Wii Zapper Review

Before you invest your hard-earned money in yet another Wii accessory, it might be in your best interest to read this Wii Zapper review. The Wii Zapper is meant to provide a more intuitive shooting experience for gamers by transforming the Wii Remote and Nunchuk into a complete gun-like peripheral. Does it achieve this ultimate simulation?

Wii Zapper Review: Just a Plastic Shell

The Wii Zapper has an average retail price of between $20 and $30. It's essentially a plastic shell meant to house the Wii Remote and Nunchuk attachment. The Wii Remote fits on the top of the Zapper and the "B" button is translated to a physical trigger on the front handle. The Nunchuk, on the other hand, is placed at the rear of the accessory, granting users full access to the analog stick and other controls.

There are no electronic parts to the Wii Zapper, unlike the instrument that comes with Guitar Hero III. In this way, many people ask if there is any value at all in the Wii Zapper. Arguably, you could say there is, simply because of the more intuitive trigger found on the front handle. This mimics a toy gun much better than the Wii Remote on its own.

If you're doing a video game console comparison, however, most die-hard fans of the first-person shooter genre will still prefer the dual analog control scheme offered by the Xbox 360 and Sony PlayStation 3. That said, the Wii Zapper is arguably more involving, getting you to feel like you are actually a part of the game.

Intuitive Control Scheme

Although you could theoretically use the Wii Zapper with just about shooting game, there are specific titles that make use of the unique control scheme. Examples of these games are Ghost Squad, Resident Evil: Umbrella Chronicles, and Medal of Honor Heroes 2.

In addition to the usual control style wherein you hold the Wii Remote and Nunchuk separately, these titles offer a special Wii Zapper mode. In many ways, this latter scheme is more intuitive and easier to understand. This is largely because certain elements are taken out of the picture. This might make these Nintendo Wii games easier to understand for casual and novice players.

In doing this Wii Zapper review, we found that the biggest limitation to the accessory was that it limited access to the face buttons on the Wii Remote. It is much more involving to press the directional pad, home button, A button, and so on, because your front hand is on the handle underneath. You have to physically move your hand away from the trigger and during that moment, you could be in for some video game danger.

Link's Crossbow Training

Bundled in with the Wii Zapper is a free game called Link's Crossbow Training. This takes on the same atmosphere and style as The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess, so be prepared for all sorts of browns and grays.

Link's Crossbow Training is a similar offering to Wii Sports, because it is designed to teach you how to use the Wii Zapper. It mostly involves target practice of increasing difficulty, but the violence is fairly minimal. Even so, the concept of a first-person shooter might not make it the best Wii game for kids.

Play With the Wii Zapper

Because of its bargain basement pricing and the free bundled game, the conclusion of this Wii Zapper review is that it's worth the price of admission. It's not the most innovative Wii accessory on the market, but it could prove to add some value to titles like Ghost Squad and Umbrella Chronicles. Now the only problem is trying to find a Wii in stock.

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