Nyko Perfect Shot (Wii)

The good: Pistol-shaped Wii remote accessory; allows for nunchuk attachment; affordable.

The bad: Trigger is tougher to shoot than Wii Zapper.

The bottom line: The Nyko Perfect Shot is an affordable alternative to the Wii Zapper--we just wish it was as comfortable.

We've seen our fair share of Wii accessories by now--most of them meaningless plastic encasings providing no real advantage over just using the Wii remote by itself. But with the Perfect Shot from Nyko, we're finally seeing a practical application for use with most Wii shooter games. The snap-on housing gives your Wii remote the look and feel of a pistol. It retails for under $15.

The Perfect Shot is heavier than you might think, and with the Wii remote loaded in, it feels very solid. The only moving parts you'll find are the trigger and mounting bracket located on the tip of the gun. To load the Perfect Shot, simply slide the Wii remote into the top of the gun, locking the remote into place. We recommend removing the Wii wrist strap before you do so. Then, slide the orange securing mounting bracket over the remote, near the "power" button. Don't worry about scratching your remote--the mounting clip has a padded bottom. The Perfect Shot also supports the use of the nunchuk attachment as well--just clip it in to the bottom of the Perfect Shot's handle.

As for fitting the Wiimote into the Perfect Shot--just be aware you'll need it to be stripped down to just the basics. That means the Wii remote sleeve and the wrist strap will need to be removed, for instance. Even the rubberized covers found on the rechargeable batteries of the Nyko Charging Station were a tight fit--we were just barely able to snap the orange mounting bracket over the top of the "barrel" when using one.

Performance-wise, the Perfect Shot tested well. We played a variety of games, including House of the Dead 2 & 3, Medal of Honor 2: Heroes, and Resident Evil: Umbrella Chronicles. You may instinctually find yourself looking down the sights on the Perfect Shot, but you'll find that it isn't very accurate. This is because the Wii doesn't work like the conventional light-gun games we've come to know in arcades. Instead, the Wii works using motion sensing and IR, so you're better off holding the Perfect Shot down closer to your torso rather than up near your head.

One complaint we had while testing the Perfect Shot arose due to the sluggishness of the trigger. In arcade-style shooting fiascos like the ones found in House of the Dead, you'll find yourself rapidly shooting over and over. After about a half hour of this, we began to develop a slight irritation on our trigger finger and actually had to switch hands. When we tried this out with the Wii Zapper, we felt much more comfortable, as the Zapper has a much easier-to-shoot trigger than the Perfect Shot. Also, with the Perfect Shot, we missed the added support from your free hand. We felt that our gameplay was more accurate when switching to the Zapper.

Priced at $15, the Nyko Perfect Shot is a solid affordable alternative to the Wii Zapper if you feel more comfortable with a pistol-styled attachment. We liked playing with the Perfect Shot, especially games where our character was using a pistol, but the Wii Zapper is more accurate and requires less force to operate the trigger.