Developer: Nintendo
Publisher: Nintendo
Release Date: 10-18-85
I guess there was only so much they could do with the light gun in the early days because Hogan’s Alley sure feels like Wild Gunman. It’s hard to see too many people feeling the need to buy both of them back in the day. Of course I have both of them but I am a special case whose example probably shouldn’t be followed. All three of the launch day light games are simple target shooters that have American themes despite being created in Japan. It feels a bit like overkill especially considering the genres that weren’t represented on launch day. I suppose I shouldn’t dock it for being similar to another game though. Does the game stand on its own?
Don't shoot milquetoast professors!
The name Hogan’s Alley first rose to prominence near the end of the 19th Century as the name of one of the first major newspaper comics. It was popular enough that it was later used as the name of a police training facility. It’s this facility that gives this game its setting. Despite the gangster-themed cover it’s actually a training simulator where you are shooting at cardboard cutouts. The first game has three cutouts lined up and you have to quickly decide which one to shoot. It’s very similar to the first game in Wild Gunman but at least the gangsters show up in different spots. The second game features the titular alley as a setting for some more quick draw. You once again have to quickly pick ou the right targets, but this time they show up in windows and alleys. This mode too is like Wild Gunman but slightly better because it is more challenging and features more backgrounds. The third game is probably my favorite because it has constantly moving targets. In this one you shoot at cans and try to land them in holes on the left side of the screen that have different amounts of points. The game is over when too many of the cans fall off the screen. I like it because it has the most frantic arcade feel to it. There will usually be multiple cans on the screen and keeping them both in the air can be a real challenge. There’s not too many game where the highlight is shooting cans, but leave it to Nintendo to make just about any situation fun. Of course my light gun is not the most responsive device in the world, but this is probably due to its age more than its quality. Does anyone remember if the zappers worked well back in the 80s? I was a little kid back then and just sat real close to the tv to make it work. I’m probably not that much of an authority.
I totally thought that guy on the lower left was shirtless
So that’s another light gun game that doesn’t make for particularly interesting writing. I definitely think it is better than Wild Gunman because of the variety of targets and faster action. It just doesn’t offer enough of a unique experience to stand out. If you bought an NES on day one you were going to get Duck Hunt automatically, and the other two light gun games aren’t that much more of a complete experience. For my ranking I am going old school and thinking about Baraduke again. I was never expecting such and unremarkable game to be on my thoughts so much, but it’s still the best “just okay” game I have played and Hogan’s Alley is going right under it. It wasn’t exciting, but it wasn’t unpleasant either. That’s how I feel about this post as well. On to the next game!
NES quality percentage: 5/9 = 55.55%
1. Super Mario Odyssey
2. Galaga
3. Donkey Kong
4. Exodus: Ultima III
5. Pac-Mania
6. Wrecking Crew
7. Super Pac-Man
8. Pac-Man
9. Excitebike
10. Arc the Lad
11. Clu Clu Land
12. Artifact Adventure Gaiden DX
13. Mickey’s Racing Adventure
14. Metro-Cross
15. Ice Climber
16. Gaplus
17. Dragon Spirit
18. Pinball (NES)
19. Walt Disney World Quest: Magical Racing Tour (GBC)
20. Red Sea Crossing
21. Baraduke
22. Hogan’s Alley
23. Gamma-Attack
24. The Legend of “Valkyrie”
25. Galaxian
26. Evoland
27. Wild Gunman
28. Defunct
29. Gyruss (2600)
30. Looney Tunes Racing
31. Squidlit
32. Baseball
33. Birthday Mania
34. Bad Street Brawler
35. Burly Men at Sea
36. My Name is Mayo
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