Not bad, but could have been much, much more!
The game's graphics are not perfect. They are, however, sufficient for the game. Targets always have the expected visibility at the given distance. Remember, this is a sport shooting simulator. A target two hundred yards away should not appear crystal clear. The graphics are crisp enough that I can get a perfect score in the bullseye rifle long course. Having competed in actual rifle shooting events, I found it realistic in that respect. Without trying to appear arrogant, I shoot well in reality, and shoot at the same level in the game. I make the same types of mistakes on the range that I do on the game, and these same mistakes cost me the same number of points.
Those who complain about the realism of this game should put down their controllers and go to a gun range and actually try a couple different courses with a couple different firearms. This is the only game I have ever seen that accounts for a bullet in the chamber if you do a reload before being empty, in the appropriate firearm. For example, if you are using any of the clip-based rifles or pistols and you are ready to shoot, if you do a manual reload, you will have one more round available to fire than the magazine's capacity. Revolvers don't work that way, and the game accurately reflects that.
Working against the realism in this game is its handling of pump action shotguns, which don't handle manual reload capacity in the correct way each time. Also, integral magazines are not handled correctly in the game. The blurbs of certain firearms state that they have them, yet they are not handled as they would be in real life. The revolvers in the game are all single action, which is not handled correctly in the game.
Is this game boring? No, I would not say it was. It is realistic as to what occurs on the range. You have a set time limit, and you are to perform a certain task. If you like shooting sports, you may like this game. If your sole experience with firearms is from the FPS genre, you probably will be disappointed.
The controls are very functional. The breathing and breath holding are handled relatively well. It is not quite like real life, but it is the best way of which I can conceive to simulate the real phenomenon. As for those who do not like holding down the aiming stick to hold one's breath, too bad. The whole idea is that if you screw up, you flinch and muck up the shot, just as one does in real life. Breath control when in competition requires coordination and patience. In the game, relegating it to another button would be far too easy and would simulate absolutely nothing.
I do not understand the criticisms of the sound. The sound of the actions of the firearms is accurately reproduced. The reports from different firearms are different. The highest calibre rifles are louder, as are the carbines. Put down the controller and try a real firearm if you do not believe me.
The game's major problem is unfulfilled potential. There are a good number of firearms, but a few more could have been added for variety. Instead of having so many .308 rifles available, how about adding some .50 sniper rifles? They are standard in certain practical shooting events, so why not have them in the game? How about some semi-automatic hunting rifles? They certainly exist. Semi-automatic shotguns are available, so why not semi-automatic rifles (besides the .22s, of course)? Why not some higher-magazine capacity .22 pistols and rifles? They are quite common. Where are the semi-automatic scoped .22 rifles? Where are the scoped handguns? How about having the single action revolvers working the way they should be, and throw in some double action revolvers into the mix? Where are the lever action hunting rifles? Where are the single shot .22s, rifles, shotguns, and hunting pistols? It could certainly add some variety to try a practical course using a single shot rifle as your rifle choice, then try it again using a semi-automatic .50 sniper rifle. Why are the pistol choices so limited in the conventional practical rounds? They are not so limited in real competition.
To enhance replay in the game, the game should have had something like a "relaxed rule" mode. Why not let someone take a 12 gauge shotgun or an Uzi to the .22 pistol plinking range, or to the bowling mini-game? Why not let someone try to use a .22 pistol on the rifle bullseye range? Of course, it could have been made so that such things would not count for or against someone's profile score, but it could have added a bit of variety to the game. These could have even been added as cheats, but, as of yet, I certainly have not stumbled across such a thing, and I do not think anyone else has, either.
In short, this is not an "abysmal" game. It is a reasonable game that could have been much, much better. It certainly has niche appeal, particularly to those of us who do not wish to or cannot head out to the range on a whim and blow a wad of money on ammunition or firearms. However, when you are appealing mostly to a niche, you had better realize that the niche tends to be well educated about and experienced in the subject, and you should not create such a limited product. Advertising 100 licensed firearms, when 5 to 10 in each class are virtually identical, with only cosmetic changes, while totally ignoring the nuances among revolvers and ignoring entire classes of firearms, is a cop out.