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Silent Scope Light Rifle
Score: 50%
Developer: Pelican


Function:

To coincide with the release of the Xbox game Silent Scope Complete, Pelican has released the Silent Scope Light Rifle. Half rifle, half shotgun, this bad boy can work twice as hard on your favorite light gun games. So whether you're playing Silent Scope, House of the Dead or any other shooter on the market, the Light Rifle can add to the arcade fun that these games were made for.

In addition to the basic light gun features, the Silent Scope Light Rifle includes some cool gadgets. First and foremost, it has an automatic sensor that detects when your head is behind the scope when configured in rifle mode. Secondly, the Light Rifle includes a handy pump action for when in shotgun mode. Lastly, one interesting feature is that the little thumb-stick-style D-pad is rotated 90 degrees, so that it is positioned in a more comfortable way with where your thumb naturally sits.


Performance:

Just like the name implies, the Silent Scope Light Rifle works with any game out there with light gun support. As for games that I tested, there was only one: Silent Scope Complete. And while the gun worked outstanding at times, there were occasions when 'features' turned into 'factors' that hindered its performance.

The main feature of the Light Rifle is its ability to detect when you move your head into the sniper position behind the scope. So, as you do this, the on-screen cursor will also move into sniper mode, and you'll be able to hone in on your targets. On paper, this is a novel idea. But in reality, the sensor that controls this action is VERY finicky, and therefore will either not go into sniper mode when you want it to, or flicker in and out when you do not. While there is a dial that controls the sensitivity, it always seems that it's set too much or too little, but not just right. Eventually I choose to turn off the sensor and use the B button (or you can pull back on the pump action) to zoom in playing Silent Scope Complete, and that made my game-playing experience much more enjoyable.

Another disappointment I had with the Silent Scope Light Rifle is that it didn't always register on the screen. At times I would try to shoot a terrorist near the edges of the screen, but the gun's cursor wouldn't follow. I'm guessing this had something to do with the brightness of the monitor. But come on, I can only turn the TV up so high. As it were, the screen was ridiculously washed out already, making the game's graphics almost hard to see.

Aside from these unfortunate problems, the rest of the gun works great... just as you would expect it to. The ability to target enemies and shoot precisely is top-notch, and won't slow you down. The buttons and D-pad are laid out fairly well, and are big enough that you shouldn't miss them. The conversion from rifle to shotgun (and vice versa) is a snap, and adds to the use of this gaming gadget.


Features:
  • HDTV Compatible (* not projection, LCD, or Plasma)
  • Motion Activated Scope
  • Removable Stock, Barrel and Scope
  • Pump Action Reloader
  • Realistic Linear Kickback Feature
  • Normal, Burst, Auto Reload, Auto Reload Auto Fire
  • Xbox Live / Memory Card Slot
  • Supports all Video Connections including Component Video
  • Rubberized Butt on the Stock

Drawbacks & Problems::

As mentioned above, the main feature of the gun is the automatic scope sensor that will detect when you are looking through the scope of the Light Rifle. Also mentioned was that it really didn't perform very well at all. Still, using the B button as an alternative to the motion activated scope works pretty well. The unfortunate part is that the 50 dollar price tag is a bit too much for a gun without all of its features working properly.

It's hard to say for sure if the monitor brightness issue is due to the gun having a problem reading the scan lines on screen, or if it is a software issue with Silent Scope Complete. But I would presume that the gun is at fault with this issue too. So, you may have to crank up the brightness just to get it to work. One thing to note is that this problem seems to be monitor independent, as the two different televisions (one using component cables) that I tried were slightly different.

The Silent Scope Light Rifle is still a great accessory when taking out terrorists. Had it not had these major issues, I would highly recommend buying it. As is though, I'd wait until the price drops before taking advantage of the arcade-at-home experience.


-Woody, GameVortex Communications
AKA Shane Wodele

Microsoft Xbox 8MB Memory Card Microsoft Xbox Trick Controller

 
Game Vortex :: PSIllustrated