Wild Gunman
Encyclopedia
is a light gun shooter
game created by Nintendo
.
s created by Gunpei Yokoi and released in 1974
. It consisted of a light gun
connected to a 16mm
projection screen
. Full-motion video footage of a Wild West gunslinger was projected onto the screen and when his eyes flashed, the player needed to draw and shoot. If the player was fast enough, the projection would change to that of the shot gunman falling down, otherwise it would show the gunman drawing and firing his gun. If the player won, then they would face off against several more gunslinger opponents.
The second version had a plastic gunman figure mounted on top of a plastic battery box called Custom Gunman, which later became one of the microgames in the Nintendo Game Boy Advance title, WarioWare, Inc.: Mega Microgame$!
An updated video game version of the game, replacing photographic images with cartoon-style video game sprites, was released for Family Computer in 1984
and the Nintendo Entertainement System in 1985
. This version is by far more widely known than its 1974 ancestor.
In this version the player also waited for the opponent's eyes to flash (accompanied by a speech bubble reading "FIRE!!") before shooting. This was the first NES game that used voice synthesis. It also featured a shooting gallery
where opponents had to be shot from the windows of a saloon. A piece of Chopin's "Funeral March
" indicates the player's defeat.
It was also available on the PlayChoice 10 arcade system, but was not released as a Vs. title
as portrayed in the movie Back to the Future Part II
. The Famicom
version for use with the Zapper
peripheral was released in Japan the same year, and in the US
on the Nintendo Entertainment System
in 1985. The Famicom version was also available packaged with a plastic, western-style revolver accessory (modelled after the Colt Single Action Army
) that could be used instead of the Zapper.
, when the main character Marty McFly
travels into the year 2015, he goes to a retro 1980s
cafe and finds a Wild Gunman arcade cabinet. Upon showing the kids how to play, one kid comments "You mean, you have to use your hands? That's like a baby's toy!"
In Back to the Future Part III
, Marty shoots several targets with a revolver while in the wild west era. When asked where he learned to shoot like that, he responds with "7 Eleven".
Experimental filmmaker Craig Baldwin
's 1978 short Wild Gunman features footage from the original 1974 arcade game re-edited, sped up and slowed down to surreal effect.
Light gun shooter
Light gun shooter, also called light gun game or simply gun game, is a shooter video game genre in which the primary design element is aiming and shooting with a gun-shaped controller. Light gun shooters revolve around the protagonist shooting targets, either antagonists or inanimate objects...
game created by Nintendo
Nintendo
is a multinational corporation located in Kyoto, Japan. Founded on September 23, 1889 by Fusajiro Yamauchi, it produced handmade hanafuda cards. By 1963, the company had tried several small niche businesses, such as a cab company and a love hotel....
.
Early version
The original version of Wild Gunman was one of Nintendo's electro-mechanical arcade gameArcade game
An arcade game is a coin-operated entertainment machine, usually installed in public businesses such as restaurants, bars, and amusement arcades. Most arcade games are video games, pinball machines, electro-mechanical games, redemption games, and merchandisers...
s created by Gunpei Yokoi and released in 1974
1974 in video gaming
-Events:* The number of copies of Pong exceeds 100,000 units. Approximately 10,000 of these units were manufactured by Atari, the original developer of the title.* H.R. "Pete" Kaufman leaves Ramtek to found Exidy, Inc....
. It consisted of a light gun
Light gun
A light gun is a pointing device for computers and a control device for arcade and video games.Modern screen-based light guns work by building a sensor into the gun itself, and the on-screen target emit light rather than the gun...
connected to a 16mm
16 mm film
16 mm film refers to a popular, economical gauge of film used for motion pictures and non-theatrical film making. 16 mm refers to the width of the film...
projection screen
Projection screen
A projection screen is an installation consisting of a surface and a support structure used for displaying a projected image for the view of an audience. Projection screens may be permanently installed, as in a movie theater; painted on the wall; or semi-permanent or mobile, as in a conference room...
. Full-motion video footage of a Wild West gunslinger was projected onto the screen and when his eyes flashed, the player needed to draw and shoot. If the player was fast enough, the projection would change to that of the shot gunman falling down, otherwise it would show the gunman drawing and firing his gun. If the player won, then they would face off against several more gunslinger opponents.
The second version had a plastic gunman figure mounted on top of a plastic battery box called Custom Gunman, which later became one of the microgames in the Nintendo Game Boy Advance title, WarioWare, Inc.: Mega Microgame$!
WarioWare, Inc.: Mega Microgame$!
WarioWare, Inc.: Mega Microgames! , known in PAL regions as WarioWare, Inc.: Minigame Mania and in Japan as , is a video game for the Game Boy Advance. It was released in Japan on March 21, 2003 and in North America on May 26, 2003...
Video game
1984 in video gaming
-Notable releases:* May 10, King's Quest , the first animated adventure game, the first in the King's Quest series, and the first to use the AGI engine.* June 4, Nintendo releases Donkey Kong 3...
and the Nintendo Entertainement System in 1985
1985 in video gaming
-Notable releases:* Brøderbund releases Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego?, the first game of the prolific Carmen Sandiego series* Nintendo releases Super Mario Bros. on September 13, 1985, which eventually sells 40 million copies making it the best-selling video game of all time until 2008.*...
. This version is by far more widely known than its 1974 ancestor.
In this version the player also waited for the opponent's eyes to flash (accompanied by a speech bubble reading "FIRE!!") before shooting. This was the first NES game that used voice synthesis. It also featured a shooting gallery
Shooting gallery
A Shooting gallery or Shooting Gallery is a carnival game typically featuring a pellet gun and numerous moving mechanical tracks with small targets worth various minor prizes or points towards a major prize...
where opponents had to be shot from the windows of a saloon. A piece of Chopin's "Funeral March
Funeral march
A funeral march is a march, usually in a minor key, in a slow "simple duple" metre, imitating the solemn pace of a funeral procession. Some such marches are often considered appropriate for use during funerals and other sombre occasions, the most well-known being that of Chopin...
" indicates the player's defeat.
It was also available on the PlayChoice 10 arcade system, but was not released as a Vs. title
Nintendo Vs. Series
The Nintendo Vs. System is a coin-operated video game platform designed for two-player competitive play using the VS. UniSystem or VS. DualSystem, arcade system boards based on the Nintendo Entertainment System. Many of these stand-up or sit-down arcade machines had two screens and controls joined...
as portrayed in the movie Back to the Future Part II
Back to the Future Part II
Back to the Future Part II is a 1989 American science fiction comedy film and the second installment of the Back to the Future trilogy. It was directed by Robert Zemeckis, written by Zemeckis and Bob Gale, and starred Michael J. Fox, Christopher Lloyd, Thomas F. Wilson and Lea Thompson...
. The Famicom
Nintendo Entertainment System
The Nintendo Entertainment System is an 8-bit video game console that was released by Nintendo in North America during 1985, in Europe during 1986 and Australia in 1987...
version for use with the Zapper
NES Zapper
The NES Zapper, also known as the Beam Gun in Japan, is an electronic light gun accessory for the Nintendo Entertainment System and the Japanese Famicom. It was released in Japan for the Famicom on and alongside the launch of the NES in North America in October 1985...
peripheral was released in Japan the same year, and in the US
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
on the Nintendo Entertainment System
Nintendo Entertainment System
The Nintendo Entertainment System is an 8-bit video game console that was released by Nintendo in North America during 1985, in Europe during 1986 and Australia in 1987...
in 1985. The Famicom version was also available packaged with a plastic, western-style revolver accessory (modelled after the Colt Single Action Army
Colt Single Action Army
The Colt Single Action Army is a single action revolver with a revolving cylinder holding six metallic cartridges. It was designed for the U.S...
) that could be used instead of the Zapper.
In media
In Back to the Future Part IIBack to the Future Part II
Back to the Future Part II is a 1989 American science fiction comedy film and the second installment of the Back to the Future trilogy. It was directed by Robert Zemeckis, written by Zemeckis and Bob Gale, and starred Michael J. Fox, Christopher Lloyd, Thomas F. Wilson and Lea Thompson...
, when the main character Marty McFly
Marty McFly
Martin Seamus "Marty" McFly, Sr. is the protagonist in the Back to the Future film trilogy, and is portrayed by actor Michael J. Fox. Marty was also the protagonist in the animated series where he was voiced by David Kaufman...
travels into the year 2015, he goes to a retro 1980s
1980s
File:1980s decade montage.png|thumb|400px|From left, clockwise: The first Space Shuttle, Columbia, lifted off in 1981; American President Ronald Reagan and Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev eased tensions between the two superpowers, leading to the end of the Cold War; The Fall of the Berlin Wall in...
cafe and finds a Wild Gunman arcade cabinet. Upon showing the kids how to play, one kid comments "You mean, you have to use your hands? That's like a baby's toy!"
In Back to the Future Part III
Back to the Future Part III
Back to the Future Part III is a 1990 American science fiction comedy Western film. It is the third installment of the Back to the Future trilogy. The film was directed by Robert Zemeckis and starred Michael J. Fox, Christopher Lloyd, Mary Steenburgen, Thomas F. Wilson and Lea Thompson. The film...
, Marty shoots several targets with a revolver while in the wild west era. When asked where he learned to shoot like that, he responds with "7 Eleven".
Experimental filmmaker Craig Baldwin
Craig Baldwin
Craig Baldwin is an American experimental filmmaker. He uses “found” footage from the fringes of popular consciousness as well as images from the mass media to undermine and transform the traditional documentary, infusing it with the energy of high-speed montage and a provocative commentary that...
's 1978 short Wild Gunman features footage from the original 1974 arcade game re-edited, sped up and slowed down to surreal effect.
See also
- Duck HuntDuck Huntis a video game for the Nintendo Famicom/Nintendo Entertainment System game console system in which players use the NES Zapper to shoot ducks on screen for points. The game was developed and published by Nintendo, and was released in 1984 in Japan...
- Hogan's AlleyHogan's Alley (arcade game)Hogan's Alley is a 1984 arcade game by Nintendo. It was one of the first games to use a light gun as an input device.-Overview:"Hogan's Alley" is the FBI's training camp tool to train new recruits...
- GumshoeGumshoe (video game)Gumshoe is a video game developed and published by Nintendo for the NES and released on June 6, 1986 in North America, and on June 15, 1988 in Europe. Gumshoe is played using the NES Zapper. The game was designed by Yoshio Sakamoto.- Story :...
External links
- Wild Gunman Series at NinDB
- Wild Gunman Arcade Prop Replica at KLOV
- Front and Back side of the flyer of the original 1974 Wild Gunman movie game (from Arcade Flyer Archive) as well as two pictures #1 and #2 of this version (from an AOL member homepage).
