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A BRIEF HISTORY OF CONSOLE LIGHT GUNS

17/4/2018

28 Comments

 
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If you've ever fired a real gun - and I've done it a couple of times at shooting galleries in the US - there's one scary truth about using them which advocates of gun control tend to overlook. And that fact is this fact: it feels, really, really cool to shoot things.

I mean, I won't pretend that I felt anything other than enormous sense power with a gun in my hand. There's just something immensely satisfying about pointing a heavy bit of metal at a thing, and then watching that thing get blown to pieces. In many respects, they're the ultimate fidget spinners.

That shouldn't, of course, mean that guns should be freely available to every last hillbilly or emotionally damaged Nirvana fan with a grudge - or maybe at all. I mean, if you want to know why guns should never get into the hands of anybody other than stable, trained professionals, go hire a belt-fed M64 for half an hour.

But then, you're a normal, stable, person, probably, and of course there are people who want to own guns so they can eke back a sense of control in their lives. Unfortunately, the psychology of gun ownership never seems to factor into the debates. 

Anyhow, I'm sure that's precisely the sort of thing a filthy centrist would say. Heck, if I went back to a shooting range now, the targets probably wouldn't be pictures of Muslim men anymore - but photographs of centrists!!!! 

You've played video games, so you know - to a point - how shooting feels, and it's likely why there have been many attempts (though, admittedly, not so much in recent times) to recreate it faithfully in the home without actually killing anybody.

Here's a quick rundown of some of the home light guns we've had over the years.
MAGNAVOX ODYSSEY
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Ralph Bauer's Magnavox Odyssey was the first home console. But get this: it also had the first light gun shooting game - and it was something of a beauty; a replica pump-action shotgun, with a satisfying pump-action mechanism. Ker-chack! That's how it went. Ker-chack! Ker-chack! 

Inevitably, given how new the technology was, it proved to be a bit of a faff. Most of the games available  - through a pair of anthology "game cards" - required one player to point the gun, and another to control the on-screen targets.

Additionally, players had to place "target overlays" over their TV screens, which required you to aim through holes punched in them. Artwork on the overlays did their best to disguise the fact that the games were, pretty much, identical.

"Which one is this?"

"The one with pictures of dinosaurs printed on the bit of paper."

Ker-chack!

"Who loves ya, baby?"

"I wasn't talking to you..."

Good reference. Topical.
NES ZAPPER
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There were other identikit home light gun games which followed in the wake of the Odyssey, but it wasn't until the NES that we got the first truly iconic console light gun - the Zapper (or Beam Gun in Japan, where it more closely resembled a traditional revolver). Duck Hunt and Wild Gunman were the two most notable uses of this none-more-80s device. 

Like pretty much every game on this list, the Zapper only works with old-school CRT TVs. Why?

​Technology reasons.
SUPER SCOPE
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The Super NES "needed" a new light gun, so Nintendo decided to release something else instead; a sort of shoulder-mounted drainpipe, that vaguely looked a bit like a rocket launcher.

Presumably, they wanted to get kids away from playing with more gun-ish guns, but the Super Scope - bundled with a collection of six games (including a version of Tetris called Blastris) - was supported only by a handful of releases. Its design seemed to detract from the main appeal of a light gun; playing with guns.

Guns!

Nevertheless, the Super Scope was considered gun-like enough that - along with Mortal Kombat and Street Fighter 2 - was cited in 1993 US congressional hearings on video game violence for looking like an "assault weapon". Indeed, it was even used by Dennis Hopper (as King Koopa) in the Super Mario Bros. movie, where it was rechristened the "Devo gun"... for its ability to make its targets devolve, see.

<Insert hilarious satirical joke here about needing to be devolved already in order to own a gun>  
MENACER
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Look at this stupid thing. Sega's Menacer - with its utterly superfluous binoculars - was every bit as rubbish as it looked.

The Mega Drive's answer to the Super Scope was, essentially, a truncated Super Scope, which required a laborious recalibration every time you wanted to use it. Exactly like the Super Scope, it was bundled with six unmemorable games, and only really came into its own with the third-party release of the T2 arcade conversion.

For some reason, Sega never planned to support the Menacer beyond the initial bundled games. Speaking to the website Sega-16, Mac Senour - who designed the six Menacer games - claims that Sega "laughed when I proposed more".
KONAMI JUSTIFIER
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Simpler and more gun-like than either the Menacer or the Super Scope, Konami's Justifier came packaged with the home conversion of Lethal Enforcers (but could be used with other light gun games), and was probably the best light gun of the 16-bit era.

​It stumbled into a bit of a storm of controversy over the fact it resembled a real gun (specifically, a Colt Python, same as its arcade counterpart), even though they made a pink version available (presumably, for girls). Like the Super Scope, it was held up as an example of violent video games during the 1992/3 US congressional hearings.

It was also released in a garish green hue for the PlayStation, under the name The Bogie Blaster (Hyper Blaster). 
LASER SCOPE
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The Justifier was far better than Konami's previous attempt at a home light gun. Their Laser Scope - released for the NES - was a bizarre, head-mounted thing, which fired whenever the player shouted "Fannies!" ("Fire!").

At least, in theory; the LaserScope was notorious for its inability to recognise voice commands, thus rendering the entire device almost entirely pointless.

Oddly, however, it did - at least on a vague design level - foreshadow the use of headset microphones for playing online first-person shoot 'em ups. Perhaps they should've allowed the player to shoot by bellowing foul-mouthed, homophobic and racist insults into the microphone.
NAMCO HYPERBLASTER
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For many, Namco's GunCon - or G-Con 45 in Europe - remains the best home light gun. It was well supported with software, and even proved successful enough that two further models were released for the subsequent two PlayStations.

The GunCon 2 was alright - adding a D-pad on the gun's buttocks - but the GunCon 3 somewhat spoiled the aesthetic by bolting a joypad to the front underside of the weapon.

​You know: just like real guns don't have. 
WII ZAPPER
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The Wii Zapper proved one thing: the versatility of the Wii's controllers to be stuffed into any old cheap-and-cheerful bit of plastic in order to superficially resembler something else, to virtually little or no effect. Truly, the Wii Zapper is the worst light gun on this list.
DARK OPS COBALT FLUX
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Another attempt at making the Wii controller double up as a light gun, the Cobalt Flux - which sounds like the name of a late-80s neo-goth band - reflected the Wii's signal off a mirror, in order to feel more gun-like. Better than the Wii Zapper admittedly, but only just.

​Also, it looked a bit like one of those stupid Star Trek: The Next Generation phasers, which were about as threatening and sexy and cool as pointing a TV remote control at somebody. 

"Keep back or I'll change your channel... TO DEAD!"
DREAMCAST GUN
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Oddly, there were a lot of light guns released for the Dreamcast... but hardly any compatible games. It seems that the excitement around Virtua Cop getting a decent home release (Saturn version notwithstanding) had everyone believing that the Dreamcast would prove to be the go-to console for light gun games. History records otherwise.

Still, out of the many guns available for the Dreamcast, Sega's own official weapon was the best - despite that weird overhang at the back (which offered a convenient crevice into which you could cram the Virtual Memory Unit).
SONY SHARP SHOOTER 
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Building on what Nintendo attempted with its Wii Zapper, Sony's Sharp Shooter for the PS3 was a far more successful stab at turning its Move controllers into a gun. It felt nice and weighty to hold, the only real negative being the "bulb" which stuck out the front.

Hey, do you remember those blister-carded "spy" kits you used to be able to pick up from spinny toy racks in newsagents and toy shops?

They'd come with a pair of cheap binoculars or telescope, a spy badge, and -  usually - a spring-loaded gun which fired suction darts. They'd typically also have alternative ammunition in the form of a plastic "grenade" which could be fired out of the gun; that's what the Sharp Shooter looked like (fortunately, it didn't actually shoot the Move controller "bulb" out of the end).

I once bought one of these "spy" kits on a school trip to Holland. I was playing with it on the coach, when I accidentally fired the grenade out of the end, and it shot across the coach and hit a girl called Elizabeth Covell in the teeth.

This was problematic for two reasons: 1) I'd just shot a girl in the mouth with a toy grenade, and 2) The main thing that everyone knew about Elizabeth Covell was that she had very prominent front teeth.

​Oh well. It was bound to happen. I mean, you couldn't miss them if you tried...
28 Comments
Bingo Rose
17/4/2018 10:53:08 am

Although the Dreamcast didn’t have many lightgun games, the ones they did have were excellently excellent - especially Confidential Mission and, of course, House of the Dead 2 (possibly the greatest gun game ever according to me).

I also had a semi-decent Dreamcast gun game called Death Crimson that may or may not have been an illegal copy (it was) acquired from a shady gentlemen who may or may not have had a big bushy beard (he did).

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Kelvin Green link
17/4/2018 11:16:54 am

Also worth mentioning is the Master System Light Phaser, which was a central concept in the anime Zillion, and the MS game based on the series. The game itself was a shooty platformer and so wasn't compatible with the Light Phaser. Oops.

Then there's the Predator, a third-party light gun for the PlayStation and Saturn, which turned up as the Lawgiver prop in Stallone's Judge Dredd. Probably best forgotten, that.

I find it funny/sad that the Cobalt Flux, Menacer, and Super Scope all have the distinctive orange barrels that are supposed to tell US police forces that these are not real guns and so do not shoot the wielder, please, thanks. I would ask what kind of cretin passes his police exams but still thinks the Super Scope is a real gun, but America is mad.

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Bobajob Mister
17/4/2018 08:20:27 pm

I had the matchbox Zillion laser tag game, which used the same gun as the master system. It was ace fun chasing my brother round trying to shoot him in the back. The gun even had the same connector as the master system, so you could use it in the controller port.

My mate had the proper one and I remember playing Operation Wolf, it was ace!

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Chris
20/4/2018 08:30:04 am

Whenever I rob a bank I always paint bright orange rings round the gun barrels. Basically makes me immune to the police!

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Neptunium
17/4/2018 11:31:52 am

"Truly, the Wii Zapper is the worst light gun on this list."

Ouch. Despite being, as rightly pointed out, a bit of plastic tat, you can't deny that the Wii is *the* system for light gun games. House of the Dead's coming out of your earholes, Resident Evil gun games, and Sega's library of non-HOTD titles, including the most amazing one of them all: Gunblade NY & LA Machineguns on a single disc.

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Col. Asdasd
17/4/2018 11:41:49 am

Sin and Punishment 2 as well. The Wii Zapper was almost offensively cheap, but if we're factoring in software support it still comes out ahead of a fair few on this list.

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Znidz
17/4/2018 11:39:34 am

Finally an article highlighting that centrists are the true persecuted minority ;)

"What makes a man turn neutral? Lust for gold? Power? Or were you just born with a heart full of neutrality?"

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Treacle
17/4/2018 11:40:54 am

The only console light gun I've ever owned was the one that came with the Binatone TV Master, and the only note worthy thing about it was that it was the the gun used by the guards on Bespin in The Empire Strikes Back.

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Mr Biffo
17/4/2018 11:43:49 am

Whaaaaaat?!? Mind blown.

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RichardM
17/4/2018 12:39:24 pm

Kudos to Mr B for avoiding the light-gun article cliches: a) holding them up to the screen, b) the dog in Duck Hunt and c) shooting at a lightbulb to score points.

Don’t have any experience of these bar the Zapper. Do any have decent force feedback like the Time Crisis arcade ones?

RichardM
17/4/2018 12:34:44 pm

Brill bit of trivia. Bravo!

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MENTALIST
17/4/2018 12:59:30 pm

According to Google Image Search, they're not the same, but they do have very, very similar proportions.

From VHS, I suppose it may have been impossible to tell, but there are big pics of original props being sold on the internet these days.


Um... sorry for ruining a cherished childhood memory, but, you know, age of fake news and all that...

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Treacle
17/4/2018 07:38:36 pm

It was indeed from watching the VHS of Empire (rented from Pete's Video Store, the card from which is still in my dad's wallet) that I formed my observation. Oh well, at least not too many people will repeat my nonsense now.

Dominic
17/4/2018 12:38:09 pm

Do you change the names when you mention these people from school?

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Bilstar
17/4/2018 12:48:34 pm

It's such a shame! I (and maybe you too) spent all those years playing light gun games on CRT tellies of the time, hoping one day to have a mahoosive screen to shoot at just like the ones in the arcades. It'll be mint, I thought.

And of course now our TVs are much bigger, primed for shooty shooty, and there's not a sniff of light gun action to be found.

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MENTALIST
17/4/2018 01:02:04 pm

Light gun action kind of skipped the HDTV era and has charged straight for VR. Sony have a new bulb-gun for it, and those HTC Vive controllers are basically a pair of pistols.

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Ray Dunaway
17/4/2018 01:32:17 pm

I won a Super Scope in a magazine competition years ago (CVG possibly).
Hulking, useless piece of kit. Almost impossible to use without getting complete body cramps.

It only ever once came in handy, when my Dad had to separate and chase off a pair of dogs fighting in our front garden.
Due to the quite substantial injuries one of the dogs received he got in quite a bit of trouble with the Police. When they discovered what weapon he had used they didn’t know what to do.

He was quite a nasty piece of work and would regularly have them visit the house to talk to him about local events.
But it’s all water under the fridge now, he’s long dead.

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Marcus Duffelcoat
17/4/2018 06:47:53 pm

Your Dad would regularly get vists from two fighting dogs to question him over 'local events'? Where do you live? East Anglia?

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Nocturne
17/4/2018 02:18:44 pm

To my mind the House of the Dead: Overkill Hand Cannon was the best plastic casing to turn the wiimote into a gun. It still wasn't great and was frankly too big to comfortably hold but of all the Wii versions it was the only one that made me feel better about my small penis.

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Meatballs-me-branch-me-do
17/4/2018 02:59:58 pm

The Laserscope was brilliant! It made light gun games (like the notoriously difficult To The Earth) piss easy. Forget yelling 'fire' or whatever into the microphone. A quick exhalation of air from pursed lips onto the mic was far less tiring, quick, and effective.

I demolished my way through every light gun game I could lay my hands on with it. Ducks could barely get above the reeds before they were blasted in Duck Hunt. Laser Invasion was Konami's tie-in game, and combined a first-person helicopter flight mode, Operation Wolf style base assault and first person dungeon crawler. In theory these could be played with just the pad (moving a reticule) or with the Zapper and Pad (good luck flying the helicopter while doing that) but it was clearly intended for the Laserscope. Being an enterprising little bastard in it for the immersion, I would quickly swap plugs between the Laserscope and Zapper during the ground missions so I could be the real commando hero blasting baddies with an actual gun.

The Zapper, incidentally, was shit. The trigger was heavily sprung with a loud 'twongggg' and got tiring to use.

Oh, and there's no such thing as a 'belt fed M-64". You probably fired an M-60.

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Neptunium
17/4/2018 04:23:47 pm

"The Zapper, incidentally, was shit. The trigger was heavily sprung with a loud 'twongggg' and got tiring to use."

I'd completely forgotten about that. I'm amazed my hands & arms are in such a good condition given the reverb that you could feel up your arm and the fact that my fingers were red raw after a Duck Hunt sesh.

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HotSoapyBeard
17/4/2018 03:33:25 pm

I had a Predator 2 made by Logic3. Rubbish naming aside, it was rather good. It came with some silly fake reflex sights and some alternate modes which were gubbins but most importantly it had a reload pedal which I worked out I could use on my Yamaha keyboard.

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Stereo Turbo
17/4/2018 04:33:25 pm

STEREO TURBO

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Johnc
17/4/2018 06:53:34 pm

What? No Spectrum +2a light gun from the James Bond Action Pack?

http://www.nightfallcrew.com/20/11/2013/sinclair-zx-spectrum-2a-james-bond-007-action-pack/

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Robobob
17/4/2018 07:30:27 pm

I got the Saturn lightgun with Virtua Cop for Christmas one year, apparently my mum and dad had to work pretty hard at finding any available stock of the guns.

Totally worth it though, that was a good Christmas.

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Stephen Botting
17/4/2018 08:13:38 pm

I think my favourite gun game was Point Blank. Last time I went to the Arcade Club in Bury I spent the best part of an hour having fun.

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James Walker link
17/4/2018 11:58:37 pm

Not many people know that the player 2 pad controlled the ducks in duck hunt.

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Old School Dragon link
8/3/2021 01:00:04 am

You forgot to mention the Atari XEGS/2600/7800, Amiga, and 3DO light guns. I expect more from a Brit. ;) Although, I also expected a joke making fun of gun owners from a Brit, and got one. ;)

Reply



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