Let’s head back to the Zapper, because I would be a total douche if I didn’t mention the other two launched games that were made for use with the light gun; Hogan’s Alley and Wild Gunman. Not much background I can give on these two other than they were originally arcade titles ported to the NES, which was a fact I didn’t even know until the Internet age. Ah, good old Internet.
I never had Wild Gunmen. However, I did have Hogan’s Alley at one point and remember the game fondly so I guess we’ll start with that.
Hogan’s Alley was basically a shooting gallery where you’d shoot down all the enemy paper cutouts and avoid the civilian paper cutouts. There were three different modes of play: one was a basic shooting gallery mode in which three cutouts would move on screen and you’d have to shoot the bad guy cutouts. It was a basic mode that more difficult with quicker shots and reaction time required, but it was a fun little game. Further progress in the game would dub you Sharpshooter or Super Sharpshooter. Don’t remember or know if there are other titles, but those were the only two I got.
The second game mode took place in a cityscape of sorts where you have to shoot down more paper cutouts. Not sure why you couldn’t include “real” people as your foes; it would have made for a different transition. Game Mode A would be the “training” mode and Game Mode B would be the “real” deal where you’re on the streets, but then again, this isn’t Grand Theft Auto.
If you’re bored with shooting down paper cutouts, you can try the third game mode which has you shooting tin cans and keeping them from falling down the pit. Landing the cans in various spots net you points and unlike the other games, there’s no need to pick and choose which cans to avoid or shoot. It’s a simple romp; if it moves, shoot it. I found Hogan’s Alley to be truly diverse of the three Zapper games (or rather the two I’ve played) and if you have an old Zapper hanging around, I’d check it out.
The third and final Zapper game in the launch wave is Wild Gunman, another port of a Nintendo arcade game. I’ve never played this, but apparently this has something to do with the Wild West and you shoot down cowboys in a good ol’ fashioned one-on-one showdown. There’s even voices in this game. Nice.
Anyway, that covers the remaining Zapper launch games. Unlike ROB the Robot, the Zapper would receive a few more compatible games, such as Gumshoe, so it still got some use even after people grew tired of the initial offerings. Next up, we’ll check out a couple more games on bikes: the popular Excitebike and the lesser popular Mach Rider. Later.
dtm666 