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By Anthony Swinnich on November 26th, 2007
"This package is cheap and diverse, but short."
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When the Wii Zapper prototype was unveiled at E3 2006, a lot of people imagined a new installment of Duck Hunt would naturally fit on Nintendo’s newest baby. Later, Nintendo would reveal that a game would come with the Zapper at retail, and many folks assumed it would be a game that included a snickering dog and flying foul as targets, but they would be wrong. Instead, Link’s Crossbow Training was revealed as the Zapper pack-in. The crew aboard SS Nintendo followed their Blue Ocean strategy and forged through a sea of complaints. It’s a good thing they did, too – they continually prove they know what we want better than we do. This game is an engaging, albeit brief example of how to make a light-gun game on the Wii.
Crossbow Training uses the Twilight Princess engine, directly cribbing enemies, locations and music from the game, but this is a positive aspect. Since there was no need to develop an engine, they could refine the gameplay elements. The cursor moves at a perfect speed, like it does in most Nintendo developed Wii games, which is good, because the gameplay is as simple as possible. You point, and you shoot. That’s it. You begin the game shooting stereotypical wooden targets but eventually move onto shooting enemies, like bokoblins, keese, and stalfos. While the game is short (about 45 minutes), the 27 stages provide a surprising level of diversity. There are three main types: one where you’re stationary in first person, and two where the view is behind Link in traditional Zelda style. Link is anchored to one spot in some of the third-person stages and enemies converge in a circular perimeter. In others, you walk around a stage and take out targets, like skulltula. There are a couple other stages that don’t fit into these descriptions, and while I don’t want to ruin the surprise just know that they’re incredibly fun and exciting as well. There’s a multiplayer mode, but it re-uses the stages from the main game to provide a competitive mode.
"... well worth the menial price of admission."
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The Zapper itself is a well constructed plastic shell, and it adds a level of stability to the controller most people will appreciate while playing this game. The nunchuck cord becomes mostly concealed, and wraps around a compartment inside the handle of the controller. All you can see is a two-inch length that connects it to the remote, which slides perfectly into the top. There are only minor problems: There is nowhere to put the wrist strap, and you have to remove your condom Wii Remote Jacket every time you want to play. All in all, the Wii Zapper - Link’s Crossbow Training combo set is well worth the menial price of admission. You don’t get much more than a tech-demo, but it’s a much more engaging experience than a lot of full priced games available on the Wii today. | 
