WalMart Holiday Clearance - 2000 Wii Points For $15

I was at my local WalMart last night due to a last minute birthday gift card from my sister, and noticed some interesting discounts in the video game aisle pertaining to Nintendo fans. Remember around Christmas when Wal-Mart stores were filled with Wii and DS holiday merchandise? Well many of them still are, and that crap has to go. Now these bargains might not be available at every store - I've seen them at two now so far - but the chance to get a 2000 point Wii Points card bundled with a crappy classic controller sleeve for only $15 is worth looking into, especially with the recent launch of WiiWare.

Other deals I saw included the DS lite starter kits with some kind of system cover and your choice of games (Elite Beat Agents, Polarium, or True Swing Golf) discounted to $9, and the Nintendo Zapper with Link's Crossbow Training at an extremely respectable $12.

Color me puzzled. Why would anyone, and I mean anyone, want to port a horrid, mostly unseen coin-op rail shooter from 2004 to the Wii?

Maybe Konami thinks the kitsch factor will outweigh what will soon officially be the worst graphics on the Wii console. That's right this makes Cruisi'n look like a Playstation 2 game. I'd blame the horrid graphics on the Wii, but I've seen the arcade game and they were just as bad on the 2004 coin-op, maybe worse.

A take-off of the original, digitized-photo meets sub-par graphics rail shooter Area 51, Target: Terror will be compatible with the Wii Zapper and has players take on the role of an elite counter-terrorist agent taking down a wave of terrorists, all of whom happen to wear sunglasses or bandannas. The original game actually featured a level at the Denver Airport, but it was so horribly generic I couldn't convince my editors at the Rocky to do a story about it.

Target: Terror will also include mini-games and is due out in the first quarter of 08. Two more screens after the jump.

LEGO Zapper Mod Connects All Pieces Of My Heart

My friends, there are mods and there are mods. But for a mod to be awarded the immortality of Kotakutalics, it need be something extraordinary. This Wii Zapper constructed (solely?) of legos (UPDATE: screw grammar, I say it this way) is indeed something extraordinary. Because at long last, Man has the proper peripheral to play an honest game of LEGO Duck Hunt. And we're sure it's every bit as wonderful as we thought it to be.

Here is my lego zapper! [via gonintendo]

We're happy to see yet another Wii Zapper knock-off hitting the shelves. What's this one bring to the table? Well, first off, you save a sweet four bucks off the retail Wii Zapper (though we're guessing Link's Crossboy Training is worth at least that much). But on top of that tremendous savings, you also get a banana clip hand grip for full-on guerrilla-style warfare. Would Nintendo ever support tropical jungle mercenary justice? Don't think so. Lamos.

Wii Cyber Gun [brando]

Resident Evil: Umbrella Chronicles Montage Trailer

Unlike some of my esteemed colleagues, I'm quite looking forward to RE: Umbrella Chronicles. I've been a fan of rail shooters since House of the Dead and my very favorite, Carn-Evil. I've played RE:UC a few times now at various events with and without the Wii Zapper and while I enjoyed it, I will admit that I liked it better in co-op mode. Something about standing side by side with a friend, taking out zombies right and left with a well placed head shot that just makes my heart light up.

The earliest record of the crossbow is from Greece in the 5th century BC, so you folks over in Europe have had plenty of crossbow training already. This is probably why you're going to have to wait until December 7th to pay £20 / €30 for Nintendo's Wii Zapper and Link's Crossbow Training, which hits North America on November 19th. We cannot have you folks armed before we've had a proper training period. Otherwise we'd be completely screwed in the States when the great crossbow war breaks out. Besides, if we win, English will be the official language of Europe and these delays won't be an issue any longer!

Europe to Get Zapping Before Christmas [Next Gen]

I've gotten official confirmation from Nintendo that the Wii Zapper interface will indeed come with Link's Crossbow Training packed in and that the remote-housing Wii Zapper will sell for $20 starting Nov. 19.

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.

Nintendo also confirms a pretty interesting line-up of third-party Wii Zapper support including Resident Evil: The Umbrella Chronicles, Ghost Squad and Medal of Honor Heroes 2 which will include single player, arcade mode and support for up to 32 players in multiplayer.

Dean's Best of E3 Nominees

Yesterday's Best of E3 finalists announcement gives you a sense of what the several dozen official Game Critics judges thought of the show.

But it doesn't really point any fingers. Fortunately, a lot of people have been posting up their ballots for the nomination process. I posted ours and MTV's Totilo's last week. Now we get to peek at Newsweek's N'Gai Croal and The Merc's Dean Takahashi's. I've posted excerpts and links after the jump.

E306: Nintendo Wii Zapper