Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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70 of 73 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Wow, Nintendo Wii's 2007 Suprise Sleeper Hit., October 25, 2007
Fun:5.0 out of 5 stars
This game probably went unnoticed by many gamers, myself included. At first glance, the title makes it out to be some cartoon network type of sloppily put together platform. But it is anything but. What it is, is Capcom's wink to old school gamers. Those that enjoyed classic Sierra adventures of decades past.
Using the wii remote, you point to where you want Zack to go, and with his companion Wiki (a yellow monkey who sounds even cuter than Pikachu, or more annoying, depending on how you feel about the yellow rodent), he travels accross 8 distinct worlds. Varying from tropical Islands to Lava filled caves. The characters are colorful and enjoyable. Zack for instance is always chewing a chocolate bar, his favorite food. Even when he's falling to his likely death. This injection of humor is a welcome addition compared to the serious and gory games of late on competing systems.
There is actually a bit of puzzle solving in this game the further you get. As you have to tinker with your inventory and find out what combines with what. And how to use the wii remote uniquely to solve the next puzzle. The Wii remotes use in the solving of puzzles is great. As it uses the sensor and gyro in many different ways.
Overall this game is a 4 out of 5. And the only reason I give it a 4, is that I feel the Wii's discs are large enough to fit full voice acting. What we get instead is sort of a banjo kazooie type emoting of sound effects. However each character has about 5-10 different things they will "blurt out". For instance, Wiki: "Zacku. ." if talking to Zack. "oohhhhh" if finding something interesting. Sometimes they will even speak a line of words. Usually in japanese or a made up babble language. It gets the job done. But my preference in point and click adventures is full on voice acting. A'la the later Leisure Suit Larry games, Later Monkey Island games, and so on. .
Taking that all in brings me to this conclusion. Zack and Wiki is one of the top games on the Wii. And deserves a slot in any gamer's collection.
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51 of 55 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Thank you, Capcom!, October 26, 2007
Fun:5.0 out of 5 stars
Zack and Wiki is currently my favorite game for the Wii. Yes, I even like it more than Twilight Princess and Metroid Corruption. The puzzles are challenging, the visual style/ art is great, and the game is just a blast to play. I'm 27 and this game totally brings me to back to the old-school days of King's Quest and similar titles. I hope you third-party developers are paying close attention - if you make a great game, like Capcom has done here, people will buy it.
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30 of 31 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
It's got it all!, November 6, 2007
Fun:5.0 out of 5 stars
This game is amazing. Ever since IGN launched the Buy Zack and Wiki campaign I knew I had to get it, but didn't know what I was getting myself into. Now I know. This is one of the most if not the most clever and entertaining games for the wii.
For those of you who don't know the style of the game, it is like the adventure games of old. If any of you played any of the Monkey Islands or Full Throttle or Sam and Max or Day of the Tentacle or any others, you will love this game. Myst players, too, will probably love this game.
The premise is that you are an up-and-coming pirate named Zack who is searching for treasure with your more-than-adorable companion Wiki. You go through a series of incredibly clever and interesting puzzles that are themed in a variety of ways. There is a jungle section, ice, fire, haunted mansion, etc. You go through the level interacting with items in a very intuitive point-and-click way, picking things up and using them with other items in the game.
One of the reasons Zack and Wiki is so inventive is that it is for the wii. Sometimes you will have to flip an item over to use the other end--you do this by flipping the wiimote. You loosen a dragon's tooth by twisting it back and forth; you saw with a sawing motion; you turn keys and locks. It sounds silly, but all these minor actions really bring you into the game and also make the puzzles just a little more challenging.
Another cool aspect to the game is Wiki. Not only does the strange flying monkey creature have a great sense of humor, but when you shake him he turns into a bell. This bell is used to transform creatures into objects, like a centipede into a centi-saw. It's a very clever mechanic. A nice example of a puzzle would be turning a snake into a slither gripper (something that extends your reach), carry it to a frog on a ledge, and turn it back into a snake that will scare the frog toward you. Then you turn the frog into a frog bomb and put it into an ice crystal to make it fall and land on something else so you can...you get the idea.
Two things that might surprise you if you have played a lot of adventure games are that in this one you can and will die, often (at least I have). The game utilizes platinum tickets that allow you to revive at the loss of some points and oracle dolls that give you hints. With this system in place death isn't so bad, but it is unlike other games I've played. Also, you don't keep items in an inventory; instead you can only hold one at a time. This is a cool choice that I think neither hurts nor helps the level of puzzle.
Another feature included is that up to four wiimotes can be used. The other players can't do anything but draw on the screen. Basically they point at things they want you, the player, to interact with. It seems minor, but it makes this single player game more fun for everyone. Whenever I played it was with a group of three or four people. Everybody had a great time trying to solve the intricate and exciting puzzles together, and sometimes it helps to have someone to give suggestions when you're stumped.
In conclusion, this game is amazing, and a great deal at only $40!. The sound is wonderful, the graphics are great, and the humor can make you laugh out loud. Those are just the minor pros, though, for the real power of the game comes from its ridiculously creative puzzles. The way you use items and Wiki as a bell really makes for some challenging and rewarding puzzles. So I highly recommend this game to anyone who likes this sort of problem solving. It is not fast paced, but it is a lot of fun.
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