Duck Hunt

Duck Hunt is a video game for the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) game console system. It was one of the two original pack-in titles for the first release of the game system (the other was Gyromite).

Gameplay

In Duck Hunt, players had a special gun apparatus, the Nintendo Zapper Light Gun that they plugged into the NES console, and attempted to shoot down ducks or clay pigeons in mid-flight. Duck Hunt was originally released as an arcade game in 1984 and was also included in the PlayChoice-10 arcade console. Like many early video games, Duck Hunt has no proper ending.

The player is also accompanied by a nameless dog that laughs at you if no duck is hit. The dog has passed into video gaming folklore. Additionally, one of the more popular urban legends within the video game community claims that some players have found a way to shoot the dog. This is actually impossible for several gameplay reasons and limitations, although it is possible to shoot the dog in the bonus round of the arcade version of the game, Vs. Duck Hunt (possibly the origin of the urban legend). There is also a fan-made Macromedia Flash remake of the game that features the ability to shoot the dog. ^* The dog also makes a cameo in the NES game Barker Bill's Trick Shooting (also a Zapper game) and he can be shot.

The game had three modes: one and two-duck variations on the above formula and a third clay pigeon shooting mode. Most players regard this last mode as by far the most difficult; the clay pigeons were much smaller sprites than the ducks. Additionally, in later rounds shooting multiple clays required faster reaction time than as in the same numbered round in the duck modes. In Vs. Duck Hunt, Clay Shooting mode appeared only as a bonus game.

Production

Packaging

The game was placed in several combination cartridges. If one bought the original Action Set configuration of the NES in the late 1980s, Duck Hunt was included with Super Mario Bros.. This particular cartridge is the most commonly found NES cartridge in the United States. If one had purchased the NES system in a bundle with the Power Pad, then Duck Hunt was included on a 3-in-1 cartridge that additionally included World Class Track Meet. Duck Hunt was available in a standard single cartridge form, but it is somewhat more scarce than the packaged versions.

Trivia

While marketed as a single player game, the second player controller could be used to direct the duck, though it was tricky to master. Many people believe that this is a glitch, but the instruction booklet packaged with the game shows this as a feature.
- The player could not control the ducks in "Two Duck" and the "Trap Shooting" modes.
The music was composed by Hirokazu "Hip" Tanaka.
Duck Hunt does not continue forever. After level 99, the player advances to level "00". On level "00", no ducks emerge, but the sound of duck wings persists. After 10 non-duck appearances (and 10 bursts of mocking laughter from the dog), the game ends. In the case of Clay Pigeon shooting it also doesn't continue forever. After level 99, the player advanced to level "00". On level "00" you can shoot giant Clay Pigeons. And after it loops to level 1 again.
Using a magnifying glass, it is possible to spread shots (like a shotgun), and hit every spot on the screen at once.

References in popular culture

"Duck Hunted", a short animated comedy involving a person being transported into the video game world of Duck Hunt, was featured at the 2005 Newport Beach Film Festival.
On February 14, 2006, the game was again used as "digital simulation" of Vice President Dick Cheney's accidental shooting of Harry Whittington on both Comedy Central's The Daily Show with Jon Stewart and MSNBC's Countdown with Keith Olbermann. See Dick Cheney hunting incident.
A question is commonly raised throughout internet sites and chat rooms as to whether or not Duck Hunt is actually a First Person Shooter. Many deny this, as it is vastly different to what is commonly understood today as a First Person Shooter; however, the game does involve shooting, and it is viewed in the First Person.

Sequels and legacy

Barker Bill's Trick Shooting has occasional appearances of the Duck Hunt dog. In the "Balloon Saloon" game, he can be shot when he pops his head up during a round.
Super Smash Bros. Melee features a trophy of ducks from Duck Hunt.
Many entries in the WarioWare, Inc. series feature microgames based on Duck Hunt.

During the E3 2006 Trade Show, several news sites reported that Nintendo was developing a revamped version of Duck Hunt for their Wii console. The reports were taken down a day later. It's widely accepted that this "revamp" was a graphically updated version of the original Duck Hunt designed to demo shooting using the Wii controller.

References

External links

Duck Hunt recreated using Macromedia Flash

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