Okami (a game for the Playstation 2) is one of the two best videogames I've played, ever. In total, I spent 72 hours playing this game, and although I must reflect that I could have read up to 10 or more books in that time, I still think it was worth it (which is saying a lot, from me).
In this game, you play a white wolf, and you are placed into a sort of prehistorical version of Japan. The story of the game appears to be the conjoining of a lot of Japanese legends (Shintoist, I'm assuming), which you play out as the white wolf, Okami Amaterasu. Of course, you aren't just a wolf, you are actually the sun god, who has suddenly found itself in wolf-form. Did I mention that you don't talk (wolves don't talk)? It's pretty much your job to save Japan from the forces of darkness and save many villages and towns from the evil Orochi (a shadowy 9 headed dragon with a fondness for sake) and his minions.
I must admit a fondness for these role playing games, and for the fact that there is little realistic bloodshed in this title. In fact, other than a few weirdly lascivious scenes, this would be an excellent title for children. I need to learn more about the Shinto religion, but I think this game really opened up an understanding of a different kind of religious tradition for me. Plus it's a very positive game in that your job is to heal the world from the blight that's been brought upon it, and there are lots of cute animals to feed along the way. And the artwork is really amazing; the whole thing has the feel of calligraphy and Japanese scrolls/watercolors.
If you have a PS2, you should get this game. If you don't have one, they're pretty inexpensive, and I think it'd be worth having one just to be able to play Okami and Final Fantasy X.
