Having been the proud owner of the original Nintendo Entertainment System, I was mighty fond of my light gun and games like Duck Hunt and Hogan’s Alley. Even in the arcades, there were light-gun games that caught my attention, like the Mad Dog McCree games that used live-action video as you interacted with the actors on screen. My how times have changed and now, thanks to the Nintendo Wii and its innovative controls, light-gun fans can relive their love for the genre with a number of shooters. While it’s good to see Mad Dog McCree make a return with the Gunslinger Pack, this shooter misses the mark completely.

I should mention, however, that the game comes at a budget price tag of 20 dollars. While enticing as the price seems for three games bundled on one disc, however, the Gunslinger Pack is a flawed package thanks to unresponsive controls. Still, there’s some fun to be had in this game although the fun doesn’t last very long. If you’re willing to give it a chance, however, you will find that all three games are rather on the short side whether you play the original Mad Dog McCree, Mad Dog McCree II: The Lost Gold or The Last Bounty Hunter.

The original Mad Dog McCree puts you in the role of a wandering stranger who comes across a town intimidated by the outlaw named Mad Dog McCree. You’re even asked with saving the town’s sheriff, securing the local bank and clearing out a corral where the darn outlaw might be hiding out. In the sequel, you are not only chasing Mad Dog but you’re also trying to beat him to the Spanish gold somewhere in Mexico. In The Last Bounty Hunter, you play the role of a bounty hunter looking to collect the reward money on four dangerous outlaws.

Seeing as this is video, you don’t really move but rather follow the events that unfold before you. Along the way, you will find yourself shooting at bandits, no good gunslingers, hired guns, banditos and other scum while attempting to avoid shooting innocent bystanders. Shooting a civilian will lead to your automatic death and thus a lecture from the pale undertaker. Shooting too late or too soon will result in yet another trip to the undertaker’s office. If you lose all your lives, you will find yourself attempting to continue the game by participating in a duel where you try to draw and move the shooting reticule over your opponent before he fires. It’s not an easy feat and the awful controls don’t help either.

When the game does work, you will find yourself having fun shooting at gunmen that draw down on you in the game’s environment. Since this is video, the game throws very little surprises so you can actually memorize where each enemy pops up in the game and thus taking out the fun out of the game. Yes, it’s satisfying to blast the bad guys before they shoot but the short segments are over way too quickly. At least The Lost Gold and The Last Bounty Hunter try to mix things up a little. In Mad Dog McCree II, for instance, you can pick one of three guides that offer different introductory levels. In The Last Bounty Hunter, you can pick which of the four outlaws you can chase down first.

Since all you’re doing is moving a shooting reticule, you can use the Wii remote alone or set up the Wii Zapper. The problem is - as I mentioned earlier - is that the controls are unresponsive at times giving you a delay of a split second. Seeing as this is video, you are suppose to shoot the enemy during a certain time (e.g. drawing their weapon) for the game to recognize that you blew a hole in them first. You can’t, for example, shoot an enemy right when he pops up sometimes. Sometimes, and this is seen more in the original Mad Dog McCree, the video jumps and thus knocks your reticule away from your target. That is definitely not cool. Then there’s the multiplayer that should be avoided if you have friends that simply start shooting up the screen without offering to back you up or take on snipers.

Visually speaking, the Wii does a great job of displaying the video in a crisp DVD-like quality. Sure, the game is filled with campy, low budget, oftentimes unintentionally and intentionally funny scenes but the scenarios are just bad and so is most of the acting. At least the soundtrack isn’t annoying in the game, although a big part of me wishes that the dialogue wasn’t muffled in certain parts of the game as if the video was shot without a professional microphone.

I would have liked to have said that there was some redeemable component that would make Mad Dog McCree: Gunslinger Pack worth the budget price but there isn’t many positive things to say about this game. Sure, the video is crisp but as far as this being a shooter worth taking out the Wii Zapper you will be very disappointed. Even with three games bundled in this pack, I highly recommend you skip this one altogether.

Gameplay: 4.5
There are two Mad Dog McCree games in this bundle and the somewhat better Bounty Hunter game as well. Unfortunately, the shooting reticule isn’t responsive enough for quick-draw events and oftentimes the video clips jump enough that you’ll miss your shot. On the plus side, the undertakers in this game are a hoot.

Graphics: 6.0
Surprisingly, the video looks crisp on the Wii. This is both good news and bad considering how super cheesy the video is to begin with and how crude the stereotyped characters in in this 1990s game.

Sound: 5.5
The soundtrack is decent enough but most of the voice acting is too horrible that it’s actually funny. It’s too bad that some of the voices fade away in places. At least the gunshot effects coming out of your Wii Remote is a nice touch.

Difficulty: Medium/Hard
All three games will test your patience at one point throughout the short levels and the duels are a complete pain to the point that you’ll be glad you can actually skip them. The game is hard but it’s mostly because of the unresponsive controls.

Concept: 4.5
After going after Mad Dog McCree in the first game, you’ll get a chance to take him down in the sequel. Then there’s The Last Bounty Hunter, a game that could have been great if it wasn’t for the controls and the return of duels. There’s multiplayer for up to four players but it’s not as great as it sounds.

Multiplayer: 4.5
Up to four players in total can be shooting at the screen at once, which sounds like a good idea but it just isn’t if you have friends who are too trigger happy to be much help.

Overall: 4.5
Unfortunately, Mad Dog McCree for the Wii is simply too riddled with problems to be much fun even for those who have been dying for another light gun game. While we could have easily ignored the cheesy video, it’s the shooting action we come for but the Gunslinger Pack just isn’t worth even the budget price.