Okami art website launches

Big thanks from Capcom for all the support fans have given them over the release of Okami for Wii.

To celebrate the imminent launch of Okami on Wii, Capcom wanted to find a special way to thank the Okami fans who encouraged the publisher to give the highly praised game a second chance.

Pre-order bonus art books were an option but Capcom didn't feel the format did the art justice and this also limited the reward to those buying the new Wii version and not the previous PS2 version.

What Capcom decided was to launch a dedicated website on which they could present Okami artwork.

"This is a collection of almost every piece of Okami art we've made, set up in beautiful gallery form for your downloadable pleasure," announced Capcom on its official blog. "Working with our friends at Udon, there's also a beautiful large art book you can order from the site."

The site contains original art, character art, backgrounds, desktop downloads, chat icons, and a user fan art section. In the coming weeks Capcom plans to host some fan art competitions on both okamiart.com and DeviantArt.com, with some amazing prizes said to be on offer.

The game's set for release in North America on April 15, although current retailer listings put the European release as far back as July 1, 2008.