The zapper looks cool, but it actually makes shooter games less enjoyable. *
Image: Nintendo * The in-laws are done playing Wii Sports tennis, and the kids are in bed. Time to bust some caps with the Wii Zapper, a cool-looking accessory that turns a Wiimote into a light gun.
Unfortunately, the Zapper actually makes Wii's shooting games less fun.
The $20 accessory, which comes bundled with a new game, Link's Crossbow Training, isn't actually a controller. It's just a gun-shaped plastic shell. You slot the standard Wiimote into the Wii Zapper's "barrel," then slip the Wii's nunchuk attachment into the grip. (The Wiimote and nunchuk come standard with every Wii console.)
Once you're done assembling the Wii Zapper, the whole contraption resembles a two-handed machine gun, although the iPod-white coloring and odd shape mean it will never be mistaken for a real weapon (or even a videogame controller, for that matter).
A plastic trigger on the Zapper's grip manually pushes the B button on the Wiimote, letting you fire rounds. Even though it's a bit of a kluge -- a button that presses another button -- it's quite sensitive and accurate.
The problem is that while Nintendo promises the Zapper will "steady your hand and improve your aim," it actually has the opposite effect. The Wiimote's basic pointer technology lends itself especially well to shooting games, and the Wii Zapper improves nothing. In fact, hauling a heavier, gun-shaped plastic contraption around with both hands only weighs you down and makes it harder to hold your aim steady.
There's really no compelling reason to turn the Wiimote into a light gun -- the standard remote works better without the accessory. Held in one hand, the Wiimote lets you blow away targets with pinpoint accuracy using very subtle, small wrist movements.
I had the most fun with Link's Crossbow Training, a packed-in game, when I ditched the Zapper. In this game, the hero of the Zelda series gets dropped into an array of target-shooting and Gears of War-style over-the-shoulder blasting segments. The nonviolent presentation (you shoot skeletons and goblins with a crossbow) means this is a shooter you can play with the young ones. That's worth the 20 bucks alone.
But what if you want to blow away terrorists, zombies or Nazis? There's a Wii shooter for you, too:
Ghost Squad (Sega, $30)
Join up with special-forces fighters who all speak in comically awkward, poorly translated English. Inspired by arcade games like Virtua Cop, the game automatically moves you "on rails" through the levels. All you have to do is concentrate on blowing up the terrorists as they nimbly jump into your field of view.
Resident Evil: Umbrella Chronicles (Capcom, $50)
Here's another on-rails shooter, but with zombies. The grotesque graphics are some of the best on Wii, and the zombies' shuffling gait means the action is more deliberate and strategic than Ghost Squad's blink-and-you're-dead gameplay.
Medal of Honor Heroes 2 (Electronic Arts, $50)
This full-fledged first-person shooter lets you re-enact Normandy and everything else that made World War II such carefree, wholesome fun. A separate arcade mode turns the game into a Nazi-filled shooting gallery reminiscent of the above two games -- but without the two-player mode they both feature.
Each of these shooting games offers a fun break from Wii's lineup of family-friendly entertainment. Just don't bother with the Wii Zapper unless you want to play Link's Crossbow Training.
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