Pheasants Forever - review

The concept behind lightgun games has been around ever since carnivals combined children, firearms and ducks with the chance to win a furry toy. The premise was a simple one – point and pull the trigger. For a time, in faux shooting terms, that was cutting edge. Although long-since trumped technologically by the wealth of shooting stuff in video games, so-called "gallery shooters" do still endure, Pheasants Forever being the latest example. As the title suggests, the subject of this fairly rudimentary title is bird hunting and, in keeping with its heritage, it offers fixed-point shooting down a fairly narrow field of play, just as if you were squinting down a tin-can alley. Here the replica gun is replaced with the Wii's pointer, which brings down hapless foul with a squeeze of the trigger. There's a range of weapons, and a field guide's worth of feathered creatures are yours to target. There's even a selection of hunting dogs to master – a feature that unintentionally offers moments of surrealism – and a superficially diverse set of game modes. However, despite striving to provide a variety of experiences, Pheasants Forever exhibits little in the way of flair. It is certainly fun, but basic and rarely impressive.