Customer Reviews

Wii Crossbow Gun

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I'm just gonna get this out of the way: The CTA Crossbow is designed as an alternative to the Official Wii Zapper with Link's Crossbow Training. Same basic layout, same basic feel. Only differences are the trigger, which is an improvement over the Zapper design, the crossbow wings and cable (both of which are just for looks and serve no practical function) and the inclusion of a sort of laser sight above the trigger - which was one of the two disappointments for me. I had to disassemble the trigger piece of the crossbow and realign the laser. It was way off center, pointing quite high and to the left. This was easily fixed with a small paper wad tucked into the housing and took less than ten minutes to align, but I shouldn't have had to do anything to it at all. I expect things to work as advertised when I buy them.

The other disappointment is how flimsy it is. When I saw this was made by CTA I expected it to be sturdy; I purchased their Wii SureShot Rifle and Wii Sniper Rifle Gun prior to this and was more than impressed with how sturdy and functional they were. Upon receiving the Crossbow, however, I was rather taken aback by how thin the plastic is around the pockets for the Wii Remote and the Nunchuck; both areas are quite flexible and I felt as though I was going to break it on assembly. With the controllers firmly inserted this problem is mostly negated, the but small "neck" which runs from the Nunchuck cradle to the main body of the Crossbow is thin, hollow plastic and more often than not I'm afraid it's going to break during use. I don't like to have a firm grip on it like I do the Zapper or the other CTA guns I've purchased in the past. I own a great many gun grips for the Wii and this is by far the one I use least. It's decently easy to aim and use and it is slightly more ergonomic than the Zapper, but due to the flimsiness I often just choose the Zapper for gameplay.

To sum it up, if you're not worried about breaking it and can pick it up for a low price, go ahead and get it. But if you already have a Zapper or similar grip, pass this one by.

The cross bow looks awesome (looks real), and works great except that the laser site aims much higher than where the Wii remote hits. The laser site can't be adjusted, so the laser site is basically useless. Otherwise, this is a cool cross bow.

Let me first start off by saying that I only paid a penny for this. I was actually ordering a Wii Crossfire Integrated Remote Pistol and only noticed this as a related purchase. Both were available for Super Saver shipping, but neither qualified on its own. Since this was $8.99 and I was going to have to pay $8.98 to ship the Crossfire anyway, I went ahead and bought this too, mostly out of curiosity. So, like I said, I got this for a penny, essentially. And, frankly, that's about all it's worth.

I don't have much to add that hasn't already been said. The whole thing feels very cheap and flimsy, especially the Nunchuck cradle and support. In fact, my Nunchuck cradle tried to curl in on itself, causing me to have to pry the sides apart in order to actually insert the Nunchuk. The compartment for the cord in much too small, and, like the Nunchuk cradle, the sides tried to bow inward, making the cover extremely difficult to fit back into place, even without the cord. In the end, even though I had folded my cord "very neatly into the compartment" as the instructions directed, the cover (once I finally got the thing in place) still wouldn't completely snap into place. There simply isn't enough room for the cord.

The trigger section actually feels relatively solid, and the trigger itself has a nice pull to it. While it was a bit inaccurate, I still liked the addition of the laser sight. As the other reviewers have noted, it is possible to disassemble the unit and re-align the laser, so that is fixable.

All of that being said, I still rather like this. I am all about full-immersion in video games, and so I really enjoy using this when playing Link's Crossbow Training. Despite its construction flaws, this thing has a really awesome and authentic look to it, and really enhances the experience of the game, although to be honest I really didn't notice any significant change in my performance over the Wii Zapper. I haven't tested it with any other games, but of course it will work with any game designed for the Zapper. I am not aware of any other rail-shooter-type game that uses a crossbow, though, so I'm not sure if this would be a practical choice for anything other than LCT.

Overall, I would only recommend this if A) you can find it for a really good price (or nearly free, like I did), or B) you are /really/ concerned with making your real-life gaming experience as close to the in-game one as possible. I am an avid collector of Wii gun accessories, so I am glad to have this in my collection. However, if you are only concerned about practical, useful, and well-made accessories, I would suggest you pass on this one.

Other reviews fail to mention several drawbacks relative to the Nintendo Zapper:

- trigger is a slide mechanism like the Nyko Perfect Shot or Nerf Switch Shot so is a bit more effort than the lever-style Zapper
- cable management is a compartment one stuffs the cable into w/o the perfectly spaced posts the Zapper has
- the attachment for the Nunchuk twists easily, lacking the rigidity of the Zapper

While it's fun and neat looking (esp. w/ a black remote and Nunchuk) one is not likely to score better w/ it than w/ a Zapper.

Not as good as expected. Delayed firing & hard to put the control in it to work the gun. Wouldn't buy it again knowing what I know now.

The construction of the plastic crossbow is just about what you should expect. Average. That being said, I really enjoy the look of a crossbow more than the standard Wii gun. That right there is worth the money for me.

Don't expect much from the laser function. It's off center for where the gun will shoot, and it hardly shows up on my TV anyways.

Link's Crossbow Training game is great!! So addicting for a simple game!

The laser doesn't work that's fine. The cross bow works good with shimano extreme bow fishing than the bow set I purchased. I give this product a thumbs up.

The detail on the bow is terrific. Using this toy adds a nice element to the gaming experience. My only complaint is it is a little light weight and I'm concerned that kids playing rough might break it. If your klid is prone to throwing toys after losing a game, look for something a little more sturdy. Then again, it's not expensive so it's no great loss as far as the cost goes... cool accessory.

I liked the idea of the crossbow for the wii and I love the style of them. But I just feel like with all the accessories for the wii that there should be some integration of the a button, plus, minus, and d pad into the holders themselves instead of just being a glorified gun that looks like a crossbow. That is all.

I only kept this because it gets a huge laugh whenever I pull it out. The whole thing feels cheaply built. The laser doesn't aim with the zapper at all. The ergonomics are bad. It was cheap and its funny so I didn't return it.