Link's Crossbow Training (Wii) Second Opinion Review

Link's Crossbow Training is all about, unsurprisingly, improving your crossbow skills. The areas included all come from Twilight Princess, and still contain that sombre tone. Overall, the package is a bit more upbeat then its graphical source material, but everything is still intact, and features nine levels with three modes to play them in, each feeling a bit more enjoyable then the last.

The black sheep is Target Practice, which almost feels like Wii Sports: Hyrule. It's not a bad mode, perse, and the Wii Remote functions beautifully when aiming. Defender is a bit like a rail shooter, while Ranger feels the closest to the games, managing to give off a staunch, third-person shooter feel.

While working through all nine stages, earning medals and vanquishing two very easy bosses, each mode feels very smooth and the gameplay is engaging enough to keep attention levels high. What could the problem possibly be, then? Well, it's simple really. There's no reason for this to be part of the Zelda heritage.

This could have featured any other character in videogame history and it would have felt the same. The decision to make this Link's Crossbow Training and not something else seems to be the Nintendo equivalent of Dorito's Crash Course. It's a good thing this plays so well or else the two could have shared similar fates.

Another glaring issue is the overall length, which is arguably its roughest asset. Not even the weakest of gamers would stretch a single mode to more than a few hours in total, and a skilled player can easily breeze through in under an hour. This is actually the greatest weakness, as while the gameplay is very good, there's not a lot of it. Right when the player is finally getting the feel of things, the credits start rolling.

Packaged originally with the clunky and awkward Wii Zapper, it was actually best to play without it, as it was more akin to attaching a car frame to your Wii Remote than a cool peripheral. Fortunately, it came with Link's Crossbow Training as a freebie, so there was no negatives tied to this fine arcade shooter. It also controls better than most other arcade shooters. While they may not be "must haves," the inclusion of many of Link's most memorable foes does have a certain level of nostalgic charm that can't be overlooked. Going for medals is really fun, and it's enjoyable to take sort of a low key ride through Twilight Princess' most interesting places.