Retro Replay Review

Gameplay

Target: Terror delivers a classic rail shooter experience that harkens back to arcade favorites, yet it brings enough modern twists to keep players engaged. You’ll traverse iconic landmarks—from the bustling DIA airport to the Golden Gate Bridge—while a constant stream of enemies tries to thwart your every move. The on-rails structure ensures that the focus remains squarely on quick reflexes, precise aiming, and smart use of limited resources like smart bombs.

On Wii, the Wiimote transforms into a satisfying light-gun, offering responsive targeting whether you’re ducking behind cover or blasting foes in the open. For those who prefer an even more immersive setup, the Wii Zapper peripheral slots the Wiimote and Nunchuk together, making each pull of the trigger feel substantial. The optional Nunchuk control lets you separate movement and aiming, enabling veterans of the genre to execute rapid-fire combos and chain medals with ease.

Target: Terror spices up its core shooting with an arsenal that goes beyond pistols and shotguns. Rocket launchers, grenade guns, freeze rays, and even flame throwers make regular appearances, each weapon boasting unique firing patterns and reload rhythms. Timing is crucial, especially when a level pits you against swarms of enemies intent on destroying a landmark. Smart bombs serve as a high-stakes panic button, wiping the screen of smaller foes but requiring strategic conservation for boss encounters.

The inclusion of mini-games and medal challenges adds surprising depth to what could have been a straightforward on-rails romp. Accurate headshots and kill streaks rack up combo meters, which in turn unlock special bonuses and health refills. Cooperative mode elevates the fun: two players can team up locally, coordinating weapon choices and smart bomb usage to tackle the game’s most intense sequences. For those seeking an extra layer of carnage, Justice Mode allows dual-wielding, turning you into a veritable one-person army.

Graphics

Visually, Target: Terror embraces a campy, over-the-top style that complements its tongue-in-cheek premise. Character models and enemy designs skew exaggerated, with terrorists sporting almost cartoonish grins as they fire back. The bright, plasticky textures are no tech showcase, but they maintain clarity even during the most frenetic firefights. Lower violence settings tone down the gore, replacing bursts of blood with simple hit sparks, making the game accessible for younger players.

The Wii’s hardware handles full-motion video (FMV) segments reasonably well, though avid gamers will notice occasional compression artifacts. These FMV interludes, featuring briefings and villain monologues, inject personality into otherwise routine missions. When the action resumes, explosive effects—rockets launching, fires igniting, and landmark structures crumbling—are rendered with sufficient flair to keep the adrenaline pumping.

Backgrounds are packed with destructible elements. Crates, vehicles, and debris respond to gunfire, creating dynamic battlefields that feel far more interactive than static set pieces. Lighting effects, such as muzzle flashes and scorch marks, stand out against the relatively simple geometry, ensuring that your shots and explosions leave a mark on the environment. Though the overall fidelity doesn’t challenge more powerful consoles, the presentation feels coherent and lively on the Wii.

Co-op play slightly stretches the engine, leading to occasional frame dips when hordes of enemies converge on screen. These slowdowns are brief and seldom disruptive, but they remind you of the Wii’s limitations. Even so, graphical quirks never massively detract from the central thrill: lining up headshots, unleashing roaring flams, and watching the game world erupt around you.

Story

In Target: Terror, you’re a member of an elite special police unit assigned to stop a shadowy terrorist network hell-bent on toppling American landmarks. The narrative isn’t the game’s primary draw, but it provides enough framework to justify the globe-trotting action. Briefing videos introduce each mission with a sense of urgency: bomb threats at DIA Airport, sabotage at a nuclear plant, and a climactic showdown on a hijacked Boeing 747 above the White House.

The plot unfolds via FMV segments that mix earnest dialogue with campy villain cackles. While it lacks the subtlety of a cinematic thriller, the story’s straightforward “stop-the-bad-guys” premise keeps tensions high. Character development is minimal—your on-screen avatar remains an unnamed operative—but occasional radio chatter and mission updates help you feel plugged into a larger counterterrorism operation.

Cutscenes between levels are short but effective, setting up stakes without dragging down momentum. The head terrorist emerges as a caricature of megalomania, delivering monologues about his grand designs. This larger-than-life villainy meshes perfectly with the game’s exaggerated violence and overblown weaponry. If you’re looking for a narrative masterpiece, you won’t find it here, but as an action conduit it does the job admirably.

The progression from one landmark to the next gives the sense of a globe-spanning crisis, and the stakes escalate appropriately. Each new environment introduces unique hazards—security cameras at the Golden Gate Bridge, automated turrets in the nuclear plant—that add minor narrative twists to standard shooting scenarios. These touches prevent the story from feeling like mere window dressing, ensuring every level feels connected to the overarching anti-terror campaign.

Overall Experience

Target: Terror offers a solid time-killer for fans of light-gun shooters and Wii party sessions alike. Its pick-up-and-play nature makes it ideal for casual gamers wanting instant gratification, while depth rewards those who master combos, weapon switching, and medal hunting. The array of firearms and smart bomb tactics keeps each level feeling fresh, even if the on-rails formula eventually becomes predictable.

Cooperative play stands out as the game’s biggest strength. Partnering up on the couch amplifies the silliness of dual smart bombs eradicating hordes of terrorists in spectacular fashion. Justice Mode’s dual-wielding twist further spices up multiplayer sessions, allowing each player to feel like a cinematic action hero. For solo gamers, the adjustable difficulty and violence settings ensure you can tailor the experience to your tastes, whether you prefer tame sparks or full-blown gore.

Replayability hinges on chasing higher medal counts and completing mini-game challenges, which can extend your playtime far beyond the main campaign’s handful of missions. While seasoned shooter aficionados may find the lack of free-roaming levels somewhat limiting, the focused design ensures every second is packed with action. Occasional graphical slowdowns and repetitive enemy waves are minor blemishes on an otherwise entertaining package.

Ultimately, Target: Terror shines brightest when enjoyed with friends in a living-room firefight. Its campy charm, frantic pacing, and varied arsenal create a light-hearted yet thrilling romp through America’s most famous landmarks. For Wii owners seeking a shooter that doesn’t take itself too seriously but still delivers aim-and-shoot satisfaction, Target: Terror is a perfectly serviceable addition to the collection.

Retro Replay Score

4.9/10