Hogan's Alley (video game)
 |
| Hogan's Alley | |
|---|---|
| Hogan's Alley screenshot | |
| Developer(s) | Intelligent Systems[citation needed] Nintendo R&D1[citation needed] |
| Publisher(s) | Nintendo |
| Platform(s) | Arcade, Nintendo Entertainment System, Virtual Console |
| Release | 1984 |
| Genre(s) | Retro/Shooter |
| Mode(s) | Up to 2 players, alternating turns |
(Vs.) 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. The game flashes "cardboard cut-outs" of innocent civilians and thugs in front of the player and the player must react quickly to "take down" the bad guys and spare the innocents.
Description
Despite being rather short on story and depth, this game was nevertheless fairly popular. The game flashes three "cardboard cut-outs" of a mixture of bad guys and innocent civilians. The player needs to react quickly and shoot the thugs while sparing the bystanders and other friendlies (such as police officers). The game gets more difficult and faster as it progresses.
The player never escalates to shooting "real" thugs and gangsters, but the scenery changes from a blank wall to a city scene with the cardboard cutouts.
The game is available only as a standard upright. The controls consist of a single light gun. This was a rather novel input device for a game of its time and added to its appeal.
FBI Hogan's Alley
The FBI does have a training facility called Hogan's Alley at the FBI Academy in Quantico, Virginia. It consists of fake storefronts and actors who role-play the inhabitants of the "town". However, the FBI's Hogan's Alley didn't open until 1987. The Nintendo game is probably based on an earlier Hogan's Alley established at Camp Perry as early as 1920. See Hogan's Alley entry for more information on the history of the name "Hogan's Alley" and its use to describe tactical training facilities.
Legacy
Digital artist Cory Arcangel hacked the Hogan's Alley game to produce "I Shot Andy Warhol," an art piece that replaces the game's targets with images of Andy Warhol.
Ports
Hogan's Alley was ported to the Nintendo Entertainment System in 1984 for home use. In the United States, it was one of the original 18 launch titles for the system. Here, there are three modes: "Hogan's Alley A" (the blank wall), "Hogan's Alley B" (the town), and "Trick Shot".
It was also an April Fools joke on IGN that the game would be ported to the Nintendo DS as part of the Classic NES Series using the touch screen as a substitute for the light gun. The announcement, however, was only a prank. Parts of the game do, however, appear in form of touch screen-controlled microgames in WarioWare: Touched!, one of which is a longer microgame, and the game soundtrack is also unlockable for listening.
Cameos
WarioWare, Inc. Series
- WarioWare, Inc.: Mega Microgame$: One of 9-Volt's classic Nintendo microgames is based on Hogan's Alley. Shoot the villains, but spare the innocents.
- WarioWare, Inc.: Mega Party Game$: This cameo is also same as the cameo in the original WarioWare, Inc.: Mega Microgame$ (above)
- WarioWare: Touched!:
- One of 9-Volt's classic Nintendo microgames is based on Hogan's Alley. Tap the crooks to defeat them, but don't shoot the innocents.
- The boss of 9-Volt's microgames is based on the Trick Shot mode of Hogan's Alley. Keep the cans up in the air until they land on the small platforms. When the big oil cans appear, hit them until they explode, revealing classic Nintendo hardware.
- One of the unlockable Toy Room toys is a record player. One of the songs is Hogan's Alley Trick Shot music, that turns into a remixed version.