WiiZapper
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Thrustmaster thrusts Wii Glow Saber, Dual Trigger Gun accessories in our direction
It's admittedly difficult to take a company named Thrustmaster seriously (especially on casual Friday), but given that it has recently pumped out what are likely the two best Wiimote accessories of all time, we'll give it a pass this go 'round. Speaking of, we'd like to point out that these two have been around the block a time or two, but that doesn't make the red and blue dueling Glow Sabers (each packing 17 LEDs, mind you) and the Dual Trigger Gun (complete with Nunchuck holster!) any less gnarly. The Glow Saber 2-pack is available right about now for $34.99, while the Dual Trigger Gun (shown after the break) should land in short order for $17.99.
DIY Wii Zapper exemplifies tawdry, gets the job done
Oh sure, we've seen homegrown Wii Zappers before, but nothing screams janky like an iteration crafted from spare plastic acrylate sheets, or better yet, your recently finished box of Corn Flakes. That's right kids, you can save yourself quite a few buckaroos by simply swallowing your pride, heading down to the read link and printing out a template to create your very own Wii Zapper accessory. 'Course, the sky's really the limit with this one, but may we be the first to ask that you not use colorful sheets of cardboard if at all possible? Thanks.[Via MAKE]
Roll your own ugly Wii Zapper using LEGOs
Too cheap to invest in the official Wii Zapper? White plastic not your thing? Tired of sexy curves and long for the pointy edges of the NES days? NeoGAF user Mrklaw's got your back, with a self-made gun housing for the Wii Remote.It sure ain't pretty, but it is practical; the trigger actually depresses the B button, just like the official Zapper. It looks like it might be a bit unruly to hold, but who are we to judge? Special props go to Mrklaw for not even trying to use consistent colors in his design, instead opting for that cacophony of bright-colored plastic that just screams "LEGO." Kudos.[Via Nintendo Wii Fanboy]
House of the Dead 2 & 3 Wii-vival official, co-op confirmed
Hot off of last week's confirmation by Sega that House of the Dead would indeed return to the Wii next spring, the company this morning made it all nice and official, announcing The House of the Dead 2 & 3 Return, a compilation of the second and third games in the zombie shooter series. While some may be disappointed that this collection turns a blind eye to House of the Dead 4, those eager to shoot at freshly-exhumed corpses can look forward to gunning down the undead alone in Arcade and Time Attack modes, as well as shoulder-to-shoulder with a friend in co-op multiplayer. In addition, with this announcement following Capcom's release of its on-rails kill-fest Resident Evil: Umbrella Chronicles and with Sega's Ghost Squad on the horizon, we can't help but hope that what we're seeing is a resurgence in the popularity of light gun shooters, which couldn't make us happier, what with these days arcades being reduced to little more than a campfire story.
House of the Dead 2 & 3 Wii-vived in early '08
GameFly has listed House of the Dead 2 & 3 for the Wii as launching March 31, '08. After contacting Sega, Joystiq has confirmed that this game is real, though the publisher isn't ready to make the "official" announcement yet. GameFly has a good record when it comes to revealing new titles companies aren't ready to talk about, mostly due to its robotic nature of tossing up the info as soon as it comes down the supply chain. GameFly does not lie -- unless the publisher has no idea what it's doing.Wii detractors will be quick to point out that House of the Dead 2 & 3 aren't the latest in the series (that would be HotD 4) and are considerably "last-gen" at this point. House of the Dead will join Sega's other light-gun title, Ghost Squad, and Capcom's Resident Evil: Umbrella Chronicles in giving purpose to the Wii Zapper. As much as getting half-decade old arcade ports makes us roll our eyes at the Wii, it's still cool to play House of the Dead without having to hunt down one of last arcades left in the States (and it's not like traditional lightguns work on our fancy HDTVs either!)[Thanks, Hvnlysoldr]
Joystiq hands-on: Link's Crossbow Training (Wii)
Reaching back to the glory days of light guns, the Wii Zapper steals the name of Nintendo's classic NES controller, but the two are fundamentally different. The previous light gun used a mechanic to essentially see what was on-screen, so the gun sight actually corresponded with the action. The Wii Zapper instead is just a plastic shell to hold a Wii Remote and Nunchuk. The Wiimote pointer continues to work through IR triangulation; players can't sight down the new attachment.I recently played the Wii Zapper pack-in, Link's Crossbow Training, and was surprised at how good the Wii Zapper felt and how well the game responded. Shooting from the hip -- sometimes literally -- I maintained good control over the on-screen cross-hair. I still prefer the precision of a light gun's sight, but knocking down Zelda-themed bad guys in a series of game scenarios was still fun.%Gallery-8658%
Rumor: New Wii SKU to hit this holiday
According to an anonymous supplier, Codename Revolution has the scoop on a supposed new SKU coming to retail for the holiday season. Currently dubbed "New Pack," no word yet on exactly what this new SKU could mean. All we know now is that it has a UPC of "045496880088,″ which comes back as being owned by Nintendo. Whether this is a new bundle (we're betting it's a bundled Super Mario Galaxy or Smash Bros. Brawl bundle, or perhaps one including the Wii Zapper), has yet to be determined. Don't hold your breath for a new Wii unit itself, as it's unlikely Nintendo will do a hardware revision to the console this early in its lifespan. Especially considering the popularity of the console as it is now.
Wii Warm Up: Zapper, board, or wheel?
We don't much discuss the Zapper, balance board, and steering wheel accessories coming down the pipe by themselves -- usually, we discuss them in relation to various games. However, considering them on their own, how do you feel about these accessories? Is there one you find yourself more interested in than the others? Personally, we like the balance board, despite the hefty price tag (in comparison), and think it seems to have interesting potential. But we're only one voice. How do you feel?
New Jersey parents fret over Wii's 'gun-like' Zapper
New Jersey's The Star-Ledger ran a poll on its "Parental Guidance" blog earlier this week, asking its readers to comment on Nintendo's Wii Zapper, a peripheral meant to house the Wii remote and nunchuck in a vaguely rifle-like shape. Describing it as a "gun-like remote" and a "wand in the shape of a weapon" certainly didn't help matters, as the poll was duly inundated by parents wary of their children becoming vicious, gun-toting mini-gangsters. One reader inadvertently praised Nintendo's clumsy plastic shell design by failing to discern a difference between it (see above image) and a real weapon. "Great, this is what we need. Children with guns learning how to aim and shoot. Then we can sit back and wonder what is happening to our country with kids killing kids......what's next?" A fair question to ask, especially when you're a powerless parent forced to sit back and wonder "what is happening" in a world where video games poison our armed children. Not that the Zapper can teach anybody to operate a gun on the outset -- it's really more of crossbow training tool. Another parent was a little more introspective and wondered, "What kind of message are we sending as parents when we buy these things for our kids?" Aside from highlighting mommy's inability to say "No, you can't have that," past experience with the Zapper would reveal the message to be a compelling argument for hunting ducks and, failing that, any stupid-looking dogs in the neighborhood. Kids shoot the darndest things.[Via Nintendo Wii Fanboy]
Link's Crossbow Training bundled with Wii Zapper, ships Nov 19
Nintendo has officially confirmed Link's Crossbow Training, a pack-in title, to be bundled with the Wii Zapper, which hits retail November 19th for $19.99. As rumored earlier today, LCT is a sort of minigame spinoff that's set in "a world in the style of" Twilight Princess and features a series of crossbow training exercises, from stationary target practice to enemy combat. In other words, it's an archery tech demo ... for a gun peripheral. (Note: "gun peripheral" refers to a plastic mold that houses the Wiimote and Nunchuk.)Having Link's pretty mug on the box is gonna sell units, we get that, but guys, c'mon, where's Duck Hunt? More shoot-shoot bang-bang, less thwap-thwap thud, okay? At least there's the potential to shoot the heck out of, er, 'zap' stuff in three upcoming third-party efforts: Ghost Squad (Sega), Medal of Honor Heroes 2 (EA) and Resident Evil: The Umbrella Chronicles (Capcom).
Wii Zapper, with Zelda minigame, shipping 11/19 for twenty bucks
As much fun as Wii Sports, Wii Play, and all the rest of the PG games on Nintendo's latest console are, we suspect that what gamers have really been waiting for is the ability to shoot all manner of enemy on-screen a la the Duck Hunt days of old, so itchy trigger fingers will be pleased to learn that we've finally been clued into the enabling Wii Zapper's $20 pricetag and November 19th release date. In announcing this all important info, Nintendo also revealed that the plastic housing for Wiimote and Nunchuk will ship with Link's Crossbow Training, which sounds like an archery sim set in the exciting world of Zelda. Other games that will support the Zapper include Resident Evil: The Umbrella Chronicles, Medal of Honor: Heroes 2, Sega's Ghost Squad, and various other titles that will surely push Wii Chess even lower down your stack of games.
More thoughts on the Wii zapper
After our initial trial with the Wii zapper, we decided to take a second look at it. Is the newly-revealed attachment a gimmick or an integral part of gameplay? Capcom has the attachment on display at their mini-booth in the Barker Hanger at E3 and we were able to run through a demo of Resident Evil: Umbrealla Chronicles with the peripheral. The control scheme is altered for using the zapper. Shooting is done with the trigger, while you look around with the control stick. The buttons on the nunchuk are surprisingly still accessible and needed for swapping weapons. Holding the gun and aiming proved to be awkward at first, and only slightly awkward as we kept playing. Reloading was accomplished by shaking the zapper. Though the top buttons of the remote were accessible, we found it uncomfortable to do so when we had to hold the A button, the C button on the nunchuk, and then the trigger to lob a grenade (replace trigger for a gun shake to slash with your knife). It works fine, but the feeling of intuitive controls was at that moment lost for us. For those wondering, the Capcom representative we spoke said the gun was not going to be compatible with Resident Evil 4. The Wii zapper is indeed interesting, but our initial impression using it with Umbrella Chronicles is that it doesn't add that much to what we'd enjoy with simply the remote-nunchuk combination.
Nintendo reveals Wii Zapper
Ducks beware. Described by Reggie as the "first offspring of the Wiimote and the Nunchuk," the light gun accessory will launch later this year for a paltry $20. Games to take advantage of the new accessory is the upcoming Wii-exclusive Resident Evil: Umbrella Chronicles, Ghost Squad, and Medal of Honor (which will support up to 32 player multiplayer!). The Zapper looks suspiciously like the PS3's GunCon 3, but considering our somewhat unhealthy love of light gun games, we're okay with that.
Nintendo Wii Zapper announced
It took them a while, but Nintendo is finally busting out its Wii Zapper accessory for housing the Wiimote and Nunchaku in a FPS-friendly shell. It'll be out this year, shipping for free with a "far along" unannounced title from Nintendo, and selling stand alone at retail for $20. Other games with announced compatibility include "Ghost Squad," "Medal of Honor" with 32 person online matches, and "Resident Evil: Umbrella Chronicles." More pics after the break.
