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E3 2007: The Wii Zapper is just as cool as you were hoping
1:26 PM on 07.13.2007, Dyson 35 comments

E3 2007: The Wii Zapper is just as cool as you were hoping photo
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I usually don’t like to call another editor out, or make a post that is contradictory to their point of view, but today is the day that I make an exception.

Colette’s opinion about the Wii Zapper is completely wrong.

See why after the jump.

First of all, I can totally see where Colette is coming from in her post. A gun peripheral should be precise and easy to use, there’s no doubt about that. But I think that she got her negative impression from the software, not the hardware.

Why? Because the Zapper is just slightly to the left of pretty awesome. I had a lot of fun with it when I had a chance to mess around with it, and I really lliked. It was well built and easy to use. Not only that, but the Zapper is a perfect addition to the, now humongous, collection of Wii peripherals. What probably gave Colette the bad impression was that she had to test run the Zapper on a game like Resident Evil: Umbrella Chronicles.

If you remember, I had a chance to play this game a long, long time ago, and it wasn’t pretty. Since that time, Capcom has made some improvements to the game’s controls, but honestly, it’s still complete ass.
 
I hate to say it, but it’s true. Even with some revamped controls and the addition of using the Zapper, the way the game controls is a complete travesty. And if your only experience with the Wii Zapper is with RE:UC, then that experience will not be a good one.

So please don’t take Colette’s first impression as gospel. The Wii Zapper is going to add quite a bit more fun to the Wii console when good games finally come out for it. (And yes, I did ask about Duck Hunt, but all I got was the standard “no comment.”)  


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ZombieLifeTaker's Avatar
ZombieLifeTaker at 07/13/2007 13:31
I think im buying a wii.
BlindsideDork's Avatar
BlindsideDork at 07/13/2007 13:39
Sweet! I read an article about HOW great the Wii Zapper is too. They played it with Ghost Squad.

Here is my post on it.
masterledz's Avatar
masterledz at 07/13/2007 13:43
Make it click every time I squeeze the trigger. Then paint it orange. Then maybe I'll consider it.
BlindsideDork's Avatar
BlindsideDork at 07/13/2007 13:47
Paint it orange yourself? haha
HarassmentPanda's Avatar
HarassmentPanda at 07/13/2007 13:54
So what did you use the Wii Zapper with to get your impression? How did you test out its accuracy? Inquiring minds must know!
zardoz's Avatar
zardoz at 07/13/2007 13:54
Like I have said from day one, it's fucking obvious that Resident Evil Umbrella Thingy is a lazy piece of crap, so of course anything attached to that game is going to be infected with crapness, including the Wii Zapper.

Look, it's so obvious, you don't have all your best designers working on RE5, then churn out a spin off and expect it to be any good. I hope people don't buy this game so it sends a message to Capcom that gamers don't want cheap, lazy, easy cash spin offs. Like wer'e meant to go "Hey RE5 looks amazing but I'm sure glad Umbrella Chronic is coming out".
anonuser's Avatar
anonuser at 07/13/2007 14:11
I don't think the point of being well built still negates the inaccuracies brought on by using the Wii Zapper.

No software can save the shortcomings of poorly designed hardware. This post screams, "I love it because its made for the Wii", and not because its totally useless in any respect. The idea of a zapper for the Wii is enticing but a plastic case which you shove the wii-mote and nun-chuck into is not a zapper. Not to mention that ugly ass wire going around the whole damn thing.

I still think its going to suck. And yet I'll probably buy it just to prove that it does suck.
JonDarkwood's Avatar
JonDarkwood at 07/13/2007 14:15
No, this post doesn't really scream that. It screams, "what's true for the zapper on one game is not necessarily true for the zapper on all games."
JonDarkwood's Avatar
JonDarkwood at 07/13/2007 14:15
Jesus fucking christ why do I even read the comments on any website, bashing fanboy shitfucks ruin the whole gaming atmosphere for me.
0bshaky's Avatar
0bshaky at 07/13/2007 14:19
Well if you like running around with the Zapper and making *Bang, Bang* sounds with your mouth then yeah I can understand. But, in order to enjoy it you have to plug it in and have a game that is truly responsive and if it plays like a hairy ass well then the peripheral will suck hairy as as well.

Man, I remember the most fun I ever had with the Power Glove was after I cut the cable off I would pretend I was Captain Nintendo and Captain Power. Definitely 100% more fun than to actually play it on a Nintendo.
Riser Glen's Avatar
Riser Glen at 07/13/2007 14:22
Differing opinions in cases like this just reaffirm my belief that Dtoid is as awesome as I think it as and not some sort of internet think-tank designed to recommend the most average games ever.
BluDesign's Avatar
BluDesign at 07/13/2007 14:32
@Riser

I give the Zapper a 6/10!

srsly, Duck Hunt now pls.
Genfuyung's Avatar
Genfuyung at 07/13/2007 14:43
Any word on ghost squads release date? I LOVE that game in the arcade
snotrocket's Avatar
snotrocket at 07/13/2007 14:52
I still havn't tried it but I just can't see moving in RE4:wii edition with the zapper. Maybe I have to try it first, but it seems awkward. I'll agree with the software being ass part, red steel shooting wasn't that great but RE4 and call of duty are really great shooters for the system.
TheBrain's Avatar
TheBrain at 07/13/2007 14:55
Why didn't they demo it with the shooting gallery from Wii Play as well? That'd be a good gauge.
Trevor McGee's Avatar
Trevor McGee at 07/13/2007 14:56
Sorry Dyson, but you just kind of look like a dick for this post. How can Colette’s be wrong? It's her opinion. You should have just said that you disagreed and gave your opinion on it, but not call her wrong.

Anyway, I'd personally have to go with Colette's opinion on this. The Wii Zapper looks too goofy and impractical for actual use. If I were to get something like a Wii Zapper it'd be this, it looks coolers, and the ability to still hold the Nunchuku separately in your other hand seems more practical.

TheBrain's Avatar
TheBrain at 07/13/2007 14:56
@snotrocket

Capcom said the Zapper won't work with RE4, for obvious reasons
mandlebaum123's Avatar
mandlebaum123 at 07/13/2007 15:13
Im confused as to why the controls for UC suck. You are pointing at the screen, right? Its on rails, so its not like you're turning with the IR either. That works on tons of other games, how not this one?

Were you the one who said RE:4 Wii sucked, arrogantly pointing out that I should trust others opinions over yours?
mandlebaum123's Avatar
mandlebaum123 at 07/13/2007 15:33
I thought the pointing at the screen is one of the things red steel did pretty well, except for how light sensitive it was or seemed.

If the cursor bounces all around, I'd understand. But it works fine in RE:4, so youd imagine it would be the same.
stevenjazz787's Avatar
stevenjazz787 at 07/13/2007 15:41
They are opinion, and that is why I like destructoid. Editors and users say what they feel they "have to". You guys take gaming way too seriously just like me. That is why we all get along.
Tron Knotts's Avatar
Tron Knotts at 07/13/2007 16:57
I'm guessing the Wii Zapper will not make things better for me. The standard Wii-Remote/Nunchuck control works great as it is, as proven by the Wii's huge success.

The Wii Zapper is classic "It aint broke, but lets see if suckers will pay us to fix it". It's a plastc shell that probably costs $.50 to produce, but costs $20 at retail.

I will buy it for the pack in game if that game is a new Duck Hunt/Hogan's Alley combo. Then I will discard it.

Spectral's Avatar
Spectral at 07/13/2007 17:11
THey shouldve just stuck to the shotgun shell looking one.

Oh well. Looks I'll continue to use my imagination and acting like him holding a gun with my wiimote.

The best part, it's free!
Mxyzptlk's Avatar
Mxyzptlk at 07/14/2007 01:06
I still wish the zapper plugged directly into the wiimote instead, but I suppose this allows more compatibility with titles not designed specifically for it.
ChrisFurniss's Avatar
ChrisFurniss at 07/14/2007 11:45
I tried it, and I agree with Colette, it's crap. I am sure they are going to make games that are specifically made for it, but it's just too big and clunky right now, and the wiimote is a bit too imprecise. I think they should have made a separate peripheral that didn't just house the wii remote.
brainderailment's Avatar
brainderailment at 07/14/2007 14:11
Long live conflicting opinions.
Savant's Avatar
Savant at 07/14/2007 14:22
The Wii Zapper's main shortcoming is the fact that the Wii relies on the sensor bar as a point of reference when aiming. When playing Time Crisis, do you aim at an invisble square? Nope. You aim at the screen.

Don't get me wrong, the Wii is a good time to be had with friends, but as far as being a precise shooter, I believe the NES Zapper has the inside track over the Wii Zapper... and that's a hardware issue, not a software issue.
Nyteshade's Avatar
Nyteshade at 07/14/2007 22:55
Wow... Did I miss where the reviewers changed from reviewing a peripheral, into reviewing the Wii's aiming system in RE:UC?

Colette's review was a review of the aiming system and RE:UC, not the plastic housing itself... "The peripheral feels clunky in how movement translates to screen, which is even more confusing considering it is lightweight and easy to hold. It SHOULD work well, so why doesn't it?"

First she says movement doesn't translate to the screen... that's a complaint about the software which becomes the basis for her hate of the hardware !

She then follows with, "it is lightweight and easy to hold. It SHOULD work well, so why doesn't it?" which is a good review of the housing itself. Why doesn't it work well, because the software your testing it on sucked...

Somehow she comes to the conclusion that the housing sucks because the software didn't translate movement to the screen well.

Dyson looked at it from the correct view, it's a piece of plastic that makes it easier to use 2 hands to aim while still having a thumb on the Nunchuck... Since he played RE:UC before he knew the software sucked and didn't hold that against the hardware.

@ Savant A mouse's movement isn't 1:1 on my computer screen, but I can still move it exactly where I want to... same thing with Wii's IR. If you want 1:1 aiming, hit the arcade, because the multitudes of display types and sizes out there make 1:1 aiming a near impossibility for all.

@ Everyone who wants the old "light gun" back...

How much do you think it would cost, at least the price of another controller. Why do you think all the previous "light gun" games failed? You had to buy the game AND the guns... and then you had to make sure it worked with your TV. It's funny how a bunch of you are bitching about $20 for a game (mini-game) and the housing, but a real light gun would cost a lot more, and then wouldn't work for everyone's setup or every game.
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