The Ultimate Guide to NES Light Guns

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  • Опубликовано: 25 июн 2024
  • Save 40% or more on your SimpliSafe security system during their holiday sale! Visit SimpliSafe.com/GamingHistorian to learn more!
    What's the history of light gun games? How does the Zapper work? What other light guns worked on the Nintendo Entertainment System? How many games were compatible? In this video, I try to cover everything. This is the Ultimate Guide to NES Light Guns!
    CHAPTERS
    00:00 - Intro
    01:17 - A Brief History of Light Guns
    11:53 - How Does the Zapper Work?
    16:54 - 3rd Party NES Light Guns
    28:12 - Light Gun-Required NES Games
    43:02 - Light Gun-Optional NES Games
    54:25 - Outro / Credits
    Special thanks to the Roanoke Pinball Museum for their "Shoot The Bear" footage - roanokepinball.org/
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    For a list of sources, visit www.thegaminghistorian.com
    #NES #Zapper #GamingHistorian
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Комментарии • 2,3 тыс.

  • @GamingHistorian
    @GamingHistorian  2 года назад +277

    Save 40% or more on your SimpliSafe security system during their holiday sale! Visit SimpliSafe.com/GamingHistorian to learn more!

    • @CyberKnightProbably
      @CyberKnightProbably 2 года назад +2

      Do you think you’ll be able to do a video on Treasure someday? Even though they are relatively unknown nowadays, they do present a history that should be important to indie gaming.

    • @praiserdusty
      @praiserdusty 2 года назад +4

      This video needs a seizure warning. So many flashes

    • @Source_Boy
      @Source_Boy 2 года назад +1

      Can you make a Resident Evil video?

    • @xt3100
      @xt3100 2 года назад +1

      there is a light gun that does wrk with LED displays, forgot the name but with some emulators you can play duck hunt with it

    • @OakCityGamers
      @OakCityGamers 2 года назад

      We’d love to see a video about the playchoice-10.
      It’s a good topic because it’s obscurity and it’s relevance in the life of the NES

  • @kyleh1127
    @kyleh1127 2 года назад +284

    I gotta throw in my 2 cents about the laserscope and what it meant to me and my family. My younger brother was in a terrible car accident as a toddler that left him wheelchair bound and unable to use his arms and legs for the remainder of his life. His biggest form of entertainment as a child was watching me play video games, he used to beg me to play certain games (I definitely never would've beat the little mermaid otherwise lol). When we discovered the laserscope it was the ultimate game changer for him (and the family). Suddenly this kid who was cursed to forever be a spectator could actually interact with some of these games. Duck hunt and hogan's alley became staples of our family tv screen, and it led us to further creativity and innovation with finding ways for him to use an actual controller with a stick in his mouth. The laserscope was a HUGE gamechanger in my (and my family's) life and seeing it here brought a teary smile of nostalgia to my eye.

    • @000blocks000
      @000blocks000 Год назад +13

      Awesome story ❤

    • @chibbothy
      @chibbothy Год назад +13

      this was my exact first thought; could have been revolutionary for gamers with disabilities! so glad to hear it helped your brother access those wonderful experiences too

    • @PrincessShokora2002
      @PrincessShokora2002 Год назад +8

      Wholesome

    • @charliedarwins
      @charliedarwins Год назад +6

      This was touching. Could we get a update on the family?

    • @kyleh1127
      @kyleh1127 Год назад +31

      @@charliedarwins well, it's not exactly the happiest of endings as he passed on a number of years ago, but he was able to kick my ass at many a video game when we were kids and we all ensured until the very end that he could live as 'normal' a life as a quadraplegic could. Also, it should be noted that, especially in the 80s and 90s, an overwhelming majority of kids in his condition didn't survive puberty, even so far as when he hit that age and started having inexplicable health problems, a medical expert requested that his doctors document and report his progress for future research (i honestly don't know all the ins and outs of it, i was still a kid at the time myself). He was a rare case of a child who was paralyzed very young that made it fully into adulthood, and while he did struggle with many of the mental health issues you would expect someone in that condition to struggle with, and with good reason, he always had friends and family around him and was able to make the most of what he had. He got really into tech, messing around on his computer a lot, and always loved his video games. He was very generous to everyone around him and would often fly friends and family to his winter house. Everyone remembers him fondly and those closest to him got commemorative skull tattoos (he also liked his tattoos) in his honour. Seriously, my catholic parents getting a tattoo of anything, much less a skull, is something that would never have been on my 'things that will happen in my lifetime' bingo card. We were quite close, and i was the first person to get a call from him when he got his terminal diagnosis, and i still miss him, but i have to stress that it's not as sad as it seems as he had something like a less than 5% chance of living as long as he did and making it to middle age would have been nothing short of a miracle, so we all feel blessed to get as much time as we did with him, and us kids got some real interesting and fascinating life experience and lessons very early on that many people don't get in a lifetime and we're all grateful for it.

  • @GamingHistorian
    @GamingHistorian  2 года назад +729

    Happy Holidays, everyone! This is my last video for 2021. I've got some big videos planned for 2022. See you in the new year!

    • @SECONDQUEST
      @SECONDQUEST 2 года назад +6

      Happy Holidays! Hope you have a good season!

    • @PRdeSO
      @PRdeSO 2 года назад +7

      You're the best Norman, happy holidays to you

    • @Numocron
      @Numocron 2 года назад +5

      Happy Holidays Norman!

    • @mailman019
      @mailman019 2 года назад +3

      Happy Holidays!

    • @DustinJermalowicz
      @DustinJermalowicz 2 года назад +1

      Great work as always, Norm! Have a great end of the year.

  • @gravitywaves2796
    @gravitywaves2796 2 года назад +425

    Ill never forget the day I accidentally discovered the ducks in duckhunt could be controlled with the second controller. I was just messing with the controller waiting for my little brother to play his turn. I couldn't believe it was working. I tormented my poor brother with this for weeks before I told him. He couldn't figure out why all of a sudden his duck hunt game got so bad. I thought for sure he'd catch on to me. I finally let him in on the trick to screw with our cousins when they came by. He was so excited to do it to someone else he wasn't even mad at me.

    • @ColonelSandersLite
      @ColonelSandersLite 2 года назад +18

      I remember how exciting that one was too. It took a game that was already really good into a definite favorite.

    • @mr.fancypants1524
      @mr.fancypants1524 2 года назад +69

      I'll never forget making the same discovery 20 seconds ago after reading your post.

    • @Wiredlightning1
      @Wiredlightning1 2 года назад +26

      @@mr.fancypants1524 I also was today years old when I discovered this lol. Been playing it for at least the last 25 years.

    • @warhound7781
      @warhound7781 2 года назад +5

      Wife got a kick out of flying the ducks.

    • @pigs18
      @pigs18 2 года назад +16

      Further proving that hardly anyone ever read the Duck Hunt instruction book.

  • @artformarket
    @artformarket 2 года назад +163

    As always, this is just a stunning testament to how high-quality a RUclips documentary can be. Never stop doing what you do. We love it.

  • @TheSomberGamer
    @TheSomberGamer 2 года назад +750

    G4 is missing out by not having you apart of their revival. You’re like a modern day “icons” show! Thanks for the informative and fun content all these years

    • @OwlRTA
      @OwlRTA 2 года назад +52

      Icons WAS the inspiration of The Gaming Historian. Norm saw that on G4, and saw that no one on RUclips was doing video game history.

    • @TheSomberGamer
      @TheSomberGamer 2 года назад +32

      @@OwlRTA all the more reason to bring him on. Make it come full circle

    • @ericw48
      @ericw48 2 года назад +7

      I would watch G4 if they replaced Gerard with Norm.

    • @li5up6
      @li5up6 2 года назад +7

      Icons was amazing! I'm glad I'm not the only one who remembers

    • @michaelbuehler3897
      @michaelbuehler3897 2 года назад +5

      Icons was one of the good shows on G4.

  • @SuperGuitarBros
    @SuperGuitarBros 2 года назад +57

    25:23 Thanks for the love, friend! Awesome video!

    • @sudochop
      @sudochop 2 года назад +3

      The Super Guitar Bros.!!! Great covers!

  • @darrelwilson
    @darrelwilson 2 года назад +242

    Gaming historian is a legend, great content!!

    • @Rountree1985
      @Rountree1985 2 года назад +3

      Stop calling it content, it’s a video.

    • @heyitsbroski
      @heyitsbroski 2 года назад +5

      @@Rountree1985 it's not that serious. Take your meds.

    • @orfchannel8685
      @orfchannel8685 2 года назад

      @@Rountree1985 It's content and it's fantastic.

    • @aimwell8813
      @aimwell8813 Год назад

      @Rountree1985 I think this person is talking about all of gaming historian's videos and calling them great.

  • @whydoyougottahavthis
    @whydoyougottahavthis 2 года назад +10

    Fun fact, Hogan's Alley (and anything named Hogan's Alley that's similar) was named after a real life military street/town combat simulator developed in the 30's where essentially you was given a few seconds to pinpoint the targets previously set up in a two story back alley looking scene

  • @Excalibur9905
    @Excalibur9905 2 года назад +185

    Hearing Norman say “a freaking submachine gun” in his relaxing voice will always be hilarious to me XD

    • @andresbravo2003
      @andresbravo2003 2 года назад +1

      Wish I need that.

    • @mwk1
      @mwk1 2 года назад

      Why can't you use Hyper Shot on those NES on-rail shooters? If you can play "Duck Hunt" with it, then why can't you play like for instance "Mechinzed Attack"? Is it just because of the 15pin plug or code doesn't recognizes it? IF it's just a plug incompatibility - well, just use an Everdrive cartridge and play those games on your Famicom with plugged in Hyper Shot submachine gun. Can anyone confirm/deny? Thank you! :-)

  • @MegaRetroRocket
    @MegaRetroRocket 2 года назад +228

    Quick comment on the orange redesign; It wasn't strictly to be overly safe regarding regulations. A retrofit orange tip was developed in North America but NCL in Japan determined it would be cheaper to just use their existing mold with a differently colored plastic instead.

    • @heroking3197
      @heroking3197 2 года назад +7

      Thank you for the information

    • @DefinitiveDubs
      @DefinitiveDubs 2 года назад +24

      A good move, IMO. It looks better than an orange tip would have. Still prefer the grey, though.

    • @0neDoomedSpaceMarine
      @0neDoomedSpaceMarine 2 года назад +4

      It looks pretty fly in orange and grey anyway.

    • @MegaRetroRocket
      @MegaRetroRocket 2 года назад +3

      @@0neDoomedSpaceMarine Imagine if they made an orange deck to match.

    • @dsprocks
      @dsprocks 2 года назад +1

      @@MegaRetroRocket There are some zapper guns that are actually red like the plastic didn't come out properly orange.
      I have about 20 or so zapper guns, use to collect a lot back in the day like 2001-2014.

  • @convergence-e-s659
    @convergence-e-s659 2 года назад +39

    I completed To The Earth when I was a kid, to this day it's still right up there with my gaming accomplishments! It certainly was hard on the hands and fingers, but the ending animation of your ship landing on the Earth at the end was ohhh so satisfying :)

  • @ExaltedUriel
    @ExaltedUriel 2 года назад +9

    When I bought a Zapper for my NES a few years back I had the choice between the "original" gray and the "revised" orange. I just had to go with the orange, I don't know why but that bright coloring is so appealing to me.

  • @Fygee
    @Fygee 2 года назад +174

    I know the guy that has, to everyone's current knowledge, the last surviving functional Qwak arcade machine mentioned here. Pretty impressive to see it in person.
    Thanks again for another great video Norm. It's a rare talent to make a 50 min video about the Zapper and have it be interesting the whole time.

    • @samuelthehobo4441
      @samuelthehobo4441 2 года назад +7

      Is it shown like an artifact or does the guy let others play it

  • @captainmidnight
    @captainmidnight 2 года назад +57

    Damn, poor Thomas Hong.
    Amazing video, as always.

    • @ianfalk8009
      @ianfalk8009 2 года назад +1

      Love your vids!

    • @briansolo
      @briansolo 2 года назад +1

      how in the world do you find all of your classic clips?!

    • @briansolo
      @briansolo 2 года назад

      how in the world do you find all of your classic clips?!

  • @ia5662
    @ia5662 2 года назад +18

    Honorable mention to the SNES Super Scope! That thing looked so amazing to any kid - a freaking bazooka for a Nintendo system lol. Also, Captain N (old 90s cartoon) used the NES original red light gun as his weapon in the show - I always wanted to cut my cord so I could pretend and take it outside, but I didn't have the heart to do it. Awesome segment!

    • @ahahahaha496
      @ahahahaha496 Год назад

      Nothing stopping you from doing it today👍

  • @HugoStiglitz88
    @HugoStiglitz88 2 года назад +14

    I LOVED duck hunt. It's probably my earliest memory too. It was the only thing my older brother could not beat me at. Maybe it's also why I got so into shooting when I got older. I spent hours in my backyard shooting targets. I'm still a really good shot too

  • @uros.u.novakovic
    @uros.u.novakovic 2 года назад +155

    I would love to see the collection of retro hardware that Gaming Historian has accumulated over the years :D

    • @AmazinLarry
      @AmazinLarry 2 года назад +9

      Oh yeah? Well I'd like you to smell this:
      *farts*
      **MOANS**

    • @uros.u.novakovic
      @uros.u.novakovic 2 года назад +15

      Forgot to take your meds today I assume.

    • @CaptainCat101
      @CaptainCat101 2 года назад +3

      Another tour is way overdue

    • @StelarVA
      @StelarVA 2 года назад +3

      It’d be nice if there was another Blu-Ray release of the show that had just that

    • @AB0BA_69
      @AB0BA_69 2 года назад +3

      If anything this collection just makes me realize how amateur the Nerd's collection was, at least at the time he was making videos about old hardware.

  • @stevemanart
    @stevemanart 2 года назад +40

    Hogan's Alley was my dad's favorite videogame, even well into the 2000's. He loved how simple and clear it was about everything without any complicated narrative or fantastical setting.

    • @ExaltedUriel
      @ExaltedUriel 2 года назад +1

      Norm said it's his least favorite of the 3 first-party Zapper games but honestly it's my favorite. I played Game B with the fake town for hours.

  • @dennisd4452
    @dennisd4452 2 года назад +2

    I owned a SNES but not the NES. I went to a place in the 90's and bought this gun for kicks and giggles. Iconic for sure!
    I also own the arcade version of street fighter that toys r us wanted like $120. After waiting for like a year or two they blew it out the door for $20. Score! Still in the box and I used it for a few minutes twice in the day. Thing is cherry mint.
    Thanks for sharing about this great light gun from NES.

  •  2 года назад +11

    Outstanding documentary! Also kinda incredible how much of the hardware you actually manage to track down, sometimes even in the original boxed packaging!

  • @Lacillyn
    @Lacillyn 2 года назад +128

    When I was younger my parents had a simple rule: We could get a new video game whenever we beat the last one. We ended up getting To The Earth. I remember how hard it was. Eventually beat the stupid thing, though. Earned my copy of Mario 3 with it.

    • @0neDoomedSpaceMarine
      @0neDoomedSpaceMarine 2 года назад +7

      Damn, that must have been cathartic.

    • @ZipplyZane
      @ZipplyZane 2 года назад +9

      ☹ I would have only ever owned one game. I never beat a single game until Nintendo Hard became a thing of the past.

    • @pirosvx
      @pirosvx 2 года назад +8

      To The Earth was a brutal game as a kid

    • @jaustill237
      @jaustill237 2 года назад +6

      The unfortunate thing is, that trick would be very expensive in the modern era.

    • @VEOD93
      @VEOD93 2 года назад +7

      That's a good example of high difficulty high reward.

  • @precoius
    @precoius 2 года назад +101

    This is crazy. An hour-long review of EVERY NES LIGHT GUN!?
    ...That’s kinda badass, actually. I’m here for it!

  • @jdcviolin
    @jdcviolin 2 года назад +7

    The amount of time and attention to detail that goes into these documentaries blows my mind. Thank you for all the great content you made this year!

  • @erikhendrickson59
    @erikhendrickson59 2 года назад +1

    These documentaries give me such incredible nostalgia. Not only for the software and hardware of topic, but also for these old-school, History-channel style TV documentaries I grew up watching every day after school.

  • @katherineberger6329
    @katherineberger6329 2 года назад +9

    7:37: Rest in peace, Uemura-san.

  • @DaneeBound
    @DaneeBound 2 года назад +37

    The light-gun that you could get for the original Magnavox Odyssey was manufactured by the big N.
    That probably just blew some minds right there.

    • @Chaos89P
      @Chaos89P 2 года назад +2

      The Odyssey doesn't screw around, and neither did Nintendo.

    • @wheelmanstan
      @wheelmanstan 2 года назад +2

      My little brother was talking about the power glove the other day...man NES had so many gimmicks. So many knock-off games and atrocious games for popular movies. They even had a dang robot..and I couldn't afford any of it but I got a lot of it at garage sells. I recommend parents take their kids to garage sells. Haha I got erector sets, legos, tinker toys for a steal at garage sells and that stuff sells for a ton now. Sry, just reminiscing on my second-hand hand-me-down childhood.

    • @Chaos89P
      @Chaos89P 2 года назад

      @@wheelmanstan Did you get one of the games for that robot? There's only two vs. the 17 or so for the Zapper.

    • @wheelmanstan
      @wheelmanstan 2 года назад

      @@Chaos89P I got the robot at a garage sale and it didn't work, but I remember getting the game, haha I don't think I could do anything with the game with the incomplete robot, I think it was incomplete, I just remember it was this weird stacking game

    • @Chaos89P
      @Chaos89P 2 года назад

      @@wheelmanstan So you ended up with Stack Up instead of Gyromite. The latter could technically be played by one person, but it was rather clunky to do so or you needed a peripheral like the NES Advantage. The former, if I remember correctly, had more "programming" options for the robot, but was otherwise worthless without it.

  • @writeronfire
    @writeronfire 2 года назад +3

    I used to work at the Magic Mountain in Santa Clarita and I distinctly remember a whole ⛺ full of these 1930's wooden light gun games. It was weird being in there but kinda cool like you were transported to some wild west landscape from the 1800's

  • @ismaeljacobs
    @ismaeljacobs 2 года назад +1

    Listen!!!! DON'T STOP MAKING YOUR VIDS THEY FREAKING AWESOME. I spent last night watching them back too back. Perfect edits rare footage and background information I never knew! And I been gaming for over 30 yrs. You deserve a show on tv

  • @estebanrodas31
    @estebanrodas31 2 года назад +118

    Dude appreciate that you bring such high quality, well researched videos without silly skits. Just straight to the point and it's clear you're passionate. Good stuff.

    • @L33PL4Y
      @L33PL4Y 2 года назад +9

      No silly skits? You must have missed Norm popping up all over the plce from behind his couch lol

    • @pherlong7
      @pherlong7 2 года назад

      If you want silly skits and video game knowledge, watch Scott the Woz

  • @Wis_Dom
    @Wis_Dom 2 года назад +17

    The Laser Scope's selling point was that it was quiet, yet, you were required to say, "FIRE!" in order to shoot it. LOL!

    • @chubbiMommi
      @chubbiMommi 2 года назад +1

      Right! Make me laugh.

    • @M0rinkashi
      @M0rinkashi 2 года назад +1

      *_"Kinda defeats the purpose, right?"_*
      Jokes and references aside; you could simply play with the controller on your hand and don't shout at the microphone funny enough, it is completely optional to use it after all.

    • @Nicholas_Steel
      @Nicholas_Steel 2 года назад +1

      Watch the Angry Video Game Nerd's episode on it lol.

    • @M0rinkashi
      @M0rinkashi 2 года назад

      @@Nicholas_Steel Added quote symbols to avoid confusion between the reference.

    • @Wis_Dom
      @Wis_Dom 2 года назад +1

      @@Nicholas_Steel Yes, I saw it a while ago, lol.

  • @TheRepty818
    @TheRepty818 2 года назад +4

    It's so cool when you find a great game that you didn't know existed. I'm planning to build my own retro gaming station with an Atari and NES and SNES. If I get a light gun that will work with the setup, I'll definitely make Lone Ranger something I pick up.

  • @mikeythemaestro
    @mikeythemaestro Год назад +1

    There is something that I love about these historian videos. I can just throw one on, learn about some sweet retro tech, and get all of my paperwork completed! :)

  • @thecunninlynguist
    @thecunninlynguist 2 года назад +6

    Christmas came early!

  • @btr3k
    @btr3k 2 года назад +37

    I still remember seeing the Duck Hunt Vs arcade with its blue gun, and was so impressed that you could play it at home (same goes for Super Mario - yeah I saw it in the arcade first)! It’s worth checking out the arcade version through emulation actually, it has a number of differences from the home version (including yes, being able to shoot the dog)

    • @inthefade
      @inthefade 2 года назад

      Now I have to check that out on MAME

  • @blindarcher1651
    @blindarcher1651 2 года назад +1

    As kids, we were the only NES owners we knew who had the gray Zapper. Everyone else had the orange one. I was an adult before I found out why they were made in two different colors.
    The funny thing, though, is that as kids we assumed the gray one was the newer one because it looked cooler. Turns out, that was not the case. Not that it functioned any different.
    We also heard the rumor that pointing the Zapper at any light source would trick the system into scoring a hit every time, but also couldn't make it work (the fail-safe black screen preceding the "hit box" was a stroke of genius on the part of the developers). I think it's a rumor that persisted due to previous generations of light guns; everyone assumed the Zapper would work the same (despite all evidence to the contrary), and so the rumor just refused to die.
    Nintendo's Gumpei Yokoi might have thought himself "lateral thinking" with existing tech, but really, the company did amazing things with otherwise-outdated tech across the board. For example, the NES processor was a 6502 microchip that was considered obsolete in the mid-to-late 70s, years before the first NES was built. (Nintendo got a screaming good deal, I'm sure, since nobody else wanted them.) Game developers sometimes had to get creative to squeeze every bit of computing power from the system, including a few cases where they "borrowed" a channel or two from the audio processor's cycles to give a boost to the graphics. Crazy stuff that probably wouldn't be considered today -- PC game developers won't "borrow" excess cycles from another sub-system, they'll just say you need a better graphics card to play their game.

  • @endofanera1983
    @endofanera1983 2 года назад +2

    Hogans alley was my favorite gun game. I liked shooting the cans the most. We’d compete with high scores and it got ridiculous. Also I hated when people would cheat but pointing the gun directly at the screen. 😂

    • @davidrivera414
      @davidrivera414 2 года назад +1

      I remember cheating duck hunt by directly pointing the gun at the screen lol

  • @NekoFallen
    @NekoFallen 2 года назад +19

    I remember when we first got our NES for Christmas. My father was able to get it and a few games as part of a deal for painting a store. One of those games was To The Earth. We used to play it for hours, trying to get to the end, but never did. Even after me and by siblings went to bed, my father stayed up trying to beat the game. Sure, it is difficult, but that was the point. More akin to a shoot-em-up style of game, but played first-person, instead of a typical light-gun game.

    • @sneezyrider1
      @sneezyrider1 2 года назад +1

      Still have my copy of To The Earth and man was it hard.

    • @samuelthehobo4441
      @samuelthehobo4441 2 года назад

      Oh nice, idk if i’ve ever heard of it. Do you consider it pretty obscure or do i just not have enough knowledge about the NES library
      ruclips.net/video/jsFgEFA3-I4/видео.html

  • @TJDious
    @TJDious 2 года назад +6

    Christmas comes early with a Gaming Historian upload!

  • @BigMoneySonny
    @BigMoneySonny 2 года назад +2

    I’ve been binge watching this channel for the past two days straight. Great content so happy I found this channel !

  • @Planetkid32
    @Planetkid32 Год назад +1

    I remember watching James Rolfe’s video on the NES accessories, and that he said that the Zapper doesn’t work so good now. You really helped explain as to why it doesn’t work as good as it used to.
    On one hand I’m kinda bummed I didn’t get a zapper while I was at “Cheep Thrills” about 3 days ago while looking for an AC adapter and AV cables for my NES, as it’s such an iconic NES accessory. But on the other hand, I’m kinda glad I didn’t get one because given the fact I have a flat screen TV in my room, and that I didn’t have any zapper-compatible games, I couldn’t use it anyway if I did get one.

  • @Wis_Dom
    @Wis_Dom 2 года назад +35

    I never knew other third party companies made light guns for the NES. I remember owning the original zapper and not the safety orange one.

    • @Chaos89P
      @Chaos89P 2 года назад +4

      I only knew about that one by Konami. Turns out you can shout whatever you want and the "firing action" will still work (if this isn't addressed in the video). Of course, since I was watching it in action in an AVGN video, the most logical of extremes was used.

    • @esmooth919
      @esmooth919 2 года назад +1

      The only third party Zapper game I knew about when I was a kid is called Gotcha. And I didn't hear about Bayou Billy until years later

    • @johnathin0061892
      @johnathin0061892 2 года назад

      Be thankful you didn't own the Playco wireless one. I had one as a kid, it is an even bigger piece of junk than Norman said it was.

  • @stdesy
    @stdesy 2 года назад +11

    36 years and never knew player 2 could control the ducks. Always learning something with these videos!

  • @lonewulf44
    @lonewulf44 2 года назад +1

    I loved the Lone Ranger ... my older brother and I rented it from a furniture place that like many places back then had a rack of games you could rent from. We both loved it, but didn't use the Zapper with it. Glad to see it get some love.

  • @JerryD9000
    @JerryD9000 Год назад

    Golly, I love this channel. It's like a college professor teaching me about game history I loved and grew up with. I lived it, and it's impressive as hell.

  • @SonofMrPeanut
    @SonofMrPeanut 2 года назад +62

    "Why did they do that?"
    Heard many times throughout Nintendo's history, both for positive and negative convention-defying decisions.

    • @samuelthehobo4441
      @samuelthehobo4441 2 года назад +1

      Nintendo’s a pretty unique company in that regard
      ruclips.net/video/jsFgEFA3-I4/видео.html

    • @OptimumTaurus
      @OptimumTaurus 2 года назад +9

      People look to stuff like the DS and Wii as Nintendo just being quirky and trying different things. But Nintendo has *always* been trying different things. The company was practically built on that. They don't always hit the mark but you can't say they dont try when it comes to applying existing technologies in novel ways.

    • @the-NightStar
      @the-NightStar 2 года назад +2

      With the latter being grossly exaggerated by unfairly biased people looking soley to be self-impressed by the sound of their own baseless whining.

    • @SonofMrPeanut
      @SonofMrPeanut 2 года назад

      > Likes reached 64
      My work is done.

  • @RetailArchaeology
    @RetailArchaeology 2 года назад +66

    Fantastic as always 😁

    • @KROMO50
      @KROMO50 2 года назад +2

      Did they have those old light shooters in the pinball museum?

  • @D0S81
    @D0S81 2 года назад

    oh my god the memories. i mean i'm too young for a lot of the early stuff, but even as a young kid in the 80's growing up around the arcades of Southend on Sea seafront, i was surrounded by things The wild gunman (the movie version) , and then later duckhunt existed in every friends house i ever went to. we were always a gen behind, so while they were all playing nes, i had a C64 & a ZX spectrum, when playstation came out, i just got my first megadrive! even though i had been playing them at my friends for years before. not much has changed, i havent bought a new cosole since PS3 cuz i cant afford one :( but i still get to experience they games in a way with lets plays, but man, this channel rocks. the fact you can actually gett your hands on this old tech and try it out is amazing. as someone who dabbles in youtube videos, id love to see how you go about making these videos, cuz it cant be easy.

  • @Girrrrrrrr
    @Girrrrrrrr 2 года назад

    One of the few memories I have from my childhood is going to my Nana and Papa's house in the summer. They'd set up whatever game system I brought with me on a TV in their bedroom and let me play to my heart's content. One time my Papa played Duck Hunt with me, and even as a child I thought about how cool it was that there was a game that a grown man would enjoy playing. I'll never forget seeing him holding the zapper and shooting at the ducks. Cherish your grandparents, youngins...I'll never stop missing mine.

  • @onehitcombo3884
    @onehitcombo3884 2 года назад +8

    The Lone Ranger is easily in my top 3 NES games. It's just so varied & fun, with each style done right

  • @BloodoperaBlackvomit
    @BloodoperaBlackvomit 2 года назад +4

    An hour long? Hell yes.

  • @SoopaBee
    @SoopaBee 2 года назад +1

    Arguably one of your most comprehensive videos yet. Thank you!

  • @vote4carp
    @vote4carp 2 года назад +12

    I'm pretty stoked to have both versions of Zapper, especially knowing the insane history behind said two versions.

  • @ActingandGames
    @ActingandGames 2 года назад +5

    RIP Masayuki Uemura. I knew he was involved in the invention of the NES and SNES, but I had no clue he was involved with the early light guns.

    • @goranisacson2502
      @goranisacson2502 2 года назад

      Also didn't know that he had been working at Sharp before Nintendo- didn't see that in the obituaries I read about him. Guess Nintendo were lucky they had Gunpei Yokoi to facilitate that recruitment.

  • @archimagirussancti7956
    @archimagirussancti7956 2 года назад +18

    I got the Deluxe Set when I was a kid and remember playing Operation Wolf for hours with the old grey Zapper. My favorite game was Mega Man III though. Good memories

    • @calvinguy2715
      @calvinguy2715 2 года назад

      Yup! Made my little sister hold right on controller 2 so I could use cheat codes. Good times

  • @thepezfeo
    @thepezfeo 2 года назад +6

    12:45 I think the older versions of Duck Hunt may not use sequential light-boxes for two ducks, on some copies of the game you can quickly shoot the same duck twice to kill both ducks.

    • @SuperHns
      @SuperHns Год назад

      true. Also not many people know you can play 2 Player on duck hunt... the controller can control the ducks,

  • @jsantos712
    @jsantos712 2 года назад +1

    Great content. Watched the whole thing. Brings back memories. Thank you for the tips and historical lessons! Always appreciative

  • @39zack
    @39zack 2 года назад +9

    When Norm makes an almost 1 hour video you know your in for a treat 😃

  • @Plasmawarrior
    @Plasmawarrior 2 года назад +6

    11:15 Rest in Peace Bob Dole. And I have to say that law is very well thought out. Make the toys look like toys instead of destroying them. I know people want 'realism' but when you're 9 you honestly just want something fun to play with.

    • @TheTrueNorth11
      @TheTrueNorth11 2 года назад

      Shit take. Your opinion is bad

    • @Plasmawarrior
      @Plasmawarrior 2 года назад +1

      @@TheTrueNorth11 Sure... what did I want when I was 9? A Water Gun! Did I care if it didn't look like an M16? No! What do kids want a lot now of days? Water Guns! Do THEY care if they look like an M16? No! They'll buy them anyway.
      So tell me how my 'opinion is bad' when in another time and place, we wouldn't have toy guys at all?

    • @TheTrueNorth11
      @TheTrueNorth11 2 года назад

      @@Plasmawarrior What unintelligible babble, holy shit.

  • @dreadmoc12
    @dreadmoc12 2 года назад +1

    Very cool. Playing poker as a mini game reminded me of Fallout. I think I played more hours of Caravan in New Vegas than actually completing quests. I liked the Wii a lot more than I thought I would. And when my wife bought me a WiiU for Christmas one year, it became my favorite consol of all time. Windwaker felt like a brand new experience. This video brought back some memories, man. Thanks.

  • @killedbydeth7271
    @killedbydeth7271 2 года назад +2

    Please do an in depth piece in Steel Batallion. Such a unique and crazy piece of video game history.

  • @dwood78part23
    @dwood78part23 2 года назад +31

    You didn't really have an NES if it didn't come with a Zapper!
    Welcome back Gaming Historian.

    • @TheEman590
      @TheEman590 2 года назад

      Well I did. It came with the 2 in 1 cartridge of Super Mario Bros. and Duck Hunt. The other zapper game I had was Shooting Range. Didn't know about Wild Gunman much until, you guessed it, Back to the Future Part II. It's interesting to see the vs. Arcade versions of Duck Hunt and Hogan's Alley. I can see why they'd be popular in the arcades. They were so popular in the arcade that there was a boom of light gun popularity soon after. Sega Master System also had their own light gun and this wouldn't be the last time Konami released one thanks to the Justifier that came with ports of Lethal Enforcers. It's just satisfying when playing a light gun game.

  • @TBevill1231
    @TBevill1231 2 года назад +6

    I get excited every time when you bring out a new video because I know I’m going to learn something about games and accessories I thought I knew everything about.
    The NES Zapper was one of my earliest memories with my dad’s NES. Duck Hunt and Operation: Wolf were two big games I loved as a kid.

  • @AngelJD
    @AngelJD 2 года назад +1

    The orange Zapper was apart of my childhood. I had Duckhunt, Wild Gunman, and To The Earth which I forgotten about that last one. As a little kid I use to go directly about one inch from the TV screen to hit those ducks and disks.
    Loved that trigger feel and sound the zapper has but that might also be my nostalgia.

  • @robotortoise
    @robotortoise 2 года назад +1

    What an interesting video essay! I enjoyed this a lot, thank you! It's clear you put a ton of time into this.
    I'd like a sequel with a basic overview of how more modern light guns work!

  • @EmulationDojo
    @EmulationDojo 2 года назад +10

    One of the best parts of opening RUclips, finding a notification for a new Gaming Historian video. Thanks Norm!!!

    • @samuelthehobo4441
      @samuelthehobo4441 2 года назад +2

      They’re basically mini-docs or full fledged documentaries, either way it’s always a treat

  • @legendaryskinman7305
    @legendaryskinman7305 2 года назад +5

    Wow, duck hunt. Forever a childhood memory

  • @AnthonyRiddle
    @AnthonyRiddle 2 года назад +1

    What a really good and knowledgeable video. I've possibly learned more from this video than any other video (other than car repair) on RUclips. Thank you for this really cool journey through the history of the NES light gun. I never would've guessed that the light gun was invented in the 1930s, almost 100 years ago

  • @superblakefilms
    @superblakefilms 2 года назад +3

    So the AVGN Adventures game got the death blocks from Gumshoe? Thats AWSOME!!! Great video as always! I can't wait for more. Maybe one on crash bandicoot, the Nintendo Cdi games, Sega CD, History of Rareware. Your videos and information on the games/topics are always great

  • @williamcrowe2576
    @williamcrowe2576 2 года назад +10

    I never knew that light guns were around much longer than the 70s and 80s. Interesting thing about the original Wild Gunman was that the game used two film reels and would switch to the second reel if you successfully out-drew your onscreen opponent.

  • @mohiothman8170
    @mohiothman8170 2 года назад +7

    The ProBeam looked super familiar, so I did some digging. The MSX (which I had as a kid) had a light gun called the Plus X Terminator Laser which looked like a black version of the ProBeam, and lo and behold the Terminator was released by ASCII.

  • @DeviantOllam
    @DeviantOllam 2 года назад

    Outstanding work, as always. Now, get some rest! 😁👍

  • @orchNEStra
    @orchNEStra 2 года назад +1

    I had no idea there were this many light gun games on the NES. Very informative. Well done!

  • @Justin-Hill-1987
    @Justin-Hill-1987 2 года назад +5

    Wild Gunman was also featured in the 1989 film, "Back to the Future: part II," when Marty McFly (portrayed by Michael J. Fox) visits the Cafe '80s and orders a Pepsi, he shows one of the kids (played by a young Elijah Wood) how to to play a Wild Gunman arcade game they just fixed, Marty McFly shows the kids a move that is non-existent in the real NES game called a "Crack Shot."

  • @gregdubya1993
    @gregdubya1993 2 года назад +6

    "Unremovable bright orange plug" that every kid took out of their toys immediately. I know I did.

    • @Derek-kj9mt
      @Derek-kj9mt 2 года назад +3

      We just colored over it with a permanent marker. Of course, we were also lucky enough to have plenty of older toy guns that didn't have it.

    • @gregdubya1993
      @gregdubya1993 2 года назад +3

      @@Derek-kj9mt I drilled them out, pried them out, even melted a few out on some metal toy guns. Good times.

  • @axstinxo718
    @axstinxo718 2 года назад

    I just wanted to say thank you, you are a big part of why i wanted to become a content creator myself. I have been watching your videos for a long time and every video i find so interesting and well made. - A Fan

  • @AaronOfMpls
    @AaronOfMpls 2 года назад +2

    Well done! Very much worth the headache all the flashing lights gave me! 😎
    I never had a NES myself, but my neighbor did, with the gray gun. We did play Duck Hunt a few times.

  • @PatTheNESpunk
    @PatTheNESpunk 2 года назад +67

    I

    • @esmooth919
      @esmooth919 2 года назад +1

      Mine are Duck Hunt, and my cousin had Hogan's Alley. But I also like Wild Gunman, because I've always been a "quick draw" fan

    • @zackschilling4376
      @zackschilling4376 2 года назад +2

      I thought it was Baby Boomer??? Still waiting for that Baby Boomer sequel. Color Dreams could surprise us any day now...

    • @SuperNicktendo
      @SuperNicktendo 2 года назад

      Same here

    • @limitedseal7333
      @limitedseal7333 2 года назад +2

      It’s the “Ultimate Guide to Light Guns” love the respect between all you former retroware guys. The OG’s.

    • @MikeChimeri
      @MikeChimeri 2 года назад +1

      I thought of your video when Chiller came up. I loved your descent into madness. Crazy Pat has me in stitches every time I watch!

  • @jakegarcia7156
    @jakegarcia7156 2 года назад +10

    The amount of research, thank you Norman. Love following your channel. Your an inspiration to us all retro gamers looking to just go back

  • @88Tyler
    @88Tyler 2 года назад +1

    You really are a fantastic documentarian!
    Pro VS amateur
    Mainstream media VS public video streaming
    Hollywood financed VS self financed
    Big shot director VS Final Cut Pro…
    The list of comparables goes on and on, and you would WIN THEM ALL!
    Im so happy to watch your historian programs over any other docs I’ve seen on the history channel
    (Yours is a topic I do love…That does help!)
    Nevertheless, great work and I hope you continue to create these awesome programs.
    I’m certain I speak for many, many people who say
    ‘Great job, thank you!’

  • @PokemonHunters-
    @PokemonHunters- 2 года назад +1

    Hey man I just wanted to personally thank you for the video content. I just so happened to stumble across this channel and I got to say... I am very upset that.... I did not stumble onto it sooner. The amount of educational content on the things I love and grew up playing. Thank you so much man I subscribed and rang the bell to never miss any more of your amazing content!! 💯 💯 💯

  • @Kris_M89
    @Kris_M89 2 года назад +11

    Duck Season on the VR was a pretty great game for nostalgia. They even had a zapper style gun you could use with a tracking module. It's awesome to go from NES zapper to VR zapper gun.

  • @katherineberger6329
    @katherineberger6329 2 года назад +11

    The Video Shooter appears to use a modified version of the shell used by Sega for their Light Phaser video game light gun and Zillion laser tag toy.

    • @junrosamura645
      @junrosamura645 2 года назад

      I was also thinking that gun had a Zillion vibe to it.

  • @shakedown2770
    @shakedown2770 2 года назад

    Always stoked when you upload. Thank you

  • @emilyz4104
    @emilyz4104 2 года назад +8

    Thank you for confirming that the "point it at a light and always hit" thing was never true. It never worked for me, and it kinda annoys me that people were claiming that without ever apparently testing it.

  • @RarelyReplies
    @RarelyReplies 2 года назад +6

    Your videos never disappoint . They are always incredibly well done. Taking the time to go through them all was fantastic.

  • @JugheadJones03
    @JugheadJones03 2 года назад +25

    If Gaming Historian and Ahoy ever collaborated for a video, it would be the most epic gaming history video on the internet to date lol! Thanks for another amazing video guys and gals!

  • @fecalmatter4195
    @fecalmatter4195 2 года назад +2

    What an exciting time all these I remember some of these strange accessories. Quality and innovation during the 20th century was amazing.

  • @gridvid
    @gridvid 2 года назад +4

    Hey Norm... thanks for making these genius videos. Please keep it up. I subbed!

  • @matthewlister3755
    @matthewlister3755 2 года назад +9

    That Bandai Hyper Shot is bar none the coolest NES accessory ever made. Someone please launch a Kickstarter to put it or something similar to it back in production. I want one so bad.

  • @Jared_Wignall
    @Jared_Wignall 2 года назад +10

    Never knew the Zapper had so much history. Just another reason as to why I love watching your channel Norman. I learn something new with each video. Lee up the great work!

    • @lucasrem1870
      @lucasrem1870 2 года назад

      Simply save, his neighborhood
      Learn here?

    • @md_vandenberg
      @md_vandenberg 2 года назад

      @@lucasrem1870 Did you have a stroke writing that?

    • @lucasrem1870
      @lucasrem1870 2 года назад

      @@md_vandenberg Learn new thing about the 80th? Meant that adult Joker, too busy after heavy covid...Bob Begat is no more..

  • @erneststackhouse1133
    @erneststackhouse1133 10 месяцев назад +1

    Didn't know there was so many NES Light Gun Games out there! I still have my daughters Wii Zapper. Duck Hunt was the only Zapper game I ever played. As a kid you didn't have money to purchase & video stores didn't really carry them as not everyone had a (working) NES Light Guns. I remember WIld Gunman was for sale for $5 at our mom & pops video store. One of my friends NES Light Gun became a toy that they cut the wire off. Kids do dumb stuff to material stuff they didn't pay for. Thanks for the history lesson there pardnar! Hi Oh Silver Away!!!

  • @maplejames6992
    @maplejames6992 2 года назад

    Norm !! So great to see you again !! Thank you for this video, so great !

  • @sneezyrider1
    @sneezyrider1 2 года назад +4

    Thank you for another great installment GH. Arguably the best retro games content creator out there.

  • @onebadlt123
    @onebadlt123 2 года назад +4

    Another absolute gem from Norm. Thanks again for the amazing content!

  • @n8ivegogo1
    @n8ivegogo1 2 года назад

    Another FANTASTIC Episode!
    10/10

  • @analog_memories
    @analog_memories 2 года назад +1

    You should do an updated game room/set walk through! I just stumbled on to your channel about a month ago and it has opened up a whole new obsession for me.

  • @user-em6ie2be7x
    @user-em6ie2be7x 2 года назад +47

    The NES Light Gun was a peripheral way ahead of it's time. Too bad it really only worked well with Duck Hunt. Because I would've love to see how an updated version of that light gun would work with games like Time Crisis or The House of Dead.🤔

    • @esmooth919
      @esmooth919 2 года назад +12

      I mean, the most recent light guns were on the PS2...but then HDTVs came out...

    • @user-em6ie2be7x
      @user-em6ie2be7x 2 года назад

      @@esmooth919 They weren't very precise, like That Wii-mote. I always just used The Controller. 🎮

    • @knight0fdragon
      @knight0fdragon 2 года назад +6

      @@user-em6ie2be7x the PS2 lightgun was precise, it was the PS3 one that used infrared like the wii mote. PS2/PSX original guncoms were more accurate than the nes light gun since it captured the video sync as well.

    • @user-em6ie2be7x
      @user-em6ie2be7x 2 года назад

      @@knight0fdragon I still preferred the controller. I guess I was just more accurate with the controller than the Guncom.

    • @jamiecranton
      @jamiecranton 2 года назад +9

      "ahead of it's time" techs already 50 years old by the time Nintendo make it lmao

  • @knight0fdragon
    @knight0fdragon 2 года назад +28

    the "fail safe" is in the software. The gun is always looking for light and will report that it sees the light. The trigger just sends down a button command to tell the software to check for black, then check for white.

    • @DFX2KX
      @DFX2KX 2 года назад

      I think the roumor of it working if you pointed it at a light might have come from some of the OTHER unlicensed games floating around for it. because some of those where of dubious quality. The only lightgun NES game I've played personally is duckhunt, so I can't confirm that.

    • @knight0fdragon
      @knight0fdragon 2 года назад

      @@DFX2KX maybe this should have been a more of a post to GH, but the rumor most likely came from the quick draw segment of Wild gunman, or somebody had a lightbulb that flickered

  • @markosgage283
    @markosgage283 Год назад +1

    As a kid I used to get terrible headaches from these games... now I know why. The flashing is really bad for people with photosensitivity, even watching this episode made me few ill.
    I'll add though that this is an incredible video, I really appreciate the documentation, research and love gone into it!