Duck Hunt
Encyclopedia
is a video game for the Nintendo Famicom/Nintendo Entertainment System
(NES) game console system
in which players use the NES Zapper
to shoot duck
s on screen for points. The game was developed and published by Nintendo
, and was released in 1984 in Japan. The ducks appear one or two at a time, and the player is given three shots to shoot them down.
The game was not initially reviewed often, but given mediocre critical praise and positive gamer reaction. Prior to the NES version, Nintendo also made a Duck Hunt game based on Laser Clay Shooting System
released in 1976. The game would be later be a pack-in game
, being a dual game pak with this game and Super Mario Bros.
, and later a triple game with the same two games plus World Class Track Meet.
In Duck Hunt, players use the Nintendo Zapper Light Gun
and attempt to shoot down either ducks or clay pigeon
s in mid-flight. Duck Hunt was also released as an arcade game
in 1984, as Vs. Duck Hunt, and is included in the PlayChoice-10
arcade console.
The game has three modes:
In the first two modes, a dog retrieves the ducks a player shoots, and laughs at the player if both of the birds on screen escape (and if the player fails to advance to the next level).
During bonus stages in Vs. Duck Hunt, the dog jumps out from the grass as a distraction to the player as they try to shoot ducks, thus putting himself in the line of fire and enabling a player to inadvertently shoot him. If the dog is shot, the bonus round ends.
Several unofficial remakes of Duck Hunt have been released which enable the player to shoot the dog. The nameless dog makes a cameo appearance in the NES game Barker Bill's Trick Shooting
(another Zapper game) and he can be shot. A remake is included in the Homebrew Channel for Wii.
While Duck Hunt does not have a traditional multiplayer mode, the manual states that a second player may plug in a standard NES controller in the other controller port and control the duck that appears. This option is only possible in the one duck mode.
created the game. They also developed the Light Gun used in Duck Hunt. The game was supervised by Takehiro Izushi, and was produced by Gunpei Yokoi.
. This particular cartridge is found very often in the United States, due to it being included with the purchase of a NES. 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.
The original music was composed by Hirokazu Tanaka
, who did music for several other Nintendo games at the time. The game's music was represented in the classic games medley on the Video Games Live
concert tour.
users gave it an 8.7 out of 10, and the GameSpot
community gave the Mario-Duck Hunt package a 9.1 out of 10. It was rated the 150th best game made on a Nintendo System in Nintendo Power
's Top 200 Games list. IGN
also placed the game at number 77 on its "Top 100 NES Games of All Time" feature. A remake homage to Duck Hunt appeared in Wii Play
in the form of its Shooting Range minigame which features ducks and clay pigeons as targets.
described him as the bane of their existence, including him in their "Annoying Character Hall of Fame", calling him the "most annoying pooch they couldn't kill." IGN editor Lucas M. Thomas listed the dog as a character he would like to see in Super Smash Bros. Brawl
, calling him the most despised animal character in Nintendo history. GamesRadar
listed him as the most annoying sidekick ever, discussing how as opposed to introducing interesting characters, they used the dog as a character who would mock their failures. However, they added that without him, Duck Hunt would be less of an icon. However, they also listed him as the seventh best canine companion, stating that they think that he is laughing with the player, as opposed to at the player. Cracked listed the dog as the most annoying video game character from an otherwise great game, calling him the single most hated character in video game history. They also listed him as one of Nintendo's best villains, simply stating that he "is an absolute fucker. End of story." Screwattack.com listed the Duck Hunt dog as the "Biggest Douchebag in gaming" and said that "If you've never played Duck Hunt, you just don't understand."
Andy Slaven, author of Video Game Bible: 1985-2002, described Duck Hunt as being a quality game except for the fact that you could not shoot the dog. 1UP.com
listed him as the seventh best dog in video games, stating that even though he is annoying, he is ballsy enough to laugh at someone with a loaded rifle. GameDaily
listed the dog as the third greatest in-game moment. listed the dog as one of the most unappreciated Nintendo characters. They stated that while dogs are man's best friend, that if the dog from Duck Hunt is man's best friend, they'd hate to meet their enemy. They also included him in their list of characters they wish they could kill, stating that almost everyone they talked to, even dog lovers, wanted to shoot him. In another GameDaily article, they state that the goal of the game was not just to shoot all of the ducks, but to avoid being laughed at by the dog. Nintendo Power
listed the dog as one of the things they love to hate, stating that there is not a Duck Hunt player in the world who has not wanted to shoot him. GameSpy
listed the dog as the 10th favorite dog in video games, stating that while a dog in real life does not judge its master, the Duck Hunt dog unfortunately is not like that.
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. MTV Multiplayer
conducted two awards that included the Duck Hunt dog; the "Greatest Video Game Canine" and "Greatest Video Game Animal" awards. The Duck Hunt dog tied for first in the reader poll with four other characters - K.K. Slider from Animal Crossing
, Amaterasu from Ōkami
, and Sam from Sam & Max
. Brian Crecente of Kotaku listed him as his third favourite, stating that the dog's art style and attitude reminded him of Fred Avery cartoons from the 1940s. Humorist Tofuburger listed him as his third favorite as well, stating that anyone who has played Duck Hunt will tell stories of broken TVs, controllers, and NESes due to the dog. Official Nintendo Magazine listed him as the eighth greatest Nintendo moment, describing him as being smug and stating that they loath him. Video game developer Mastiff
referenced the Duck Hunt 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.
Nintendo Entertainment System
The Nintendo Entertainment System is an 8-bit video game console that was released by Nintendo in North America during 1985, in Europe during 1986 and Australia in 1987...
(NES) game console system
Video game console
A video game console is an interactive entertainment computer or customized computer system that produces a video display signal which can be used with a display device to display a video game...
in which players use the NES Zapper
NES Zapper
The NES Zapper, also known as the Beam Gun in Japan, is an electronic light gun accessory for the Nintendo Entertainment System and the Japanese Famicom. It was released in Japan for the Famicom on and alongside the launch of the NES in North America in October 1985...
to shoot duck
Duck
Duck is the common name for a large number of species in the Anatidae family of birds, which also includes swans and geese. The ducks are divided among several subfamilies in the Anatidae family; they do not represent a monophyletic group but a form taxon, since swans and geese are not considered...
s on screen for points. The game was developed and published by Nintendo
Nintendo
is a multinational corporation located in Kyoto, Japan. Founded on September 23, 1889 by Fusajiro Yamauchi, it produced handmade hanafuda cards. By 1963, the company had tried several small niche businesses, such as a cab company and a love hotel....
, and was released in 1984 in Japan. The ducks appear one or two at a time, and the player is given three shots to shoot them down.
The game was not initially reviewed often, but given mediocre critical praise and positive gamer reaction. Prior to the NES version, Nintendo also made a Duck Hunt game based on Laser Clay Shooting System
Laser Clay Shooting System
The Laser Clay Shooting System was a light gun shooting simulation game created by Nintendo in 1973. The game consisted of an overhead projector which displayed moving targets behind a background; players would fire at the targets with a rifle, in which a mechanism of reflections would determine...
released in 1976. The game would be later be a pack-in game
Pack-in game
- Characteristics :Pack-in games are intended to be system-selling games that make good use of the positive features of a given system. Sometimes a pack-in game will be changed to a more popular game, or another game will be added, along with the original pack-in, if it is perceived that a newer...
, being a dual game pak with this game and Super Mario Bros.
Super Mario Bros.
is a 1985 platform video game developed by Nintendo, published for the Nintendo Entertainment System as a sequel to the 1983 game Mario Bros. In Super Mario Bros., the player controls Mario as he travels through the Mushroom Kingdom in order to rescue Princess Toadstool from the antagonist...
, and later a triple game with the same two games plus World Class Track Meet.
Gameplay
NES Zapper
The NES Zapper, also known as the Beam Gun in Japan, is an electronic light gun accessory for the Nintendo Entertainment System and the Japanese Famicom. It was released in Japan for the Famicom on and alongside the launch of the NES in North America in October 1985...
and attempt to shoot down either ducks or clay pigeon
Clay pigeon shooting
Clay pigeon shooting, also known as clay target shooting, and formally known as Inanimate Bird Shooting, is the art of shooting at special flying targets, known as clay pigeons or clay targets, with a shotgun or any type of firearm....
s in mid-flight. Duck Hunt was also released as an arcade game
Arcade game
An arcade game is a coin-operated entertainment machine, usually installed in public businesses such as restaurants, bars, and amusement arcades. Most arcade games are video games, pinball machines, electro-mechanical games, redemption games, and merchandisers...
in 1984, as Vs. Duck Hunt, and is included in the PlayChoice-10
PlayChoice-10
PlayChoice-10 was an arcade machine which could consist of as many as 10 different games previously available only on the Nintendo Entertainment System home console...
arcade console.
The game has three modes:
- One Duck – In each round, there are 10 ducks for the player to shoot down. Only one duck appears on screen at a time, and the player has three shots to hit it.
- Two Ducks – Identical to "One Duck" except that the ducks appear on screen in pairs. A new pair of ducks will not appear until both of the previous pair have either escaped or been shot down.
- Clay Shooting – In each round, there are 10 clay pigeons for the player to shoot down. Clay pigeons are fired off two at a time from a first person perspective and are aimed into the distance. In Vs. Duck HuntNintendo Vs. SeriesThe Nintendo Vs. System is a coin-operated video game platform designed for two-player competitive play using the VS. UniSystem or VS. DualSystem, arcade system boards based on the Nintendo Entertainment System. Many of these stand-up or sit-down arcade machines had two screens and controls joined...
, Clay Shooting mode appears as the second round with the first round being the two duck variation (the arcade version never had one duck).
In the first two modes, a dog retrieves the ducks a player shoots, and laughs at the player if both of the birds on screen escape (and if the player fails to advance to the next level).
Several unofficial remakes of Duck Hunt have been released which enable the player to shoot the dog. The nameless dog makes a cameo appearance in the NES game Barker Bill's Trick Shooting
Barker Bill's Trick Shooting
Barker Bill's Trick Shooting is a NES shooter made by Nintendo. It was released in 1990. It is based on the cartoon show titled Barker Bill's Cartoon Show, which was created by Paul Terry in . Barker Bill's Cartoon Show was one of the earliest cartoon shows produced for television...
(another Zapper game) and he can be shot. A remake is included in the Homebrew Channel for Wii.
While Duck Hunt does not have a traditional multiplayer mode, the manual states that a second player may plug in a standard NES controller in the other controller port and control the duck that appears. This option is only possible in the one duck mode.
Development
Nintendo Research & Development 1Nintendo Research & Development 1
was Nintendo's oldest development team. Its creation coincided with Nintendo's entry into the video games industry, and the original R&D1 was headed by Gunpei Yokoi...
created the game. They also developed the Light Gun used in Duck Hunt. The game was supervised by Takehiro Izushi, and was produced by Gunpei Yokoi.
Packaging
Duck Hunt has been placed in several combination cartridges. In the Action Set configuration of the NES in the late 1980s, Duck Hunt was included with Super Mario Bros.Super Mario Bros.
is a 1985 platform video game developed by Nintendo, published for the Nintendo Entertainment System as a sequel to the 1983 game Mario Bros. In Super Mario Bros., the player controls Mario as he travels through the Mushroom Kingdom in order to rescue Princess Toadstool from the antagonist...
. This particular cartridge is found very often in the United States, due to it being included with the purchase of a NES. A Power Set was also available, which included the Action Set, the Power Pad
Power Pad
The Power Pad is a floor mat game controller for the Nintendo Entertainment System. It is a gray mat with twelve pressure-sensors embedded between two layers of flexible plastic...
and a 3-in-1 cartridge that included Duck Hunt, World Class Track Meet and Super Mario Bros.
Audio
Hirokazu Tanaka
is a Japanese composer and musician, best known for his scores for various video games produced by Nintendo. He is also the current President of Creatures, Inc.-Video game soundtracks:*Radar Scope *Space Firebird...
, who did music for several other Nintendo games at the time. The game's music was represented in the classic games medley on the Video Games Live
Video Games Live
Video Games Live is a concert series created and produced by industry veterans and video game composers Tommy Tallarico and Jack Wall. The concerts consist of segments of video game music performed by a live orchestra with video footage and synchronized lighting and effects, as well as several...
concert tour.
Reception
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." Several user groups have rated the game positively. 1UP.com1UP.com
1UP.com is a video game website owned by IGN Entertainment, a division of News Corporation. Previously, the site was owned by Ziff Davis before being sold to UGO Entertainment in 2009....
users gave it an 8.7 out of 10, and the GameSpot
GameSpot
GameSpot is a video gaming website that provides news, reviews, previews, downloads, and other information. The site was launched in May 1, 1996 by Pete Deemer, Vince Broady and Jon Epstein. It was purchased by ZDNet, a brand which was later purchased by CNET Networks. CBS Interactive, which...
community gave the Mario-Duck Hunt package a 9.1 out of 10. It was rated the 150th best game made on a Nintendo System in Nintendo Power
Nintendo Power
Nintendo Power magazine is a monthly news and strategy magazine formerly published in-house by Nintendo of America, but now run independently. As of issue #222 , Nintendo contracted publishing duties to Future US, the U.S. subsidiary of British publisher Future.The first issue published was...
's Top 200 Games list. IGN
IGN
IGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...
also placed the game at number 77 on its "Top 100 NES Games of All Time" feature. A remake homage to Duck Hunt appeared in Wii Play
Wii Play
Wii Play, released as in Japan, is a party video game for the Wii console. It is a counterpart to the games Wii Sports, Wii Music and Wii Fit. It features minigames that use characters from the Mii Channel. Several of the games featured are from E3 2006 demos such as the Duck Hunt-styled shooting...
in the form of its Shooting Range minigame which features ducks and clay pigeons as targets.
Cultural impact
Since appearing in Duck Hunt, the dog has become an icon to gaming, as well as a symbol of annoyance. IGNIGN
IGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...
described him as the bane of their existence, including him in their "Annoying Character Hall of Fame", calling him the "most annoying pooch they couldn't kill." IGN editor Lucas M. Thomas listed the dog as a character he would like to see in Super Smash Bros. Brawl
Super Smash Bros. Brawl
Super Smash Bros. Brawl, known in Japan as , often abbreviated as SSBB or simply as Brawl, is the third installment in the Super Smash Bros. series of crossover fighting games, developed by an ad hoc development team consisting of Sora, Game Arts and staff from other developers, and published by...
, calling him the most despised animal character in Nintendo history. GamesRadar
GamesRadar
GamesRadar is a multi-format video game website featuring regular news, previews, reviews, videos, and guides. It is owned and operated simultaneously in the UK and US by worldwide publisher Future Publishing...
listed him as the most annoying sidekick ever, discussing how as opposed to introducing interesting characters, they used the dog as a character who would mock their failures. However, they added that without him, Duck Hunt would be less of an icon. However, they also listed him as the seventh best canine companion, stating that they think that he is laughing with the player, as opposed to at the player. Cracked listed the dog as the most annoying video game character from an otherwise great game, calling him the single most hated character in video game history. They also listed him as one of Nintendo's best villains, simply stating that he "is an absolute fucker. End of story." Screwattack.com listed the Duck Hunt dog as the "Biggest Douchebag in gaming" and said that "If you've never played Duck Hunt, you just don't understand."
Andy Slaven, author of Video Game Bible: 1985-2002, described Duck Hunt as being a quality game except for the fact that you could not shoot the dog. 1UP.com
1UP.com
1UP.com is a video game website owned by IGN Entertainment, a division of News Corporation. Previously, the site was owned by Ziff Davis before being sold to UGO Entertainment in 2009....
listed him as the seventh best dog in video games, stating that even though he is annoying, he is ballsy enough to laugh at someone with a loaded rifle. GameDaily
GameDaily
GameDaily was a video game journalism website based in the United States. Launched in 1995 by entrepreneur Mark Friedler under the name Gigex and focused on free game demo downloads, The site changed its business model from a flat fee per download CDN distributed service network to an...
listed the dog as the third greatest in-game moment. listed the dog as one of the most unappreciated Nintendo characters. They stated that while dogs are man's best friend, that if the dog from Duck Hunt is man's best friend, they'd hate to meet their enemy. They also included him in their list of characters they wish they could kill, stating that almost everyone they talked to, even dog lovers, wanted to shoot him. In another GameDaily article, they state that the goal of the game was not just to shoot all of the ducks, but to avoid being laughed at by the dog. Nintendo Power
Nintendo Power
Nintendo Power magazine is a monthly news and strategy magazine formerly published in-house by Nintendo of America, but now run independently. As of issue #222 , Nintendo contracted publishing duties to Future US, the U.S. subsidiary of British publisher Future.The first issue published was...
listed the dog as one of the things they love to hate, stating that there is not a Duck Hunt player in the world who has not wanted to shoot him. GameSpy
GameSpy
GameSpy Industries, Inc., known simply as GameSpy, is a division of IGN Entertainment, which operates a network of game websites and provides online video game-related services and software. GameSpy dates back to the 1996 release of an internet Quake server search program named QSpy. The current...
listed the dog as the 10th favorite dog in video games, stating that while a dog in real life does not judge its master, the Duck Hunt dog unfortunately is not like that.
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. MTV Multiplayer
MTV
MTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....
conducted two awards that included the Duck Hunt dog; the "Greatest Video Game Canine" and "Greatest Video Game Animal" awards. The Duck Hunt dog tied for first in the reader poll with four other characters - K.K. Slider from Animal Crossing
Animal Crossing
The Animal Crossing games have garnered positive response. The first three games are among the best-selling for their respective consoles. Animal Crossing has sold 2.321 million copies; Wild World 10.79 million; and City Folk 3.38 million...
, Amaterasu from Ōkami
Okami
is an action-adventure video game developed by Clover Studio and published by Capcom. It was released for Sony's PlayStation 2 video game console in 2006 in Japan and North America, and 2007 in Europe and Australia...
, and Sam from Sam & Max
Sam & Max
Sam & Max is a media franchise focusing on the fictional characters of Sam and Max, the Freelance Police. The characters, who occupy a universe that parodies American popular culture, were created by Steve Purcell in his youth, and later debuted in a 1987 comic book series...
. Brian Crecente of Kotaku listed him as his third favourite, stating that the dog's art style and attitude reminded him of Fred Avery cartoons from the 1940s. Humorist Tofuburger listed him as his third favorite as well, stating that anyone who has played Duck Hunt will tell stories of broken TVs, controllers, and NESes due to the dog. Official Nintendo Magazine listed him as the eighth greatest Nintendo moment, describing him as being smug and stating that they loath him. Video game developer Mastiff
Mastiff (company)
Mastiff is an American publisher of video games, with offices located in both Tokyo and San Francisco. The executive staff includes Bill Swartz, Mika Hayashi, Danny Hammett and Charles Van.-Game Boy Advance:*Dr...
referenced the Duck Hunt 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.
External links
- Duck Hunt at NinDB
- Duck Hunt - Mario Duck at Iphone version
- Duck Carnage - Duck Hunt for Android devices
- Play Duck Hunt at Play Free Online Games