Nintendo Wii Fanboy

Not necessary at all, but I'll give it a try. Same goes for the Wii Wheel that will come with Mario Kart. Periphs like this are a double-edged sword: they might add to gameplay, but the can clutter and confuse it, too.

If most shooters on the Wii are similar to RE4 and how MP3:C is supposed to play, I don't see a problem with any of the controls that would make a zapper /necessary/.

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I don't care. Just give me more light gun games!

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It will vary based on the player, that is why this is just an option. For me when I play the rail shooters I want this, I expect I will even replay the plunger stages in Rayman when this comes out. If it was 20 bucks stand alone I would not get it, but where it will be bundled with software I will gladly buy it. For FPS games I may not use it, but I have a friend who described that kind of shell about a month before it was announced so he is super pumped right now. As for an RE4 style game I would love it if the front (B) trigger raised the gun and the chuck trigger (z) fired I would totally geek out on that.

As for the Wheel if you watch the G4 interview with Reggie they take a closer look at it and it is not just the Ubisoft Wheel over again. It has a button on the back for power sliding, I assume it just presses the B button, but still the alternatives would feel a hell of a lot more awkward. I guess at the end of the day as with most things Wii, Mileage will vary.

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I like it, but I still wish they had a light zapper like the original NES. The kind that you can actually aim and shoot. I love the Wii remote controller, but it's not as good as a real light gun.

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I say it's totally unnecessary. Sure, it might make you feel more like you're holding a gun, but what else does it add? You're still using the remote and the nunchuck the same way, now you just have to hold them in a fixed position.

I'm also concerned about the number of add-ons we'll all have by the time the Wii is older. I love my classic controller more than life itself, but I seem to remember digging through a box of tangled wires to get to NES controllers, power pads, light guns, etc. I'd hate to see people look back on the Wii in the future and say "Yeah, it was fun, but it had a s**tload of junk along with it!"

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Is it necessary? no
Will it add a new element to some games? yes
will i buy it? probably
will the inconveniently placed buttons make me anry? likely

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The important thing here is that it is not being billed as necessary. Some people like buying add on crap (myself included) and some don't. By doing it this way people do not need to buy an expensive peripheral for light gun games. A real light gun would be nice, but it is expensive to get that working with all the different types of TVs out today and Nintendo does not want us having to shell out a crap load for the peripherals, they just want us to buy lots of peripherals.

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the thing about the zapper is it actually REMOVES what i think is a key feature about wii controls, the comfort of not HAVING to have both your hands held closely together....for RE4Wii and zelda its PERFECT to just lounge around on the couch in a very comfortable position just moving your wrist slightly to aim/fight....not to mention i think precision wrist movement is alot more accurate for aiming than having to move your whole arms....

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I agree with #8.

The zapper will generally make things worse, and reduces the total amount of control available. If the game does not give calibration that lets you shoot by pointing, this is totally pointless.

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I for one will never touch this thing. I like the potential the Wiimote has for shooters, but this is even crappier than 3rd party peripherals I've seen. If anything, this design RESTRICTS any shooter game so badly that it honestly makes me fear that nintendo has just destroyed 90% of what chances they had at actually getting people to accept this. The hardcore crowd will not accept this at all, and the casual gamer will only accept it if the developers accept it.
I can't see any reason why the developers would accept this. It adds nothing to the experience and means that you have to let go of your trigger or the nunchuck to be able to press any of the buttons on top of the Wiimote. On top of that, this setup doesn't even make sense for a game like metroid prime, She has a blaster built in to one hand. Why the heck would you hold a gun in two hands that is supposed to represent Samus firing her blaster arm single handedly?

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When I first got my Wii I played a lot of Red Steel. Now I don't know about others, but I would get a cramp in my thumb from trying to hold the Wiimote in typical point and shoot fashion after about 30 minutes of gameplay. I've often thought that if the Wiimote just had a simple gun attachment that it would alleviate this pain in my thumb and would allow me to play longer and more comfortably.

Unfortunately I think they missed the boat. I don't see the value in putting the Nunchuk controller on the back of the "gun". I would much rather see the prototype design that was floating around the web prior to this thing being officially announced. It just looked more comfortable to me.

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I hate the idea of having my hands forced together, however I play a lot of Elebits and Scarface and RE4 right now, and the trigger angle on the remote alone forces your wrist into an awkward position. I just ordered one of those HongKong shells with the normal pistol stock and the nunchuk pass-through. Hopefully it will arrive today, since it seems like it will solve both my complaints. And it was only about $10 after shipping.
Oh yeah, and I will still buy the official Zapper because I am a sucker and it will have software. No matter how shallow, my wife and I still play a lot of Wii Play.

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Here's a pic for anyone who cares:
http://technabob.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2007/05/wii_lightgun.jpg
Don't order these from retailers or even on craigslist - you can find them much cheaper on ebay right now.

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Let's ask Mr. Horse. Mr. Horse, what do you think?

No sir, I don't like it.

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Epic fail. I don't know who designed this shell, but most people who have seen an SMG (in a movie, on the news, in combat, etc.) can attest to this simple fact:

The dominant hand goes behind the weaker hand.

So why the hell is the trigger in front? I understand that the Wiimote has to be clipped in somehow, but why can't they do that in the back and make it a hollow tube "barrel", making it even more gun-like? The nunchuk would clip into a foregrip, simultaneously making it more gun-like and allowing a comfortable position to use the nunchuk. As it is, I have no idea how the nunchuk can be used while shooting.

As it stands, this looks more like one of those powerful pistols that have an optional stock to reduce recoil, like the Red 9 in Resident Evil 4. Thumbs down.

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@Hirsbrunner: +10 points for the reference.

@bluemonq: I think they made the design to be like a submachine gun. I can't think of the make/model, but I think there are actual production weapons (probably an assault rifle I'm thinking of, not an SMG) on the market with a trigger for one function on the front grip and a second trigger on the rear grip... maybe the front one is for an underslung grenade launcher? Anyway, I think that's what they're shooting for (heh, sorry) with the Zapper thingummy.

My gripe is that most Wii games do not let you remap the controls (a major fault of most console titles, IMHO), so if you happen to be playing a shooting-type game, but they decided to make "A" fire instead of "B", you're SOL.


Anyway, I don't think I'll like it, and almost certainly would not shell out for it unless it's included free with a game I was going to buy anyway, but I don't especially fault them on style grounds -- I just don't think it's necessary.

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I agree with james I probably wont buy it unless its a good game, and games need to have the option of changing controlls more often.

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I much prefer the design of the Brando gun.
http://videogame.brando.com.hk/prod_detail.php?prod_id=00463&dept_id=020&cat_id=046

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Oh hell yes. That's the one I'm talking about, the design on that one is honestly attractive. it has a similar problem of really needing to be able to use the Z button to fire, but at least it doesn't kill your ability to use the buttons on the top of the Wiimote

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