Teaching children how to hunt with fake orange lasers since 1985.
PLAYERS: 1
PUBLISHER: Nintendo
DEVELOPER: Nintendo
GENRE: Lightgun
RELEASE DATE: October 1985
Many people remember Duck Hunt as the second game they ever played, after Super Mario Bros. For those that grew up with the combo cartridge, Duck Hunt was seen as the game you played when Super Mario Bros. became too difficult. It introduced the Zapper peripheral which, along with the ROB Robot, started the proud tradition of quirky, but useless Nintendo peripherals (Donkey Konga Bongos anyone?). The game itself inspired all the Cabela’s Hunting crap we see today, but Duck Hunt actually contains charm. The duck’s expressions when you shoot them are fantastic, as are the flying and falling animations. Who can forget the dog that laughs at you when you miss a shot and the anger you feel when you realize you can’t shoot your dog for laughing at you? The clay pigeon mode is more straightforward, but is also more challenging – if you’re actually trying to play fair and shoot them from a distance. Despite the game’s iconic art style and ability to inspire nostalgic memories in Generation Y, it’s very much an early NES game. You can play it for ten minutes and get the full Duck Hunt experience. It’s worth revisiting if you want to initiate your own child in the ways of the hunt, or if you yourself need to forget the bleakness of life and become a kid again. Just don’t expect to linger here.
C+
Latest posts by Dylan Cornelius (see all)
- By Request – New Ghostbusters II - April 4, 2014
- The 86 Worst NES Games – Part 4 - April 1, 2014
- The 86 Worst NES Games – Part 3 - March 29, 2014
6 replies on “#204 – Duck Hunt”
It always frustrated the heck out of me that you couldn’t shoot the dog when it laughed at you. However, I ended up playing the arcade version one day and you can actually shoot the dog, He then comes into the next level with a cast and crutches. It was way too funny.
I still love this game, and have actually played it for an hour or two at a time. I’d give it at least a B.
You’re right, Waverboy, I think I was a little too hard on this game. I’ll change it to a B-.
One thing I find not too many people are aware of that takes the level of fun in duck hunt to a new level is this: plug a controller into the second controller port and the gun in the first player port . Now a friend can control the ducks!
WHAT! This is amazing, potentially life-changing info! I will have to try it out. Thanks Nicolas!
I have an NES emulator on my smartphone and once in a great while I’ll play Duck Hunt, tapping the screen instead of using a zapper like the old days…
It’s like I’m some sort of 8-bit god, looking down upon these tiny pixelated ducks, smiting them with a touch of my finger.
– Bobolicious