61 Frames Per Second

Ode to the Light Gun or The Only Peripheral You’ll Ever Need

Posted by John Constantine

Peripherals are bothersome. A controller is fine; it’s compact and, with the ubiquity of reliable, long-lasting wireless technology, they’ve become easy to store and maintain. These days, controllers just aren’t enough for developers. Every game has to have its own little thing. Oh, I need plastic guitars and drums to play this? A little plastic wheel to act like I’m steering? A massive twenty-four button console array meant to simulate the cockpit of a gigantic walking tank?! Well, la-di-da, Mr. Game Developer! I don’t live in some kind of mansion, I’ve already spent all my money on your products. I don’t have room to store a billion and one plastic devices used for only a single game.

Like every gamer born before 1990, though, there’s one peripheral my gaming home needs: the light gun. Nintendo may be the young family’s best friend these days, providing safe, accessible entertainment for all, but back in 1985, their consoles came with fake firearms. Those of us who grew up in the US and Europe got a grey Laser Tag knock off that was clearly — a toy later re-colored neon orange and grey to appear even more like a toy — but look at the original sumbitch Gunpei Yokoi designed for the system:

Now that’s the kind of weapon you can use to hold up a fake bank.

Much as I adore the light gun, it’s fallen on somewhat hard times. The decline of arcades in the Western world has kept many recent light gun equipped cabinets – like the ambitious House of the Dead 4 Experience, Rambo, and Silent Hill: The Arcade – confined to their native Japan. The other problem is that classic light guns can’t function on plasma or LCD televisions, barring owners from classic light gun goodness. There are modern equivalents, though, helping keep the tradition alive. Namco’s Guncon 3, which is only compatible with Time Crisis 4 on PS3 at the moment, gets the job done pretty well. Surprisingly enough, it’s the Wii and its remote that’s doing the most to keep the spirit of light guns alive. Nintendo themselves put out a new Zapper to compliment (amongst other games) ports of three Sega light gun classics, namely House of the Dead 2 & 3 and Ghost Squad. It isn’t much more than a plastic casing for the remote and nunchuck and it’s pretty uncomfortable to use. But it’s fighting the good fight. Sega also gets a high five, not just for keeping the genre of light gun game alive on Wii with decent ports, but for making an original House of the Dead for the system. And making this to go with it:

Sweet.

Editor's Note: I'm aware of Big Buck Hunter's proliferation across the land. But, seriously, screw that game.

Related links:

You’re Doing Great, Sega: Space Harrier Returns
Sega "Gets" the Wii
On Sega and the Proper Use of the Wii in 2009
Trailer Review: House of the Dead – Overkill

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Posted Jan 16 2009, 03:30 PM

Filed under: playstation 3, nintendo, wii, nes, rambo, sega, namco, house of the dead, famicom, guncon, light gun, house of the dead 4, time crisis 4, silent hill the arcade, zapper, house of the dead overkill

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John Constantine, our superhero, was raised by birds and then attended Penn State University. He is currently working on a novel about a fictional city that exists only in his mind. John has an astonishingly extensive knowledge of Scientology. Ultimately he would like to learn how to effectively use his brain. He continues to keep Wu-Tang's secret to himself.

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