Duck Hunt

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This article is about the 1984 Nintendo game. For the 1969 Sega game, see Light gun shooter. For the sport, see Duck hunting.
Duck Hunt
North American NES box art of Duck Hunt.
North American box art
Developer(s)Nintendo R&D1
Intelligent Systems[1][2]
Publisher(s)Nintendo
Producer(s)Gunpei Yokoi
Artist(s)Hiroji Kiyotake
Composer(s)Hirokazu Tanaka
Platform(s)Famicom/NES
Arcade (PlayChoice-10 & Nintendo VS. System)
Release
    • JP: April 21, 1984[3]
    • NA: October 18, 1985
    • EU: August 15, 1987
Genre(s)Light gun shooter, sports
Mode(s)Single-player, Two-Player

Duck Hunt[a] is a 1984 light gun shooter video game developed and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) video game console. The game was first released in Japan in April 1984 and was released as a launch game for the NES in North America in October 1985, with it also releasing in Europe two years later.

In Duck Hunt, players use the NES Zapper in combination with a CRT television to shoot ducks that appear on the screen.[4] The ducks appear one or two at a time, and the player is given three shots to shoot them down. The player receives points upon shooting each duck. If the player shoots the required number of ducks in a single round, the player will advance to the next round; otherwise, the player will receive a game over.

The game initially received few reviews but was given mild critical praise.[5][6] Prior to the NES version, Nintendo also made a Duck Hunt game based on Laser Clay Shooting System released in 1976.[7]

Beginning with the nationwide roll-out of the NES in 1986, Duck Hunt was one of several titles Nintendo included as a pack-in game with some of its releases. The initial Deluxe Set included Duck Hunt and Gyromite. The later Action Set was packaged with Duck Hunt and Super Mario Bros., which was the pack-in for an upgraded Basic Set; unlike with those releases, Nintendo opted to place both games on one cartridge as opposed to having separate individual cartridges. The last NES release to include Duck Hunt as a pack-in was the Power Set, which came with the Power Pad; for that particular release, the multicart added World Class Track Meet as a third selectable game with Duck Hunt and Super Mario Bros. The game was released as a Virtual Console title for the Wii U in 2014.[8]

Gameplay[edit]

Duck hunt pic.PNG
Duck Hunt (NES) clay pigeon mode.png
Duck Hunt offers different game modes, with two focused on shooting ducks (top) and the other focused on shooting clay pigeons (bottom). In all the games, the player has three attempts to shoot the on-screen targets when they appear.

Duck Hunt is a shooter game in which the objective is to shoot moving targets on the television screen in mid-flight. The game is played from a first-person perspective and requires the NES Zapper light gun, which the player aims and fires at the screen. It also requires a CRT television screen since the Zapper gun will not work with LCD or HDTV's.[9] Each round consists of a total of ten targets to shoot. Depending on the game mode the player selects prior to beginning play, one or two targets will appear on the screen at any given time, and the player has three attempts to hit them before they disappear.[10]

The player is required to successfully shoot a minimum number of targets in order to advance to the next round. Therefore, failure will result directly in a game over. The difficulty increases as the player advances to higher rounds; targets will move faster, and the minimum number of targets to shoot will increase. The player receives points upon shooting a target and will also receive bonus points for shooting all ten targets in a single round. Duck Hunt keeps track of the players' highest score for all games played in a single session; it is lost, however, upon shutting the game off.

Duck Hunt has three different game modes to choose from. In "Game A" and "Game B", the targets are flying ducks in a woodland area, and in "Game C" the targets are clay pigeons that are launched away from the player's perspective into the distance. In "Game A", one duck will appear on the screen at a time while in "Game B" two ducks will appear at a time.[10] "Game A" allows a second player to control the movement of the flying ducks by using a normal NES controller.[11] The gameplay starts at Round 1 and may continue up to Round 99. If the player completes Round 99, they will advance to Round 0, which is a kill screen (in "Game A") where the game behaves erratically, such as targets that move haphazardly or do not appear at all and eventually ends.[12]

Vs. Duck Hunt[edit]

Duck Hunt was released as an arcade game in the Nintendo VS. series in 1984[13] as Vs. Duck Hunt, and is included in the PlayChoice-10 arcade console.[14] The console supports two light guns, allowing two players at once.

Gameplay consists of alternating rounds of Games B and C, with 12 ducks/targets per round instead of 10 and sometimes requires the player to shoot three ducks/targets at a time instead of two. In addition, the player is given a limited number of lives; every duck/target that is not hit costs one life. When all lives are gone, the game ends.

After every second round, a bonus stage is played in which ducks can be shot for points as they fly out of the grass. However, the hunting dog occasionally jumps out, putting himself in the line of fire and creating a distraction. If the player shoots the dog, the bonus stage immediately ends.

Development[edit]

The NES Zapper and a CRT TV are required for playing Duck Hunt.[15]

Duck Hunt is based on a 1976 electronic toy version titled Beam Gun: Duck Hunt, part of the Beam Gun series.[16] The toy version was designed by Gunpei Yokoi and Masayuki Uemura for Nintendo.[16] Nintendo Research & Development 1 developed both Duck Hunt for the NES and the NES Zapper. The game was supervised by Takehiro Izushi,[17] and was produced by Gunpei Yokoi. The music was composed by Hirokazu Tanaka, who did music for several other Nintendo games at the time.[18] The game's music was represented in the classic games medley on the Video Games Live concert tour.[19] Designer Hiroji Kiyotake created the graphics and characters.[20]

Release[edit]

Duck Hunt has been placed in several combination ROM cartridges. In the Action Set configuration of the NES in the late 1980s, Duck Hunt was included with Super Mario Bros.[21] This particular cartridge is found very often in the United States, due to it being included with the purchase of a NES.[21] A Power Set was also available, which included the Action Set, the Power Pad and a 3-in-1 cartridge that included Duck Hunt, World Class Track Meet, and Super Mario Bros.[22]

Duck Hunt was re-released as a downloaded Virtual Console title for the Wii U console in Japan on December 24, 2014, and internationally on December 25. This version is modified to require a Wii Remote controller in place of the NES Zapper to aim and shoot targets on the screen.[8][23]

Reception[edit]

Reception
Review scores
PublicationScore
AllGame3/5 stars[24]
Nintendo World Report7.5/10 (Wii U)[25]

Allgame called the game an "attractive but repetitive target shooter" and "utterly mindless… the game is fun for a short time, but gets old after a few rounds of play".[5] Several user groups have rated the game positively. 1UP.com users gave it an 8.7 out of 10,[26] and the GameSpot community gave the Mario-Duck Hunt package a 9.1 out of 10.[6] It was rated the 150th best game made on a Nintendo System in Nintendo Power's Top 200 Games list.[27] IGN also placed the game at number 77 on its "Top 100 NES Games of All Time" feature.[28] Jeremy Parish of USgamer stated that Duck Hunt paired with the NES Zapper "made the NES memorable" and was one of the key factors behind the success of the NES. Parish related Duck Hunt to the Wii Remote of the Wii in that they made their respective consoles more approachable and reach a wider demographic.[29]

Legacy[edit]

Duck Hunt's hunting dog character laughs whenever the player fails to shoot any ducks. The dog is both an infamous and iconic character in gaming.

Duck Hunt features a nameless non-playable hunting dog, known simply as "Dog" according to his collectable trophy in Super Smash Bros. for Wii U, and often referred to by the media as the "Duck Hunt Dog" or the "Laughing Dog". The dog accompanies the player in the "Game A" and "Game B" modes, in which he serves to both provoke the ducks and retrieve any fallen ones. The dog is infamous and iconic for laughing at the player whenever the player fails to shoot any of the ducks on screen. The dog has been labelled as "one of the most annoying video game characters ever" by numerous gaming critics and journalists, including IGN, GamesRadar, and ScrewAttack,[30][31][32] and many have expressed the desire to be able to shoot the dog.[33][34][35] Both IGN and Nintendo Power have referred to the dog as something players "love to hate".[36][37]

The dog's perceived "smugness" has helped him appear on several "best of" lists. In their lists for "Top 10 Video Game Dogs", 1UP.com placed the dog seventh, praising his confidence for "laughing at a frustrated human with a loaded rifle",[38] while GameSpy placed the dog in tenth.[34] GameDaily and Official Nintendo Magazine have included the dog in their "Greatest Video Game Moments" lists.[39][40] Brian Crecente of Kotaku listed him as one of his favorite video game dogs, stating that the dog's character design reminded him of Tex Avery cartoons.[35] Video game developer Mastiff referenced the dog in promoting their video game Remington Great American Bird Hunt, stating that Rockford, a dog in the game, will never laugh at players for missing the ducks.[41]

The Duck Hunt duo, as they appear in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate.

UGO.com listed the ability to kill the dog as one of the best video game urban legends, stating that it is one of the few video game urban legends based in actual truth, since players could shoot the dog in the arcade Vs. Duck Hunt.[42] The dog makes a cameo appearance in the NES game Barker Bill's Trick Shooting (another Zapper game) and he can be shot.[43] In Wii Play (2006) and its sequel Wii Play: Motion (2011) some elements from Duck Hunt and Hogan's Alley are included in the mini-games "Shooting Range" and "Trigger Twist" in which some of the various targets are ducks and cans.

In the 2014 fighting games Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS and Wii U, the dog and one of the ducks appear collectively as playable characters under the name "Duck Hunt", or "Duck Hunt Duo" in PAL releases. Masahiro Sakurai, the creator and director of the Super Smash Bros. series, stated that Duck Hunt's commercial success as "the most-sold shooting game in the world" was one of the primary reasons for the team's inclusion.[44] In the games, the Duck Hunt team utilizes multiple attacks related to the NES Zapper, including throwing clay pigeons; kicking an explosive version of the can from Hogan's Alley; being able to summon the cast of Wild Gunman to fire at opponents with their guns; or comically dodging shots fired at opponents from the Zapper.[45][46] The games also feature an unlockable Duck Hunt-themed stage. Both the Duck Hunt team and stage reappear in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, and the team is featured in the June 2019 trailer announcing Banjo and Kazooie as downloadable content for Ultimate.[47]

In the 2015 Sony film Pixels, the dog has a cameo appearance, where he is given as a "trophy" by the aliens when Sam Brenner (Adam Sandler) and Ludlow Lamonsoff (Josh Gad) defeat the creatures of the video game Centipede. He stays in the house of an old woman in London.[48]

The premise for the psychological horror VR game Duck Season by Stress Level Zero is based in part on Duck Hunt.[49]

See also[edit]

Notes[edit]

  1. ^ Japanese: ダックハント Hepburn: Dakku Hanto

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Games - Intelligent Systems Co., Ltd". intsys.co.jp. Archived from the original on February 19, 2017. Retrieved August 4, 2020.
  2. ^ "I.S. Company Information". intsys.co.jp. Archived from the original on January 10, 1998. Retrieved August 4, 2020.
  3. ^ "retrodiary: 1 April – 28 April". Retro Gamer. Bournemouth: Imagine Publishing (88): 17. April 2011. ISSN 1742-3155. OCLC 489477015.
  4. ^ Fitzpatrick, Jason. "How the Nintendo NES Zapper Worked, and Why It Doesn't Work On HDTVs". www.howtogeek.com. Retrieved January 3, 2019.
  5. ^ a b "Duck Hunt Overview". Allgame. Retrieved November 20, 2006.
  6. ^ a b "Duck Hunt". GameSpot. Archived from the original on January 23, 2013. Retrieved November 20, 2006.
  7. ^ Nintendo Duck Hunt (1976)
  8. ^ a b Justin Haywald (November 5, 2014). "NES Classic Duck Hunt Coming to Wii U". GameSpot. Retrieved November 5, 2014.
  9. ^ Fitzpatrick, Jason. "How the Nintendo NES Zapper Worked, and Why It Doesn't Work On HDTVs". www.howtogeek.com. Retrieved January 3, 2019.
  10. ^ a b "'Duck Hunt'". NinDB. Archived from the original on June 19, 2010. Retrieved November 21, 2006.
  11. ^ "Duck Hunt Cheats". IGN. Retrieved November 21, 2006.
  12. ^ "Top 100 NES/Famicom Games List #100-90". Retro and Contemporary Gaming Archives. August 17, 2011.
  13. ^ Duck Hunt at Arcade Vault. Retrieved November 21, 2006.
  14. ^ "PlayChoice History". Playchoice. Archived from the original on December 10, 2006. Retrieved November 21, 2006.
  15. ^ Fitzpatrick, Jason. "How the Nintendo NES Zapper Worked, and Why It Doesn't Work On HDTVs". www.howtogeek.com. Retrieved January 3, 2019.
  16. ^ a b Kohler, Chris (February 27, 2007). "Video: 1976 Duck Hunt". Wired. Condé Nast. Retrieved January 23, 2014.
  17. ^ "Pioneers of the Renaissance". N-Sider. Retrieved December 11, 2006.
  18. ^ "Discography". Sporadic Vacuum. Tanaka, Hirokazu. Archived from the original on June 13, 2011. Retrieved June 1, 2011.
  19. ^ "The Ground Breaking Video Games Live Hits UK Shores". Video Games Live. Retrieved December 12, 2006.
  20. ^ "We Were Drawing Pixel Art With A Famicom Controller". Famicom Disk System: The More You Play It, the More You'll Want to Play! [Disk 1]. Metroid Database. Archived from the original on July 25, 2012. Retrieved November 22, 2012.
  21. ^ a b "Super Mario Bros. and Duck Hunt". Console Classix. Archived from the original on December 7, 2006. Retrieved November 25, 2006.
  22. ^ "3 in 1 Cartridge". amazon.com. Retrieved November 25, 2006.
  23. ^ Osborn, Alex (December 19, 2014). "Duck Hunt Coming to Wii U Virtual Console on Christmas Day". Nintendo World Report. Retrieved May 31, 2015.
  24. ^ Baker, Christopher Michael. "Duck Hunt". allgame.com. AllGame. Archived from the original on November 14, 2014. Retrieved May 13, 2016.
  25. ^ Webb, Addison (January 8, 2015). "Duck Hunt (Wii U VC) Review Mini". Nintendo World Report. Retrieved May 31, 2015.
  26. ^ "Duck Hunt". 1UP.com. Archived from the original on May 23, 2011. Retrieved November 20, 2006.
  27. ^ "NP Top 200". Nintendo Power. 200. February 2006. pp. 58–66.
  28. ^ "Top 100 NES Games of All Time". IGN. Retrieved October 14, 2009.
  29. ^ Parish, Jeremy (January 22, 2014). "Duck Hunt, the Template for Wii's Success". USgamer. Gamer Network.
  30. ^ Pirrello, Phil (June 23, 2008). "ACD: Duck Hunt Dog - Stars Feature at IGN". Stars.ign.com. Retrieved August 5, 2010.
  31. ^ "The 12 most annoying sidekicks EVER". GamesRadar. Retrieved August 5, 2010.
  32. ^ "Screwattack's Top 10 douchebags in gaming". ScrewAttack's Top 10. screwattack.com. Archived from the original on July 24, 2010. Retrieved August 16, 2011.
  33. ^ Buffa, Chris (May 4, 2009). "Gallery and Images". GameDaily. Archived from the original on May 7, 2009. Retrieved August 6, 2010.
  34. ^ a b "National Dog Day: The Top 10 Dogs in Gaming - Page 1". GameSpy. Archived from the original on June 10, 2011. Retrieved August 6, 2010.
  35. ^ a b "And The Award For Greatest Video Game Canine Goes To..." MTV Multiplayer. March 7, 2008.
  36. ^ Thomas, Lucas M. (October 5, 2007). "Smash It Up! - The Animal Kingdom - Wii Feature at IGN". Wii.ign.com. Archived from the original on August 7, 2012. Retrieved August 5, 2010.
  37. ^ Nintendo Power 250th issue!. South San Francisco, California: Future US. 2010. p. 50.
  38. ^ Mackey, Bob. "Top 10 Video Game Dogs from 1UP.com". 1UP.com. Archived from the original on November 4, 2012. Retrieved November 4, 2012.
  39. ^ Workman, Robert (December 12, 2008). "Gallery and Images". GameDaily. Archived from the original on January 31, 2009. Retrieved August 6, 2010.
  40. ^ "Nintendo Feature: 50 Greatest Nintendo Moments: 10-1". Official Nintendo Magazine. January 8, 2010. Archived from the original on November 15, 2011. Retrieved August 6, 2010.
  41. ^ "Mastiff Rights The Wrongs Of Duck Hunt Dog". Kotaku.com. November 18, 2009. Retrieved November 4, 2012.
  42. ^ Plante, Chris (June 26, 2009). "Kill the Dog in Duck Hunt". UGO.com. Archived from the original on January 30, 2010. Retrieved August 6, 2010.CS1 maint: BOT: original-url status unknown (link)
  43. ^ "Video Game Cameos & References". Video Game Cameos & References Database. Retrieved November 21, 2006.
  44. ^ Rollins, Steven (January 2, 2015). "Sakurai Explains Duck Hunt's Inclusion in Smash". Gamnesia. Game Revolution. Retrieved February 2, 2015.
  45. ^ "New Super Smash Bros. Characters Confirmed in Stream". IGN. Retrieved October 16, 2014.
  46. ^ "People Are Starting to Unlock Secret Smash Bros. Characters [Update]". Kotaku. Retrieved October 16, 2014.
  47. ^ Martinez, Phillip (June 6, 2019). "Banjo-Kazooie Coming to 'Smash Ultimate' as DLC in Fall 2019". Newsweek.
  48. ^ Smith, Dave (July 23, 2015). "It's baffling that Nintendo let its treasured characters appear in Adam Sandler's new movie". Business Insider.
  49. ^ Marges, Jason (June 19, 2019). "Duck Season Still Delivers the Creeps Even Without VR". One E-Gamer.

External links[edit]

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