Okami Publisher:  Capcom Developer:  Clover Studio

Why It Rocked: Clover Studios' cell-shaded canine adventure takes the classic Zelda setup and blurs everything together with a magic paintbrush. It has a fantastic mix of puzzle solving, interesting battles and grand adventuring, all tied together via an engaging and unique story. When we think of the best adventure games around, size and scope immediately come to mind, and Okami is anything but small. With villages abound, fields aplenty, numerous dungeons to explore and secrets around every corner, OKAMI is about as epic as they come.

What really makes Okami great is its excellent art style and the gameplay mechanics that perfectly tie into it. The celestial brush is a wholly unique tool that gives gamers the power to literally shape the world around them. Whether repainting a broken bridge, connecting stars, slicing through enemies or brightening the sky by literally drawing in the sun, you're constantly interacting with the world in numerous ways. The only disappointing thing about the game is now that Clover is closed, we won't be seeing a sequel.

Runner-Up:  
Yakuza

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