The Wii Zapper sucks?

Yes I proclaim that the Wii Zapper sucks.  Why, one might ask?  Well, I bought one hoping that somehow it would be like the old NES Zapper that came with the old gaming console (bundled together with Super Mario and Duck Hunt), or just slightly like the bazooka you got with the SNES console, but I’m afraid it turns out to be nothing more than an expensive piece of plastic, just because it's branded...

I’ve heard horror stories of the Zapper (check prices) before, but thought why not check it out myself, so I got the darn thing and took a closer look.

Included in the pack is a game as called "Link's Crossbow Training", which is fun for about 15 minutes and that’s about it:  to call it a fully fledged game would be too much.

Now I'll lay down the basics real raw.  The Wii Zapper is nothing more than a piece of plastic designed to hold a Wii Remote Controller and a Nunchuk.  The design goal was to have the 2 controllers combined so it would look and feel “gun like”,  but Nintendo failed miserably in my opinion. 

Not only does this device add nothing to the gameplay of current games; it actually diminishes it!  For example, if you have to shake your “gun” to reload, then you're shaking both controllers at the same time, so if you’re using your nunchuk to move then you have to shake as well impeding movement.  Not to mention trying to move your character and aiming with the whole shebang at the same time…

I found it way easier to play without the Zapper to improve my accuracy.  Talking about accuracy (or aiming for that matter), the zapper doesn’t help with it, which is kind of obvious since you’re not using a light gun but a infrared remote, so you don’t really look down a crosshair of a gun.

Putting your controllers into the device is a work in frustration, as well.  You pretty much have to disassemble the thing to free your Wiimote and Nunchuck from its grasp.  Even if you have a spare controller laying around you won't want to dedicate it just for the Zapper.

Basically the Zapper is nothing more than a plastic casing to hold your 2 controllers, which allows you to hold the controllers differently for shooting games.  So do I think its worth the money?...

NO!  It is too expensive for its limited functionality.  You can spend less and get yourself a Wii sports pack (check prices on Wii Sports Pack) with a whole bunch of plastic gizmos to place your controllers in (and look funny with a plastic racket to slap your virtual tennis balls with). You might want to look at Nyko's PerfectShot (check prices on the PerfectShot) which we've reviewed right here!  Trust me, you'll be the laughing stock of your friends; then again you can laugh at them as they look just as silly holding a Wii Zapper.

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