Back on Christmas Day, 2014, Wii U owners were treated to the classic NES launch game Duck Hunt via the Virtual Console. As the original game used the NES Zapper, Nintendo decided to emulate its functionality with the Wii Remote pointer. Now, more than a year later on January 7th, Nintendo is bringing over three more games featuring this old fashioned light-gun tech: Wild Gunman, Hogan’s Alley, and The Adventures of Bayou Billy.
Wild Gunman was originally created by Gunpei Yokoi as a mechanical arcade game way back in 1974, and the experience was eventually emulated on the NES ten years later. This is the version available to Wii U owners, and it lets you re-enact wild-west stand-off scenes, in addition to a shooting gallery mode. If the characters look familiar that’s because they also made an appearance in the recent Super Smash Bros. for Wii U and 3DS, being summoned as the Duck Hunt Duo’s down special.
Hogan’s Alley was released shortly after Wild Gunman in June 1984. The game is a shooting gallery where the goal is to take down the cardboard cut-out gangsters while avoiding the innocent civilians and police officers that occasionally pop up instead. You can also reach Bonus Stages, where you must shoot a tin can repeatedly to keep it in the air; yet another minor detail that makes a cameo in the Duck Hunt Duo’s moveset.
The Adventures of Bayou Billy is significantly different compared to the other NES Zapper titles available on the Wii U, as the light gun sections are just one part of a greater whole. The game, developed by Konami and released in 1988, is a beat-em-up for the most part, where the titular Billy brawls his way through New Orleans in search of his kidnapped girlfriend. Every now and then the game changes things up with a different gameplay mechanic, be it driving a jeep or going first person for the NES Zapper functionality.
Each of these games will be priced at $4.99. Do you plan on breaking out the Wii Remote to check out these NES classics? Let us know in the comments!
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Written by Tom Brown
Whether it’s an exciting new entry in a series long established or a weird experiment meant only for the dedicated, Tom is eager to report on it. Rest assured, if Nintendo ever announces Elite Beat Agents 2, he’ll be there.
