Ready To Learn The Crossbow Like Link?

Posted on September 21, 2007 - Filed Under Accessories, Casual Gaming, Industry News, Nintendo Wii |

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The next oddly casual title arriving on the Wii is not just a game but an accessory bundled all-in-one. Link’s Crossbow Training will launch on November 19th, 2007 for roughly USD $24.99. That much for a silly mini-game shooting collection?

It comes with a gun!

Hopefully Nintendo won’t get in “trouble” with their next gun product like they once did with the original Zapper which went from a gray color to an ugly orange. Why? Apparently the original Nintendo light gun looked “too real” - you know… lot’s of people walk around with sci-fi looking gray plastic weapons.

Anyway, Link’s Crossbow Training is targeted at a mass audience of gamers, casual and hardcore, and utilizes much of the “look and feel” of Twilight Princess. Here are some of the specifics:

Anyone can pick up the Wii Zapper and become a master marksman in the quick-play shooting galleries of Link’s Crossbow Training. Dozens of fast-paced stages offer a wide variety of game play, from shooting stationary targets to defending a supply wagon from onrushing hordes of enemies. Multiplayer modes let players and their friends share a Wii Zapper to shoot for the high score.

Link’s Crossbow Training comes bundled with the Wii Zapper. After a few rounds of Link’s Crossbow Training, players will be more than ready to pick up any of the future Wii Zapper titles, like Medal of Honor Heroes™ 2, Ghost Squad™ and Resident Evil®: The Umbrella Chronicles.

You’ll gain access to three types of game styles while playing: target shooting, defender and ranger. Here is a breakdown of the three game styles:

Target Shooting: In target-shooting rounds, players shoot bull’s-eyes as they pop up on the screen. In early stages, targets are stationary. As the game difficulty increases in later levels, the targets move. Hitting the center of the bull’s-eye nets more points, and hitting targets in succession without missing earns combo multipliers. Link can aim anywhere on the screen.

Defender: In defender rounds, players remain stationary but can look and aim in all directions - sometimes even in a full 360 degrees - by aiming off screen. Hordes of enemies assault Link, and he must fight them off. These battles have a great deal of variety, from fighting off skeletons in a desert to defending a wagon from boar-riding Bokoblins.

Ranger: In ranger rounds, players can move throughout the level using the control stick and aim anywhere they want by aiming the Wii Zapper wherever they want to look. In these missions, Link storms enemy encampments, fights his way through a forest and seeks out his foes while exploring the environments.

Remember, this isn’t a “light gun” but a normal shooter style Wii title so you’ll have to get used to the reticule like other first person shooter style games.

The Wii Zapper requires the Wii Remote and Nunchuk, housing both in a comfortable and intuitive frame. The control stick on the Nunchuk controls player movement (on stages that allow player movement), while simply aiming the Wii Zapper moves the targeting reticule on the screen. Pulling the trigger fires Link’s crossbow. By aiming off screen, players can turn Link to face in a new direction (again, on stages that allow this).

What do you think? Is this going to be a successful title by itself or are folks going to buy it just so they can use it for other shooting style games? It’s casual, for sure, but is it worth USD $24.99?

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