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Details
Specs:	GunCon and Non-GunCon compatible PlayStation and Saturn compatible Rapid Fire Auto Reload Limited Force Feedback
By:	Nyko
Category:	Light Gun
Price:	$29.99

There aren't many light-gun games for the PlayStation, but this all-in-one pistol does it all.

January 18, 1999

You can literally count the PlayStation light-gun shooters on two hands, but they are out there. And sometimes you want something more than the Namco GunCon. Nyko's answer: the Super Cobra. The company recently took its Cobra light gun – which was released before the Namco GunCon standard – and remodified it to work with Namco games while keeping it compatible with the previous standard.

But there's more – deep in the handle of the Super Cobra is a Dual-Shock-style vibration device that offers a limited feedback whenever the trigger is pulled. The effect is, well, gimmicky – but since the gun doesn't need batteries (it steals a bit of power from the controller port) and you can easily turn it off, there's no problem. Like the Cobra, the Super Cobra also has auto

Other than the added features – rumble, GunCon compatibility, and a 1/8" jack on the bottom for an external foot-pedal ----– the Super Cobra is exactly the same as the original Cobra. Performance-wise, you can't ask for anything more. We tested the Super Cobra with Project: Horned Owl (a non-GunCon game), and it performed almost flawless. "Almost," meaning on occasion it would register a shot a few pixels off from where we were pointing – but this effect only happened once out of a hundred or so trigger-pulls, and we can't exactly blame the gun for that, what with all the florescent lights around here. Then, we plopped in Time Crisis and Point Blank – again, absolutely no complaints. The gun also works with Judge Dredd, Area 51, Maximum Force, and the upcoming Point Blank sequel, Point Blank 2.

As for how it feels, the gun is a little heavy in the barrel, so prepare to give your arm a rest after 15 minutes or so. Also, the trigger isn't very sensitive – you have to pull it all the way back before the gun will register a shot. Your finger can easily feel exactly where the contact point is, so that's not a problem when it comes to playability. My biggest complaint: the reload button is a little slow. What it does is send the game a "pull trigger" command without looking at the screen. This function tricks the game in thinking you've pulled the trigger while the gun is pointed away from the television, registering a "reload" command in the game. Unfortunately, you can almost give a full "one-one-thousand"count before the game registers a reload. Oh, if the rumble feature isn't gimmicky enough for you, there's a very KITT-style series of red LEDs that shoot across the barrel – something that only observers will notice.

And hey, if you've got a Saturn, it works with Virtua Cop, Virtua Cop 2, and House of the Dead, too. Not too shabby. You want a great second-player light gun? The Super Cobra is it. Heck, you'll probably find yourself keeping it in player one's controller port.

-- Craig Harris