Wii Zapper, now with more Zelda

[JKTrix]

The Wii Zapper package just got a little better. Included with the $20 piece of plastic will be "Link's Crossbow Training", a game where Twilight Princess Link gets a crossbow and shoots stuff.

I feel this peripheral is kind of pointless. You hold it more like a gun with this piece attached, but it's still basically the same as if you were holding the Remote+Nunchuck without it. Still, packaging a game (of any scale, much less Zelda branded) with it and shipping it out for $20 is a pretty neat deal. I'll likely get one.

Full Nintendo Press Release quoted here. It also mentions other lightgun-style games coming out: Resident Evil Umbrella Chronicles, SEGA's Ghost Squad, and a Medal of Honor game.

NINTENDO'S NEW Wii ZAPPER TARGETS FUN
First Wii Game-Play Accessory Comes Packaged with Zelda Software

REDMOND, Wash., Sept. 10, 2007 - Nintendo announced today that the Wii Zapper™ interface for the hit Wii™ home video game system will come packed with Link's Crossbow Training™. The software is based on the hugely popular Legend of Zelda® series and provides a perfect demonstration of the way the Wii Zapper could be used in other games. The Wii Zapper casing houses both the motion-sensitive Wii Remote™ and Nunchuk™ controllers in a single unit for precision targeting. It goes on sale Nov. 19 at an MSRP of just $19.99.
"The Wii Zapper combines our remarkable controllers into one housing with a classic style reminiscent of arcade-style games," says George Harrison, Nintendo of America's senior vice president of marketing and corporate communications. "Both veteran and first-time players will find it brings a whole new dimension to games where targeting is key and provides even more exciting game-play experiences."
Link's Crossbow Training drops players into a world in the style of The Legend of Zelda®: Twilight Princess. Players assume the identity of hero Link, who progresses through a series of tests to perfect his crossbow marksmanship. Start with stationary bull's-eyes and graduate to moving targets before defending Link against all kinds of enemies.
Third-party publishers have lined up to support the Wii Zapper. EA's Medal of Honor Heroes™ 2 lets players take World War II into their hands with the Wii Zapper. The game features an all-new Wii-exclusive Arcade Mode that offers accessibility to gamers of all skill levels, a full single-player campaign and support for up to 32 players in multiplayer. Capcom's Resident Evil®: The Umbrella Chronicles reveals the back story behind the fall of the Umbrella Corporation by exploring locations from Resident Evil 0, 1, 2 and 3, as well as new never-before-seen locations like Umbrella's stronghold. One or two players use the Wii Zapper to take aim against a horde of zombies in first-person perspective. SEGA's Ghost Squad™ lets players replicate the arcade light-gun experience at home with the Wii Zapper.
Remember that Wii features parental controls that let adults manage the content their children can access. For more information about this and other Wii features, visit Wii.com.
The worldwide innovator in the creation of interactive entertainment, Nintendo Co., Ltd., of Kyoto, Japan, manufactures and markets hardware and software for its Wii™, Nintendo DS™, Game Boy® Advance and Nintendo GameCube™ systems. Since 1983, Nintendo has sold nearly 2.4 billion video games and more than 420 million hardware units globally, and has created industry icons like Mario™, Donkey Kong®, Metroid®, Zelda™ and Pokémon®. A wholly owned subsidiary, Nintendo of America Inc., based in Redmond, Wash., serves as headquarters for Nintendo's operations in the Western Hemisphere. For more information about Nintendo, visit the company's Web site at The Official Nintendo Homepage, featuring Brain Age 2: More Training in Minutes a Day, DK: Jungle Climber, Metroid Prime 3: Corruption, Sonic Rush Adventure, MySims.
EA and Medal of Honor Heroes 2 are trademarks or registered trademarks of Electronic Arts Inc. in the U.S. and/or other countries.

Gamasutra - Nintendo's Wii Zapper To Include Zelda Pack-In Title
Breaking: Nintendo Dates Wii Zapper, Confirms Link's Crossbow - Kotaku

[Raebus]

I still prefer that over the other model I've seen recently, it looks more sturdy.

[Slothy]

A $20 piece of plastic and what sounds to be duck hunt with a crossbow and Zelda characters. The game itself may provide $20 worth of enjoyment, but the fact that Nintendo is trying to shove a pointless peripheral down consumers throats is annoying. It doesn't even look that comfortable to me to be honest.

[Roto13]

As long as it includes a game, I'm all for it.

[Rase]

It's a nice gesture, but unless I try one out and find it to be way better for games I'll stick with the Nunchuck setup.

[Momiji]

It looks incredibly awkward...

[Rostum]

I think the Mario Kart Wii steering wheel would be better, as long as it adds some better racing-car functionality to the controller.

[Tifa's Real Lover(really]

thats hot

[Brennan]

It looks cool, but I don't have a Wii

[Peegee]

Here's my dilemma:

If I don't support it, other similar games (gun-based) like Time Crisis or House of the Dead may not be produced for the Wii. And I want those games to be ported to the Wii (or things like it).

What to do, what to do.

[XxSephirothxX]

The fact that it's not shaped like a handgun may well make games like Time Crisis less fun than they were years ago. They may well work better with just the Wiimote.

I think it's a little odd that a "gun" comes with Link's Crossbow training, since a gun is not a crossbow and Link didn't use a crossbow anyway.