[Wii]Zack & Wiki: Quest for Barbaros' Treasure

[emwearz]

Been awhile since my last review, but never fear Wii-Lovers im back and with a new game in hand.

There was a time when Point N Click adventure games could not be released without the making the front of gaming magazines, however in today gaming world they come in few and there media coverage is even smaller. Capcom have brought along the old and classic formula of the Point N Click, but teamed it up with the Wii remote it adds a whole new dimension to the genre.

System Tested On
PAL Wii displaying at 480p over component cables on a 1080i Plasma.

Gameplay (8 out of 10)
Many people will see this gameplay score and go, What! But the game is just surprisingly addictive. It plays like a old point and click, in the sense that you pick items up and use them on certain objects, however it is very interactive when the Wii mote is brought into the picture.

Other than the classic Point N Click set up the game is divided in to small levels, the better you solve single puzzles, the more points you get and the more money you will find along the way. You can use money for a verity of things, the most useful being hints, which can help you in a tight situation.

On the Wii mote side of things, you will use it for things such as pulling levers, turning cranks, fishing as well as pretty much anything else you can think of, the controls are tight and responsive, very well done by Capcom.

I was also scared that the game would be too easy, it seems childish, its simple to play, but the game has had me stuck on more than one occasion, some very well thought out puzzles.

Sound (6 out of 10)
The sound is nothing special and really is the only downfall in the game, the game has its moments with a lot of text, and I cant help but feel that some speech would have done the game great.

The music is fairly well done, nothing overtly special but it does the job nicely enough.

The Japanese high pitched yells and screams are fun and entertaining at first, but after awhile it becomes nothing short of annoying.

Graphics (8.5 of 10)
One of the best Cel Shaded games I have seen for a long time, the games graphical style is perfect, while many Cel Shaded games suffer from annoying jaggies, Zack and Wiki does a really good job of seeming smooth all around. The cartoon imagery captures the feel of the game great and the characters are unique and cute. The textures fit to what they should, and it works greatly.

Sure it doesn't have the massive poly counts, but I never count graphics on how detailed they are, I count them on a whole, and without a doubt they do the job, and they do the job well!

Replay Value (6 out of 10)
Very little replay value, you can play through stages again to get perfect scores, but theres not much reason to really do such a thing, once the game is over I don't think you will be running back again and again when you know how to solve the problems.

Overall (7.625 out of 10)
Capcom have done a great job at breathing new life into what many consider a stale and obsolete genere. Zack & Wiki: Quest for Barbaros' Treasure shows us just how a Wii game should be made. I give it my tick of approval and urge you all to go get a copy.

[ShadowDancer]

I don't have a Wii (yet) but this is one of the must-buy games that I would get. Seems very original and fun unlike many of the games out there for various systems. Too bad it didn't really do well in the selling department. It's no wonder companies stick to the tried and true instead of innovating. The consumer market are a bunch of morons.

[Thanakil]

Originally Posted by ShadowDancer

I don't have a Wii (yet) but this is one of the must-buy games that I would get. Seems very original and fun unlike many of the games out there for various systems. Too bad it didn't really do well in the selling department. It's no wonder companies stick to the tried and true instead of innovating. The consumer market are a bunch of morons.

Sadly that's true, but all is not lost. The sales may just reach 500 000 copies sold (if lucky). Japan sales are HORRIBLE (less than 50 000 sold) but America/EU aren't that bad at all.

The sales are bad compared to BIG titles, but over 300 000 sold worlwide is actually fair enough, considering the game didn't have some huge development cost and the like.

The game had a slow start, but for a game without BIG ads everywhere and without a selling name, it's doing good now.

[emwearz]

I hope it picks up sales enough that they decide to make a sequel, im actually stuck in the game at the moment, need to put some more time into it. (I dont use guides in any games I play so sometimes I can get stuck for awhile).