The Nintendo Basement - Link's Crossbow Training & Wii Zapper Review

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Screens: Link's Crossbow Training

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Text Box:
Link's Crossbow
Training & Wii Zapper

(Wii)

The Wii Zapper is basically a plastic shell shaped like an assault rifle (a small one, that is), in which you can slot both your Wiimote and the nun-chuck controller. Bundled with this peripheral is the game, Link’s Crossbow Training. As both items are packaged together, this review will deal with the complete package.
First up, the Wii Zapper itself. Currently, the Wii Zapper is ‘compatible’ with both Link’s Crossbow Training and Resident Evil: Umbrella Chronicles. I use the quotation marks since you can really use the Zapper for any damn game you feel like, or not at all. All it is is a shell for your Wiimote and nun-chuck. Depending on which hand you favour, the way you hold it will be different, but generally one thumb will rest on the thumbstick (with the corresponding index finger on the nun-chuck trigger), and your other index finger on the trigger on the front of the Zapper, which acts to depress the trigger on the bottom of the Wiimote. This brings me to the first and major problem with the Zapper – the trigger placement. Ideally, you should be able to switch from using the B button on the Wiimote to the Z button on the nun-chuck (i.e. where the trigger would be on a real gun), but currently games using the shell do not give this option, and thus the Zapper feels less like a gun and more like a novelty. I also find that the subtle amount of movement required to move a crosshair around the screen works against the size of the Zapper – your movements feel restricted and unnatural. On the positive side, the Zapper feels good in hand, and looks nice, but it currently seems rather pointless. It does not accurately replicate the feel of a gun (which is essentially its purpose) and the Wiimote by itself simply feels better for use as a firearm.
Link’s Crossbow Training was the real reason for me picking up the Zapper, and it is good fun. There are three game modes – a standard Duck Hunt target range mode (different locations from Twilight Princess are used as target ranges, with bonus’ for combos and such), a turn-and-shoot game where you control Link’s point of view and the crosshair and must fend off waves of enemies and finally a third-person shooter type game where you must move Link around different levels using the analogue stick while aiming with the Wiimote and taking out baddies. The third mode is the most enjoyable in my opinion, and shows the potential for this type of game on Wii (something like Stranglehold or Max Payne anyone?). The game also features a hot-seat multiplayer mode, where the highest score wins. This is somewhat enjoyable, however more direct competition using multiple Wiimotes would have been a nice idea. However, in terms of demonstrating the Wii Zapper, this game fails as it works just as well (if not better) without the Zapper. There are multiple stages for each mode and gold medals to earn, which should last gamers a while.
Overall, you could do a lot worse considering the price point than picking up the Wii Zapper. Sure, the Zapper itself is probably a bit of a useless novelty, but Link’s Crossbow Training is good fun in short bursts. It also shows quite a bit of potential for use in a full game – which begs the question of when all this potential the Wii has for so many genres will be utilised. Maybe wait a few months until copies find their way into bargain bins before really considering this a purchase.
By watchers_eye