Games - Run and gun

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	Games - Run and gun

A run and gun (also known as run 'n gun or for some variants, overhead shooter) is a sub-genre of video games that incorporates elements from shoot 'em up games and platform games. These games, which are a type of multi-directional shooters, have been very popular throughout the last twenty-five years with such classics such as Contra, Commando, Gunstar Heroes, and Ikari Warriors. The games are particularly remembered for trademark two-player simultaneous gameplay. There are two basic types of run and gun games: side-view and overhead/isometric view. Side-view games emphasize jumping as the primary means for evasion, while overhead or isometric games focus on strafing and the use of natural barriers as defenses.

Gameplay characteristics

Run and guns are essentially a special case of multi-directional scrollers; in order to qualify, the player must be able to move and fire the protagonist in any direction, although not necessarily simultaneously. Games in this genre are characterized by protagonists that are individual people or small vehicles. The player takes up a larger percentage of a screen than in shoot 'em up games (also known as shmups). Correspondingly, the gameplay focuses on a much smaller game setting; instead of attacking an entire enemy war machine, the objective might be traversing a dirt path to one particular enemy installation. Like shmups, the protagonist is normally given a default weapon with infinite ammunition. In addition, there is usually a boss present at the end of each level that is much larger and has more firepower than the protagonist.

The biggest single distinguishing factor of this sub-genre is the need for evasion from enemies and their fire. Contrastingly, in scrolling shooters, the player is given much more room, relatively, to maneuver. The increased size of the protagonist relative to the enemies in run and guns implies there is simply less room to "run away" from enemy bullets and projectiles. Thus, there is a need for alternative means.

Unlike shoot 'em ups, where all bullets are fired in a straight lines from the protagonist, run 'n guns place a great deal of importance on aiming at enemies in disparate directions. The usual aim and movement control scheme that is used is that both functions are tied into the same joystick. Side-view games typically allow unrestricted movement and jumping while firing, even though this may not be realistically possible. Overhead games either allow and independent movement and firing such as in Guerrilla War, or movement while firing is restricted to strafing perpendicular to the direction faced as in Gun.Smoke. Independent movement and firing is usually accomplished with the use of two joysticks.

Weapons

A typical run and gun initially gives the player a slow-repeating pistol or rifle as an initial weapon. Several games give the player a melee weapon (usually a knife) to dispatch enemies from very short ranges, including the Metal Slug series and Bloody Wolf. Rush'n Attack and its sequel M.I.A.: Missing in Action are side-view games that concentrate heavily on melee action, with ranged attacks being a secondary attack. However, the incorporation of melee attacks are more rare as this sub-genre focuses on shooting action as the primary method of dispatching enemies. There is usually assortment of different ranged and powered military-themed weapons available made available either through eliminating certain enemies, picking up power up icons, or finding them in containers. These additional weapons can be either limited by number of rounds (as in Metal Slug) or have infinite ammunition until the player's death. Of particular note is Gunstar Heroes, which allows the player to create weapons by combining different firing modes together.

There is a typical set of weapons included in these games in one variation or another:

Machine guns – Heavy Barrel, Contra
Three-way , "spread" guns, or shotguns – Commando, Shock Troopers, Sunset Riders
Flamethrowers – Gunstar Heroes, Contra: Shattered Soldier,
Rocket launchers – Bloody Wolf, Zombies Ate My Neighbors
Narrow-beam laser guns – Metal Slug, Contra, Crusader: No Remorse
Enemy-chaser/homing missile weapons – Gunstar Heroes, Contra III: The Alien Wars, Metal Slug 2

Weapons are certainly not limited to this theme. Ikari Warriors II: Victory Road, for example has several historical weapons such as boomerangs] and bows and arrows. The famous Gauntlet features mythical weapons and magic. Even more in the absurd, the infamous Michael Jackson's Moonwalker utilizes fantastical weapons of high-powered fedoras to defeat enemies.

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