The "Retro Game Reviews" forum, which includes Retro Game Reviews, has been archived and is now read-only. You cannot post here or create a new thread or review on this forum.
This thread has been linked to the game 'Link's Crossbow Training'.
What do you imagine when you think of Christmas? Snowballs and sleigh bells? Mulled wine and mince pies? Steve McQueen and Nazi Germany?
Well, think again. What you should be thinking about, and what Nintendo has commendably pre-empted, are crossbows. Crossbows crossbows crossbows. Not a festive season has gone by where I haven’t though, “Well jeez, you know what I actually wanted? A flippin’ crossbow. Thanks Mum”. Shot into targets. Shot into goblins. Shot into wolves. Shot into children. Shot into anything you can point at really.
So with this remarkable foresight Nintendo brings us the Wii Zapper. More specifically, the Zapper and Link’s Crossbow Training. We all know Link, that lovable elf from the Ordon Province / Kokiri Woods / Island-I-Can’t-Remember, and if you’ve had the admittedly abnormal childhood I’ve had then you’ll probably know what a crossbow is. Mix the pair together and you have the Wii’s first proper ‘light gun’ game.
I must first say that what caught my eye initially was the title. ‘Link’s Crossbow Training’ does seem like a precursor for something more sinister - perhaps the sequel will be ‘Link’s Successful Crossbow Examination’, followed shortly by ‘Link’s Aiming Alarmingly Accurately at your Sister’. Anyway, regardless of my thoughts on Nintendo’s possible attempts to train an army of gamers in the art of assassinations, I went ahead and purchased. After all, it is only £20, and that’s before the magic of student discount.
The game basically boils down to this: 9 increasingly difficult stages of 3 levels, each with opportunities to rack up points by aiming your trusty weapon as best you can. Once you complete a stage of levels, your total score for that stage is totted up and a medal is awarded. Generally speaking, achieving at least a bronze medal will open up the next stage. Beyond this, there is a practice mode which lets you tackle any single unlocked level in preparation for the full stage, and multiplayer, which I haven’t tried because I refused to buy another copy of the game to get a second Zapper.
All of the levels occur in locations from Twilight Princess, including Ordon Village, Zoras Fountain, Death Mountain and even the Temple of Time. Each provides a gorgeous background to the action, as good as in TP itself, along with the same familiar tunes from the Wii classic. This may sound like a bit of a con, but keep in mind we’re talking about a game that comes with a peripheral and all for less than 20 notes.
The tasks to perform almost always fall into one of four categories. The first is bog standard shoot-the-targets. A series of red and white boards pop up, the same ones as you practice on at the start of TP, and hitting each gives you a certain amount of points. Every consecutive hit adds 1 to a score multiplier, which means by target 50 you’ll be flying through the medal ranks. These courses are either static (where the scenery is set and targets pop up intermittently), or dynamic (on horseback, or panning across the landscape). Once you’ve mastered the regular targets, there are lots of hidden objects (jars, scarecrows, pots and skulls) that can be shot for extra points or some cool surprises. Not only this, there are some ‘high score’ yellow targets and -100 ‘cross’ targets. Misfire though, and the multiplier falls back to 0. The later levels of this type are incredibly tricky, and a steady hand is crucial to getting maximum points. Most stages have at least 1 level of this kind.
Bunch two contains levels where you’ll be in the centre of a locale and be able to rotate 360 degrees, taking out enemies from all angles. These start out as simple forays against basic attackers, but soon keeping the multiplier going becomes a challenge as foes dodge, jump and fly closer and faster. You can expect to face off against Keese, Snow Wolves and Stalfos, to name just a few, and none of them are all too pleased to see you. Thankfully, to help you on your way you’ll occasionally have the joy of an automatic crossbow. Green power-ups that you find will allow you to hold down the trigger and wipe out herds at a time. Sure, you’ll probably lose your multiplier. But… automatic… crossbow!
The third big collection contains the free-roaming missions. Dumped in an area with a certain number of enemies, you must use the control stick in addition to the trigger to wander, battle, snipe and kill as fast as possible. Whether it’s Skulltullas in the Forest Temple or those lizard things in the Temple of Time, there isn’t anything much more satisfying than creeping round the forgotten village and taking out 25 goblins from a distance. Well, maybe taking out 25 goblins with an automatic. But that’s just greedy. Again, there are plenty of ways to get mega-points, but half the fun is finding them out, so I won’t spoil it. One tip I would give is to make sure you kill everything, even if you have to hurry. Mmm… triforce…
Finally, there’s the magical miscellaneous kind. Boss battles, boat challenges, and inflatable fruit, they’re all here. The best challenges fall in this group, and it’d be a shame to ruin any of the truly great ones. Trust me though, if the words ‘Dark Knut’ do anything for you, it’s probably a game you won’t want to miss.
The Zapper itself is a sturdy piece of kit. The Wiimote fits into the top half, whilst the nunchuk clicks into place on the handle. Spare cord between the two is neatly tucked underneath in a small compartment and keeps the whole think sleek and easy to use. One issue you might have is aligning the crosshair and Zapper itself so that they align in ‘real life’. This is most likely a sensor-bar placement problem, but the game does have a setting where you can set the crosshair height (and also its sensitivity). There’s a trigger that connects with the ‘B’ button and obviously all the usual button’s that the ‘mote + ‘chuk offer. Not that you’ll be needing many of them, but they’re there.
It’s hard to argue with an offering like this. Not because it’s a stunning or revolutionary game, or because the Zapper is the be all and end all of accessory technology; but because it encapsulates all that the Wii is about – fun. Of course, it’s all beautifully presented (how could it not be, using the TP backgrounds) and the implementation of the crossbow feels just right. Overarching all this, though, is the fact that shooting things with a plastic gun is downright entertaining. So yes, to buy the Wiimote and nunchuk and Zapper is fairly expensive, but you get 2 parts out of 3 when you buy the console! And so what if it’s just a collection of levels, a ‘story’ would just get in the way. You’ve got the satisfaction of blowing things up (did I mention you can charge shots by holding the trigger?), the addiction in reaching medal targets (and tearing apart those of your friends) and the splendor of the Zelda universe. It’s a good few hours banter, at a measly £20. And if that’s still not convinced you, perhaps the knowledge that you can blast those fricking creepy Ooccoos right out the sky with a well aimed shot to the head might. It did for me.
Well, think again. What you should be thinking about, and what Nintendo has commendably pre-empted, are crossbows. Crossbows crossbows crossbows. Not a festive season has gone by where I haven’t though, “Well jeez, you know what I actually wanted? A flippin’ crossbow. Thanks Mum”. Shot into targets. Shot into goblins. Shot into wolves. Shot into children. Shot into anything you can point at really.
So with this remarkable foresight Nintendo brings us the Wii Zapper. More specifically, the Zapper and Link’s Crossbow Training. We all know Link, that lovable elf from the Ordon Province / Kokiri Woods / Island-I-Can’t-Remember, and if you’ve had the admittedly abnormal childhood I’ve had then you’ll probably know what a crossbow is. Mix the pair together and you have the Wii’s first proper ‘light gun’ game.
I must first say that what caught my eye initially was the title. ‘Link’s Crossbow Training’ does seem like a precursor for something more sinister - perhaps the sequel will be ‘Link’s Successful Crossbow Examination’, followed shortly by ‘Link’s Aiming Alarmingly Accurately at your Sister’. Anyway, regardless of my thoughts on Nintendo’s possible attempts to train an army of gamers in the art of assassinations, I went ahead and purchased. After all, it is only £20, and that’s before the magic of student discount.
The game basically boils down to this: 9 increasingly difficult stages of 3 levels, each with opportunities to rack up points by aiming your trusty weapon as best you can. Once you complete a stage of levels, your total score for that stage is totted up and a medal is awarded. Generally speaking, achieving at least a bronze medal will open up the next stage. Beyond this, there is a practice mode which lets you tackle any single unlocked level in preparation for the full stage, and multiplayer, which I haven’t tried because I refused to buy another copy of the game to get a second Zapper.
All of the levels occur in locations from Twilight Princess, including Ordon Village, Zoras Fountain, Death Mountain and even the Temple of Time. Each provides a gorgeous background to the action, as good as in TP itself, along with the same familiar tunes from the Wii classic. This may sound like a bit of a con, but keep in mind we’re talking about a game that comes with a peripheral and all for less than 20 notes.
The tasks to perform almost always fall into one of four categories. The first is bog standard shoot-the-targets. A series of red and white boards pop up, the same ones as you practice on at the start of TP, and hitting each gives you a certain amount of points. Every consecutive hit adds 1 to a score multiplier, which means by target 50 you’ll be flying through the medal ranks. These courses are either static (where the scenery is set and targets pop up intermittently), or dynamic (on horseback, or panning across the landscape). Once you’ve mastered the regular targets, there are lots of hidden objects (jars, scarecrows, pots and skulls) that can be shot for extra points or some cool surprises. Not only this, there are some ‘high score’ yellow targets and -100 ‘cross’ targets. Misfire though, and the multiplier falls back to 0. The later levels of this type are incredibly tricky, and a steady hand is crucial to getting maximum points. Most stages have at least 1 level of this kind.
Bunch two contains levels where you’ll be in the centre of a locale and be able to rotate 360 degrees, taking out enemies from all angles. These start out as simple forays against basic attackers, but soon keeping the multiplier going becomes a challenge as foes dodge, jump and fly closer and faster. You can expect to face off against Keese, Snow Wolves and Stalfos, to name just a few, and none of them are all too pleased to see you. Thankfully, to help you on your way you’ll occasionally have the joy of an automatic crossbow. Green power-ups that you find will allow you to hold down the trigger and wipe out herds at a time. Sure, you’ll probably lose your multiplier. But… automatic… crossbow!
The third big collection contains the free-roaming missions. Dumped in an area with a certain number of enemies, you must use the control stick in addition to the trigger to wander, battle, snipe and kill as fast as possible. Whether it’s Skulltullas in the Forest Temple or those lizard things in the Temple of Time, there isn’t anything much more satisfying than creeping round the forgotten village and taking out 25 goblins from a distance. Well, maybe taking out 25 goblins with an automatic. But that’s just greedy. Again, there are plenty of ways to get mega-points, but half the fun is finding them out, so I won’t spoil it. One tip I would give is to make sure you kill everything, even if you have to hurry. Mmm… triforce…
Finally, there’s the magical miscellaneous kind. Boss battles, boat challenges, and inflatable fruit, they’re all here. The best challenges fall in this group, and it’d be a shame to ruin any of the truly great ones. Trust me though, if the words ‘Dark Knut’ do anything for you, it’s probably a game you won’t want to miss.
The Zapper itself is a sturdy piece of kit. The Wiimote fits into the top half, whilst the nunchuk clicks into place on the handle. Spare cord between the two is neatly tucked underneath in a small compartment and keeps the whole think sleek and easy to use. One issue you might have is aligning the crosshair and Zapper itself so that they align in ‘real life’. This is most likely a sensor-bar placement problem, but the game does have a setting where you can set the crosshair height (and also its sensitivity). There’s a trigger that connects with the ‘B’ button and obviously all the usual button’s that the ‘mote + ‘chuk offer. Not that you’ll be needing many of them, but they’re there.
It’s hard to argue with an offering like this. Not because it’s a stunning or revolutionary game, or because the Zapper is the be all and end all of accessory technology; but because it encapsulates all that the Wii is about – fun. Of course, it’s all beautifully presented (how could it not be, using the TP backgrounds) and the implementation of the crossbow feels just right. Overarching all this, though, is the fact that shooting things with a plastic gun is downright entertaining. So yes, to buy the Wiimote and nunchuk and Zapper is fairly expensive, but you get 2 parts out of 3 when you buy the console! And so what if it’s just a collection of levels, a ‘story’ would just get in the way. You’ve got the satisfaction of blowing things up (did I mention you can charge shots by holding the trigger?), the addiction in reaching medal targets (and tearing apart those of your friends) and the splendor of the Zelda universe. It’s a good few hours banter, at a measly £20. And if that’s still not convinced you, perhaps the knowledge that you can blast those fricking creepy Ooccoos right out the sky with a well aimed shot to the head might. It did for me.
What do you imagine when you think of Christmas? Snowballs and sleigh bells? Mulled wine and mince pies? Steve McQueen and Nazi Germany?
Well, think again. What you should be thinking about, and what Nintendo has commendably pre-empted, are crossbows. Crossbows crossbows crossbows. Not a festive season has gone by where I haven’t though, “Well jeez, you know what I actually wanted? A flippin’ crossbow. Thanks Mum”. Shot into targets. Shot into goblins. Shot into wolves. Shot into children. Shot into anything you can point at really.
So with this remarkable foresight Nintendo brings us the Wii Zapper. More specifically, the Zapper and Link’s Crossbow Training. We all know Link, that lovable elf from the Ordon Province / Kokiri Woods / Island-I-Can’t-Remember, and if you’ve had the admittedly abnormal childhood I’ve had then you’ll probably know what a crossbow is. Mix the pair together and you have the Wii’s first proper ‘light gun’ game.
I must first say that what caught my eye initially was the title. ‘Link’s Crossbow Training’ does seem like a precursor for something more sinister - perhaps the sequel will be ‘Link’s Successful Crossbow Examination’, followed shortly by ‘Link’s Aiming Alarmingly Accurately at your Sister’. Anyway, regardless of my thoughts on Nintendo’s possible attempts to train an army of gamers in the art of assassinations, I went ahead and purchased. After all, it is only £20, and that’s before the magic of student discount.
The game basically boils down to this: 9 increasingly difficult stages of 3 levels, each with opportunities to rack up points by aiming your trusty weapon as best you can. Once you complete a stage of levels, your total score for that stage is totted up and a medal is awarded. Generally speaking, achieving at least a bronze medal will open up the next stage. Beyond this, there is a practice mode which lets you tackle any single unlocked level in preparation for the full stage, and multiplayer, which I haven’t tried because I refused to buy another copy of the game to get a second Zapper.
All of the levels occur in locations from Twilight Princess, including Ordon Village, Zoras Fountain, Death Mountain and even the Temple of Time. Each provides a gorgeous background to the action, as good as in TP itself, along with the same familiar tunes from the Wii classic. This may sound like a bit of a con, but keep in mind we’re talking about a game that comes with a peripheral and all for less than 20 notes.
The tasks to perform almost always fall into one of four categories. The first is bog standard shoot-the-targets. A series of red and white boards pop up, the same ones as you practice on at the start of TP, and hitting each gives you a certain amount of points. Every consecutive hit adds 1 to a score multiplier, which means by target 50 you’ll be flying through the medal ranks. These courses are either static (where the scenery is set and targets pop up intermittently), or dynamic (on horseback, or panning across the landscape). Once you’ve mastered the regular targets, there are lots of hidden objects (jars, scarecrows, pots and skulls) that can be shot for extra points or some cool surprises. Not only this, there are some ‘high score’ yellow targets and -100 ‘cross’ targets. Misfire though, and the multiplier falls back to 0. The later levels of this type are incredibly tricky, and a steady hand is crucial to getting maximum points. Most stages have at least 1 level of this kind.
Bunch two contains levels where you’ll be in the centre of a locale and be able to rotate 360 degrees, taking out enemies from all angles. These start out as simple forays against basic attackers, but soon keeping the multiplier going becomes a challenge as foes dodge, jump and fly closer and faster. You can expect to face off against Keese, Snow Wolves and Stalfos, to name just a few, and none of them are all too pleased to see you. Thankfully, to help you on your way you’ll occasionally have the joy of an automatic crossbow. Green power-ups that you find will allow you to hold down the trigger and wipe out herds at a time. Sure, you’ll probably lose your multiplier. But… automatic… crossbow!
The third big collection contains the free-roaming missions. Dumped in an area with a certain number of enemies, you must use the control stick in addition to the trigger to wander, battle, snipe and kill as fast as possible. Whether it’s Skulltullas in the Forest Temple or those lizard things in the Temple of Time, there isn’t anything much more satisfying than creeping round the forgotten village and taking out 25 goblins from a distance. Well, maybe taking out 25 goblins with an automatic. But that’s just greedy. Again, there are plenty of ways to get mega-points, but half the fun is finding them out, so I won’t spoil it. One tip I would give is to make sure you kill everything, even if you have to hurry. Mmm… triforce…
Finally, there’s the magical miscellaneous kind. Boss battles, boat challenges, and inflatable fruit, they’re all here. The best challenges fall in this group, and it’d be a shame to ruin any of the truly great ones. Trust me though, if the words ‘Dark Knut’ do anything for you, it’s probably a game you won’t want to miss.
The Zapper itself is a sturdy piece of kit. The Wiimote fits into the top half, whilst the nunchuk clicks into place on the handle. Spare cord between the two is neatly tucked underneath in a small compartment and keeps the whole think sleek and easy to use. One issue you might have is aligning the crosshair and Zapper itself so that they align in ‘real life’. This is most likely a sensor-bar placement problem, but the game does have a setting where you can set the crosshair height (and also its sensitivity). There’s a trigger that connects with the ‘B’ button and obviously all the usual button’s that the ‘mote + ‘chuk offer. Not that you’ll be needing many of them, but they’re there.
It’s hard to argue with an offering like this. Not because it’s a stunning or revolutionary game, or because the Zapper is the be all and end all of accessory technology; but because it encapsulates all that the Wii is about – fun. Of course, it’s all beautifully presented (how could it not be, using the TP backgrounds) and the implementation of the crossbow feels just right. Overarching all this, though, is the fact that shooting things with a plastic gun is downright entertaining. So yes, to buy the Wiimote and nunchuk and Zapper is fairly expensive, but you get 2 parts out of 3 when you buy the console! And so what if it’s just a collection of levels, a ‘story’ would just get in the way. You’ve got the satisfaction of blowing things up (did I mention you can charge shots by holding the trigger?), the addiction in reaching medal targets (and tearing apart those of your friends) and the splendor of the Zelda universe. It’s a good few hours banter, at a measly £20. And if that’s still not convinced you, perhaps the knowledge that you can blast those fricking creepy Ooccoos right out the sky with a well aimed shot to the head might. It did for me.
Well, think again. What you should be thinking about, and what Nintendo has commendably pre-empted, are crossbows. Crossbows crossbows crossbows. Not a festive season has gone by where I haven’t though, “Well jeez, you know what I actually wanted? A flippin’ crossbow. Thanks Mum”. Shot into targets. Shot into goblins. Shot into wolves. Shot into children. Shot into anything you can point at really.
So with this remarkable foresight Nintendo brings us the Wii Zapper. More specifically, the Zapper and Link’s Crossbow Training. We all know Link, that lovable elf from the Ordon Province / Kokiri Woods / Island-I-Can’t-Remember, and if you’ve had the admittedly abnormal childhood I’ve had then you’ll probably know what a crossbow is. Mix the pair together and you have the Wii’s first proper ‘light gun’ game.
I must first say that what caught my eye initially was the title. ‘Link’s Crossbow Training’ does seem like a precursor for something more sinister - perhaps the sequel will be ‘Link’s Successful Crossbow Examination’, followed shortly by ‘Link’s Aiming Alarmingly Accurately at your Sister’. Anyway, regardless of my thoughts on Nintendo’s possible attempts to train an army of gamers in the art of assassinations, I went ahead and purchased. After all, it is only £20, and that’s before the magic of student discount.
The game basically boils down to this: 9 increasingly difficult stages of 3 levels, each with opportunities to rack up points by aiming your trusty weapon as best you can. Once you complete a stage of levels, your total score for that stage is totted up and a medal is awarded. Generally speaking, achieving at least a bronze medal will open up the next stage. Beyond this, there is a practice mode which lets you tackle any single unlocked level in preparation for the full stage, and multiplayer, which I haven’t tried because I refused to buy another copy of the game to get a second Zapper.
All of the levels occur in locations from Twilight Princess, including Ordon Village, Zoras Fountain, Death Mountain and even the Temple of Time. Each provides a gorgeous background to the action, as good as in TP itself, along with the same familiar tunes from the Wii classic. This may sound like a bit of a con, but keep in mind we’re talking about a game that comes with a peripheral and all for less than 20 notes.
The tasks to perform almost always fall into one of four categories. The first is bog standard shoot-the-targets. A series of red and white boards pop up, the same ones as you practice on at the start of TP, and hitting each gives you a certain amount of points. Every consecutive hit adds 1 to a score multiplier, which means by target 50 you’ll be flying through the medal ranks. These courses are either static (where the scenery is set and targets pop up intermittently), or dynamic (on horseback, or panning across the landscape). Once you’ve mastered the regular targets, there are lots of hidden objects (jars, scarecrows, pots and skulls) that can be shot for extra points or some cool surprises. Not only this, there are some ‘high score’ yellow targets and -100 ‘cross’ targets. Misfire though, and the multiplier falls back to 0. The later levels of this type are incredibly tricky, and a steady hand is crucial to getting maximum points. Most stages have at least 1 level of this kind.
Bunch two contains levels where you’ll be in the centre of a locale and be able to rotate 360 degrees, taking out enemies from all angles. These start out as simple forays against basic attackers, but soon keeping the multiplier going becomes a challenge as foes dodge, jump and fly closer and faster. You can expect to face off against Keese, Snow Wolves and Stalfos, to name just a few, and none of them are all too pleased to see you. Thankfully, to help you on your way you’ll occasionally have the joy of an automatic crossbow. Green power-ups that you find will allow you to hold down the trigger and wipe out herds at a time. Sure, you’ll probably lose your multiplier. But… automatic… crossbow!
The third big collection contains the free-roaming missions. Dumped in an area with a certain number of enemies, you must use the control stick in addition to the trigger to wander, battle, snipe and kill as fast as possible. Whether it’s Skulltullas in the Forest Temple or those lizard things in the Temple of Time, there isn’t anything much more satisfying than creeping round the forgotten village and taking out 25 goblins from a distance. Well, maybe taking out 25 goblins with an automatic. But that’s just greedy. Again, there are plenty of ways to get mega-points, but half the fun is finding them out, so I won’t spoil it. One tip I would give is to make sure you kill everything, even if you have to hurry. Mmm… triforce…
Finally, there’s the magical miscellaneous kind. Boss battles, boat challenges, and inflatable fruit, they’re all here. The best challenges fall in this group, and it’d be a shame to ruin any of the truly great ones. Trust me though, if the words ‘Dark Knut’ do anything for you, it’s probably a game you won’t want to miss.
The Zapper itself is a sturdy piece of kit. The Wiimote fits into the top half, whilst the nunchuk clicks into place on the handle. Spare cord between the two is neatly tucked underneath in a small compartment and keeps the whole think sleek and easy to use. One issue you might have is aligning the crosshair and Zapper itself so that they align in ‘real life’. This is most likely a sensor-bar placement problem, but the game does have a setting where you can set the crosshair height (and also its sensitivity). There’s a trigger that connects with the ‘B’ button and obviously all the usual button’s that the ‘mote + ‘chuk offer. Not that you’ll be needing many of them, but they’re there.
It’s hard to argue with an offering like this. Not because it’s a stunning or revolutionary game, or because the Zapper is the be all and end all of accessory technology; but because it encapsulates all that the Wii is about – fun. Of course, it’s all beautifully presented (how could it not be, using the TP backgrounds) and the implementation of the crossbow feels just right. Overarching all this, though, is the fact that shooting things with a plastic gun is downright entertaining. So yes, to buy the Wiimote and nunchuk and Zapper is fairly expensive, but you get 2 parts out of 3 when you buy the console! And so what if it’s just a collection of levels, a ‘story’ would just get in the way. You’ve got the satisfaction of blowing things up (did I mention you can charge shots by holding the trigger?), the addiction in reaching medal targets (and tearing apart those of your friends) and the splendor of the Zelda universe. It’s a good few hours banter, at a measly £20. And if that’s still not convinced you, perhaps the knowledge that you can blast those fricking creepy Ooccoos right out the sky with a well aimed shot to the head might. It did for me.
I was umming and aring about getting this, but your review has convinced me!
Another very well written review.
Another very well written review.
It's really worth a buy. There's a surprising amount of depth for what I thought was going to be another 'Wii Play' effort, and the Zapper itself it just damn cool.
Cheers dude!
Cheers dude!