer, where it received a 10/10 on both PS2 and Wii. "Okami is, without doubt, a landmark game, and one that's beautiful in almost every sense," wrote Kristan Reed in his PS2 Okami review.

"It's as well-designed as Zelda, as involving as Final Fantasy, and as beautiful as anything you've ever seen; it belongs with the best of the Zelda series at the very apex of its genre," added Keza MacDonald in her review of the Wii version.

"Its painterly aesthetic is more dazzling than the cel-shading employed by Wind Waker or Skyward Sword (despite the latter being half a decade newer on better hardware), the controls more responsive and empowering, and the script more sophisticated," wrote yours truly more recently in an Okami retrospective.

Despite receiving rave reviews, Okami had sold a mere 600,000 units worldwide as of March 2009. This earned it the dubious honour of being the least commercially successful game to win a Game Of The Year award, according to the Guinness Book Of Records.

The Wii release also tanked, selling only 280,000 copies in North American and Europe (via Kotaku).

Despite its poor sales, a sequel, Okamiden, was still developed for the DS. Eurogamer's Chris Schilling rather liked it, awarding it an 8/10. "It might not be quite the game its predecessor was, but you can't help but hope that this charming follow-up sells well enough for its publisher to keep the wolf from the lore," he wrote in his Okamiden review.

Hopefully this HD re-release will bring the series more attention - Capcom hasn't ruled out making more sequels, despite the fact that Okami developer Clover disbanded shortly after its release.