It was trigger time Wednesday at the Barkar Hangar during E3 2007. Nintendo's newest trick, the Wii Zapper, was on display with the forthcoming Wii exclusive title Resident Evil: Umbrella Chronicles. Nintendo unveiled the new controller during its media briefing Wednesday morning, and it became the big draw for Nintendo at this year's show.

Unfortunately, the Wii Zapper doesn't quite hit the mark. The controller looks like a great device; it's sleek and comfortable to hold, plus it shrewdly incorporates the Wii Remote and Nunchuck controllers into one convenient package that has a small learning curve. I had high hopes for the Wii Zapper, but for some reason it just didn't click on Resident Evil: The Umbrella Chronicles. It was fun to aim the Zapper at the flat screen television and take aim at the hordes of zombies marching toward me. But it was extremely hard to pinpoint the sizable red crosshair, which seemed to jump around the screen like a mosquito. It was extremely hard to lock onto to enemies with the imprecise and overly sensitive targeting system. It was even more difficult when I was forced to reload, which requires players to quickly flick the Wii Zapper forward. The problem here is, once the Wii Remote is turned away from the screen, it takes a second or two for the controller to get its bearings again and for the red crosshair to return. Sure, it's only a second or two, but in Resident Evil games, every second counts.

View the Wii Zapper with Resident Evil Slideshow (9 images)

It's impossible to play Resident Evil: The Umbrella Chronicles with the Wii Zapper and not compare it to the experience of playing Resident Evil 4: The Wii Edition. Without a doubt, the original Resident Evil 4 was one of the greatest console games of all time and perhaps the finest survival horror title in the genre (I preferred the GameCube version over the PlayStation 2 version, personally). Nintendo did the unimaginable by making the game even better for the Wii. My only complaint about the original Resident Evil 4 was the control system, which took some getting used to, especially when it came to targeting. However, the Wii Edition is outstanding in that regard; the Wii Remote targeting is unbelievably precise and smooth for Resident Evil 4, and it makes a classic game even better.

The same cannot be said of the Wii Zapper and Umbrella Chronicles. I'm not sure if it's the new controller that's the problem - after all, the Wii Zapper is basically taking the Wii Remote and mounting it on a larger piece of plastic. It's possible that Capcom's new title just isn't polished enough to use the targeting system as well as Resident Evil 4. In any event, Capcom and Nintendo have some time to perfect the Wii Zapper and the control system for the new game, so cross your fingers.

As for the Umbrella Chronicles, what little of the game I saw in the demo version intrigued me. In the demo, you play Jill Valentine as she fights her way through the wreckage of Raccoon City, fighting off zombies. The graphics were good but not nearly on the level of Resident Evil 4. And when I was able to blast a few zombies in the head with the Wii Zapper, the reaction was rather bland. A little more excitement and variety when it comes to engaging the enemy would serve Umbrella Chronicles well. Still, the action was taut and the environments were dark, spooky and pure Resident Evil.

Resident Evil: The Umbrella Chronicles doesn't have an official release date yet, but the game is expected sometime in the fall or holiday season. The Wii Zapper will be released with a software bundle later this year, according to Nintendo.

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