Zack & Wiki based on sam & max?

[Hero1]

Wired’s Chris Kohler recently had the chance to sit down and talk with Capcom’s Hironobu Takeshita, the producer of Zack & Wiki: Quest for Barboros’ Treasure, the upcoming point and click adventure-style game for the Nintendo Wii. With regards to the difficulty, he says that if they don’t understand the puzzles “they’re not paying enough attention.”

Takeshita first talks about the origins of Zack & Wiki, citing the director’s penchant for the point and click games of PC’s yesteryear. Zack & Wiki is a mix of the likes of Monkey Island, Sam & Max and a sprinkling of Wii Remote and Nunchuck magic:

WN: Where did the inspiration for Zack and Wiki come from? It seems very similar to older PC games that I used to play about 10 years ago, although I really don’t see people making games like that anymore…

HT: That’s exactly it. The director of Zack and Wiki is a really big fan of PC point-and-click titles. He played those for many years. After he joined Capcom, he was always saying that he wanted to make one of those adventure games himself. So when we decided to make this adventure game, we were able to combine some of the elements of PC point-and-click games and also use the Wii remote control motion system and put them together into a sort of action/adventure/puzzle game, which really allows us to create a new experience for players.

http://www.nintendic.com/news/1186

[Guybrush Threepwood]

I'll be getting this game as it looks like a hit.

[evilguy12]

Yeah I want this game too. It looks brilliant!

[Emily]

Originally Posted by Hero1

With regards to the difficulty, he says that if they don’t understand the puzzles “they’re not paying enough attention.”

Who's "they"? Sorry, I'm confused by the statement.

I saw this game on display at Comic-Con. Tried a few minutes of it and couldn't figure out what was going on or what I was supposed to do. Admittedly I am not a Wii owner (a travesty, I know) and I couldn't really concentrate because of the setting (lots of people crowded around, noise, Phoenix Wright on demo right next to me...) but my initial impression was that it felt more like a platformer than an adventure game. Which doesn't necessarily mean that it IS a platformer and not an adventure game, but even with the adventure game roots/influences/homages/etc., it might not appeal to entirely the same audience that Sam & Max does.

I'm really interested to hear more reactions to the game once it's out. This is the kind of game where I think I'd put a lot more stock in the reactions of people I know who enjoy the kinds of games I like, than I would in reviews.

[Hero1]

i think its one of those adventure hybrids

[fco.]

It looks like it'll be a fun puzzle solving game, but, from what I've read, it seems that it will lack the deep storyline and/or open gameplay to make it a memorable adventure game. From what I've seen, it looks like it's gonna be more like: solve the puzzle-> pass to the next stage-> solve the puzzle, and so on...

[Zachspyfox033]

Can I download a trial of that game?

[Mel]

Probably not, as it's for the Wii and I don't think they have demos for Wii games.

[Haggis]

Yeah, I doubt it'll be a true point-and-click game, actually. I think the designers think "hey, you point the Wii controller at the screen, so this is per definition a point-and-click adventure game!" It does look more like a platformer though. :/

[Guybrush Threepwood]

Originally Posted by Mel

Probably not, as it's for the Wii and I don't think they have demos for Wii games.

Correct, they don't, although everyone wants them.

[Dedlok]

I had heard there' no demos due to small storage space on the system itself (ie no hard drive) Which sucks. :/

[Haggis]

Yeah, but, you can use your own memory cards, so it should be possible to download a (small) demo then... maybe just a rolling demo? Or maybe Nintendo should make available the possibility of an external hard drive, that would be a welcome addition.

[Guybrush Threepwood]

Originally Posted by Dedlok

I had heard there' no demos due to small storage space on the system itself (ie no hard drive) Which sucks. :/

But they could just give away demo discs, but they refuse to do that too.

[Haggis]

Hey, there have been Gamecube demo discs in the past, right? Perhaps they could make some Wii demo discs, or maybe Nintendo feel the cost doesn't weigh up to the income they'd get out of that...

[Dedlok]

There was only 1 demo disc for the public. And that one was intended to be only for people who bought a gamecube but some retailers sold them to everybody anyway. And they charged whatever they wanted to. IIRC Gamestop was charging $5. Some Charged $10. I think best buy initially charged $30 for it. Other than that it was just demo disc for store kiosks.

Nintendo (as far as I can remember) never gave any out thru Nintendo Power (like sony did w/ Offical Playstation Magazine). When I used to work in teh Electronics dept at Wal-Mart I brought up the idea once to the Nintendo Representive and she said they considered that but deemed it too costly. :/

[wiedo]

IGN review: http://wii.ign.com/articles/829/829301p1.html

They give it a 9.0!

Maybe this is the first game for my Wii i will actually play :P

[fco.]

Originally Posted by Zachspyfox033

Can I download a trial of that game?

http://www.joystiq.com/2008/03/05/za...emo-available/
(I don't have access to that page from work, so I don't know actually how accurate that demo will be.)

[fco.]

Originally Posted by fco.

It looks like it'll be a fun puzzle solving game, but, from what I've read, it seems that it will lack the deep storyline and/or open gameplay to make it a memorable adventure game. From what I've seen, it looks like it's gonna be more like: solve the puzzle-> pass to the next stage-> solve the puzzle, and so on...

Well, I just finished the game, and turns out it's actually an amazingly fun game. Yes, the story is not very deep, but it's enough to keep the game together.
Now I understand why Ron Gilbert said the other day on an interview that more than the story, the most important part of an adventure game are the puzzles.

[Linque]

I lost interest after finishing the third world. It just doesn't manage to keep me in its grasp. I need a good story, too. Or much better, more complex puzzles than what the game offered.

[fco.]

On other news, Yahtzee has just reviewd this game, showing also briefly his view on adventure games in general.

http://www.escapistmagazine.com/arti...tion-Zack-Wiki