THE greatest run n' guns of all time?

[Obiwanshinobi]

Seriously, for a moment Konami seemed like they were getting back on track and then what happened? Now it's all dancing games and outsourced franchises.

Gradius V was outsourced. Outsourcing itself isn't the problem.

[Sumez]

Good point. But I consider Gradius V a great Treasure game, not a great Konami game.

Shattered Soldier and Neo Contra are great Konami games.

[BIL]

@BIL, really? I used strafing and locking almost constantly through the game. It really works excellent in SS.

Certainly you need to master them to fight bosses efficiently. But like I said, I wanted to use them while fighting off swarms of smaller, more agile enemies. Completely different feeling, keeping track of several mobile threats while moving forward (on that note, SS could've used more pits).

I also believe that so many games throw a handful of popcorn enemies at you during bossfights for the exact purpose of feeding you with that fast kill candy.

That's exactly what SS needed in its more eregiously boring bosses (M2 Bikers, M3 Eel). It does do this at times like the M2 battleship fight (under-ship phase). It's not about shallow "pew pew," it's about keeping the player on their toes and reacting rather sitting comfortably (or bored in some cases, once you're going for the S-Rank). Patterns that don't necessitate this are the ideal, of course, but it's better than being bored.

I for one I'm fine with the game being a boss rush, but Neo Contra had more "ow-ow-ow" killing to it.

I love boss rush-type games like Sin & Punishment which make a point of avoiding static, easily predictable patterns in favour of trickier stuff that keeps the player moving and thinking (like SS does with M5 jellyfish form and M4 Lance's rolling attack). There's absolutely nothing wrong with the boss rush format in itself. I do enjoy SS, but I have to brace myself slightly when replaying it these days with quite a few of the bosses being non-issues once you know their patterns.

Neo Contra, if it had started out as tricky as it finally gets by the end of Mission 5, would've been fantastic. As it is, it's a lot of fun, but I find myself feeling sorry for the stranded enemies with no chance in hell of getting close enough to axe me. Needed way more offensive firepower directed the player's way.

[lift]

Metal Slug 3
Gun Force 2/Geo Storm
Metal Slug X
Contra III: The Alien Wars
FixEight
Out Zone

No Toaplan love? Out Zone is great. There's a lot of ingrained challenge with constant energy depletion, infinite looping and fixed weapons that can only be changed with sporadic power-ups. I enjoyed FixEight a lot more though, not only for a more accessible difficulty with the inclusion of rainbow weapon swap tiles but for having one of the greatest casts in a game ever:

Fix Eight Flyer
Clockwise from top left: generic male lead, token princess, MIKE TYSON, a ninja (everything's better with ninjas), Doctor Manhattan/Gandhi, a supermodel, a goddamn lizardman restaurant manager, and Johnny 5.

Wow.

[EinhanderZwei]

Not sure if it counts as pure run-n-gun, as it has some action-adventure elements, but the Crusader series is incredible (hell, as everything else by Origin Systems)!



Crusader: No Remorse was for DOS, PS1 and Saturn
Crusader: No Regret was DOS exclusive, sadly

I'm playing No Remorse on PSP now, and it kicks as much ass as it kicked back then!

[Snake]

Not sure if it counts as pure run-n-gun, as it has some action-adventure elements, but the Crusader series is incredible (hell, as everything else by Origin Systems)!

(boxart)

Crusader: No Remorse was for DOS, PS1 and Saturn
Crusader: No Regret was DOS exclusive, sadly

I'm playing No Remorse on PSP now, and it kicks as much ass as it kicked back then!

I remember being blown away by this demo back in the day. Not really a run n' gun though, given the perspective and the pace. Glad you brought it up though, might have to dig up the full versions.

[Ghegs]

I loved the Crusader series back in the day. Played through the first one several times and sequel once or twice. Not run 'n guns in the arcade sense, which are what the thread's about after all, but still very fun games.

And Crusader: No Remorse will soon be available from GOG.com so I'll probably play through it one more time.

[saucykobold]

The Crusader games are personal favorites of mine. No Regret in particular is a strong candidate for my desert island game. I love almost everything about it. I've even gotten to the point where I derive a certain pleasure from the acted cutscenes ("Get to the tubeway system on level three! The prisoners are located on level five!").

On-topic, I'd have to go with Metal Slug X. If Gun.Smoke and FixEight qualify, they're second and third respectively.

[toaplan_shmupfan]

Looks like action platformers (platform shooters) are also being included, so here's my short list where character is on foot and not in a vehicle:

Outzone (Toaplan)
Heavy Barrel (Data East)
Metal Slug (Nazca)
Mega Man 2 (Capcom)
Robocop (Data East)
Commando (Capcom)
M.E.R.C.S. (Capcom)
* That last one plays much better with two or three players vs. just one player.

Honorable mention to some platform shooter involving shooting and climbing ladders to platforms to destroy enemies. It has an accented voice at the start of the game that says "Destroy the only a key opens a door... open the door". The boss is a rapidly moving character in a black clock. (Can't remember the name of that game.)

[BIL]

^Sounds like Quartet aka Double Target.

[R-Gray 1]

Contra series wins!!!
Contra series is the essence of a war game.
The cooperative game!!
Top:
1)Contra III...wow I always remember stage 3, with that atmosphere, with that music....with that sub bosses,
This game take advantage the snes control, climbing walls, the war soundtrack!! even stage 4 is really gr8 too
And of course the true final boss !!!!!
2)Super C
3)Contra hard corps - Contra shattered soldiers
4)contra




others?

Sunset riders SNES & Sunset riders Sega Genesis !! both are really good games!!
zombies ate my neighbors cooperative is fun


smash tv????????