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korea

Korea Goes Totally Overboard With Zack & Wiki Promo

When the Wii finally launches in Korea next week, one of the games available will be Zack & Wiki. How do you sell a game like Zack & Wiki to the Korean market? With mousepads. Oh, and the promise of riches. Everyone who preorders the game will get two bits of merch: a mousepad and a small treasure chest filled with treasure-shaped candy. Except not all the chests contain candy. One hundred of them will contain a pearl necklace. A real, pearl necklace. This would be the part where I'd say I wished we could have gotten pearl necklaces with our preorders, but...hrm. I won't.
[Ruliweb, via Wii Fanboy]

lists

Video Game Tropes Wiki

We all know and love (or hate) the expansive list of video game tropes; the TV Tropes wiki has put together a shockingly extensive list (also home of a wiki version ofthe grand list of RPG clichés), spanning all sorts of genres and with plenty of examples. My favorite is "Malevolent Architecture":

Castles aren't large walled structures where people live and work, they're intricate mazes. Temples aren't places where people go to worship their various deities, they're where the ancients practiced their Booby Trap- and Death Course-making skills (and they were so good at it that they are still functional after hundreds of years without maintenance). Even places like warehouses and sewers, where the design should be fairly straightforward, are designed solely to deter intruders, even if there is no earthly reason why it should be so, and even if it utterly inconveniences non-intruders. One wonders what the regular people do.

Oh, so true.

Videogame Tropes [TV Tropes via Joystick Division]


media

Zero Punctuation On Zack & Wiki


I bought Zack & Wiki on day one, triumphantly presenting my wife with the game that would both explain some of my history as a gamer (PC adventure junkie) and placate her need for an interactive experience without headshots or corpse humping—all while providing us a worthwhile, couple-building challenge. She got about ten minutes into it before deciding to hate the game forever. Yahtzee likes Zack & Wiki a bit more than she did.

Zero Punctuation: Zack & Wiki
[The Escapist]


zack & wiki

Zack & Wiki "Demo" Released

We told you to go buy Zack & Wiki. Some of you listened. You have our thanks. Everyone else, though, you're a great disappointment. Not just to your fellow Wii owners, but to Capcom as well, who have had to go to the trouble of throwing together a free, Wii-friendly flash demo of the game, just so you can see what all the fuss is about.
[Zack & Wiki Flash Demo]

capcom

Umbrella Chronicles Outsells Zack & Wiki 3:1, Tears Stream Down Our Faces

As part of their quarterly financial results, Capcom have announced sales figures for some of their more prominent titles from Q3 2007. Zack & Wiki included. Surprisingly, it managed to sell 300,000 copies; not much in the grand scheme of things, but for a puzzle game featuring new IP and no Western advertising? It did OK. Until, that is, you look at 10-hour snoozefest Resident Evil: Umbrella Chronicles, and see it sold over 950,000 copies. That gasping, gurgling sound you hear behind you is the death of justice. Also revealed is the company's hopes and dreams for Devil May Cry: they're planning on shifting 1.9 million copies in the final quarter of the fiscal year, which multiplatform or not, is a big ask for a game pitched at a (relatively) niche, hardcore demographic.

best of 2007

USA Today Picks 2007's Best Games (For Kids)

Parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles who may be on the lookout for something appropriate for the kids this holiday—strike Manhunt 2 from your lists, first of all—may want to refer themselves to USA Today's picks for the best kid fare of 2007. Sure, it may be easy to tick off things like Super Mario Galaxy and Zack & Wiki: Quest for Barbaros' Treasure, but what about the littlest tykes? And what about those who will go Wii-less this year?

USA Today points to a couple of titles that fell under our radar, including DVD games and PC titles such as Guess How Much I Love You and JumpStart World Kindergarten. Of course, the editor must be commended for her choice of Rock Band, which is just about perfect for the kids. Sure, there will be some snarls of anarchy from the pre-teen crowd this Xmas, but it's, like, educational and stuff.

Best 2007 video games for kids [USA Today]


capcom

"Easy To Move To The 360"

Once upon a time, Devil May Cry 4 was a PS3 exclusive. Now, it's not. Capcom is putting it on the PS3, the Xbox 360, PCs and cereal boxes if it could. But was it hard to move what was once a PS3 exclusive over to the 360? Nope! It was simple. DMC4 Hiroyuki Kobayashi explains:

It [the engine] is not a 360 engine. It's not an engine for the 360. It's the internal engine that we use at Capcom for next generation machines called the MT Framework [note: MT stands for multi-target]. That actually runs on PC. As you know, we did originally plan to have this title just on PS3, but actually the development was done on a PC, not on a particular console. So because it's all done on the PC... it makes it very easy to move it put it on the 360 and use the power of that machine, or to put it on the PS3 and use the power of that machine, each in different ways. It's really pretty easy to do it, developing it from this PC base.

It so easy that we really doubt we'll see Capcom exclusives outside of Wii and DS games. Porting those ain't so easy!
Sympathy for the Devil [Level Up]

schwag

Capcom Playtesting Pays In Spades

When we posted a brief note about an upcoming Capcom playtesting session in the Bay Area of California, reader Justme8800 heeded the call. In addition to getting hands-on time with an unnamed Capcom game—no, we couldn't squeeze it out of him—he walked away with all this stuff.

From left to right, top to bottom: Zack & Wiki stickers, yellow Capcom bag, massive RE4 Wii edition guide with poster, Capcom Classics Collection for Xbox, Umbrella Corporation REVIVE drink, plushie pig dressed in a watermelon from Monster Hunter, stress squeeze treasure chest from Zack & Wiki, Xbox Live 1600 points card, Monster Hunter Freedom 2 for PSP, Phoenix Wright plushie keychain, Zack & Wiki 3D holographic jigsaw puzzle, Lost Planet limited edition matte laser print, Lost Planet: Extreme Condition for PC, and a Mega Man buster pen in the lower right. All of this is sitting on a Street Fighter "EVOLVE" T-shirt.

Not bad for a day's "work", is it?


capcom

Zack & Wiki Ain't For Dummies

Zack & Wiki is a great game. And no one is buying it. Well, not no one, but not many people are! The game is posting shockingly low sales numbers. Could that be because the game makes people think? Or is it just that people are interested in the title? The game is challenging, but in a satisfying way. Capcom producer Hironobu Takeshita explains:

There are puzzles where, if you don't look properly at the hints in the start, you're going to be in trouble. All the answers that you need to solve the puzzles are there on the screen. There are some people who say they don't understand the puzzles, but really, they're not paying enough attention.

Hope poor Zack & Wiki sales doesn't mean Capcom is giving up on games where you hafta use your noodle!
Interview [Game|Life, Thanks Rox!]

lazy sunday

What Are You Playing This Weekend?

It's crunch time over at the Kotaku West Coast Tower and this associate editor has a full plate... of responsibility! The bathroom looks like a truck stop's, the dishes need doing, Adobe Illustrator files need... illustrating, and there's a stack of games still in the shrinkwrap that need attention from daddy. BioShock, Zack & Wiki, and Jeanne D'Arc make up my current backlog, with a fresh copy of SOCOM: Tactical Strike showing up at my doorstep last night. So why am I about to beat feet down to ye olde game shoppe and pick up Manhunt 2 and Guitar Hero III? Because I've got a spending problem!

Yep, the first step in recovery is admitting you have a problem. Unfortunately, I've been on step one for about three years now. It seems this is as far as I'm willing to go.

While I play the above, I have to wonder: what are you playing this weekend?


unconfirmed

Is Capcom Now Picking on the PS3?

Capcom and Sony aren't exactly B.F.F. Former precieved exclusives like Devil May Cry 4 have gone multi-platform, while the next Monster Hunter game is sidestepping the PS3 for the Wii. Things are kinda prickly, it seems. Last week, Wii title Zack & Wiki: Quest for Barbaros' Treasure went on sale in Japan. (Did you get it?) A survey was included with the Japanese version that asked consumers what genre they like (RPG, Sports, Adventure, etc.) and what consoles they own. Let's take a closer look at that. Below is an English translation of the second to last bracket:
More »

lazy sunday

What Are You Playing This Weekend?

Another (week)day, another dollar. Another weekend? More time in comfy pants, showering at two in the afternoon, brunches that weigh in at 1600 calories—all part of the Good Life. The icing on the lazy cake is hours upon hours of time spent "wasted" gaming. Me? I'll be group-gaming with some Zack & Wiki: The Quest For Barbaros' Treasure in between bouts of BioShock. I'm a little late to the party on the latter, as I've just recently become the proud owner of an Xbox 360, but the former was snatched up day one. And for $40! I had no idea it was so moderately priced.

I've also got a mummy costume to throw together, the walking undead to my better half's ancient Egyptian-themed slutty get up. Plus, pumpkin carving! Oh yeah!

In the comments, let us know not only what your gaming plans are, but what this weekend's Halloween party situation is like. Be safe!


clip

Zack & Wiki Ad Doesn't Lie

You know when you see game ads, and all the people look really excited? Like even the people who are not playing are giddy? Usually it's totally b.s., but this ad is not lying. At TGS, we checked out upcoming Capcom puzzle title Zack & Wiki: Quest for Barbaros' Treasure and, yes, even those who were not playing totally got into the puzzle solving — it's that fun. Truth in advertising? You better believe it.

gallery

Treasure Trove Of Zack & Wiki Screens Unearthed

We don't post Zack & Wiki screenshots out of obligation or monetary compensation. No, it's done out of pure love. Maybe it's actually guidance from a higher power, as I saw someone describe the Wii adventure game as an "average puzzler" and I expected nothing short of a proper smiting from the Lord. Regardless of our religious fervor for all things Zack, Wiki and Barbaros, some of these new and newish shots illustrate the new "whiteboard" feature that allows three backseat gamers to draw things on the screen. Arrows, circles, the occasional "FU"—it all adds to the multiplayer experience. Enjoy. That's an order.


tgs07

Zak & Wiki Producer Talks Puzzles, Name Changes and Family Fun

I've been looking forward to Zak and Wiki: Quest for Barbaro's Treasure ever since it was called Treasure Island Z. I continued to love it through it's questionable name change and now, having played several different builds, I'm still a huge fan. I got a chance to sit down with Zak and Wiki producer Hironobu Takeshita to talk a bit about the quirky puzzle game and why they went with such a ridiculously long name. More »

wiki, wiki wiki

Warcraft Wiki Hits 40,000 Articles

Wikia Inc. is reporting that that its World of Warcraft Wiki has reached a landmark 40,000 articles making it one of the largest resources of WoW information available online. That's a whole lot of articles about WoW, but with the huge amount of people playing it I guess it's no surprise that something like this would thrive. The site covers a wide variety of topics including characters, gameplay, guides and patches. So if you're into knowing everything there is to know about WoW check out the WoW Wiki and see how long it takes you to get through 40,000 articles.

first fridays

Devil May Cry 4, Zack & Wiki, Harvey Birdman Box Art Blowout

Capcom has put out a fresh batch of piping hot box art for us to judge, including highly anticipated games such as Devil May Cry 4, Zack & Wiki: Quest for Barbaros' Treasure and Harvey Birdman: Attorney At Law. Obviously, you can see Nero sporting his fancypants glowstick hand above, but the rest of box art fun continues after the break. More »

clips

Zack and Wiki Play


Now, we can finally see just what had McWhertor so hot and bothered at E3. I'm talking abut Zack and Wiki, not one of them, but both, in these two videos showing both the opening gameplay for the game and some "cut down" game play. OK, I get it, it was the lipstick... and that disturbing sawing motion play.