In several ways, one could say that Nintendo have very much taken inspiration
from the Eye Toy (the small additional camera and for the PlayStation 2) in
coming up with the Wii: both technologies allow elderly people, the very young,
and those who have had both thumbs cut off in a nasty incident involving a
circular saw, an easy way into gaming, where gestures replace RSI-inducing
thumb tapping. It is also the case that while using each of these inventions,
some players might find themselves throwing repeated glances out of their front
room windows, concerned that no-one is watching in confusion as they fling
their arms around like a ten year old who has had too many blue smarties.It seems however, that Nintendo and various other third parties have picked up
on this insecurity felt by gamers, and Wii accessory shelves are now piled high
with tennis racquets, golf clubs and boxing gloves, in
order to make it clearer to bystanders just what exactly you are doing. For
example, a Wii tennis racquet accessory from Game will cost you £6.99. Steering
wheels and golf clubs are also each £6.99. This means that buying all three
will break the twenty pound mark, which seems a bit much when you can just
close your curtains.
It would be easy to discount the Wii Zapper as just another of these
profit-mongering imitation-Fisher Price contraptions. I am therefore pleased to
announce that this, boys and girls, is actually a worthwhile addition to your
Wii paraphernalia. While it does retail at £19.99, this official accessory
comes bundled with a game – Link’s Crossbow Training. In this, players return
to Link’s hometown, Hyrule, to shoot all manner of things, including skulls,
flying bird-like creatures and things with big heads. As you may be able to
tell, my knowledge of the species within Link’s world is not great, and I am
not usually the biggest fan of the Zelda games. This one however, has me
hooked. High scores have become exciting again. Getting the bonus associated
with shooting every last large-headed thing has become something of an
obsession. (Fear not if you happen to have a large head, reader – I don’t have
a real gun. I won’t shoot you.)
Despite the mania this game has instilled in me, I think it is fair to say that
it is more of a ‘training’ (as the name suggests) than a complete, well
developed game. Each level takes the form of three consecutive stages – the
first involves simply pointing at targets and shooting them as accurately as
possible. In the second, pointing toward the edge of the screen causes it to
scroll, giving you more control while making it more of a challenge. In the
third stage, players must use the nunchuk, which sits comfortably at the back
of the Zapper, to move around, scrolling as before and shooting down the
enemies as he/she finds them around the level. This is obviously the way most
first person shooters on the Wii work. The first two stages are therefore
formative for the player, and lead nicely towards comfortable playing of
Metroid Prime 3, Call of Duty 2, and Farcry.
So why then, does using the Zapper make such a difference to the point and shoot
process? Let me ask you another question to answer your question: Do you
remember the first time you played House of the Dead/Time Crisis in an arcade?
Can you imagine how much less fun it would have been if, instead of standing,
holding your weapon instinctively with two hands at arm’s length, you had been
sat on a sofa that your parents bought from John Lewis, enjoying its soft,
cushiony qualities, holding an imitation TV remote, your tiniest wrist
movements sufficing to take down your on-screen enemies? This is, in effect,
the reason you should buy a Wii Zapper.
And if you are a fan of Resident Evil, you may be interested to know that a new
game entitled R.E.: The Umbrella Chronicles has recently been released,
especially intended for use with the Zapper. Watch this space, as this gamer
may be partaking in the Umbrella fun. We must just hope the brainboxes at
Joytech don’t bring out a Wiimote umbrella accessory.
9/10
By Jake Andrews
