Nintendo has officially announced that Duck Hunt will be arriving on the Wii U eShop in North America on 25th December 2014. We've known that the title was coming to the West ever since it was revealed alongside the Duck Hunt character present in Super Smash Bros. for Wii U and Nintendo 3DS, but until now we only knew the Japanese release details.
The game will function as many people have assumed, by using a Wii Remote to point at the screen in the same way as the original NES Zapper light gun. This time around due to the limitations of modern screens, a crosshair will appear on the screen. From the official press release:
Grab your Wii Remote controller! It’s duck season and your trusty hunting dog is ready to scour the open fields. Test your sharp-shooting skills as your targets take flight in this legendary NES classic. Be quick to knock them out of the skies, or your canine companion won’t hesitate to make you the laughing stock of hunters. Need a change in scenery? Best your score against clay pigeon targets instead. Duck Hunt will be available on Dec. 25.
There's no word as of yet as to when it will arrive in Europe, but we'd be very surprised if we didn't get a similar release date in the near future. This is pure speculation though, so don't be upset if it doesn't happen!
Is this the beginning of a new chapter for the Duck Hunt Dog and his feathery co-stars? Let us know your thoughts by leaving a comment below!
Comments (79)
Well, I guess I can wait 'til next Christmas then.
Hope this isn't an inverse of the Super Mario Bros 3 situation from last year, and Europe doesn't get it for months. Would be nice to have a blast on this over Christmas.
I'm going to pick it up probably later on Christmas afternoon along with Shantae.
Merry Christmas!!
.....or should I said to UK, Happy Christmas!!
I would love to play this over Christmas.
Surely Europe will get it too!
Did you mean 2014 or 2015? If its over a year away I'll forget about it..
While I'm sure it will be fun, I can't see getting more than 15 minutes of enjoyment out of this considering how simplistic this game is.
Apologies guys, this was written in a bit of a hurry!
It's definitely 2014
Finally after all these years!
It's a Christmas miracle!
This is gonna be a fun way to kill time until the ham is out of the oven on Christmas. Hoping my fellow European gamers get release info soon instead of later.
Oh, and Merry/Happy Christmas to everyone at Nintendo Life--the wonderful staff and user base alike. (only saying it a week in advance because I might not be on much in the next week or so)
I played it a lot 30 years ago........I cant imagine buying it for VC though.....but if they come out with New Duck Hunt on eShop, I might buy into a new HD target shooter
Hey, I ain't gonna argue with a new game on Christmas!
I'm a bit surprised that many of us are excited for this release. I feel that your eshop dollars can be much better spent on a quality game. I understand the love for nostalgia but I wouldn't pay over $2 to download Duck Hunt.
It would be cool if there was a a Link's Crossbow Training style Duck Hunt sequel.
I'd like to see how it plays compared to the original. Because, honestly, the original plays like garbage. I remember getting bored enough for my buddies and I to try and tackle the game, but would always get frustrated with the lack hit detection. We fared better with skeet shooting.
I would like to see a sequel/remake to the game sometime in the future. Like a fully-fledged shooting gallery. Those were the best parts of those Wii Play games.
Hopefully this can lead to Duck Hunt: Uprising!
Who needs the NES Zapper when you can use this!
http://www.thetanooki.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/02/Nerf-Switch-Shot-EX-3.jpg
My favorite part is that "the limitations of modern screens" are making them put crosshairs on the screen. The game will probably be a lot easier now.
I may get it, but regardless, very cool how this is a reality.
How can e.g House of the Dead Overkill 2 & 3 work pretty well with the crosshair turned off. Whatever they did should be done.
@EarthboundBenjy The end of Links Crossbow Training I like as much as anything using the Wiimote. (Problem is Miyamoto wanted it to not be like that). Problem is it is about 10 mins in total.
Time to dust off that HOTD Hand Cannon. Those ducks won't know what hit them.
I can't wait for Xmas, like 5 new games to play already that day, add another.
What's the price?
Merry Christmas!
Excited for Duck Hunt!
This should be released worldwide on Christmas day for free as a gift from Nintendo to those of us who kept faith in the Wii U.
Guess I'll have to give it a try, then!
@RCMADIAX yes it is!
Having crosshairs on the screen sort of takes the fun and skill out of the game.
That's awsome! Forget about the Christmas presents, I'm playing duck hunt!
Awesome!
@andyg1971 that's a awesome idea!! It seems like forever since our brain training freebie
How many people think that donkey kong land is coming this week or Dec. 25
Donkey kong land may be what the 3ds will get for Christmas
Glory! I'll be purchasing and playing right away. This was the first game my cousin and I played, and I never forgot it because I didn't have videogames until I was a teenager. Nintendo just made my year with this.
As excited as I am for the game itself, the best part is that this opens the door to more experiments with the VC. Mario Paint with the gamepad acting as the mouse? GBA games with Amiibo in the place of the E-Reader? GAME BOY MULTIPLAYER?
Can you control the duck with a second controller?
It's an insta-buy. This and MARIO KART 8 on Christmas day. My dad's never going to believe this!
@thedefalcos the reason the original had poor hit detection was the technology used back in the 1980's. When the trigger was squeezed, the screen flashed black and a white box around the duck (or visa versa, can't remember). Anyways, if the sensor detected the one it registered a hit. Very impressive considering the times back then.
This one is using Motion Plus technology. Should be fine.
@andyg1971 - Pretty much my thought. Only problem is all the people in America who travel on Christmas may not be home to DL it. And I'd buy it for $1, does't have to be free. More than $1 and I'll play Boom Blocks Bash Party Back or Link's Crossbow Training.
Since this marks the firts tima a NEZ Zapper game comes to VC, would the rest of the games for this preipheral will come? I know most are still uber simplistic, like Hogan's Ally, but I would love to play again Gumshoe! That would be fun.
Best Christmas gift....EVER!
Super Scope 7 and Yoshi's Safari next Big N. Please and Thank you,
Awesome! Gonna be an instant download for me, and play it with family later that day.
It'd really be cool if they'd offer a discount for those who purchased Super Mario Bros, and if you download both, you'd get them as that SMB/Duck Hunt 2-in-1 combo, complete with the old game select screen!
So, so jealous right now, being an European and all...
I wonder if a second player can control the ducks like in the NES version?
MORE DUCK HUNT
I don't care if you don't even hunt actual ducks any more, my lightgun trigger finger is itching like mad. Maybe it could be a hunting game still, one that teaches how to spot from long distances and shoot only specific kinds of animals, and why it's healthy to ecosystems to control overpopulation.
@BaffleBlend CoughPokemoncough
Quanto? If it's more than 10 bucks, no way. Actually, 5.99 sounds about right.
@chiefeagle02 I would love that feature!
Hope to put controller in links crossbow training accessory, is fire button mapped right for this ?
Didn't expect it this soon!
It's a shame the wii didn't have that many light gun or rail shooters in its library. Imagine a sega made virtua cop on wii or a time crisis
Now I kinda want to see what hogans alley is like
Please release this for the 3DS! You'll get a much wider audience for such a quick play pick and play design that it has. You won't get anywhere near the cash selling it on the WiiU. Also give us Hogan's Alley and Wild Gunman too as I no longer have a CRT as of recent to play those.
I hope this leads to other zapper/Super Scope games. I would love to play Yoshi's Safari again.
Gumshoe please.
New technology can make Zapper gun working on flat panel displays to precisely shoot one flying duck among a group of others. See patent 8810736, 8531613, and pub 20140168521.
@shigulicious I'm a bit surprised about how you're telling others how they should spend their money. Mr. Ebeneezer, lighten up! It's Christmas, and I will definitely bey trying to shoot the dog like the good old days!
Its a fun game.......for about 5 minutes
This intrigues me but at the same time, I am wary of how the Wii mote will work with it and the sensitivity.
This is awesome! I'm a huge fan of old lightgun games, and I keep a CRT screen around for that purpose.
I hope they add gamepad support too. One problem with my Wiimotes is that they jiggle sometimes...
@TruenoGT
I agree, After Duck Hunt all the Super Scope games should be next.
@MagicEmperor
OUCH !!
SHOOT THE DUCKS, NOT ME !!
I remember playing this game at my Grandma's house on their old NES and having a good time with it. I may have to pick this game for old time's sake and so I can revisit a classic!
@jay2 That is a cool idea!
@Captain_Gonru - "remote DL"
My favorite part of remote DL is all the games I "purchased" while a PS+ member for PS4 and Vita systems I don't yet own. (probably never for Vita)
The real best reason for remote DL would be to DL stuff while at lunch at work or school (store updates at noon my time) so its ready to play when you get home.
I think Duck Hunt is just the NES game so I wouldn't expect much beyond the crosshairs. Kind of makes you wonder though why this didn't release on Wii when Wiimotes were the controller of choice. Unless it did and I missed it.
Why won't they make a Wii U version of the original NES Zapper? I would love to play Duck Hunt with it, but also titles like Sega's Virtua Cop and House of the Dead.
@Peach64 "Have a blast..." LOL! I like what you did there!
Great. Now can we please get a Duck Hunt U at some point?? I want something new, where I can maybe at least explore the woods, have the dog act as maybe some sort of aid roaming about in helping find the ducks.
@thedefalcos what? The original had perfect hit detection. You just had to close one eye and aim down the little aimer things on the zapper like a real gun, line up those two plastic bits with the duck and you never missed. I'm a little dissapointed there's going to be a crosshair, but glad they're bringing the game back
@Captain_Gonru - Ah yes, Wii Play. I knew I had other Duck Hunt like games. Also played some bad on rails FPS type game w/ my kid, maybe Ghost Squad? Also HotD maybe.
Yeah, I can't see paying for Duck Hunt. It should unlock free if you have the dog amiibo OK, that's not really free having to buy a $13 toy, lets say it should "come included with" the $13 dog amiibo but sell for $1 otherwise.
@IceClimbers: My thoughts exactly.
Remember your PAL pals for Xmas, Nintendo!!!
-Blows dust off Perfect Shot and WiiMote-
Locked and loaded!
Game is a minor diversion at best,as much as i loved it bitd at this stage it's fun for 5 minutes now and again at best. Would like if nintendo released this for free on 25th everywhere. It saysng alot about current gaming that were so interested in playing older games
Wonder how they are going to pull this off since the wii zapper (and wiimote of course) does not work the same as the NES zapper does. The placement of a 'hit' will depend solely on where the gun is pointed in relation to the wii sensor bar as opposed to reacting to the flashing sprites. Maybe they will give us a crosshair, but then that will make it too easy.
I'll probably just dust off my NES and play that instead, I don't see this going well. Although, I would absolutely love to see Duck Hunt and friends (wild gunman, barker bill, etc.) return in an e-shop or possibly even retail package of new games that take advantage of the wii zapper.
Looks great!
come on nintendo announce this is tomorrow's europe download news.. Please
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