Review: Joytech Sharp Shooter Gun

Joytech Sharp Shooter Gun
Manufacturer: Joytech
Site:
Price: $27.95

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Overview : Lock and load with the Sharp Shooter™ from JOYTECH. Fully compatible with all forms of TV's and displays including plasma and LCD, the Sharp Shooter brings Wii™ shooting games to life with amazing realism. Connecting quickly and safely to the Wii™ Remote and Nunchuck, the Sharp Shooter™ is lightweight, simple to use and requires no batteries, no leads and no worries! Shoot to thrill!

Features :

• Convert your Wii Remote and Nunchuk into a precision shooter
• Easy-load and Quick-Eject design connects and dismantles to the Wii Remote and Nunchuk in seconds
• Maintains full access to the Wii Remote and Nunchuk controls

Quality/Usability : While us gamers wait for Nintendo to release the Wii Zapper, we have to resort to 3rd party peripherals to fill in that void. There have been various different types of light gun attachments on the market. Before the Wii Zapper was announced, the Joytech Sharp Shooter was the talk of the town.

Unlike the Wii Light Gun, the Sharp Shooter's main trigger is the "Z" button on the Nunchuk rather than the "B" button on the Wii Remote. The Wii Remote is placed on top of the barrel while the Nunchuk is used as the handle/grip.

To insert the Wii Remote into the barrel, there is a locking mechanism with a spring on it, that holds the handle and barrel closed. Pulling back the locking mechanism will allow the barrel to fold down. This will allow you to insert the Wii Remote as well as connect the Nunchuk to the bottom of the Wii Remote. The bottom of the barrel has an opening for easy access to the "B" button. The barrel also allows easy access to any of the buttons on the Wii Remote.

Once the Wii Remote is in place, you'll have to pull the locking mechanism back to gain access to connecting the Nunchuk to the Wii Remote. On the side of the Sharp Shooter, there is a small opening on the side. This is where the cord of the Nunchuk is placed so that it is not in the way of the locking mechanism.

Placing the Nunchuk in place is fairly simple. Simply pull back on the locking mechanism and place the Nunchuk into the cradle. The locking mechanism covers the top of the Nunchuk slightly so that it does not fall out of its cradle. Accessing the "Z" or "C" button on the Nunchuk is accessible without a problem along with the joystick.

To connect everything together, simply move the barrel back up and use the locking mechanism to lock the handle and barrel together. It will require you to put some pressure to lock it in place. To dismantle, simply pull back on the locking mechanism.

Conclusion : Overall, the Joytech Sharp Shooter Gun is probably the best constructed light gun attachment on the market..for now. Depending on the game available for the Wii, it may require either the "B" button or "Z" button to be used as the trigger button even though the layout of the Sharp Shooter suggests that the "Z" button is the trigger. So regardless of which is used as a trigger button, the Sharp Shooter accommodates both possibilities nicely. What I dont like is the Nunchuk cord dangling from the side of the gun. This can get annoying at times during gameplay.

Images via comments

I originally bought this for Resident Evil 4, but it doesn't work for the game. It's only really designed for first person shooters. But then most FPSes for the Wii use the B button as the trigger. You can still use the B button, only it doesn't feel natural. Before getting this gun adapter, you better make sure the game you're buying it for uses the Z or C buttons on the Nunchuk as the trigger. Hopefully, developers will take into concideration the Wii Zapper and the Sharp Shooter when developing new Wii FPS games, and make the button configuration changeable.