It’s been a while since I’ve seen one of those Plug-And-Play consoles and while the Sure Shot HD is technically one of those, it’s also a lot more. The Sure Shot HD is a home video game system with a wireless Bluetooth pump-action shotgun controller and comes preloaded with a copy of Big Buck Hunter Pro.

The console is built around the arcade experience and tries to bring the look and feel of those arcade shooting games into the home. And on those grounds is does a pretty good job of it. The system cuts the cords and the leaves the sticky beer covered cabinet behind (for better or worse depending on how you see it). This experience is about as close to the actual Big Buck Hunter arcade hunting cabinet without owning the actual machine; and it’s also much cheaper!

The console will set you back $79.99 but you are getting a fair amount of content for the price. The included Big Buck Hunter game lets you take on 6 hunting adventures in 18 different regions. In total you will have access to a total of 360 levels. That sounds like a lot, and it is, but you have to remember this in an arcade game so you aren’t going to be spending more the a few short minutes within each stage.

There tends to be a lot of menu work and yoiu’ll often wish it was set up more like the Deer Hunter games on the PC that let you explore around a little bit while hunting. But if you understand that this is Big Buck Hunter arcade at home then you already know what you are getting, in that respect. My favorite part of the included game was the loads of included mini-games that play just like Duck Hunt in all sorts of funny and strange settings. And when you finish having all your fun you can access the online store through the console and download additional games like every other home console.

What makes the Sure Shot HD rise above all other Plug-And-Play consoles is the fact that it is much closer to an actual home console that is designed for arcade hunting fans. You can get the console connected to the internet and that allows for tournament play online against others. This means that there’s a lot of replayability for those competitive hunters, which there are a lot of as Big Buck Hunter has actual tournaments like any other major eSport. But if you have friends at home you can also grab another Sure Shot shotgun and play two-players on a single screen.

The console itself is pretty interesting and looks like a sort of baby Microsoft Kinect. It uses HDMI to give 1080P HD gameplay scaled for all sizes of flat screen TV’s and has a series of six LED lights (three on each size) that help track the wireless Bluetooth shotgun. The console is powered with an included USB cable that you can hook into your TV, but if you don’t have the port, or the room, you are going to need a micro-USB phone plug as the included cord is pretty short and odds are it wont reach a wall outlet.  

The included Shotgun controller is of pretty impressive quality and the real highlight of the bundle. It has a convertible stock that allows for pistol and rifle mode. The trigger is responsive and isn’t squishy like other cheap Plug-And-Play controllers and the pump-action reload is a blast to use. While I can’t say how long it’ll last, but it seems of good enough quality to last you a good long while.

The Sure Shot HD does a lot of things right, but the most important thing it needs to get right (the shooting aspect) it sometimes falters with. The 6 LED lights are all angled to give the best possible field-of-view, but I could never quite get the Bluetooth shotgun to register just right from a distance perspective. Everything just keep pulling slighty to the right, and while calibrating is really easy the bottom right corner just never lined up or even registered the gun at times. The included instruction say you need between 6-10 feet (of which I had about 7), but it’s a bit shaky. It’s a bit strange that 3 of 4 points hit perfect during my yests, but not the bottom right.

Just like the issues that the Kinect had, the Sure Shot HD faces the same sort of thing –Room/space. If you have the space then things will be fine and you’ll have a blast (I did once I figured it all out and adjusted my living room), but if you don’t, then prepare for some frustration. Both Kinect I have in the same room (360 and Xbox One) all work just fine at the same distance so be aware of this when taking a look at picking up the Sure Shot HD.

It you aren’t interested in the major video game consoles, are a huge fan of the Big Buck Hunter arcade games, or looking for something fun for the kids that you don’t have to worry about them playing games you don’t approve of on, then the Sure Shot HD Big Buck Hunter Pro bundle might be for you.

“The Sure Shot HD console is great for fans of Big Buck Hunter Pro and with the ability to download more games should keep arcade shooting fans happy for a good long time”

A unit was provided for review