Review of the Wii BuckShot Pump-Action Shotgun

When Nintendo chose to model the Wii controller after a television remote, it was not just because of its accessibility and familiarity to the casual gamer. Its simple rectangular shape also made it extremely easy for it to be slipped into a wide array of plastic peripherals. Three years later, we are now living in a world inundated with toy shells for the Wii remote. Out of the list of accessories, which includes everything from boxing gloves to bowling balls, Wii Guns seem to be the most popular, saying much about the human race. Right now you can get a multitude of pistol and shotgun shells for your Wii remote. In such a crowded market made up mostly of cheap hard plastic garbage from shady Hong Kong dealers, Wii gun shells need to go the extra mile in order to succeed. They need to be well-made like the Nyko Perfect Shot, bundled with a game like Nerf N-Strike, or be both and also be made by Nintendo like my previous favorite the Wii Zapper.

The problem with the Zapper is that family-friendly Nintendo went out of their way to make it not look like a gun. However, in the majority of the games that “support” the non-descript piece of plastic, you are wielding it like a gun. Then the Wii Buckshot by Komodo arrived at my house. It quickly dethroned the Zapper as my favorite gun shell by not only being extremely well-made, but also for simple looking like an awesome gun.

Based on the packaging and the general look of the device, you could easily mistake the Buckshot for a toy that had nothing to do with the Wii. It’s a testament to the quality of the design that even without the light gun element it would be able to stand on its own as a fun toy. Between its futuristic shotgun shape, glossy plastic coating and rubberized grip, the Buckshot leaves a terrific first impression. Setting it up for actual playing reveals more of its surprises. After fiddling with the annoying wrist strap, the Wii remote is placed inside a cabinet on the top never to be touched during the gameplay and never breaking the illusion that you are holding a gun. The spring loaded trigger presses the B button while pumping the barrel activates the A button which feels great.

Wii remote vibration and can still be felt and oddly enough, if you have a Nyko rechargeable battery for your Wii remote, it will still fit. Just know that the pumping action will wear away at your rubber grip somewhat. The handle features the analog stick, motion sensing and Z and C buttons of the nunchuk and is attached to the remote through a cool locking mechanism inside the Buckshot. However, the analog stick itself is a bit stiff compared to the real thing. Finally, there is a rail on top presumably for lining up shots but considering Wii IR calibration isn’t the best, it’s mostly just there to look cool in the same corny way arcade light guns do. The one thing the Buck Shot does best is look cool.

After getting it set up and playing some games, I realized that the Buckshot unfortunately shares many of the problems that plague other Wii light guns. It has some heft to it that helps steady your shots but also slows you down a little bit. The biggest issue is that because the Wii remote is locked inside the front, all face buttons except for the A button become inaccessible which can be a problem for some shooting games. Also, the A button can only be hit once with the pumping action, not held down for an extended period of time. It’s mostly a problem for first-person shooters like the Conduit, or rail shooters built specifically for the Wii and that use more of its buttons like Resident Evil Umbrella Chronicles or Dead Space: Extraction. And don’t even think about using it with Metroid Prime. The back of the box claims that it works for both light gun shooters and rail shooters, but using the analog stick to move in conjunction with aiming with the gun feels like rubbing your head and patting your stomach at the same time. Having your hands separated by the Wii remote nunchuk set-up makes it easier for them to do different things in unison. Having everything on the gun substitutes some of that playability for style.

However, the Buckshot works beautifully with most Wii light gun games. Often times when using it in first-person shooters and I would play them like rail shooters, only moving when absolutely necessary. Since most rail shooters have somewhat uncomplicated set-ups, they aren’t hindered by the Buckshot like some other games. The standout for me was House of the Dead: Overkill, the game Komodo smartly chose to demo the Buckshot with. Not only does that game have a badass shotgun-friendly attitude that gels perfectly with the look and feel of the Buckshot, but the A button reloads letting you use the sweet pumping action. Oddly enough, the only other games I played where A reloaded were the live-action plunger shoot-outs of Rayman Raving Rabbids 2. Rounding my collection of games the work nicely with the Buckshot were Ghost Squad, the fake Duck Hunt game in Wii Play that still has no dog to shoot, the on-rails section of Medal of Honor Heroes 2, and Resident Evil 4 thanks to its shooting system that forces you to stop while aiming.

The Buckshot is a sizeable device with a sizeable price tag of about $30, making it more expensive than Nintendo’s Zapper/ Link’s Crossbow Training combo. By the way, Link’s Crossbow Training also works pretty well with the Buckshot. However, the Wii Buckshot is so well made and has enough new and useful functionality that it is totally worth it. Just know that you will be still experiencing many of the limitations native to Wii light gun shells. If only they would bundle it with House of the Dead Overkill. It would be like the Wii Zapper but for men. 

4 out of 5

-Jordan Minor