Run 'n Gun games - From Contra to Metal Slug and Mega Man (Turrican is a thing too I guess)

[BrunoMattei]

I started Valfaris and got inspired. Run 'n Gun is one of my absolute favorite genres up there with classic FPS, 2D Beat 'em Ups, and Souls. It's also a genre where, when you really think about it, doesn't have many great games. So long as we're limiting it to pretty much exclusively running and gunning there's not too many outside of known franchises. I.E. Earthworm Jim 1 counts but not 2. EWJ 2 goes for Battletoads-like variety for better and worse but I think most will agree that 1 is still better.

Contra is the grandfather of the genre and was one of the few occasions where the console version of a game was superior to the arcade. This rarely ever happened. What's even more impressive with Contra and the sequel Super C is the fact that it's two player and there's no slowdown.

Metal Slug is the other big motherfucker. Unfortunately it's more hit and miss than Contra. It also suffered from notorious slow down especially when 2 players played. Still an absolute classic and Metal Slug 3 could be my favorite Run and Gun title of all time.

Turrican is an overrated pile of crap but some like it so I mention it here.

Mega Man is fine. 4 is my favorite of the classic series and X4 is my favorite of the X series.

Other notable one off's other than Earthworm Jim.

Journey to Sillious. It was supposed to be a Terminator game but the devs lost the rights.

Adventures of Batman and Robin for the Genesis. An entirely different game from the SNES version. You get a fantastic run and gun with trance music. If it weren't for the horribly long shmup stage it would be a masterpiece.

Gunstar Heroes. Possibly a masterpiece? Only thing that's kind of an issue maybe is the fact that the Laser and Homing weapons combined make the whole thing too easy. Honorable mention to Gunner's Heaven which may or may not be a sort of sequel.

Vectorman. Classic Genesis title. I never liked 2 though.

More recent homages to the genre:

https://store.steampowered.com/app/341550/
This game literally costs $5. Buy it you fucks.

 

[REGENDarySumanai]

Contra 4 is definitely the best mainline Contra game, as you can play both Contra and Super C on the go, along with playing as various characters. For Metal Slug, it's a tie between X and 3. For Megaman, I like 4 the best, but Rockman 4 Minus Infinity and other Megaman hacks are great as well. Gunstar Heroes also has a 3DS version and a sequel on the GBA.

 

[Bluey]

I love Metal Slug!

Hard Corps Uprising is pretty good as well.

 

[Wish I knew]

Contra Hard Corps remains as one of my favorite Contra games to this date, i recently played the Metal slug collection and found it enjoyable. Speaking of run n guns theres a fantasy one made by Capcom called Three Wonders which has a run n gun game called Midnight Wanderers thats quite fun

Also the main character appeared as a support in the first Marvel vs. Capcom

Edit: speaking of Hard Corps who could forget that blood pumping intro in the first level while this jam plays?

Contra Hard Corps - The Hard Corps

www.youtube.com

 

[BrunoMattei]

I think I got Contra Hard Corps as a birthday gift. It took me a year of on and off playing to beat that game and I happened to get one of the good endings. Easily my favorite Contra and I owned Contra 3 for SNES as well.

 

[Ebonic Tutor]

I love Metal Slug!

Hard Corps Uprising is pretty good as well.

It's like you put Guilty Gear in muh Contra almost. At the very least you get the addition of air dashing and running which is pretty neat.

 

[BrunoMattei]

It's like you put Guilty Gear in muh Contra almost. At the very least you get the addition of air dashing and running which is pretty neat.

It was made by Arcsys who made Guilty Gear.

 

[Ebonic Tutor]

It was made by Arcsys who made Guilty Gear.

Yep, I know. It really does feel a bit like one of their fighting games in some aspects.

 

[Recoil]

Metal slug X is an optimized remake of Metal Slug 2 and tends to run with less slowdown. At least IME on MVS hardware.

 

[I can't imagine]

I like run 'n gun games, but I'm really pretty awful at them. Like, if there isn't unlimited continues or Contra's 30 lives code or something, I ain't gonna be able to finish it. Except for Mega Man games, I guess, though I suppose those are really more platformers with some run 'n gun features than strictly run 'n gun games.

It isn't really a "traditional" run 'n gun game, but Blaster Master is still a favorite of mine. And I love the visual style of Gunstar Heroes, which kinda elevates it above its peers IMO.

 

[The Cunting Death]

I'm still working on 1cc ing MS3

Can only do the first two levels

 

[BrunoMattei]

Metal slug X is an optimized remake of Metal Slug 2 and tends to run with less slowdown. At least IME on MVS hardware.

There's still slowdown with 2 players. SNK didn't eliminate the slowdown until they switched hardware. Unfortunately Metal Slug 6 is a pile of shit. 7 on the 3DS is single player only and has framerate issues but the remake of 7 on the PSP dubbed Metal Slug XX is great and has zero issues. It's easily the best Metal Slug title since 5.

 

[Megaroad 2012]

I tried the demo for Rogue Corp. last night. Went in with an open mind, over head Contra isn't new and I really love Neo Contra but ugh.

Long stretches of nothing to shoot, stats? and lack of music plus the ugly, edgy writing was a turn off.

Hard Corp. is still a favorite of mine. It has such a cool, gritty cyberpunk atmosphere and the ost is god tier.

 

[Bluey]

It's like you put Guilty Gear in muh Contra almost. At the very least you get the addition of air dashing and running which is pretty neat.

Bahamut himself looks like Sol Badguy.

Not sure if it counts, SpinMasters was another game on NEO-GEO that was pretty fun as well.

SPIN MASTER | NEO GEO | LONGPLAY

Spin master es un juego de arcade desarrollado y publicado por Data East en diciembre de 1993 en América , en Europa el mismo año y el 18 de febrero de 1994 ...

www.youtube.com

 

[Someone in a Tree]

I got my copy of Contra 4 for $4 when Sears was liquidating their video game stock and it is the best value to gameplay purchase I’ve ever made. The main game is masterful, feeling like some lost 90s Konami classic, and getting the two NES games on top of it. It was also one of the few DS games that effectively used both screens.

 

[BrunoMattei]

I got my copy of Contra 4 for $4 when Sears was liquidating their video game stock and it is the best value to gameplay purchase I’ve ever made. The main game is masterful, feeling like some lost 90s Konami classic, and getting the two NES games on top of it. It was also one of the few DS games that effectively used both screens.

Question: when playing on a DS do you see bullets coming from a weird angle when they travel from screen to screen? This has always thrown me off when I try to play Contra 4 on an emulator. It's the one Contra I need to play along with Hard Corps Rising and Neo Contra (which last I checked doesn't work on the PS2 emulator). I'm one of those guy that hated Shattered Soldier. It's fun for a bit but fuck the perfectionist Japanese bullshit where you need to 100% it to technically beat the game. If you don't 100% and kill everything and don't die a single time then fuck you, the last two levels are locked off. Fuck that. I beat the fucking game let me play the final two levels. Fuck your Ghosts 'N Goblins bullshit.

 

[Someone in a Tree]

Question: when playing on a DS do you see bullets coming from a weird angle when they travel from screen to screen? This has always thrown me off when I try to play Contra 4 on an emulator. It's the one Contra I need to play along with Hard Corps Rising and Neo Contra (which last I checked doesn't work on the PS2 emulator). I'm one of those guy that hated Shattered Soldier. It's fun for a bit but fuck the perfectionist Japanese bullshit where you need to 100% it to technically beat the game. If you don't 100% and kill everything and don't die a single time then fuck you, the last two levels are locked off. Fuck that. I beat the fucking game let me play the final two levels. Fuck your Ghosts 'N Goblins bullshit.

I can’t speak for how it works when emulated, but the game accounts for the dead space between the two screens. It felt very natural when playing it on the DS, as opposed to something like Yoshi’s Island DS. I now fear that since Konami has shit the bed with that new Contra game, we’re now going to be several more years away from a proper new installment.

 

[BrunoMattei]

I can’t speak for how it works when emulated, but the game accounts for the dead space between the two screens. It felt very natural when playing it on the DS, as opposed to something like Yoshi’s Island DS. I now fear that since Konami has shit the bed with that new Contra game, we’re now going to be several more years away from a proper new installment.

Unlike Mega Man there's been enough spiritual successors to Contra where it's not a big deal that it's been Konami'd. I especially recommend Super Cyborg like I mentioned in the OP post:

Super Cyborg on Steam

Super Cyborg is an old school non-stop hardcore run'n'gun action game! You are an elite battle cyborg who is sent in to investigate a series of anomalies on a mysterious island. The merciless alien known as the 'Xirxul life form' has been awakened by unwitting scientists and now: all humanity is...

store.steampowered.com

It plays just like the NES Contra's but looks like an Amiga game. It's just as good. And it's only $5. When you beat the game you unlock a skin where you look exactly like Lance and Bill from Contra.

 

[The Cunting Death]

replaying the Metal Slug series.

It makes me miss the days where I would go to Godfathers Pizza and play this along with Shock Troopers and try to one up myself in the series.

 

[BrunoMattei]

Shock Troopers was another great one. It was essentially a top down Metal Slug. Shock Troopers 2 is all right but just not as great as the original.