ZACK & WIKI! 300k Sold! BUY!!! $29.99 Now! IGN: 9.0! 1UP: 9.0! NP: 9.0! GS: 8.5!

Z&W is in the "best game" category, but not Fire Emblem? Boo!

Then again, FE wasn't even in the RPG category, so I don't know what was going on there.
 
[quote name='The Crotch']Z&W is in the "best game" category, but not Fire Emblem? Boo!

Then again, FE wasn't even in the RPG category, so I don't know what was going on there.[/quote]

Best ADVENTURE game - and FE was under STRATEGY.
 
[quote name='MarioColbert']Best ADVENTURE game - and FE was under STRATEGY.[/quote]Scroll lower, Colbert. Z&W is in Adventure and Best categories. FE is only in Strategy.

For what it's worth, I picked Metroid Prime for best game.

EDIT: And no, for the record, I don't care about what a website that takes ten fucking minutes for me to load thinks is the best game. I just wanted to express my NERD RAGE!
 
Picked this up yesterday and am really enjoying it. I am stuck at the first boss stage, but will continue trying before I cheat. I hope more games will be released like this. The DS and Wii are really enjoying a rebirth in this style of game.
 
[quote name='jbuck138']Picked this up yesterday and am really enjoying it. I am stuck at the first boss stage, but will continue trying before I cheat. I hope more games will be released like this. The DS and Wii are really enjoying a rebirth in this style of game.[/quote]

This game is perfection. Just wait until later levels - you'll see how deep the rabbit hole goes.

Hopefully, by now, there are enough people on this board to see what the hell I meant when I was first running around telling people that this one was the one. I'm surprised by how many people were really excited about it. I'm not surprised that there's less attention being focused towards Zack & Wiki and more towards Super Mario Galaxy (and I expect that good old planet-exploring Mario will be left forgotten by the time ASS KICKING Mario ships along with the rest of Brawl).
 
Okay. I'm curious about this game.

Level with me. I'm enjoying Mario Galaxy, but the /use/ of the controller in the game is really annoying me. Really deeply seriously annoying me. It's a good game, but not the Second Best Game Ever in my book.

Are the mechanics in this game sort of forced? Like... the developer used the shaking, twisting, and waving in areas where I could simply click and move an analog stick to the same effect?
 
[quote name='Gourd']
Are the mechanics in this game sort of forced? Like... the developer used the shaking, twisting, and waving in areas where I could simply click and move an analog stick to the same effect?[/quote]

Yes. Certainly. However, the places where the game does that are few, and mostly reserved for the beginning.

There are brilliant bits with the use of the Wiimote right off the bat, by all means, unless you've spoiled them for yourself by watching one (or two) too many gameplay videos. There are specific moments where the fact that the game is really asking you to perform a silly task is not annoying, because the task itself is laugh-inducing.

Later levels don't have the same problem. Certain panel-based puzzles (in which you place elements into a grid, for example) work beautifully with the ability to twist the elements in place. Some puzzles are down-right frustrating (fishing, swordfighting) at first, though perfecting such techniques is not necessary, since the game rewards a "brainier" solution to the "action based" ones.

At least one use of the Wiimote is "perfection" and "the single best use of the Wiimote in a game EVER for non-aiming-related gameplay." There, I said it.


It seems from your post that you may be too impatient for a game where trial and error is often the only method of proceeding. The game does get rather difficult, and if you don't feel like playing a stage for an hour to try to figure out where everything goes and how everything fits together, it really might not be a game for you. This isn't me shooting off being a dick, this is me warning you in advance. I suggest making it a rental to ensure that it's something that you want in the first place.
 
[quote name='Gourd']Okay. I'm curious about this game.

Level with me. I'm enjoying Mario Galaxy, but the /use/ of the controller in the game is really annoying me. Really deeply seriously annoying me. It's a good game, but not the Second Best Game Ever in my book.

Are the mechanics in this game sort of forced? Like... the developer used the shaking, twisting, and waving in areas where I could simply click and move an analog stick to the same effect?[/quote]

Could you provide some examples in Mario Galaxy where the controls annoy you? Off the top of my head, outside spinning and pointing for the starbits, the controls seem largely button-based.
 
[quote name='Gourd']Okay. I'm curious about this game.

Level with me. I'm enjoying Mario Galaxy, but the /use/ of the controller in the game is really annoying me. Really deeply seriously annoying me. It's a good game, but not the Second Best Game Ever in my book.

Are the mechanics in this game sort of forced? Like... the developer used the shaking, twisting, and waving in areas where I could simply click and move an analog stick to the same effect?[/QUOTE]
Zack and wiki is a good game but not great. It's a solid 7 in my book. You'll get tired of it pretty quick. It's cool for a while, but the game play is so repetitive. You basically just point at this, shake that, flip this, drop that... You never really do much. Still beating a massive puzzle is quite satisfying (most of the time, some just piss you off). Also a few of the items are just frustrating to use and sometimes figuring out their use is too difficult or not apparent at all. I will say some puzzles use visual clues, and other puzzles don't. My last beef with this game is that some of the kinetic controls are wacky and a little off. I'm not sure if it's this game's fault or the wii's. I'm guessing it's the games calibration since most of the games I've played with motion controls have been spot on.

On a side note, mario galaxy fu@king rocks! I haven't like a mario game since Mario 3! It's seriously one of the best games I've ever played (if not the best). Also the motion controls in SMG have been kept to a minimal amount. A majority of the game play focused on how each planet's gravity changes the physics or how you can use gravitational anomalies to advance to the next stage. I thought it was brilliant! Best of all you get classic 2D Mario game play on some levels, old school 3D Mario game play on others, and you get to this new planetary game play! I just love the diversity of the levels. It's truly astounding.
 
[quote name='Gourd']Okay. I'm curious about this game.

Level with me. I'm enjoying Mario Galaxy, but the /use/ of the controller in the game is really annoying me. Really deeply seriously annoying me. It's a good game, but not the Second Best Game Ever in my book.

Are the mechanics in this game sort of forced? Like... the developer used the shaking, twisting, and waving in areas where I could simply click and move an analog stick to the same effect?[/QUOTE]
Zack and wiki is a good game but not great. It's a solid 7 in my book. You'll get tired of it pretty quick. It's cool for a while, but the game play is so repetitive. You basically just point at this, shake that, flip this, drop that... You never really do much. Still beating a massive puzzle is quite satisfying (most of the time, some just piss you off). Also a few of the items are just frustrating to use and sometimes figuring out their use is too difficult or not apparent at all. I will say some puzzles use visual clues, and other puzzles don't. My last beef with this game is that some of the kinetic controls are wacky and a little off. I'm not sure if it's this game's fault or the wii's. I'm guessing it's the games calibration since most of the games I've played with motion controls have been spot on.

On a side note, mario galaxy fu@king rocks! I haven't like a mario game since Mario 3! It's seriously one of the best games I've ever played (if not the best). Also the motion controls in SMG have been kept to a minimal amount. A majority of the game play focused on how each planet's gravity changed the physics or how you can use gravitational anomalies to advance to the next stage. I thought it was brilliant!
 
[quote name='kevlar51']Could you provide some examples in Mario Galaxy where the controls annoy you? Off the top of my head, outside spinning and pointing for the starbits, the controls seem largely button-based.[/QUOTE]


Shake Wii Mote to throw things.

Shake Wii Mote to spin.

Shake Wii Mote to climb vines.

Shake Wii Mote to swim faster.

Shake Wii Mote to activate switches.

Shake Wii Mote to break blocks.

Shake Wii Mote to make Boo Mario invisible.

Shake Wii Mote to activate Stars.


If I could get the Wii to actuallyl REGISTER that I'm shaking the wii mote, so I could pull these tasks off with precision, perhaps I'd find the game more fun.

In fact, the game seems to have minimal uses of buttons. A lot of those game tasks feel like they would be easier and less intrusive with a button.

Pointing the Wii Mote at various things isn't a problem. THAT is fun, and awesome. Using the Wii Mote to steer a rolling ball is FUN as well. It's the damn shaking motion that I wish I could just... replace with a button press.

It sort of reminds me of one of the Castlevania games on the DS where you had to draw various symbols to use spells. It feels tacked on.
 
[quote name='MarioColbert']
It seems from your post that you may be too impatient for a game where trial and error is often the only method of proceeding. The game does get rather difficult, and if you don't feel like playing a stage for an hour to try to figure out where everything goes and how everything fits together, it really might not be a game for you. This isn't me shooting off being a dick, this is me warning you in advance. I suggest making it a rental to ensure that it's something that you want in the first place.[/QUOTE]

I rock at puzzle games and adventure games. I don't mind fiddling with things. I just hate unresponsive controls or Ninja Gaiden Syndrome (Repeated deaths due to twich gaming.) I don't think I /lack/ patience. I just tend to approach games as part of my adult life: I weigh the cost of consuming my time versus what the game is going to provide.

To counter what certainly /does/ sound like you being a dick, why not tell me why you got the impression that I'm an impatient person?
 
[quote name='Gourd']To counter what certainly /does/ sound like you being a dick, why not tell me why you got the impression that I'm an impatient person?[/quote]
No, not being a dick - I don't know how much of this thread you've actually read, but there were several people who found that this game wasn't for them. Most of the hardcore adventure crowd was in the know about the title due to Adventure Gamers / Mix'n'mojo / any other Adventure-related links that covered this title in depth... Forgive me for jumping to conclusions there. Wasn't trying to be a dick as much as I was being one, if only indirectly.

I can not possibly agree with your comments regarding Mario Wii-mote use. It's possible you have a faulty Remote, since I felt that spinning, throwing items, and swimming were particularly dead-on. The shaking to climb the vines, for example, is quite sublime as far as I'm concerned, since it offers rather intuitive controls (granted, in my humble opinion) regarding the speed of your character's motion along that path. I will say that it is annoying when Mario flies off a vine, and since you're still shaking the damn remote, he performs a spin-move, which has (on several occasions) prevented me from grabbing onto a different vine in the process.

Zack & Wiki did frustrate me on at least two occasions regarding the Wii-mote use. One involved throwing an object, another involved using the D-pad to "activate" an item being currently held - with no hint whatsoever that such mechanic was in place. It seems a little more one-to-one regarding other uses of Wii Remote - pouring water out of a cup by tilting the Remote, twisting the remote to turn keys, etc. It's certainly better than Metroid Prime 3's having to "pull out" the switches before turning them, since that is one thing that I find the Remote being quite unpredictable with.

To me, however, Zack & Wiki is still game of the year. I've said it before, but I'll repeat myself in case you don't feel like going through the rest of this massive thread - it's really a puzzle-based adventure, similar to Gobliiins series. Since Gobliiins (and Woodruff and Schnibble of Azimuth) are really "bastard" titles of an already unpopular (by today's standards) genre of point-and-click adventures, Z&W resurrected an integral part of my childhood in a faithful-to-the-core presentation of gameplay that is completely puzzle-driven. The comment above reading "you will tire of it quickly" lists all the things that I adore about this title. Although it lists them as bad things, this consistent dedication to sticking with the point-and-click oriented gameplay (while mixing just enough time-based interaction to make it a little less static than most adventures I've played) is the reason why I've felt happiness and joy about the title. But in light of several people voicing opinions similar to that of Sk, I certainly question whether or not my high opinion of Zack & Wiki is fuled by raw nostalgia for the games that are no more.
 
so im sure this has been asked many times before but
how the heck do u get the flute to work during the goblin level

i got everything right then as soon as i get to that point i cant friggin play it correctly :bomb:
 
[quote name='Gourd']Okay. I'm curious about this game.

Level with me. I'm enjoying Mario Galaxy, but the /use/ of the controller in the game is really annoying me. Really deeply seriously annoying me. It's a good game, but not the Second Best Game Ever in my book.

Are the mechanics in this game sort of forced? Like... the developer used the shaking, twisting, and waving in areas where I could simply click and move an analog stick to the same effect?[/quote]
I'm inclined to opine that if Mario Galaxy's motion controls are frustrating you --I felt they were kept to a minimum and even then were quite accurate-- then Zack & Wiki is a game you could potentially hate very, very much. As much as I love Zack & Wiki, there were several moments at which I found myself annoyed by the lack of precision in the motion controls.

It's a game that encourages you to think outside the box with motion controls but that can also lead to some very awkward response.
 
I think we should go ahead and remove the "Getting RARE" bit from the thread topic, because way too many people are asking about it, and there isn't really much to be said on the subject.

I hope it's NOT getting rare, and I hope more people will buy it, so that we'll see more games like it. It's especially important to other developers who need to present their "comparables" to publishers. And it'd be nice for them all to have Z&W to be like "hey, check this - point and click, and sold quite well."

RelentlessRolento - I hope you'll like it half as much as I did. :]
 
[quote name='Nelo Ice']so im sure this has been asked many times before but
how the heck do u get the flute to work during the goblin level

i got everything right then as soon as i get to that point i cant friggin play it correctly :bomb:[/quote]
You need to make sure that you are pushing the highlighted buttons at the same time. There are four pictures, and you should be pressing the button combination once for each instance.



As for the controls, I found that they were fairly precise, although there were times that the game has trouble picking up "fast" (intuitively fast, relative to the action being performed) motions, which required me to stop, reposition the remote, and repeat the action very slowly. It also has a few motion detection problems, as (for example) when I tilt the remote to exactly where it wants it to be, there are no problems, but once I overtilt slightly, the game doesn't know what to do and snaps it back to the standby position instead of continuing with the action. Rhythmic bell ringing (for upgrades) is also somewhat difficult to do on the first attempt. These partially stem from the remote's quirk of not picking up motion until after the motion has been completed, so I can't really fault the game for these (though it does detract from the experience).
 
Well, finally made it to Treasure Island, but damned if I have any clue what I'm doing. I'm sure I'll figure it out one part at a time as always, lots of dying in between (6 deaths so far after 39 for the first 13 hours of the game).
 
[quote name='MarioColbert']
I can not possibly agree with your comments regarding Mario Wii-mote use. It's possible you have a faulty Remote, since I felt that spinning, throwing items, and swimming were particularly dead-on. The shaking to climb the vines, for example, is quite sublime as far as I'm concerned, since it offers rather intuitive controls (granted, in my humble opinion) regarding the speed of your character's motion along that path. I will say that it is annoying when Mario flies off a vine, and since you're still shaking the damn remote, he performs a spin-move, which has (on several occasions) prevented me from grabbing onto a different vine in the process.[/quote]Very much with you here, especially the last bit. Getting purple coins was way harder than it should have been thanks to that.

[quote name='MarioColbert'] Zack & Wiki did frustrate me on at least two occasions regarding the Wii-mote use. One involved throwing an object, another involved using the D-pad to "activate" an item being currently held - with no hint whatsoever that such mechanic was in place. It seems a little more one-to-one regarding other uses of Wii Remote - pouring water out of a cup by tilting the Remote, twisting the remote to turn keys, etc. It's certainly better than Metroid Prime 3's having to "pull out" the switches before turning them, since that is one thing that I find the Remote being quite unpredictable with.[/quote]Never had trouble with MP3's actions, though I'm not too sure just how much those relied on actual motion sensing. Whatever. I had trouble with two motions on Z&W (disregarding the bell-ringing minigame) - one on the ice boss, and one on the final boss. Just curious, Colbert - was the D-pad problem you had on
the lighter
? I thought that was absolute genius.

[quote name='MarioColbert'] To me, however, Zack & Wiki is still game of the year.[/quote]Don't suppose you've gotten around to Fire Emblem 10 yet, have you?
 
I think I'll give Zack and Wiki a shot. It might hold me over until Sam and Max complete their second season.

As for Mario Galaxy, perhaps my Wii Mote is defective or somehow wonky. It takes a lot of force for the Wii to register that I'm shaking the thing. Shaking is the only action with it that I consistently can't seem to get to register, while everything else works fine. Since I need a second Wii Mote for the rare times The Wife actually wants to play, I'll do a comparison.
 
[quote name='RelentlessRolento']is this still $29.99?[/quote] Nope, it was 29.99 on sale last week at circuit city, mine said it didnt even exist...is this game worth ordering full price? I def. do not want to miss out if it becomes way hard to find.
 
[quote name='The Crotch']
Never had trouble with MP3's actions, though I'm not too sure just how much those relied on actual motion sensing. Whatever. I had trouble with two motions on Z&W (disregarding the bell-ringing minigame) - one on the ice boss, and one on the final boss. Just curious, Colbert - was the D-pad problem you had on
the lighter
? I thought that was absolute genius.[/quote]

MP3 actions - mostly are a breeze, a few times, however, "pulling out" the switch before turning it = for the lose.

Yes, you nailed what I meant by the D-pad. I didn't get stuck, but I recall someone else going like "where do you get the fuel"? or something among those lines. It made sense that someone would be confused by the lack of explanation.

[quote name='The Crotch']
Don't suppose you've gotten around to Fire Emblem 10 yet, have you?[/quote]

Thanksgiving holidays = lost my wallet. Inside, my TRU $25 GC, and a few other things that are important (like my Green Card, which costs $380 to replace). I would have fucking had it if it wasn't for whatever the fuck. I'm really sad about it, as you can prolly guess. Everything is on hiatus while I'm finishing up my portfolio for masters' school application. Since my field is music composition... I have a lot of people to bug to play my shit, and a few sleepless nights to spend, getting my scores to look fantastic.

I'm thinking I'm going to pick up FE9 while I'm shopping for my 'rents. Though, I'm also considering borrowing it from a friend. We'll see.
 
Started playing it today, I'm greatly intrigued and like it so far, but is there any way to make the characters STFU? I hate it when one word talking soundbites are applied to almost every word in a conversation. It's a cheap way out of doing actual voice acting work and it gets annoying after a few minutes. Don't know if I'll put up with 40 (which means 80 my time) hours of it.
 
[quote name='RelentlessRolento']got this for christmas... badass.[/quote]

Same here. I got through the first 5 or 6 stages. It's a little difficult, but very fun.
 
Just got back from TRU, they had a bunch left. Used my Mario Galaxy gift card to get it for 17 bucks.

They also had Nintendo Wii's, about 5 in the case.


EDIT:
I just got to the 2nd map. Im on some ice level where this robot sweeps any footprints into the snow. I figured what the shovel and umbrella do, but i havent figured out what to do past that.
 
So far this game is great. Im just stuck on "Ancient Wyrm" in Volcano Cavern. I cant seem to figure out what to do when it seems like ive done enough. But i dont want to use a walkthrough to find out how. But at the same time going through it is getting annoying.
 
oh yeah, this game. I have a wii now. I think I'll get it soon. That is...if I can find it. It's been "getting rare" for the better part of the year, so it's probably all gone now, right? right?!! :lol:
 
[quote name='karmapolice']I went to CC and its still 39.99 is this ymmv?[/QUOTE]
The $29.99 CC sale was 2 weeks ago. OP wasnt updated since then.
 
I'm with Rolento on the voice bit. I liked them, Wiki's included, and generally prefer this style to full-on VA. Skies of Arcadia did the same thing.

Along with Fire Emblem 10, I tried to get my oldest brother into this one a couple of days ago. He thought Z&W was a good game, but he didn't have the patience to deal with the puzzles.
 
[quote name='soonersfan60']7th, don't be afraid to use the hint dolls.[/quote]
aaahhhh im trying not to use any hints. I got passed the Volcano level. Now im at the
Level in the plane to get the map back. I finally figured out how to get the map, and escape to hide. But then they seal off the top and bottom layers of the plane and it seems impossible to get out without being seen. Especially when they have the hatch closed and a dude right by the button to open it, and there is no way to get out. What pisses me off is ive spent an hour and a half on this level and couldnt even beat it yet. Whats even worse is the things i thought would work, didnt. Like pulling the level for the planes engines to stop before i get the map, so i can escape out of the side door and onto the top of the plane. Nope, cant even go out that door after you get the map. Then i tried to jingle when the frog was on her face and that just lead to it turning into a bomb and me being caught. ARG!

But all in all its a fun game. I always wished games like Silent hill were more like this. I enjoy the puzzels in the games, but not so much the running around, fighting bosses, and stuff like that.
 
[quote name='The 7th Number']But all in all its a fun game. I always wished games like Silent hill were more like this. I enjoy the puzzels in the games, but not so much the running around, fighting bosses, and stuff like that.[/quote]

Of all the games to compare Zack & Wiki to... :lol:
 
I finally beat that level i was on, no thanks to the hint doll either. I finally gave in and did one of those hint dolls and she told me something i already knew, so i did it and died. Because there was one thing i didnt do before i got to that point. So it was a waste, but i reset the game and got my doll back and did the puzzle on my own and finally figured it out. Since then ive beaten two more levels. This game is great.

Someone above was talking about the noises they make when you play, they dont bother me really. There is one that is annoying though, its when Zak is like sleeping when you leave him alone and he does this strange noise. I end up moving him just so he will stop making that noise.
 
Started playing the game the other day and think it's absolute genius. I'm only halfway through the ice levels, and already had to cave in and use the hint oracle twice. And aside from some slightly dodgy fishing, the motion-sensing has been spot-on IMO.

--R.J.
 
1: There's an alternate, less-action-intensive way to take care of that fish.
2: Zack's "strange noise" is that of him eating a chocolate bar.
 
[quote name='The Crotch']1: There's an alternate, less-action-intensive way to take care of that fish.
2: Zack's "strange noise" is that of him eating a chocolate bar.[/quote]

1.
I just fished with him once, line broke or whatever. Got back to the fishing pole again and started fishing and his health was right where i left off. So it was pretty easy.

2. Nah its not him eating the chocolate bar. When he does this noise its like a noise one of the three stooges would make as they exhale air as they sleep. LOL It happened to me during the volcano level with the baby dragon. It would only happen if i didnt move after a while.

Anyway, i have everything but the dudes hat. So i dunno if that is the last level. I know once i finish i will probably go back through some levels to get higher ratings.
 
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