Picture this. You have friends who live in a different state to you. You may play online with them every now and then; chat and whatnot, but you're hardly going to visit them regularly unless you've got a good reason.

Anyway, a film is set for release. It's one of the hottest films of the year, so you are pumped. Then you read the fine print: the film isn't showing in your state for another few months. What the hell? Meanwhile your interstate mates are cutting sick and telling you that you live in a backwater.

Some gamers would be feeling this at present. First the Xbox 360 "global launch" which came out in Australia the following year. Then the "guaranteed" PlayStation 3 launch in November, delayed until March 23. And amidst that disappointment, we have in this day and age of webcasts and on demand a games company staggering release of a game locally by half a year. Terrific.

Here's the thing about great games that get released in Australia ages after overseas. We lose the flavour, the enthusiasm, the joy of discovery - everything that typifies the 'fun' part of a new release. Because by the time these delayed titles hit our shores, we're already looking further afield.

One of the hottest PS2 games (of 2006), Okami melted faces with its slick visuals and brilliant play that was more than a little reminiscent of Nintendo's Zelda. We've been hanging out ever since - and as annoying as it is to admit - the wait has been worth it.

The story is worth mentioning because it's quirkily Japanese without being too weird for westerners to get a grip on. You're Amaterasu, a sun goddess in wolf form (hey, it is a Japanese game). Badass Orochi (serpent, eight heads, evil) was wasted a century ago. Why? Because Orochi was getting off on eating the young womenfolk of Kamaki, of course. Now, darkness has fallen again and Amaterasu must save the day.

The story that unfolds has been excellently brought across from the Japanese version. That's to say the usual things that get lost in translation - the quirky humour, the subtle references - make it here intact. To their credit the translation team has not treated us like we're five year olds - a refreshing change.

Back to the action, the main weapon you have against the pervasive darkness is your Celestial Brush - an analogue stick controlled art tool that allows you to literally redraw the state of the world. Using the brush is simplicity personified - hold down R1 then go nuts with the left analogue. And while the mechanic behind itself is more basic than you may expect - you're literally "drawing" simple circles or playing a sophisticated type of connect the dots, depending on the nature of your action. But when you're playing, you don't really care. The freedom to turn night into day, redirect the elements, and literally change the environment soars beyond any quibble about the need to be Da Vinci on the stick. Sure there are stages where you're largely captive to the story but any other time you can go nuts.

And its when you're messing around with the brush in particular that you start thinking: hey, wouldn't this rock on Nintendo's Wii? Not to question the judgment of the powers that be (developers Clover Studios recently announced a plan to dissolve and melt back into Capcom in March 2007) but this is one game that would fly with the motion-based Wii-mote. And those rumours of a port aren't going away...

Regardless of whether you play it on PS2, or press your nose up against the glass and wait for news of a Wii version, the point is it's easy to lose time messing with the brush - but it's so strongly tied to the play that you can argue you're building up your skills. Enough has been done to elevate it from gimmick to essential.

If you've avoided reading the countless gobs of praise or don't bother normally with it anyway, then rest assured Okami is still 100% quality. But if you've had your enthusiasm sapped somewhat by knowing that overseas everyone and their dog has already finished the game and are ready to move onto the likes of God of War 2... harden up. No matter which year it's come out in, this is a must-buy title for PS2 owners.