
Despite Nintendo's refusal to acknowledge the Duck Hunt character in Super Smash Bros. until long after the 3DS version was released, we all knew that the duo – or trio – were in the game. What we didn't know at that time was that Duck Hunt was due to release on the Wii U's Virtual Console, and now it has. The question is whether it has aged well.
For those who don't know how Duck Hunt works, you have to point at the screen and shoot ducks down from the sky in three shots or less so that your trusted hound can pick them up and display them to you. Once you've shot or missed ten birds you'll progress onto the next round, which increases the speed that the ducks move and periodically brings in other colours that move in different patterns. If you fail to meet the minimum number of successful hits – displayed by a blue bar underneath the row of duck icons – it's game over and you'll have to start all over again.

You have three game modes to choose from: Game A which launches a single duck at a time, Game B which will launch two ducks simultaneously – although still with only a three-shot limit – and Game C which replaces the ducks with clay pigeons and removes the dog altogether.
If you're playing by yourself you'll probably want to play Game B, as it features the most interesting movement patterns and presents more of a challenge, but if you happen to have someone else nearby you can thrust a second Wii Remote into their hands for some light multiplayer action. The second player can interact on Game A by controlling the single bird in an attempt to make the player with the 'gun' fail in their efforts. This is actually more engaging than perhaps it sounds, as you can really ruin someone's day by quickly dashing off in a direction when they least suspect it; this makes Game A much more interesting for the main player in the earlier levels. Game C is a more predictable mode, as the clay pigeons follow an obvious trajectory and are quite easy to hit. You can still make the game harder by removing the crosshair, but it's still nowhere near as enjoyable as the other two modes.

The major difference between this version and the original is, of course, the controller - the original NES Zapper is not supported (obviously!) and instead we have to make do with a Wii Remote, preferably in some sort of plastic shell that makes it feel like a real gun. You can use the Wii Zapper, but it's a very bulky item and doesn't lend itself terribly well to the gameplay, although it does provide more support from the second handle.
This version allows you to have a crosshair displayed on screen, which reduces the difficulty significantly but is almost a necessity with the different technology that's behind the game this time around. You can turn the crosshair off if you like by pressing any direction on the Wii Remote's D-Pad, and instead the crosshair will only flash up when you take a shot before fading away. This makes the game significantly closer to the original and ramps up the difficulty to levels that many may not wish to tread, but it's nice that the option's there for those who are more experienced.

Despite these options, the game is somewhat bite-sized due to the limitations of its original system. This is the case with many NES titles on the Virtual Console, and although it's common knowledge amongst gamers, it should be stated that you're not going to get a modern experience from this title. Having said that what it does offer is beautifully refined and simple, and when the bargain-basement price tag is taken into account, this game is worth it and then some.
Conclusion
Duck Hunt is a shooting game in its rawest form. The gameplay is simple and engaging, and there's nothing beyond a chuckling canine to distract you from your quest for total duck domination. The option for removing the crosshair and the intact two player mode are hugely welcome and make the experience more substantial than it would otherwise have been. That being said, the single player modes are a huge amount of fun and the porting process hasn't removed any of the enjoyment that can be found. The clay pigeon shooting mode is still a bit dull compared to its brothers, but it deserves its place nonetheless. Duck Hunt is a must-have for any light-gun enthusiasts to relax and unwind with, and will entertain all ages this Christmas period and beyond.
Comments 60
Well. I have 20 bucks on Eshop credit from my bro as a gift. Thinking about getting this.....
Got it. Worth it.
For $5, I had too.
Great review btw and it answered all of my questions.
The wiimote is no light gun.
The satisfaction of games like this comes from holding a gun in front of your line of sight and being able to instinctively aim quickly and accurately. Unfortunately this isn't possible with the lag and basic calibration of the wiimote. It's more a game of drag the crosshair - or drag the invisible crosshair.
This is far more of a flaw than any shortcoming the original game had.
Very enjoyable game, fun back then and it's still fun!
A compilation of this and other NES Zapper games (NES Zapper Remix?) may have been better. I've bought this, but purely for nostalgia's sake if I'm honest. Besides that and Smash Bros. fans wishing to see where the Duck Hunt Duo came from I can't really see much point in having it now, especially at over three quid.
The appeal of the original was using the zapper itself and the appealing cartoon designs of the characters. A Virtual Console version probably would have made a bigger impact on the original Wii when the pointer was more novel, even without the Smash tie in...still despite my cynicism, I'm glad it's out, and will probably grab Wild Gunman and Hogan's Alley if the come along too!
@pubjoe
Just take the wii remote and attach it a gun cradle = problem solved.
@Turbo857
It's the slight lag and the fact the Wiimote can't be calibrated properly that's the problem.
Look down the wiimote and move the cursor or crosshair. The aim loses accuracy as you move away from the centre of the screen. It also lags. It feels like you're sweeping the screen with an elastic broom. It was a disappointing realisation when the Wii was released and lightgun style games were forced to use a drag and shoot style aiming system. The wiimote+ has since been released but the infrared implementation hasn't changed.
Light guns with CRTs didn't have this problem. Aim was instant.
I'm having fun with it. Also the Wii Remote speaker plays a springy NES Zapper trigger sound. I thought that was a nice touch.
@pubjoe
It's not just that. The Wii Remote isn't tracked in space, it's angle is tracked.
That said, considering that the light gun literally won't work on HD TVs, it's the best option a lot of people have for Duck Hunt, at least as long as Nintendo doesn't have a camera peripheral (not saying they should).
Excellent game, so glad it's out. And I didn't know you could turn off the crosshair. That's a nice option, though I find the game perfect as is with the crosshair in place.
@ToneDeath
I agree, this should be game of the year! NES Zapper Remix!
The full screen flash that appeared when you fired in the original is apparently now missing from the game, which makes the shots a lot less satisfying as there's basically no visual feedback to indicate that you've fired.
If you think it's a small picky thing, just check out the original to see the difference it makes:
NES http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Cx5XGOQVx-4
Vs
Wii U http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=3ywHN7NKmOU
Now; I know they had that flashing with a white box on a black screen in the original game for a technical reason, which isn't necessary now, but it actually worked on more that just a technical level. They really should have kept some form of the flash as a nice visual cue of the gun firing imo (maybe a couple of frames full screen white with each shot). It would just give it more bang; as it were.
Other than the missing gun flash, the really dull muted colours (sadly a problem with apparently all NES games on the VC) and the weird choice of cursor shape and fluorescent colour, it looks decent enough. It's not quite the original experience though, is it
@iKhan
Thanks.
Infrared alone is perfect with better coverage - like a light in each corner of the TV. I appreciate that's completely impractical but it's just a shame that the simple satisfaction of a game like this is greatly lost - without new players realising it.
this looks easy now.... you get a target that shows where you are aiming? Lame.
The other thing about this that is stopping me from buying.... how long will it take before you get bored? It's the exact same thing over and over.....
"The crosshair can be turned off."
Bliss.
@ikki5 the crosshair can be turned off with pressing the downpad
This does seem the sort of game that's good fun for a day or two but then loses the nostalgia.
An update with more modes etc (or just a port of Point Blank) would be ace!
A good little nostalgic game, still wish I had my original zapper and game. I could play this game up to Round 60 in Two Ducks Mode. A side note, if playing One Duck Mode, player 2 can control the duck.
@Kirk This was likely to reduce the possibility of epileptic seizures.
Got it this morning. Very much worth it.
Eh, I'll just stick with playing Duck Hunt on Smash.
This is a must buy if you don't already have the NES version. That said, I'll think I'll pass since I've already got every release of Duck Hunt except the PlayChoice 10/VS Duck Hunt version. The zapper was part of the original experience and without the flash of the screen and feel of the spring loaded trigger it just won't be the same. The zapper was super accurate and you didn't experience lag.
OUCH !! SHOOT THE DUCKS, NOT ME !!
It was never going to be a perfect emulation, considering how different the light gun and Wii Remote technologies are, but this is as close (and perfect) a Duck Hunt emulation as we are going to get with today's technology, and surprisingly, I've quite enjoyed the game, and I'm really glad that the reticle can be turned off as having it turned on makes the game ridiculously easy.
When the reticle is turned off, it will still appear briefly whenever a bullet is fired, which is a nice substitute for the white box that would flash on screen in the NES original.
I've dusted off my Wii Zapper and contrary to the opinion of the reviewer, I've found that it works quite nicely. It might be better though to keep the nunchuk plugged into the Zapper too, just so that you can enjoy a more comfortable grip.
Everyone who owned a NES should buy this. It's Duck Hunt.
Oh and Nintendo, make a sequel for the eshop ASAP.
This is the first game I ever played and a firm family favourite, I just can't imagine it without the gun.
an 8? no no no, too high, i'd give it five
While not the greatest game of all time, I consider Duck Hunt required material for any seasoned retro NES fan. It's fun and addicting, but the Wiimote is no substitute for the NES Zapper. Also I hope they release Hogan's Alley at some point too. I'm a bit miffed that they removed the flash. That tells me it's been tampered and is not pure unadulterated emulation...
@PigmaskFan VS Duck Hunt. Man that was awesome. Shoot the dog during the bonus rounds. I have an NES reproduction of that game with original adcade DIP switches built into the cart, but sadly it has been discontinued by RetroUSB...
Can't wait to get home and play this. I still have my Duck Hunt cartridge but unfortunately no NES to play it on.
Also, 7.8 - Too much ducks.
@pubjoe you said exactly what i was thinking
Now if only we could get some super scope 6 games on this duck! That would kick some donkey!
The Nyko Perfect Shot is, well, perfect for this game
@cmk8 Check out Links Crossbow Training for the Wii. It airways Genovese's me of an enhanced version of Duck Hunt.
@wombatkidd agreed, loved Crossbow Training and played it for hours. Importantly it was also a game my wife loved.
Wonder how many will still be playing duck hunt in a week?
Really liked it. Seems wonderful playing this nes zapper game with the wii u remote
@AlexOlney
Hmmm; interesting thought but I expect it requires a certain range of frequency of repeated flashing to trigger that kind of thing. I would think if the gun flash is only happening when the player presses the trigger, which would never really be in any kind of repeated and sustained pattern, that it wouldn't have any dangerous effect on epileptics. I also suspect that being in direct control of the flashing maybe alters the effect on the person slightly; much like it's nearly impossible to get travel sick if you are actually the one doing the driving. I'm just totally speculating however because I'm no expert in the field. Either way; I still think the game is lacking slightly in oomph! without the effect and if it was a potential issue I would think they could just add a warning and an option to disable it. That's my two cents anyway.
@cmk8
Point Blank would be awesome!
@RadoGoji
Really? Awesome! That is a nice touch by Nintendo.
@cmk8 LOL! "wonder how many will still be playing duck hunt in a week" seeing as a majority of gamers on this site LOVE to brag about how much quicker they get bored than the next player.. I say 3 people will be playing this in a week. They will all have gone back to bemoaning the lack of third party support and why all games are not just free!
@Platypus101 Nah, there's much more pressing issues to complain about like the removal of the Digital Deluxe Promotion which in turn makes digital purchases pointless
@Captain_Toad
I guess... but at the same time, how many people are really going to turn it off?
This is one of the very few NES games I own. I have this game (the one merged with Super Mario Bros), Dr. Mario, Fire and Ice, and a few garbage games. I love the mechanics to this game, and the crosshair certainly made it MUCH easier. I haven't tried it without the crosshair, but it would nice to hold it like the zapper.
The zapper made you hold it up to your eye and aim at the screen. I can't wait to try that out with the Wiimote. However, I did manage to make it up to Round 12 on my first try after not playing it in so long. I can't lose my touch!
Duck Hunt GET!
Okay Nintendo, now tell me when Duck Hunt: Uprising is coming out.
Glad to know I can turn off the reticle - wayyyy to easy that way. Bring on Hogans Alley and Wild Guns!
So glad I have the Nyko Perfect Shot gun attachment.
had a blast Christmas day playing with my kids.
got it yesterday
Yeah, the game's so much more fun when you turn the reticle off. Leaving it on just feels like using a mouse.
If you've bought a Wii Zapper just for this game, remember to use it on other ganes to get the most out of it, such as the Mario Galaxy and Metroid Prime games (reversing the controls on the latter). This game IS fun with the Zapper, but not enough to buy a peripheral ONLY for.
I thought they might use a crosshair. I like that you have the option to turn it off, but that does not solve the problem that it does not feel the same as you had to aim down the original zapper. If Nintendo had added a SuperScope esque calibration screen that required you to aim down the sight to set your aim, it would be near perfect in my opinion.
Now please release Hogans Alley. Sometime before next Christmas would be preferable. Thank you.
If they are going to tamper with the game at least make it so you can stab the ducks on the touch screen.
got it...love it, now just gotta find my shotgun wii remote controller
This seems like a game that could benefit from a sequel, with modern graphics and more modes and options and scenery, and different kinds of ducks and such. And Duck Hunt's status as a Smash fighter is the perfect excuse to do it
@Grumblevolcano
How does the dpp ending make digital purchases pointless? Admittedly it made retail games more enticing but there are still reasons to get digital, for example Lego Movie was $15 on eShop and $20 in store.
While the Wii remote doesn't offer perfect ADS (without some serious customization) I've never found it as laggy as some people make out, so I bought Duck Hunt and I'm having a blast.
I never really understood the appeal of Duck Hunt. It's a relic that was empty, throw-away fun in it's heyday and little more than an ancient anomaly now. I have vastly better light-gun games on the Wii, and still have the original version of this for my NES--that I never want to play.
I think this was released to justify the dog in Smash Bros, but it all seems like a wasted opportunity, where a better character and stronger old game could have been spotlighted. You know, like Eternal Darkness.
How do you get multiplayer on this? Cannot figure it out
Got my nostalgic rage game back (I like shooting ducks when I'm mad). I do miss the feeling of the Zapper gun (mine is the orange one; I still have it), but I'm happy with it.
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