Lamp creator fluffypants says that the typical cartridge wasn't large enough to be stable, so she created a 1.5 scale replica to serve as the base. Pretty neat, though I wish she had slapped on a mocking dog on the other side of the shade.

Duck Hunt NES zapper lamp [Craftster, via CrunchGear]

[via GayGamer]

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.

And just for comparison sake... the dreaded Car Vault.

Here is my lego zapper! [via gonintendo]

The Post writes of the hysteria surrounding toy gun products over the years, chronicling a time period when kids coveted BB guns and replicas, and when Boston area gangs turned Super Soakers into deadlier than advertised weapons. It's a story worth reading, if only a prep work for the impending ruining of thousands of children's futures as they're brought to the brink of madness while shooting Goron in the belly. God help us all.

Toy Guns and the Little Bang theory of violence [Washington Post]

The premise is fairly simple. Apparently, Link is in need of some crossbow skill honing, with scores of enemies ready to be dispatched by bolt and helpful Goron willing to wear wooden targets on their crotches for the elf-boy to shoot at. Link has limited time to shoot as many targets as possible, with accuracy and tactical score planning rewarding the player.

A total of 27 stages are offered, broken up into 9 levels with 3 stages each. Three types of modes are available, including Score Attack, Multiplayer and Practice. Fairly self-explanatory, yes, but the stages in Score Attack are played in a groups of three at a time. In order to achieve the highest score and acquire the medal of the highest value (platinum, natch), you'll have to perform well in all three events. This is where Link's Crossbow Training can turn from interesting diversion to high scoring obsession.

Securing a bronze medal by scoring 20,000 points in each Score Attack level is fairly simple. It's also necessary, in order to unlock levels beyond the first three initially available. Getting your hands on each level's platinum medals—requiring a rather challenging 80,000 point score—will be where one spends most of his or her time. Link's Crossbow Training may only take an hour or so to beat, but it's in the perfecting of one's score where the extra hours lie.

The key to high scores is in maintaining a long-running score multiplier. If you don't miss a single shot, you can end a stage with a 32X multiplier, sometimes higher. Shoot every target and you'll be rewarded with a bonus triforce piece to the tune of 5,000.

Also key to high scores are bulls-eye accurate shots and speedy shots at non-critical stage items. Things like clay pots, barrels, scarecrows and signposts not only add a point or five here and there, they sometimes contain bonus items. Golden nuggets, for example, that pop out of cow skulls and clay pots are worth up to a thousand points. Some levels contain secrets that are more well-hidden, including the first stage of the game; shoot enough arrows and the front door of a village house and balloons will fly out. Duck Hunt-level depth this is not.

Link has access to three types of crossbow bolts. The standard bolt will be used far more than anything else. An exploding bolt can be fired by holding the B button until the cursor turns orange. It will do splash damage, including hurting Link if fired too closely, and can take out multiple enemies. Players probably won't use it too often, save for the game's boss battles, as it rarely helps in boosting your score. Finally, Link will sometimes have access to an automatic crossbow, which launches rapid fire bolts and is only available from enemies who glow green.

There's much more to the scoring and much of the game's inherent fun is giving it a go just one more time, looking for a way to boost yourself into the platinum range (or beyond).

The game's multiplayer may not be as imminently accessible (or fun) as party staples Wii Sports, ,em>Mario Party 8 or Wario Ware Smooth Moves, but it's serviceable. Only one Zapper is required as players will take turns with the shell in succession.

The only negative aspects of Link's Crossbow Training are in it's very short completion time and the often frustratingly slow menu system. When hunting for a higher score, the long pauses between selecting menu options and getting back into the game can be tiresome. Some stages are simply less fun than others, if only because of their initially confusing goals and varying difficulty. Yes, these are very minor complaints.

For the low buy in, it's hard not to recommend Link's Crossbow Training, as it's worth far more than the molded plastic holder with which it's bundled. With a solid line-up of Zapper-ready games coming over the next few months, it's definitely worth the budget price.

Pray for it while perusing the official news release after the jump.

SEGA ANNOUNCES THE HOUSE OF THE DEAD 2 & 3 RETURN FOR THE Wii

Horror Arcade Game to Bring Non-Stop Shooting Action

SAN FRANCISCO & LONDON (November 15, 2007) - SEGA® of America, Inc. and SEGA® Europe Ltd. today announced that THE HOUSE OF THE DEAD 2 & 3 RETURN™ is coming to the Wii™ home video game system from Nintendo. Combining two arcade games, THE HOUSE OF THE DEAD 2™ and THE HOUSE OF THE DEAD III™, this new compilation gives gamers the full arcade experience of battling hordes of rabid zombies in the comfort of their homes.

In THE HOUSE OF THE DEAD 2 & 3 RETURN, players will be able to play both versions of the game, battling the relentless attack of the blood thirsty zombies with steady aim and a quick trigger finger. Utilizing the innovative new Wii Zapper™ or the Wii Remote™ and Nunchuk™, players will experience branching storylines with over six game modes including Arcade Mode and Time Attack modes that will test their shooting skills. THE HOUSE OF THE DEAD 2 & 3 RETURN features an engaging single-player campaign, plus a co-op multiplayer mode for up to two players for countless hours of zombie shooting action.
"THE HOUSE OF THE DEAD franchise has been revitalized for today's gamer looking for non-stop shooting action on the Wii," said Rick Naylor, Director of Marketing, SEGA of America, Inc. "This will take gamers back to experience the celebrated first-person arcade shooter that was so popular in the late '90s."

THE HOUSE OF THE DEAD franchise is famous for its heart-pounding pace, astounding visual details and vast armies of unique enemies. Blasting through legions of grotesque zombies and mutated monsters, players eventually face-off against mammoth boss creatures that will test the accuracy and skill of every Wii gamer.

THE HOUSE OF THE DEAD 2 & 3 RETURN will be available for the Wii home video game system from Nintendo in spring 2008. For more information, screenshots and assets please visit the SEGA Press FTP site at: http://segapr.segaamerica.com.

About SEGA of America, Inc.:
SEGA® of America, Inc. is the American arm of Tokyo, Japan-based SEGA® Corporation, a worldwide leader in interactive entertainment both inside and outside the home. The company develops, publishes and distributes interactive entertainment software products for a variety of hardware platforms including PC, wireless devices, and those manufactured by Nintendo, Microsoft and Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. SEGA of America's Web site is located at www.sega.com.

About SEGA Europe Ltd.:
SEGA® Europe Ltd. is the European Distribution arm of Tokyo, Japan-based SEGA® Corporation, and a worldwide leader in interactive entertainment both inside and outside the home. The company develops, publishes, and distributes interactive entertainment software products for a variety of hardware platforms including PC, wireless devices, and those manufactured by Nintendo, Microsoft, and Sony Computer Entertainment Europe. The SEGA® Europe Ltd. Web site is located at www.sega-europe.com.

I've already offered up my thoughts on both Link's Crossbow Training and Medal of Honor Heroes 2, but I'll do my best to answer questions and provide a full review in the coming days.

As a footnote, for those who intend to pick up the Wii Zapper, it seems that some retailers are either ignoring the original MSRP of $19.99 or Nintendo has bumped it up based on positive reception of the product. Both Gamestop and Amazon now list the Zapper peripheral at $24.99.

Some unboxing pics in the gallery below.

So, what's up? What are you playing this weekend?

At this point, Sega has made no official announcements about such a collection, but Gamefly's track record of spoiling announcements has been fairly solid so far. As a superfan of The House of the Dead 2, I am cautiously optimistic, hoping that I'll get the Wii opportunity to give the shotgun-heavy The House of the Dead III a second chance.

House of the Dead 2 & 3 Return [Gamefly via Go Nintendo]

Wii Cyber Gun [brando]

My biggest issue with the Wii title was with its AI behavior. I was having a blast shooting dozens of Axis soldiers in the face, but got quite a few unintended chuckles out of the asinine behavior displayed by my Nazi rivals. Hordes of German soldiers sought cover behind tiny cable spools, bent over as if they were behind much larger structures, content to be shot to bits by myself and my team. Others raced down platforms, running right past me on the way to their waypoint before turning around and firing upon me. On the flip side, some of the game's bad guys displayed amazing accuracy as they fired semi-automatic rifles at me from hundreds of yards away, while I struggled with my sniper scope.

My team's AI didn't fare much better, caught in silly looking firefights in which our opposing factions shot at eachother from opposite sides of the same crate. Sometimes, U.S. soldiers and Germans faced eachother at the corners of giant crates, inches away, waiting until I shot the helmet off an enemy. "Save some for us!" they would shout.

Despite some wonky behavior, Medal of Honor Heroes 2 was surprisingly fun to play. As an on-rails shooter, it's no Ghost Squad. But the on-rails portion, paired with a standard FPS game, should make for a good time with the Wii Zapper.

The standard FPS mode is best served played with the standard Nunchuk and Wii Remote combo, as the game features a strong control scheme with some welcome motion control additions. Peeking out from behind cover, for instance, requires a slight tilt of the Nunchuk. Precision aiming via your rifle sights can be done with a press of the A button, then a quick aim with the remote. It works well in tight situations, but the standard firing reticle is pretty forgiving. The only control complaint was using the Wii-mote as a mouselook replacement, something that can be challenging when things get hairy.

Furthermore, I expect that many Wii gamers won't pay much attention to the game's spotty AI, since they'll be playing many of their games online. While the E For All demo wasn't showcasing the online multiplayer, which supports 32 player matches, it will surely be the biggest long-term draw for Medal of Honor fans.

Medal of Honor Heroes 2 may not be a star performer in the graphics department and it's certainly got some rough edges, but it's still a fun trip. Some clever implementations of the Wii remote and one of the few games that's built for the Zapper make it stand out. It's out in a few weeks, so hold tight for reviews, but it could be a fun diversion for Wii owners looking for something to do between bouts of Super Mario Galaxy.

Ghost Squad's gimmick is in its branching paths, a series of divergent approaches to each of the game's levels. You'll be given on-screen prompts at certain points, giving you the option to, for example, attempt to free a group of hostages first or head down to the main floor of a building and eliminate hordes of terrorists. You may simply be presented with which direction you'd like to follow at a checkpoint. Sometimes you have two options, sometimes three.

The game also differs in its use of an action button. Freeing those aforementioned hostages requires you to point your targeting reticle at a hostage and press the action button for them to be freed. The same with diffusing a series of claymore mines. In two-player mode, players must cooperate to make these actions happen. There are other "quick time event" moments that utilize the action button—the Nunchuk's Z-button—including one that requires your Ghost Squad team members to punch a bad guy in the chest, requiring quick reflexes, good aim and teamwork.

The pace of constantly shooting people in the face, while avoiding firing at hostages and teammates, is also broken up with non-standard weapons. You'll have limited access to missile launchers and grenades at certain points, adding a little variety to the action. Power ups and bonuses are scattered about levels, like bullet proof vests that reduce damage from enemy fire in half.

Ghost Squad isn't the prettiest of Wii games, but it gets the job done in the graphics department. Character models are blocky, but environments have plenty to shoot at and the game never slows down. It's surprisingly fun, especially for anyone who considers themselves a fan of arcade light gun shooters.

Link's Crossbow Training is broken up into 9 levels, each with three stages. These stages are one of three types: Target Shooting, Defender or Ranger.

Target Shooting levels consists of a series of bull's-eyes that pop up on screen, including proper wooden bull's-eyes on posts or held by Goron, or in the style of skeet shooting, with a series of cow skulls catapulted into the air.

Defender sees an on screen Link in an over-the-shoulder camera style, remaining stationary. Players can pan the camera left or right with the direction of the Wii remote to look around. In one stage, a horde of Stalfos bears down on him, while in another Link floats down a river, facing Tektikes and other water creatures.

Ranger gameplay uses the analog stick to move Link around a level, with the Wii remote again used to look around. In one stage, Link must eliminate 25 Moblins with the crossbow with a strict time limit. Far more awkward than the other two game types and decidedly less enjoyable in its control complexity.

The challenge in Link's Crossbow Training comes from its combo system. Simply put, the more shots you string together, the better your score multiplier. There is some strategy involved here, as you'll want to save targets that net more points for later on in your combo sequence. Add a host of interactive objects in each level—barrels, scarecrows, clay pots, all of which can be shot for more points and a higher multiplier—and you'll be going in for just one more attempt at your high score and a better end of level medal.

Link's Crossbow Training was the biggest surprise for me at Nintendo's recent media event. While I'll regularly scoff at the Wii Zapper and the majority of the software that supports it, I'll gladly play plenty of Link's Crossbow Training. For a budget title, it has made its Zapper peers look like a bunch of amateurs.

Most alarming among the concerns were that "toys guns of yesteryear were red, blue and whatever... no ligitimate [sic] reason to risk anyones life." Instead, Nintendo is letting our children run around with white guns, just like the real life ones. Are they mad?!

I know what you're thinking. "Get a brain morans!", right? Not so fast.

Unfortunately, the clueless Parental Guidance team posted the wrong photo of the Wii Zapper. Using the above picture, one that's modeled closely after an actual handgun instead of the Nintendo manufactured device which looks more like a Dustbuster or space age caulking gun. The wrong photo was up for about 24 hours worth of hilarious, misinformed angry comments.

Go on. Read. You might even come to appreciate your fellow commenters while doing so.

What Do We Think of Wii? [Parental Guidance with The Star Ledger]