Zack and Wiki is NOT an adventure game

[demi]

It's a collection of Logic Puzzles. The game is separated into levels, which are each one giant logic puzzle to reach the treasure chest. Think EXIT.

Just so we're clear. It's in no way like Lucasarts or PC games of yore. People can stop making that comparison now.

I'll take a collection of Logic Puzzles over a collection of mini-games anyday, though.

[Smooth Groove]

Sounds like Myst.  I guess I'll pick it up when it hits $20 then. 

[demi]

Not even Myst. EXIT is the best comparison. Or Crush.

[Ichirou]

Sounds kinda lame.

[demi]

I thought it was like say - Monkey Island. You talk to people, and do various puzzles that way. Instead, I am given an Exit/Crush like interface and structure.

[demi]

Haven't played

[HyperZoneWasAwesome]

Demi's quite correct.
However...
The game is still rather awesome (I'm only two hours in, I just got it tonight).  Its all the fun of a point-and-clicker without all the tedious bullshit that so often bogs down the genre.  You've got environmental interaction, instant deaths, lots of items to use, blah, blah, blah.  Basically all the puzzely goodness of an adventure game, only streamlined to give you nothing but the high and no withdrawl of an overstuffed inventory, pixel hunting for hotspots, way too long NPC conversations, etc.
Nothing but puzzles on a remarkably able point and click interface.

Also, the art is great, the graphics are not bad, and there seems to be a fair bit of Capcom fanservice, which I'm ashamed to admit I get a kick out of.  Besides a kinda lame tutorial session, its been nothing but solid gold.

Is it like Professor Layton?

If I understand correctly, Layton is all about logic puzzles with a story (two guards at two doors, one always lies, one always tells the truth.  That kinda thing).  Zack and Wiki's closet analog would be Incredible Machines, Capcom-ed up into a point-and-click game.  And that's really the best descriptor that comes to mind.

[drohne]

when the gaming press compares something to a graphic adventure they actually mean 'this game bears no meaningful resemblance to a graphic adventure.' it's becoming axiomatic. phoenix wright, hotel dusk, this

[demi]

I'm not getting an Incredible Machines vibe at all. Definitely an EXIT thing going on. I can see why you would think Incredible Machine though

I would also put Hotel Dusk and Phoenix Wright as graphical adventures. You follow through the story, and the puzzles are presented to you. In Z&W, they're more like stages. Stage 1-1, 1-2, 1-3, Boss (which is just a big puzzle), repeat

[DJ_Tet]

I'm excited to play this game, but with so much coming out (and has already come out in the past couple of months) I can wait for a price drop on this one.  Still sounds cool though, I'm interested to hear how long it is.

[Mondain]

I really didn't like this so far

when you play an adventure game, you play it for the plot first and foremost, it seems to be just a series of weird stages where you must solve puzzles that don't really have any link between one another; i also didn't really have any fun trying to figure out these enigmas and the story seems to suck

this game is really, REALLY kiddy, to the point of getting on my nerves-- all the sound effects, Simlish speech, and especially the characters (dubbed by japanese voice actors, too), are FUCKING ANNOYING, with Wiki gaining the top stop, it's like watching the Teletubbies... but at least in that show, the characters' squeaks  aren't the same 3-4 sound effects used over and over again

kids can't play this either because it's full of articulate dialogue that they can't really understand

the game looks like shit on a high resolution HDTV too, it's all blurry and full of disgusting aliasing

seems like another title overhyped by nbots with quality music and originality being its only positive points, imma play the Witcher instead, and tell mature gamers to stay away from this

[Himu]

when the gaming press compares something to a graphic adventure they actually mean 'this game bears no meaningful resemblance to a graphic adventure.' it's becoming axiomatic. phoenix wright, hotel dusk, this

I'd actually say PW and Hotel Dusk are graphic adventures, but they're not THAT good as graphic adventures. Despite this I still have an infatuation with Phoenix Wright because I'm a homojapual.

[y2kev]

HD has like no puzzles though. It's more like a graphic novel.

[Himu]

HD has like no puzzles though. It's more like a graphic novel.

It's got puzzles.

[Himu]

Hotel Dusk really does suck

[Mondain]

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