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Wii light gun games

Not all light gun games are created equal. At least that is the lesson I’ve learned recently while playing a smattering of them on the Wii. You see when the Wii Zapper finally came out it was difficult to hold back my nostalgia induced excitement. So Paul and I picked up a duo of Zappers and the rail-shooter Resident The Evil Umbrella Chronicles. It sucks.

I’m amazed at how CAPCOM was able to suck the ever living fun from what could easily be an immensely enjoyable shooter. However between the ridiculous difficulty, horrible controls, and constant gameplay interruption it becomes a chore to get through from the get go. I’ll admit I’ve never played a Resident Evil game but I’ve seen my fare share of zombie movies and played plenty of zombie games. The simple equation of zombies + guns + bad dialog should = fun but CAPCOM fails by taking the series too seriously. I’d possibly think otherwise had I been a longtime fan of the franchise simply to see some glimpse of additional story but then again we’re talking about a story about zombies so, meh.

Zelda Crossbow Training on the other hand get is. Targets pop up, you shoot them, and if you don’t mess up the multiplier racks up along with your score. Plain and simple. Nintendo delivers mad fun for a low price too. The game comes bundled with the $20 zapper. If only Wii Play could claim that kind of value but thats another story. My only gripe with this title is the lack of customizable controls. The issue is with the design of the Wii blaster really. I’m not sure who thought it would be a good idea to place the fire button in the front of the gun but it makes absolutely no sense what so ever. If we could simply choose between Z on the nunchuk or B on the wiimote that would make my day. sign

Then I find this diamond in the rough, Ghost Squad. This parody of a 90’s arcade light gun shooter delivers the necessary precision and customizability coupled with the horrible dialog, nonsensical plot and light hearted party modes to truly deliver fun. Think Time Crisis meets Zero Wing. It’s so bad it’s good! And with up to 4 simultaneous players I can vouch from experience it leads to most memorable entertainment. The game may be super short, easily beating the three stages in about 20 minutes, but the unlockables like weapons, costumes, and party modes give it some sort of replayability. My personal favorite is the Paradise mode in where the terrorists are replaced with bikini babes and your weapons are replaced with dolphin squirt guns. Ninja mode is pretty sweet too. Nothing beats saving the president from ninja terrorists by infiltrating Air Force One loaded with infinite throwing stars.

All in all I’m hopeful for the future of light gun gaming on the Wii. Hardware wise the Wii Zapper is promising if only the games would offer customizable controls but for the purists such as myself look no further than the Nyko Perfect Shot. This inexpensive solid Wiimote gun caddy will have you getting headshots with ease.