I picked the Perfect Shot because I read a bunch of reviews that said the zapper wasn't so great, that the real value was in the game that came with it. If you want to buy new in a store, and you want the game, you have no choice but to get the zapper so you might as well try it and you can always get another gun. But what I did was buy just the game alone on eBay, and bought what looked to be the better gun.

The main complaint about the zapper seem to be from the elongated shape, which (a) places the trigger farther away than feels natural and (b) forces you to hold your arm out, which may be more tiring, and pretty much makes you aim by moving your whole arm. With the Perfect Shot which is pistol-sized, you still *can* hold it out or move your arm if that's what you want to do, but you can also bring it in and easily aim with your wrist if you prefer. I saw one reviewer mentioned that he liked the way the zapper positioned the nunchuck behind the gun, but if you like that arrangement, there's nothing stopping you from holding the nunchuck in that kind of position with the perfect shot, resting your hand-with-nunchuck on your other wrist as you shoot. (On some games, the nunchuck is used for character navigation while you are shooting.)

I will say that I wish the controller went in and out of the Perfect Shot more easily.

Boom Blox does sound like it might be up my alley, I'll keep an eye out for that one.

I spent some more time with Excite Truck last night... still can't get past the tutorial. And wasn't even enjoying trying. Oh well.

I did a little better with Carnival Games... actually got a ball into the barrel... but still found it to be kind of unnatural and frustrating overall. And this may sound silly, but I find the obnoxious, insulting carnival barkers irritating.

Play the dunk tank on Carnival. Then you can at least make the wise cracking guy pay for his comments.

I think the biggest flaw of the Ninty zapper is that for a two handed, separated grip, the hands are the total opposite from holding a real gun. It just feels so unnatural to me. I would have liked it better if they could have figured out a way to have the nunchuk in front of the right hand instead of behind it.

I prefer to use the cheap pistol controllers I picked up on ebay.

I agree you should try Galaxy, I'm getting to the age where I can be classified as an old fogey. I'm also not much of a platformer fan, but Mario Galaxy is super fun!

Speaking of attachments... I got the Nerf sports pack, and the tennis racket is nice, definitely giving the controller more heft and providing a better grip, it does make the game feel more real and natural, gives you a little more of a workout, and even makes a kind of satisfying realistic "whoosh" as it slices through the air! For two players, I had originally thought maybe someone could use the bat.. wrong shape, but you still get the heft... until I realized that you can only use one attachment at a time since they all connect to the same base piece, which you only get one of. So now I'm thinking about buying a second racket, and since that's the only piece I want, it seems a waste to buy a whole other nerf pack. So I was looking at some cheaper racket-only pieces. But if they're too small and light, that might not offer much, and on the other hand, I also wonder if the bigger ones will be too impractical for two people playing indoors without whacking each other! If one is too light, I suppose you might be able to add something to it to make it heavier... Anyway, I thought I'd ask, anyone have any good/bad experiences with various tennis racket attachments?

That's not silly AT ALL . . . I would like the game a lot better without those stupid balloon-heads and their smart remarks. It's a good game for turning the sound off and cranking up the stereo!

As for the person asking about the Zapper, I like it but I admit it hurts my wrist. I have pretty small hands but I do tend to use a death-grip (regardless of the controller), I don't know if that's the problem or if it's the angle of the trigger. Or the fact that I tend to play Link for 2+ hours at a time. I got the Zapper/Link set as a Christmas gift, I might consider getting another gun in the future IF they come out with some better shooters in the future. I was really hoping that RE:UC and House of the Dead would be more fun. Anyway, for just Link, it's fine (for me).

Oh, one more nice thing about the Perfect Shot... maybe it's the same with the zapper, I don't know... but the design is such that, even though you don't touch the remote (it sits inside the gun), you still feel its vibrations in the handle of the gun when you shoot it, which is kinda cool.

Meanwhile, I looked at Thrillville tonight. Interesting, The main game is a sim game, which while it looks like it could be a good one of its type, is not something I want to do... BUT it has 50 minigames, almost all of which can be played without being "unlocked" by playing the main game. I haven't looked at most of them yet, but it seems like those alone might make the title worthwhile, seeming more entertaining that Carnival Games, for instance. The "real" game is almost like the extra bonus if you feel like it. I'll have to wait until I have more time to really look at most of them, though.

Mario Kart has no cut scenes, dialogue, plot, or tutorial. Thought you should know. (sorry, haven't heard of Thrillville)

Good point about Mario Kart. There is a little learning curve as far as how to use/deflect the items and how to use drift, but truly can just pick up and drive. On the other hand, it is frustrating to get hammered by item after item after item when there's not much you can do about it. A couple of other threads have been posted on that and I'm starting to agree.

I'm glad you like Thrillville! I find the main game sorta lame too, especially the interactions with the park-goers, I tend to think that is more for kids. I haven't designed any roller coasters, either, but a lot of people seem to enjoy that. Anyway, the minigames are a riot! I like the shooting ones the best, but Bandito Chinchilla and Luftwaffe are pretty sweet too. Vendor Tendor is the same every time but I still find myself playing it over and over and over and over. Since you like Link (as I do) I suspect you will dig the shooting games too. There are several that slightly resemble some of the Link levels - shooting galleries, seek-and-destroy enemies in a timed hunt, etc.

I'm REALLY glad to hear someone else likes Thrillville! It's not a popular one, as you can tell a lot of people on here haven't even heard of it!

Jeanniepep, I think your initial recommendation in this thread is what turned me on to Thrillville in the first place, and you were the only one who suggested it, so thanks! It will take a little more time to decide how much I really like it, but of the games I tried that people here had suggested, yours was the only one that might be a winner for me. (My favorite game purchase was Link's Crossbow, but that actually hadn't been anyone's recommendation!) I saw your other big recommendation was Endless Ocean, and you're not alone in that recommendation, but I checked into it and decided, I just don't think it's for me.

Kind of ironically, though, I bought Thrillville on eBay for $20... remember, my strategy was to "rent" the games by buying them on eBay, figuring I could quickly sell them for almost the same if I didn't like them... and now just a few days later, amazon has dropped the price for it brand new from $29 to $19.99. My luck!

MK wii all the way, that is if u are going to have online

Boy, I was stuck on level 4 of Link's Crossbow, couldn't come close to the unlocking score. In desperation, I searched the web for hints. I discovered that the key is not to have any missed shots between your hits in order to get the highest score. I knew *some* of the scenarios were like that, when it will specifically tell you that, but I didn't realize it applied to the other ones too, so I was just firing away. I wish that had been more clear!

wouldn't be Zelda without a bit of mystery :P

Thanks for the suggestion to pick up Thrillville -- I picked it up new at my local EBGames for $19.99! Looks interesting -- really interested in the minigames that have been mentioned. I had been considering Carnival Games -- so I am thankful to have gotten your recommendation before purchasing the more expensive game.

I also have the Nurf pack, and love it for the same reasons you mentioned-- I had looked at some of the other packs-- but the plastic seemed too whimpy. I saw a recommendation at an online store -- and the lady said her kids had already broken the plastic handles twice (I'm pretty sure she was talking about a different set than the Nurf -- and that was why she purchased the nurf)

I've been following this thread, because the OP's preferences for games are similiar to mine. I just bought Lega Star Wars: The Complete Saga. I've only finished two levels, but I love it so far. It's easy to learn the controls. Best of all, if you screw up and kill your character, he's quickly rebuilt so you can keep playing. You don't have to restart the level. It's just silly fun with no stress or frustration. There's a little bit of problem solving (like using certain characters to advance through the level because of their special abilities), but, so far, it's been pretty easy.

Other games that I like are Wii Sports (tennis and bowling), Wii Fit, Link's Crossbow Training, and Zack and Wiki (well, most of it). I have Endless Ocean, but it's been pretty boring so far.