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[LucasMaxBros]

After some thought and two years of making games (None of them I consider good, but I and friends had fun with), I've decided to make a simple but thought out run-and-gun game. I've played and seen many examples, but I don't have many friends who can relate to run-and-gun games like Gunstar Heroes, Megaman, and Metal Slug. I have some interesting ideas but I'd like to hear if anyone has some opinions about this genre of games.

What are some of your favorite Run-and-Gun games? What do you like in all of them? Which ones do you like in particular and why? Is there a Run-and-Gun game in particular that you like (or a mechanic) and want to see another game like it/do similar things as it did?

Personally I like stylized attacks or that have excellent sound that accompanies them (Like X when he charges his X Buster). And I've always loved the Seven Force fight.

[Mittens]

I think what I loved about the Metal Slug games was how detailed and varied all the incoming scenery and enemies were. I am almost motivated to keep moving right just to experience all that the developers had made.
I really like the style and animation of MS too.

I think I like seeing what new kind of power you will be able to get as a player. eg. driving the tanks, manning a turret, turning into a blood vomiting zombie. Every new screen was almost a promise that says "This next screen will be nothing like the last"

If you can get a player to really feel that, then you're onto something good.

Conversely, I think that's where you can really fail the run and gun genre is were there is no mech suit, there is no special gun, the enemies stay pretty similar, the scenery stays pretty similar, even just a hint of monotony in a run and gun is enough to make me drop it.

If you haven't played Mischief Makers I would recommend it too, for research (PS: actually I can't guarantee that game is any good at all, I just really liked it when I was young)

[LucasMaxBros]

I think what I loved about the Metal Slug games was how detailed and varied all the incoming scenery and enemies were. I am almost motivated to keep moving right just to experience all that the developers had made.
I really like the style and animation of MS too.

I think I like seeing what new kind of power you will be able to get as a player. eg. driving the tanks, manning a turret, turning into a blood vomiting zombie. Every new screen was almost a promise that says "This next screen will be nothing like the last"

If you can get a player to really feel that, then you're onto something good.

Conversely, I think that's where you can really fail the run and gun genre is were there is no mech suit, there is no special gun, the enemies stay pretty similar, the scenery stays pretty similar, even just a hint of monotony in a run and gun is enough to make me drop it.

If you haven't played Mischief Makers I would recommend it too, for research (PS: actually I can't guarantee that game is any good at all, I just really liked it when I was young)

"Shake shake!"

Saw a speed run of that at SGDQ.

Yeah diversity and every moment introducing something refreshing is tough to make. I was just watching an old playthrough of GameGrumps (There Sparkster playthrough) and on the third episode, they were going at incredible, almost throw-up inducing speeds while riding a robot ostrich. It was adrenaline pumping and would be an awesome concept to throw into a R&G...minus potentially throwing up.

And I totally forgot about mech suits! Need to think on that.

[Faust06]

Flow, good platforming, minibosses. Contra, really.

[gunswordfist]

what mittens said.

[Derek]

One thing that hasn't been mentioned is length. Along with variety and pacing, I think a good run n' gun is a fairly short, arcade-style experience from beginning to end. Around 30-45 minutes is good. More than that and it starts to feel too long to me.

That's one of the primary reasons why I like Metal Slug 1 more than 3 - 3 has the best graphics and set pieces, but it drags on too long. It's almost double the length of 1 if you compare the longplays.

If you guys love run n' guns, look up Nobuya Nakazato. He directed the three best Contra games: Alien Wars, Hard Corps, and Shattered Soldier. Shattered Soldier is, in my opinion, the best Contra game. I think it's a bit underrated because of its gritty 3d graphics, which are a departure from the usually colorful and cartoony graphics of Contra, but it's got the best level/boss design and pacing. It also lets you select from three areas in the beginning, which makes it easy to practice. A nice touch, since Contra can be pretty memorization-heavy.

http://www.mobygames.com/developer/sheet/view/developerId,47984/

[Alevice]

I actually like the lenght of MS3, probably because I usually play coop, where everything dies faster

[oahda]

how about removing the gun

[Schoq]

that'd be like removing the run

[Sik]

how about removing the gun

Then you have a standard platformer (and really, run'n'gun is just a subgenre...).

[The Translocator]

A game where the hero has the ability to reflect and/or block any attacks completely, but cannot attack on his own- different types of shields in the player's loadout:
Omni-directional limited shield
One directional unlimited shield
Limited projectile-reflecting leafblower
Unlimited projectile sucking vaccuum
Etc.

That would be very fun to play.

[Alevice]

An ikaruga platformer then?

[gunswordfist]

a few of my favorite features from action platformers and shoot em up:
action platformers (mega man , little samson, rka, etc.):
-mega man classic's best weapons such as metal man's 8 direction discs and any shield that you can shoot forward (a la mega man 7's junkman weapon or the superior one that's in a nes mega man)
-little samson is basically mega man with ducking and climbing. he is awesome.
shoot em up:
- contra hard corps has multiple routes and endings. there's at least 6 endings and each of the 4 or so basic routes have COMPLETELY different levels.
-contra hard corps has 4 different characters, each with 4 unique special weapons.
- most metal slug games have multiple paths you can go within a single stage.
-ms series' up or side auto-sidescrolling bosses like the mummy stage boss in 2 or 3's 1st boss.
-a separate melee button a la metal slug xx
both:
-a slide or dash button.
-quick weapon swapping (metal slug xx, contra hc, megaman 10)

[gimymblert]

Rhythm is key

[oahda]

that'd be like removing the run

no it'd be a run-and-fun

[s0]

that'd be like removing the run

walk&gun

[gunswordfist]

a newgrounds flash game starring a preacher was a good walk & gun. i wonder if it's still sequelless.

[gimymblert]

run and shoot no gun

[darkhog]

Jazz Jackrabbit. It's IMO perfect example of how such game should be done. Not too hard, but not too easy either.

Just be sure to get original, DOS one. JJ2 sucks even after community "patches" like JJ2+.