One of the quirkier inclusions in the new Super Smash Bros. for Wii U is the dog from Duck Hunt, a game that was released very early on in the NES days. You used the NES zapper to shoot at Ducks that flew on screen before they flew away. If you let a duck get away, the dog would come up on screen and giggle at the player, mocking their lack of skill. That dog started laughing back in 1984 and is continuing to laugh at us today in 2014.
During an interview with Famitsu, Super Smash Bros. series director Masahiro Sakurai told them, Duck Hunt was a “Quite major game” and since it was once included with NES consoles back in the day, it could very well be the best selling shooter. Sakurai explained that by including him in the roster, he could bring back the setting and fun of the original game. He said that “It is very important how different characters make the game interesting with their individuality.” He then went on to say Duck Hunt Dog is a character that has not yet been seen before in the series since there is technically a third player aiding the character by shooting at the screen.
Sakurai also commented on the inclusion of the frantic yet ridiculously fun 8 player smash mode. Sakurai revealed that he had considered adding this feature to Super Smash Bros. Melee on the GameCube, since it seemed like an appropriate way to follow up on the original game. Unfortunately, he claimed it was “more than impossible” to achieve this back then and they were just barely able to get it running now.
Sakurai was also asked about possibilites of DLC, to which he replied “For now, only the distribution of Mewtwo is decided. Other than that is undecided.”
