Metareview: Zack & Wiki: Quest for Barbaros' Treasure

For once, it looks like something may almost live up to the hype: Zack & Wiki: Quest for Barbaros' Treasure is getting great reviews (though of course, the best comes from the game's biggest fan). Despite the two -- count 'em! -- less-than-awesome titles, the game seems to have managed to pull through into the realm of eminently playable.

IGN -- 90%: After Matt Casamassina stopped hyperventilating over the title, he regained consciousness and found that the control scheme worked really well with the Wii's setup: "It's a strange thing to write, but despite utilizing a control method more akin to classic adventure games - you don't actually control the hero and his sidekick so much as you direct them through levels - Z&W really uses the Wii remote well. If you've been playing videogames as long as we have, you'll be able to recall those old-time favorites - your Kings Quests, Monkey Islands and Full Throttles - whose point-and-click setup and clever hurdles drew you in."

Game Informer (second opinion) -- 78%: Another Matt, Matt Helgeson, to be exact, didn't quite wet himself over the game: "It's certainly charming, and its Wii remote controlled action/puzzle gameplay is nothing if not unique. At its best, it gives you a mix of intriguing puzzles and novel motion-based minigames that's like nothing else out there. However, this game is frustrating as often as it's fun, and at times the Wii control features seem to be doing little more than making the gameplay sloppier and less exact than it should be. It's an interesting concept that could have used a bit more polish."

Gamespot -- 85%: Gamespot let a dude who wasn't named Matt have a crack at the title, and while he thought it was a little disjointed, overall, Zack & Wiki comes out on top: "All told, Zack & Wiki is a winner. It might not win you over with its characters or story, but it will with its wonderfully crafted puzzles and sharp control mechanics. It's just the sort of game Wii owners have been pining for, the sort of game that blends accessibility and challenge into one seamless whole, and does it without devolving into yet another minigame collection."

All in all, it looks like the hype train has pulled through the station and is chugging along at a good clip. Are you on it?