The NES isn't the only thing that hits the big Three-O this year - the legendary Hollywood movie series Back to the Future also began 30 years ago, and in a neat bit of anniversary fusion, Nintendo is acknowledging the fact by releasing Wild Gunman on the Wii U Virtual Console.
As any film fan will know, the arcade version of the game appears in the second Back to the Future movie in a scene where Marty McFly (Michael J. Fox) has travelled to future (2015 - which was the future back when the movie was released, anyway) in a specially-modified DeLorean DMC-12.
Surrounded by new and confusing technology like Power Laces, hover cars and self-drying jackets, McFly is relieved to spot something he is familiar with - a Wild Gunman arcade cabinet. He aces the game hoping to impress two nearby kids (one of which is none other than future movie star Elijah Wood), but receives only scorn and the immortal line you all should really know by now.
Will you be downloading this game to mark the occasion, or will you be instead loading up your Back to the Future trilogy box set instead? Or perhaps you'll be doing both? Let us know by posting a comment.
Comments 49
Amazing movie.
The telltale series of adventure games was amazing
I can still vividly remember going to see this at the cinema with my mum and best friend.I would have been 7 at the time and I came out the cinema thinking Michael J Fox was the coolest man on the planet and Huey Lewis and the News the coolest band.Me and my mate often considered recreating that skateboard scene,so glad I never.
Well they got ONE thing right about 2015:
Super Mario Maker has just been released, and judging by the best ranked levels, nobody uses their hands to play video games any more.
@OorWullie Sounds like you're the same age as me (ie: old and past it)
To mark the anniversary, they could also have released the Back to the Future NES, SNES and Wii titles. That would have been awesome.
Ahhh, Nintendo and Back to the Future. There is no better combo
Telltale should remake the Back to the Future game on Wii for Wii U. They are already doing it for other platforms
@Maxz ZING!
Mr. Frodo!
@Mega719 Unfortunately, Telltale Games are working hard to release Minecraft: Story Mode first, and the Wii U version is taking a while after being released on the other platforms the game was initially announced for.
It's not really because of the 30th Anniversary. It's because that scene takes place THIS WEDNESDAY! Marty, Doc, and Jennifer jumped ahead specifically to Wednesday, October 21, 2015. I'll be celebrating with a "Back to the Future" movie marathon night.
Classic game and classic films.
Only 3 more days 'till Jaws 19, everyone!
@SanderEvers
...ZING!
I'd forgotten that Elijah Wood was the video game boy in that scene
Go Cubs Go !!!
Hoping it gets released in NA this Thursday!!!
Ha-ha! I had no idea that was Elijah Wood, how funny! I've only ever seen the first BTTF, but I am planning on watching them all soon! Really love that movie. And I'll probably have to download Wild Gunman for the occasion
As great as this movie was, there is a very bad mistake. How could Biff bring the time machine back to the future?
I'll make like a tree........
@BulbasaurusRex Right, but after the TV networks show the films and people watch the Blu Rays/DVDs, some people will stumble onto the eShop and be like "Hey, that game was in the 2nd movie!" and likely to pick it up.
@Ootfan98 The timelines too their sweet ass time to rearrange? XD
It's like asking why didnt Marty and Doc Brown suddenly fade away in the future or had their minds rewritten the moment Biff went back to the past...
@Damo We're only as old as we feel as they say,in my case about mid 40's haha
@Angelic_Lapras_King - its because of string theory
@Gerbwmu Or one of the many time traveling theories, yeah. XD
I watched all the movies this past weekend with my nephew. It was a lot of fun.
Pretty cool. Now they should celebrate the NES 30th with another VC game too. =P
Cinema tomorrow to see Back to the Future 2. See you guys overthere.
Will be picking up the game and watching the movie. I remember playing it back in the day at my cousin's house down the street on his NES. Good times...
One of my favorite movie series of all time, and definitely looking forward to downloading this game...as long as NA is included in this one.
That top picture looks... Off.. Somehow.
I've never played Wild Gunman, but I've always wanted to since I was a kid, because of this movie. So I'm pretty darn happy about this.
And yet another reason that I need to watch the whole trilogy; I've never seen the first movie, and it's been a while since I've seen the other two.
@HopeNForever i know i'm saying it would be cool if they did, which they are already doing on other platforms. Maybe if the development goes smoothly with Minecraft then they would release more games on the platform. I mean we heard at one point that The Walking Dead was apparently coming to Wii U this month from GAME but we heard nothing else
Wii Zapper supported? That's a big motivator if I'll download or not.
My 30th was last year. I'll be watching the trilogy on blu ray and picking up both light gun games on virtual console.Duckhunt was the only one I played previously.
Curiously enough, Italian channel "Italy 1" is currently airing the original trilogy due to the movies' "future" being 2015 - really, that's the whole reasoning behind the commercials.
@XCWarrior ...Really? The Wii Zapper is just a plastic thing you put the remote and nunchuck into. The only games that aren't "compatible" with it are ones that require you to move the remote and the nunchuck independently (and even then you could just hold the nunchuck separately)
@AlexSora89 I mean, this Wednesday is actually the exact date that the movie takes place on, so yeah, that's pretty notable.
All I can think about when I watch BTTF2 is, "It's 2015, so where the heck is my Pizza Hydrator?!". Anyone who says that's not the coolest piece of "future" tech in the movie is either deluded or lying.
1) top 20 greatest movie ever
2) just picked up 30th anniversary game for ps4/xone cause ya know no Wii u version
3) the vc version of this and hogan America of course doesn't have cause NOA sucks!!
4)NOA sucks!! Thx for nothing Reggie!!!
Cool, I'll get Wild Gunman..I'm also going to Hill Valley, CA, at 4:29 pm, on Wednesday, October 21st to get in the movie. Look for me, I'll be at the Cafe 80's, "where it's always morning in America, even in the afternoo-noo-noon", lol...
@MaseSco
Yeah but they should be free. Those were awful games. Another high quality LJN masterpiece.
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/a/af/BackToTheFutureNESBoxart.jpg
I definitely plan to get this if it comes to North America. I keep hoping they will do more zapper based games if people buy them.
I definitely plan to get this. I keep hoping they will do more zapper based games if people buy them.
So the Zapper is a baby's toy compared to the Power Pad?
Come on, Nintendo, you're not going to release it on Back to the Future Day?? I guess they're waiting till Thursday.
Why only in Europe??
@Maxz Your comment made me choke on my Diet Coke. Well played.
Too bad it's not getting released in North America. What did we ever do to deserve this treatment? VC is dead over here.
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