Type – Light Gun Manufacturer – Pelican MSRP - $49.99 Platform – Xbox
There are a few light gun peripherals out there, but aside from Namco’s GunCon for PlayStation 2, there really isn’t a light gun that has stood out amongst the others as being an outstanding piece of gaming gear. Thankfully though, if you own an Xbox, that’s all about to change. Pelican’s new Silent Scope Light Rifle is the best light gun peripheral on the market, period.
Developers of past light guns have always ignored some of the most wanted features of gamers, namely the mere fact that every light gun has to be some compact pistol. Pelican’s Light Rifle is a sizable piece of kit, packaged as four total pieces. Don’t worry; it’s easy to put together and take apart, and its solid craftsmanship is a testament to the total package. Though hollow-feeling, the Light Rifle doesn’t feel cheap, thanks to its heft. The basic gun is that of a pump-action shotgun (which we are actually more impressed with), and the removable parts are the gun’s barrel, stock, and motion-sensitive scope. It’s a smart idea to follow the directions closely, as the parts don’t remove very easily the first couple of times. After a few assemblies and disassemblies though, the parts loosen up a bit.
The buttons are placed on the body of the gun, and are fairly ergonomic to handle in-game. The D-pad is the approximate diameter of a thimble, and the thing is just a pain to use the first few times you try it because it is placed at a slightly awkward angle. After using it a few times, you begin to see the logic, but until then you’ll be fumbling with the game’s settings and options because of the clumsy-feeling D-pad. And even after getting used to the setup, the D-Pad is still a bit on the touchy side.
When it comes right down to it, the Silent Scope Light Rifle’s biggest strength is in its performance. As a light gun, it works flawlessly, and it’s easy to calibrate. The pump-action reloader is an incredibly nice touch, adding to the immersiveness of the gunplay (playing House of the Dead III with a realistic-feeling shotgun is a total blast and complete power trip). The Light Rifle comes with a bevy of fire rate functions too, ranging from a three-shot burst fire to a rapid fire and rapid fire/automatic reload.
The most advanced function of the Light Rifle is also the most questionable. Made specifically for Konami’s Silent Scope Complete, the Light Rifle’s motion-sensitive scope function is supposed to allow the player the ability to zoom in on a target simply by moving and tilting. And in many cases, it works fine. In others, simple movements are registered to zoom and vice versa, so there will be incidences where you need to zoom but can’t or you don’t need to zoom and do.
The Silent Scope Light Rifle isn’t designed for left-handed gamers, so lefties will feel slightly less comfortable handling the rifle due to a small hunk of plastic that juts outward at the top of the gun’s handle. The Light Rifle is still highly useable, and this one misstep certainly isn’t a major issue, but one at least worth pointing out.
Pelican’s Silent Scope Light Rifle sets a new benchmark for light gun peripherals, being a more lifelike representation for light gun gaming, and helping to break the theory that light gun peripherals have to be small, futuristic-looking pistols with bare-bones functions. It looks great, and feels even better. What’s more, the thing plugs right into one of the Xbox’s controller ports (instead of having to plug the thing into the back of the TV like you do the GunCon 2). A sniper rifle with a motion-sensitive scope (and scope sensitivity switch), several fire rate settings and fully functional pump shotgun action, Pelican’s Silent Scope Light Rifle just rocks.
