Zack & Wiki | Craig's Movie Report

Well until the great day arrives, with the imminent arrival of Grand Theft Auto 4, which is pretty much guaranteed to kick all sorts of ass, I am revisiting some games in my collection I’ve allowed to gather dust. They are namely:

The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess

Metroid Prime 3: Corruption

Assassin’s Creed

between online bouts of Halo 3 and Call of Duty 4, oh and trying to progress in Zack & Wiki.

To be honest, I am mainly playing Zelda…which is a fine game and probably next to Super Mario Galaxy, a gem for the Wii right now. It just pulls me in once I take the time to concentrate on its well polished but devious gameplay. I also hope to progress a little further in Metroid also, as last time I played it, I recall getting well and truly stuck. Grr.

Assassin’s Creed on the other hand, despite superb graphics, just feels a bit boring – maybe I’ll trade it in, along with Rainbow Six Vegas (which I have completed) and perhaps Project Gotham Racing 4 – which just feels rather tiresome too…yes its pretty, but doesn’t grab me like Test Drive Unlimited did (and still does).

…roll on Grand Theft Auto 4 due out in the UK on 29 April 2008

Recently I picked up a new game for the Wii, namely the puzzle adventure Zack & Wiki – this game appealed to me as it was a reminder of the games I used to love many moons ago when point & click adventures were popular on the PC and Amiga. My favourite of that time was the LucasArts game Monkey Island 2: LeChuck’s Revenge, a charming pirate-themed game that has gone on to become a cult classic, as did the series as a whole. These games took time and patience to get through, but were often more rewarding an experience than much of what we have today, which seems to either be about shooting people or driving. Oh yes, these days the graphics are amazing, the realism is stunning and its all good – but what the Wii’s Zack & Wiki recalled were a more innocent yet artistic time when games could engross without the need for violence and artierial blood letting.

I think the Wii could pioneer a new age in the puzzle solving adventure, and its unique motion sensitive controls can finally bring to consoles what has been missing for too long. Long live the point & click adventure!!