Review Of Pelican Light Rifle Vs Madcatz Blaster, A review of these two light guns Options

[TymeRogue]

A week ago I decided to break down and buy a light gun for my XBox. Since the release of Silent Scope Complete (SSC) and light gun support for emus, it seemed like a good idea. So I went down to my local Game Stop and found a MadCatz Blaster for $35 (US). I wanted to buy two, but they only had one. So I brought it to the counter, and the guy behind the desk starts talking me into the Pelican Silent Scope Light Rifle $50 (US). Now, I'm all for gizmos and gadgets, so I went for it. I walk outta the place saying to myself, "Wow. What a concept! A rifle/shotgun combo that is able to sense if you are looking through the scope. And it's got kickback. Sweet!" To make a long stupid long story shorter, today I returned it and got the blaster. To save my fellow modders the same trouble, I've documented my findings.

And just to keep things straight, my TV is a 32" Toshiba something-or-other. (It's one of the few non-flat screen TVs that actually has component video ins.) When testing, I was straight and level in front of the tv, between ~ 5 and ~ 10 ft away.

--- Pelican Silent Scope Light Rifle ---

Pro ---
-- Gun has some weight to it, making it feel more "real" then a cheap plastic one.
-- Shotgun-style reload was a dream come true, although it would have been nice if it was more responsive
-- Stock adds a lot of support for those long light gun marathons.

Con ---
-- Scope and barrel are pointless, adding no extra functionality.
-- Built-in functions are also pointless. While they are operational, the rapid/auto fire/reload, are no where near rapid, and the "linear kickback" is no more than a pathetic murmur.
-- Scope sensor seemed totally inoperable. The gun never was able to realize that I was looking through the scope, no matter what the sensitivity setting.
-- Connectivity to the XBox was spotty. Occasionally a game would ask for the gun to be reconnected, when it already was, thus preventing playing. (Dis- and re-connecting didn't alleviate the problem.)
-- $50 is way too much

--- MadCatz Blaster ---

Pro ---
-- Generally the more acurate of the two guns, also required less of a brightness hike for SSC
-- Built-in fuctions are very worth while. Auto reload and auto fire work beautifully, however burst and shotgun settings seem pointless.
-- Eventhough it just rumbles, it's still more of a force than on the rifle.
-- Cheapest price online: $15.

Con ---
-- Gun is light and plastic-y. It feels like a toy.
-- Reload button is in an awkward place (inside of the handle). Takes a bit of getting used to, and may frustrate those who don't want to take the time to adjust, however it could be a pro for SSC.
-- Built-in sight is on a curved part of the gun making it a little more awkward to calibrate.
-- And possibly related to the above, the crosshairs wander a little more at the edges of the screen.

--- Note ---
I've read conflicting stories about emu compatibility, but from what I could tell, both guns worked perfectly with XPort's FCE emu...

--- Conclusions ---

The extra perks that the Pelican Silent Scope Light Rifle promised were a disapointment, at times adding more frustration to gameplay. Since SSC works just as well if not better with the blaster, my light gun of choice is the MadCatz Blaster. I have yet to try the many many more that are offered online, but I'm not going to waste the time or money since I've already got something that I like.

Edit 2/26 - There's a problem with the rifle conflicting with the voltage on older boxes. Pelican will send you a cable to fix the problem: http://pelicanperformance.com/silent_scope/update.html I have one of those boxes, and I didn't have the cable. But, it's still not enough for me to go back and get the gun.

This post has been edited by TymeRogue: Feb 27 2004, 04:01 AM

[bodeiseifer]

I think you should double check your findings with the silent scope rifle, there r some issues relating to voltage and certain xbox's which can be remedied with an extension lead, this imcompatability renders the kickback useless. how it affects the other features of the rifle is unclear.
Maybe this would explain why your silent scope rifle was faulty in some respects, and may not be indicitive or an accurate review of this product.
I have both them guns too, and although i havent got silent scope, the game yet, i will definetly report my findings here in this forum, as i have heard comflicting reviews of the rifle and how well it functions in game, but on another note, the gun in shotgun mode is perfect for house of the dead 3, alien 3 the gun, space gun and probably some other arcade games, so when light gun functionality is added to mame, the gun will always have the upper hand in this respect.

[TymeRogue]

If it is an incompatiblity issue between the rifle and the XBox concerning voltage, the last thing I would want to do is purchase more hardware on top of the fifty for the gun just to get additional functionallity. And for SSC, wouldn't it be faster to use the button in the handle of the blaster than move your head down to the scope of the rifle? I can't really say since I couldn't get the rifle's scope sensor working.

And obviously this isn't an "official" review. It's just what happend to me. So take what I say at your own will, as you might find different responses with the rifle. If you do get the rifle, post what you find. I'd be interested to hear if anything is different or the same.

This post has been edited by TymeRogue: Feb 25 2004, 06:01 PM

[52volts]

As for purchasing more accessory to make the ssc light gun work, DONT. Just go to Pelican's web site and request for a new free extension cable . Too bad this wont fix all the problems of this damm gun. To make it work you have to do sooooooooo much its not worth it.


1. Cant shoot on the edge of the screen
2. Scope sensor is hard to get working properly
3. The game has to be adjusted sooooo bright you almost cant play
3. That is the only problem im having now. (own it for 3 days so far)

This post has been edited by 52volts: Feb 26 2004, 03:33 AM

[bodeiseifer]

http://pelicanperformance.com/silent_scope/update.html

[{{DEMON}}]

Awsome, Thanks!, I ordered my cable!

{DEMON}

[bodeiseifer]

well ive been playing it with the gun for the last hour or two, and the gun worked fine, didnt need the cable, however: i have some gripes:

1- there is a delay for activiting the scope using the sensor, its fine activiting it, its when ure finished looking down it and u want the target reticle to go back to normal, it takes about a second, and the speed which the scope reticle moves across the screen is slowwwwwwwwww, it makes rapid panning across the screen impossible, and is very frustating when it comes to end of level baddies, though i find it frustating in the arcade too.

2- the bloody brightness level required to use any gun. this is a fault of the game and not the gun, its bloody annoyng having a mist of brightness everywhere, it can make picking out enemys difficult as the screen has no defintion with the required brightness level. although silent scpe does look its age, i always liked the graphics and the use of colour(or lack of) but the look of the game is pretty awful because of said brightness requirement.

i found the kickback ok, aiming into corners ok, and activiting the scope using the sensor ok

the gun is a little uncomfortable to use, and i am gonna try and set up some tripod or something as it does make aches in the neck and arms a relaity, not good.

overall i would give the gun 8 out of 10, the only thing that lets it down is the sluggish response of the scope sensor.

[alienmonkey]

Thanks for the link. I emailed tech support and never heard a word back. I can't wait to order this cable so I can use the rifle. I like the feel of it more than the madcatz.

[bodeiseifer]

[TymeRogue]

So to those that have the rifle, and it theoretically works properly, how's the kickback? And the other features on the gun? (As compared to without the extention...)

Even with this cable rectifing the problem, I don't think it's enough to get me back into the store to buy it, again.

[bodeiseifer]

[TymeRogue]

Yeah. When I had the gun, I thought about taking it apart and trying to boost the power to the kickback mechanism. I figure it wouldn't hurt to try to put in a battery or somehow up the voltage. It's worth a shot. But then I returned the gun. Ehh. Whatever.

And I agree. Someone should release a gun with some kickback. Even if it's arcade quality, since that's probably the best we'll ever see for consoles. I doubt they will release guns with a full amount of true kickback. Imagine the lawsuits... but, imagine the fun... "Oh no! Little Timmy used daddy's real silent scope light rifle! Now he's lost his right arm! Oh no!"

Mwah ha ha ha ha!

This post has been edited by TymeRogue: Feb 29 2004, 06:40 AM

[{{DEMON}}]

Still waiting for my Extention cable to come to correct the problem with my Rifle!

{DEMON}

[bodeiseifer]

[bodeiseifer]

check out the british silent scope light rifle, its a much cooler shade of black!
damn those 2 grren guns i bought from the states!!!

ive also heard rumours the british version will work at normal brightness too!!!!!

http://uk.special.reserve.co.uk/q_GG5035_s...cope_light.html