I like how this trio of games are all connected through being used as the basis of Smash Bros characters, since Duck Hunt (the fighter) has the Hogan's Alley can as a special. The way that move works in Smash makes more sense to me now that I actually know about the game beyond 'NES Zapper game that isn't Duck Hunt'
Great observation. I've barely played Duck Hunt in Smash so I forgot all about that ability, even though I did play Trick Shot a lot back in the day.
You might also say 2/3 of these games translate to pretty weird Smash characters. The exception is R.O.B.: a straightforward Smash character despite being a very strange peripheral.
“Moderately fun” is truly the best descriptor for Ice Climber.
A fun fact about the Yellow Kid in that Hogan’s Alley comic strip—my recollection is that that was THE first “comic strip” in the modern sense. I’d love for an actual comics historian to jump in.
That Hogan’s Alley backstory is fascinating. I only remember playing it like once and sadly it’s not in the collection I have from my childhood and parent’s house.
Well I certainly learned a lot about Hogan's Alley! I too assumed that was "Hogan" on the cover and I had to bust up his crime-filled alley. I owned that one and remember thinking, even as a kid, that the whole training motif existed just because they were worried about parental complaints about a game where you shot real people with a physical gun. I don't think I was aware of Wild Gunman. But in any case, I fully agree with your review and definitely spent the most time on Trick Shooting.
I never played Gyromite, nor have I ever seen R.O.B. in action in real life. But as a kid, I was nonetheless aware of R.O.B. I remember talking to kids at school, circa 1989-1990, and telling them that Nintendo used to sell a robot that can play NES games with you, but most of them thought I was making it up.
As for Ice Climber, this one is in the same category as Clu Clu Land for me. I want to like it --a classic NES game, 2-player simultaneous, there's a polar bear in sunglasses on the cover. But I can't stand the way it controls. It just feels bad. The downgrade in your review is well-deserved IMO.
I like how this trio of games are all connected through being used as the basis of Smash Bros characters, since Duck Hunt (the fighter) has the Hogan's Alley can as a special. The way that move works in Smash makes more sense to me now that I actually know about the game beyond 'NES Zapper game that isn't Duck Hunt'
Great observation. I've barely played Duck Hunt in Smash so I forgot all about that ability, even though I did play Trick Shot a lot back in the day.
You might also say 2/3 of these games translate to pretty weird Smash characters. The exception is R.O.B.: a straightforward Smash character despite being a very strange peripheral.
“Moderately fun” is truly the best descriptor for Ice Climber.
A fun fact about the Yellow Kid in that Hogan’s Alley comic strip—my recollection is that that was THE first “comic strip” in the modern sense. I’d love for an actual comics historian to jump in.
That Hogan’s Alley backstory is fascinating. I only remember playing it like once and sadly it’s not in the collection I have from my childhood and parent’s house.
Well I certainly learned a lot about Hogan's Alley! I too assumed that was "Hogan" on the cover and I had to bust up his crime-filled alley. I owned that one and remember thinking, even as a kid, that the whole training motif existed just because they were worried about parental complaints about a game where you shot real people with a physical gun. I don't think I was aware of Wild Gunman. But in any case, I fully agree with your review and definitely spent the most time on Trick Shooting.
I never played Gyromite, nor have I ever seen R.O.B. in action in real life. But as a kid, I was nonetheless aware of R.O.B. I remember talking to kids at school, circa 1989-1990, and telling them that Nintendo used to sell a robot that can play NES games with you, but most of them thought I was making it up.
As for Ice Climber, this one is in the same category as Clu Clu Land for me. I want to like it --a classic NES game, 2-player simultaneous, there's a polar bear in sunglasses on the cover. But I can't stand the way it controls. It just feels bad. The downgrade in your review is well-deserved IMO.