The fact that it doesn't exist (and apparently that there is no plan to make it exist) is completely unacceptable. Feel free to ask Play Mechanix (the company that makes the arcade units) about it. They won't answer you.


Since the Google Gods have apparently appointed me their prophet on this subject, I give you:


big buck hunter pro wii alternatives:

Click to jump to a review and strengths and weaknesses of each, or just scroll down.


  • big buck hunter pro 2 player tv game
  • big buck hunter pro 1 player tv game

  • buck fever for wii
  • deer drive for wii
  • remington great american bird hunt for the wii
  • cabelas big game hunter for the wii

  • cabelas big game hunter and gun bundle for the wii
  • wii sureshot rifle

big buck hunter pro 2 gun multi-player edition tv game


Bottom line:
Your best bet at authenticity is the Big Buck Hunter Pro 2 Gun Multi-Player Edition TV Game - a reasonably-close approximation of the gun peripherals and only 1/6th of the arcade game's treks. Instead of releasing this as their one and only version of the game like they should have, the game publisher decided to make this a Sam's Club exclusive item so that 99% of America can't buy it direct. No future expandability and limited graphics.


what's good:


  1. Pretty close to the arcade version. For a plug and play game, I was surprised at how close they got to the original arcade game in look, feel, and game play.

  2. The guns. The gun peripherals (one of which acts as the "console" since the game is inside the gun) is surprisingly like the arcade guns in feel and construction. The pump-action reload is just like the arcade version. The barrels are shortened, but it's not really a big deal.

what's not good:


  1. You only get 1/6 of the arcade game's treks. This game is limited to the Whitetail Deer Adventure. The remaining 5/6ths of the arcade game's treks are just not here: Moose, Elk, Big Horn Sheep, Prong Horn Antelope, Caribou.
  2. The graphics are limited. Under the limitations of a plug and play game, they've done a decent job with the graphics. But you can't help but think while playing this game how much better it would have been on the Wii, let alone the PS3 or Xbox 360.
  3. The guns are wired. It's annoying and gets in the way.
  4. No option to turn off the reticule. The arcade version has no on-screen reticule, this one does.
  5. No online multiplayer. Forget about it.
  6. No software expansion. There's about 5 versions of the arcade game now. Since this is a standalone plug and play game, there's no possibility to release future titles to support the peripheral. This is all you get.
  7. No hardware expansion.You can't add a third gun. Not a big deal, but it would be cool if the game allowed up to 4 players simultaneously, like a Wii.

big buck hunter pro tv game


Bottom line:
The standard, single-gun version of the Big Buck Hunter Pro TV Game is a reasonably-close approximation of the gun peripheral and only 1/6th of the arcade game's treks. However, with no simultaneous 2-player game play and no option for expandability, it's just not that fun.


what's good:


  1. Pretty close to the arcade version. For a plug and play game, I was surprised at how close they got to the original arcade game in look, feel, and game play.
  2. The gun. The gun peripheral (which also acts as the "console" since the game is inside the gun) is surprisingly like the arcade gun in feel and construction. The pump-action reload is just like the arcade version. The barrel is shortened, but this is not really a big deal.

what's not good:


  1. No 2-player simultaneous play with the standard version. This is the single biggest flaw with this incarnation of the game, you learn very quickly what makes the arcade version fun in the arcades is that 2 players can play at the same time. That's not here, and I just don't find this game very fun without it. There is support here for up to 4 players, but it's turn-based, and it really just isn't that fun. If you want 2-player simultaneous play, you have to buy the 2 Gun Multi-Player Edition, which is considerably harder to find and more expensive.
  2. You only get 1/6 of the arcade game's treks. This game is limited to the Whitetail Deer Adventure. The remaining 5/6ths of the arcade game's treks are just not here: Moose, Elk, Big Horn Sheep, Prong Horn Antelope, Caribou.
  3. The graphics are limited. Under the limitations of a plug and play game, they've done a decent job with the graphics. But you can't help but think while playing this game how much better it would have been on the Wii, let alone the PS3 or Xbox 360.
  4. The gun is wired. It's annoying and gets in the way.
  5. The reticule is slightly chunky. A minor annoyance.
  6. No option to turn off the reticule. The arcade version has no on-screen reticule, this one does.
  7. No online multiplayer. Forget about it.
  8. No software expansion. There's about 5 versions of the arcade game now. Since this is a standalone plug and play game, there's no possibility to release future titles to support the peripheral. This is all you get.
  9. No hardware expansion.You can't add another gun.

buck fever (wii)


Bottom line:
With a 4-player simultaneous multiplayer mode, a single-player mode that's actually fun and challenging, bonus levels, a smooth reticule and graphics, Buck Fever is your best bet at a Big Buck Hunter alternative for the Wii.


what's good:


  1. Made specifically to play like Big Buck Hunter. It's obvious that they've copied most of what makes Big Buck Hunter a great game. Even the box dedicates significant real estate to specifically proclaim the "arcade style hunting action".
  2. 4-player simultaneous play. The multiplayer modes allow for up to 4-players, which is what we want.
  3. The price. This is currently a $30 budget title.
  4. The levels are fairly unique. What they've done here is provide an animated approach to the levels. In Big Buck Hunter, the camera is stationary. Here, the camera moves through each scene in various angles, and you have to shoot around trees and obstacles to make your shots.
  5. It's challenging. The deer move behind obstacles and in sporadic patterns, so it's hard to hit them.
  6. Bonus levels. While nowhere near as good as those in Big Buck Hunter, most of them are pretty decent - including a boar hunting level, where the boars explode when you shoot them (for no reason).

what's not good:


  1. The widescreen is cut off in game mode. I have no idea why they did this, but the sides of the screen are replaced with wooden planks during hunting. Kinda lame.
  2. No critters. They totally missed the mark here.
  3. No scantily clad girls. Big Buck Hunter's cheesy girls are missing.
  4. No online multiplayer. Forget about it.
  5. It's only deer. No other primary hunts.

deer drive (wii)


Bottom line:
With 2-player simultaneous play, Deer Drive is not a bad deal for $20 - but there are a lot of negatives with this game.


what's good:


  1. 2-player simultaneous play. One could make the argument the Big Buck Hunter is only really fun with 2 players. This game's 2-player versus mode is reasonably similar to Big Buck Hunter, and accordingly very fun. The first day, my friends and I played 2-player mode for 5 hours straight (complete with trash talking), which was well worth the price of this game.
  2. Critters. Birds, squirrels, and rabbits appear in in the background and can also be shot.
  3. The price.This is a $20 budget title.

what's not good:


  1. It's not like Big Buck Hunter enough. In Big Buck Hunter, you can go on multiple hunting campaigns for different animals around the world, with fun challenges at the end of your campaign. Deer Drive is all deer, with an occasional attacking moose or bear, and then various critters.
  2. No scantily clad girls. Big Buck Hunter's cheesy girls are missing.
  3. The levels are repetitive. I think there's about 8 levels total. What they did to "get by" is change the colors of the levels for seasons and weather, as if that's some sort of acceptable substitute for variety in gameplay.
  4. There's no bonus levels.
  5. 2-player versus mode is only 3 (randomly chosen) rounds long. No way to change it, select your level, etc.
  6. There is no option to turn off the annoying announcer/"hunting buddy". A huge oversight, since he gets annoying and repetitive after the first 2 minutes of play.
  7. Simultaneous 2-player only. The game seems to imply that 4 players can hunt at the same time, which would be awesome, but it's not so - the most you can do is simultaneous 2-player. There is a mode where up to 4 players can play by taking turns one at a time, but no simultaneous 4-player.
  8. The 1-player campaign mode is "meh". This game is pointless to play alone.
  9. No online multiplayer. Forget about it.
  10. It's only deer.No other primary hunts.

One final note: Amazon's description mentions mountain lions in this game. (There's even one chasing a deer on their box, to the right.) As far as I can tell, there are no mountain lions in the Wii version of this game.


remington great american bird hunt (wii)


Bottom line:
From the same company that made Deer Drive, Remington Great American Bird Hunt is a slight improvement of that game. While this has some improvements (including 4-player simultaneous play in party mode), a lot of Deer Drive's shortcomings carry over to this title. Wait for this to become a budget title before purchasing.


what's good:


  1. 4-player simultaneous play in versus mode. A cool option, but limited to versus mode.
  2. The power ups are actual Remington shotguns. Kind of cool power ups here. While they don't quite "feel like the real thing" (as the game literature boasts) the Wii remote vibration happens on every shot, it's better than nothing.

what's not good:


  1. It's about birds. No deer here: this is about one-shot-kill birds.
  2. Extremely easy. There's not too much challenge here.
  3. No critters. Not only are the critters missing, there's animals you can't shoot. There are bonus birds that show up, but it's not quite the same.
  4. No scantily clad girls. The cheesy girls are missing.
  5. No bonus levels.
  6. There is no option to turn off the annoying announcer/"hunting buddy". He's back! The moronic announcer from Deer Drive returns, and there's still no way to shut him up.
  7. Simultaneous 2-player only. The most you can do in the regular mode is simultaneous 2-player.
  8. No online multiplayer. Forget about it.

cabela's big game hunter 2010 (wii)


Bottom line:
The overpriced Cabela's Big Game Hunter 2010 contains 13 "arcade style" mini-games (essentially what we're looking for) which support 4-player simultaneous play. Campaign mode is your standard, shovelware Cabela hunting game.


what's good:


  1. 4-player simultaneous play mini games. A cool option, but limited to the mini games.

what's not good:


  1. It's a Cabela game. If you've played a Cabela shovelware game before, then you know what to expect with the main campaign.
  2. The price. Currently the game goes for $40 - about double what it should go for.

cabela's big game hunter 2010 & gun bundle (wii)


Bottom line:
The overpriced Cabela's Big Game Hunter 2010 + Gun Bundle contains 13 "arcade style" mini-games (essentially what we're looking for) which support 4-player simultaneous play and a nice gun peripheral. Campaign mode is your standard, shovelware Cabela hunting game. You can also buy the standalone version without the gun, but it's still too expensive.


what's good:


  1. 4-player simultaneous play mini games. A cool option, but limited to the mini games.
  2. The gun. It's a housing for the Wii Mote / Nunchuck. Essentially an updated, better version of the Zapper housing.

what's not good:


  1. It's a Cabela game. If you've played a Cabela shovelware game before, then you know what to expect with the main campaign.
  2. The price. Currently the package here goes for around $80. Honestly, this whole package should sell for around $30.
  3. No pump-action reload on the gun. It's a nice housing for the Wii Mote / Nunchuck, but there's no pump-action reload.

Wii SureShot Rifle


Bottom line:
The Wii SureShot Rifle is about the best you can get for a Wii gun peripheral. With a removable stock and barrel, you can use the gun as a revolver for other games. However, with no pump-action reload, it leaves something to be desired.


what's good:


  1. Removable components. You can remove the stock and barrel and use it as a pistol for other shooting games.
  2. Side reloads for the C and Z buttons. Unique to this gun housing are the buttons at the top of the handle, which actuate the Nunchuck buttons.
  3. The price. The $27 pricetag is reasonable when you figure you can also use the gun as a revolver for worthy Wii shooters like House of the Dead: Overkill, House of the Dead 2 & 3, Dead Space: Extraction, Resident Evil: The Umbrella Chronicles, and Resident Evil: The Darkside Chronicles.

what's not good:


  1. No pump-action reload on the gun. It's a nice housing for the Wii Mote / Nunchuck, but there's no pump-action reload.

conclusion:


If you're a huge fan of Big Buck Hunter, it might be worth picking up any of the games above, but what they ultimately do is make you wish Play Mechanix would see the light and go ahead and make Wii ports of the various arcade incarnations of Big Buck Hunter. So I'll close this page with a plea:

hey play mechanix:
get off your asses and make big buck hunter pro for wii.


If you read this page and understand the strengths and eliminate the weaknesses of each of your competitors and tv games, you'll do well.