My favorite game beginning with the letter "Z"

Here we are, the series finale. If you missed the previous entry, "Y", you can find it here: http://screwattack.com/node/25326

I had several titles contending for this spot but ultimately I had to give it to a title that had some identity crisis. While having an appearance to appeal to kids it had gameplay that could stump the older gamers, this game is definitely under appreciated in several aspects.

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As I mentioned, Zack and Wiki suffers from an identity crisis. Its appearance is something that would appeal to a younger generation of gamers, being a very colorful and cartoony looking game. The animations in the game give off the vibe of the older slap stick cartoons like Tom and Jerry while still having a more twisted side that some modern cartoons utilize.

On the other hand, the gameplay and complexity of some of the puzzles I would not even think about giving to a child. While the game starts off fairly simple, it eventually becomes a rather difficult puzzle to solve.

The first puzzle features simply turning a nearby creature into a saw and sawing the tree down but it does get more complex as you go.

Eventually you will find yourself attempting certain obstacles that have many different kinds of options to choose from. One such puzzle involves mixing drinks together in order to get the right combination to achieve a certain affect. However, if you mix them improperly, which it allows you to do, you will end up killing yourself. Zack and Wiki features so many ways to kill yourself accidentally by just screwing up one small puzzle. On a level with a huge dragon, if you place a block in the wrong spot you will be required to start over once you've finally exhausted all possible solutions that are left to you.

While the puzzles may be more of a challenge right at first, they don't offer much of a challenge later on with a second play through simply because you will have learned the tricks to certain puzzles. Zack and Wiki really is a game that is best played once but if you do give it a second go, you should do it after quite a bit of time has passed so that time itself will make you forget the solutions.

As for the characters themselves, I really enjoyed most of them. Zack comes off as likable just because of the kind of reactions he can have to certain things. His huge grin gives him a lot of charisma that you wouldn't think would be present in a game like this.

The other characters also provide some great support, such as Wiki who turns into a bell when you shake the wii-remote which allows you to solve certain puzzles or turn enemies into items that you can use. One of my favorite type of enemy was the native tribesmen you find in the jungle who have that outlandish and cartoony way about them that screams offensive but is just too good to not enjoy.

While the puzzles in the game may become frustrating at times, you will find that in the end the entire game is an enjoyable experience. A lot of the story can be rather predictable but its simple charm will keep you going. The level design is pretty good and each puzzle typically has many solutions as well as even more traps to kill you. Trial and error is a big thing with this game which might not appeal to everyone. Its energetic characters, fun levels, and devilishly hard at times puzzles is what makes Zack and Wiki my favorite game beginning with the letter "Z".

So here we are, the 26th and final entry in this series. We've gone from A to Z and I've listed my favorite game for each letter.

I've really enjoyed typing these blogs as it has allowed me to remember some games from my past as well as share my experiences with them. I never thought the blogs would be read that much but the g1s of Screwattack have really shown how awesome they can be with their comments on my blogs. I've enjoyed reading every single comment and thank everyone who has either complimented me, provided criticism, or simply state their own favorite game. It's great seeing what other people like and how I differ from others. I may not have responded to many comments but I have indeed read them. I tried to stay away from the blog once I wrote it just so that people could take the blog for what it was at the time I posted it without having me try to change opinions on it.

I'm not sure what I will be writing next but I do not think I will be doing any entries for the numbers 0 through 9. I just don't think I could offer much more than I already have with this alphabet series and many of the numerical games would overlap with the alphabet games which would be boring.

Hopefully some of the g1s have some suggestions I could consider but what I really look forward to is seeing another writer take the time to do 26 entries such as I have about their favorite letters. I'm sure there are many people out there who could write better blogs that I could and look forward to reading them.

Thanks again to everyone who has read, commented, and shared their own favorite games for each of these entries. I look forward to reading your own entries about your favorite games.