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Link's Crossbow Training
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Outshines the peripheral it was made for.

Fresh off the heels of a review of the Wii Zapper, we here at GWN thought it only fitting to examine the game the Zapper is packaged with: Link's Crossbow Training. While it may be a pack-in game, Crossbow Training manages to deliver a surprising amount of addictive fun considering its meager $20 price point.

Defender stages have you fighting off hordes of monsters like these stalfos.

As Crossbow Training is only meant to be an intro to the Wii Zapper, don't buy the Zapper expecting to be in for a whole new Zelda adventure. Crossbow Training does contain many locales from Twilight Princess, though, which is where you'll be doing the majority of your shooting. You'll be spending most of your time in Score Attack mode where you'll progress through 30 levels broken into 10 three-stage sets. The three stage types consist of Target Shooter, Defender and Ranger. Target Shooter stages are pretty much self-explanatory, albeit the game mixes it up by making some of these stages static and others on-rails. Defender places you in the middle of incoming monster hordes, while Ranger has Link actually roaming areas on foot with the Nunchuck as you stalk adversaries.

Crossbow Training challenges the player to get the highest score possible on each level, with only a bronze medal rank or higher unlocking the next level set. Luckily, stages can be replayed at any time in both the Score Attack mode as well as the Multiplayer and Practice modes. Sometimes the only way to max out your score is to hit several targets in a row for chain bonuses or destroy parts of the environment to net extra points and Rupees. To aid you in this difficult endeavor, the game lets you shoot more powerful Exploding Arrows by holding down the trigger on the Wii Zapper and gain a temporary rapid-fire ability by shooting green-glowing enemies.

Ranger stages require you to navigate Link about in an area, picking off enemies as you go.

Ironically, Link's Crossbow Training represents the better half of the Wii Zapper package. The controls are incredibly responsive and feature all of the familiar villages, castles, mountains and enemies from Twilight Princess. Link's Crossbow Training is, unsurprisingly, not very deep but it is amazingly polished and addictive. With a cost of just $20 and the inclusion of the Wii Zapper (semi-useless or not), it's also a pretty good deal.

Highs
Addictive gameplay; varying types of challenges; comes free with Wii Zapper.

Lows
Not much depth.

Final Verdict
Not a full game, but nonetheless surprisingly polished and only costs $20 with the Wii Zapper.

70%

Dec 6, 2007

Review by Eddie Bracco.