Metareview: Zack & Wiki: Quest for Barbaros' Treasure (Wii)
Once you get past its generic and overly long title, So-and-So & Friend: Quest for the Something Or Other, you'll come to discover that Capcom's latest Wii endeavor sees them gracefully leaping across the pitfalls, mires and traps so many third-party developers have encountered on the road to Wii mega success. If the $40 point-and-click-ish adventures of a pint-sized pirate kid and his flying golden monkey (!!) fail to melt the block of ice in your chest, perhaps these glowing reviews will:
IGN (90/100): "The end product is one of those welcomed surprises – an unpredictably top-quality undertaking whose winning marriage of sometimes-genius environmental puzzles and beautiful graphics will suck you in. It also perfectly encapsulates what I always hope for but seldom see from third parties: an original Wii project that really makes the most of the console."
Gamespot (85/100): "Zack & Wiki is one of those sink-or-swim kind of games, the sort of thing that is conceptually so offbeat that if the execution isn't spot-on, the whole thing could drown. Good thing this one's got water wings. Essentially a puzzle game pretending to be a more traditional adventure, Zack & Wiki is the sort of weirdly engaging game that, dare we say it, probably could only really be done on the Wii hardware."
Game Informer (82.5/100): "In the Wii's expansive gutter of shoddy third-party ports and minigame garbage, Capcom is showing that it's possible to make something original and fun. I just hope that the presentation doesn't kill Zack & Wiki's chances."
