once upon a time dodging and returning
fire was the name of the game
welcome to watchmojo.com and today we’ll
be counting down our picks for the top
ten arcade-style run and gun games for
this list we’ll be taking a look at the
finest games that are all about blasting
waves of enemies and running away from
danger our focus is on runnin gun games
that would feel at home in the arcades
but do not need to have been released in
the arcades to qualify we order you to
destroy the supercomputer sporting
everything from high difficulty to
plentiful weapons to focus on fast-paced
action number 10 gnarrk
remember those winners don’t do drugs
messages that would appear in the arcade
screens well gnarrk took that anti-drug
message to new decreased levels in this
1988 classic you play as one of two
narcotics cops max force and hitman sent
on a mission to bring down a drug
trafficking ring this means blasting
through a cavalcade of drug dealers
addicts and assorted kingpins in brutal
fashion
all while confiscating drugs and money
for points the game is most remembered
for its extreme violence and given the
fact that most of your enemies look like
homeless people this was certainly
rather disturbing at the time number 9
Alien Hominid
although bizarre in some ways this game
has plenty of charm based on a popular
flash game on Newgrounds Alien Hominid
stars a yellow alien who crash-landed on
earth and seeks to go home unfortunately
for him government agents want him
captured and the road ahead is
treacherous to say the least
on top of that enemies come in heavy
weights and the alien can only take one
hit before dying it’s a good thing then
that the game offers special moves
power-ups and two-player gameplay to
balance the experience and that’s to say
nothing of the amusement we got from
seeing the alien fight off heads number
8
super star wars the force is strong with
this one
as they say taking the classic 1977 film
star wars into the realm of science
scrolling action super star wars offers
a more intense take on its source
material controlling the hero to be Luke
Skywalker and his allies players are
guided through an extended version of
the original film story across the
game’s 14 levels you go from traversing
Tatooine desert plains to hopping
through the Death Star’s entrance
there’s a good balance between fun to
play moments and consistent challenge
which is essential for a run at gun game
number 7 super turrican – who says being
shipwrecked means the job can’t be done
that seems to be the thinking in this
action game about a lone soldier
carrying on his objectives of stopping
galactic conquest
wearing the titular turrican assault
suit our hero battles past mutants and
cybernetic foes on a devastated planet
what’s most striking is the game’s look
a mix of post-apocalyptic locales and
vibrant colors it also offers a
grappling arm as a fun gadget and serves
to showcase the super Nintendos mode 7
effects number 6 broforce while still in
early access at the time of writing we
felt that broforce deserved a moment in
the spotlight acting is both a parody of
action movies and anna maj – classic
shooters this title puts players in the
role of a bro a commando sent to rescue
his comrades and prisoners of war
everything about the experience is goofy
and over-the-top the bro puns extend to
30 plus playable characters boss battles
end with raising a flag and a dramatic
explosion and the levels deteriorate
thanks to destructible environments
bottom line it looks like a lot of fun
number 5 alien soldier colorful and
unorthodox but no less fun in alien
soldier you are Epsilon to the good half
of a terrorist organizations leader
tasked with hunting down the
organization’s members what the game has
going for it is it’s Jara’s subversion
short levels instead of lengthy ones
plenty of boss battles rather than a
measured handful an extra reprieve from
fatal injuries and so forth match these
distinctive elements with a pleasant
color scheme and you have a delightfully
different game from the north number 4
sunset riders speaking of deviating from
the norm here’s a fun combination
side-scrolling gunplay meets the
American Old West that’s the premise of
sunset riders wherein players select one
of four bounty hunters and fight off
countless bandits on the way to a given
outlaw each level plays off some aspect
of the traditional cowboy experience
saloon shootouts horseback chases train
top escapades and the thrill of the hunt
man remember when Konami used to be good
number three Metal Slug although there
went on to be six more entries in this
series the original still remains
beloved for a good reason perhaps it was
the story an action narrative focused on
two soldiers battling a rebel army and
destroying experimental tanks
maybe people were drawn to the large
boss characters the beauty of the game’s
hand-drawn animation and the little
details like destructible scenery or it
could be the trademark humor after all
how many games give you enemies relaxing
by a campfire just waiting to be
startled and scared off number 2 contra
3 the alien wars let’s be clear here the
original contra helps define run-and-gun
gains for years but contra 3 was the
force needed to keep the sub-genre and
the Contra series moving forward it took
the technology of the SNES and used it
to deliver visuals on par with its
arcade predecessors while leveraging the
mode-7 technology for several
experimental top-down levels the game
also added new gameplay mechanics like
the ability to climb walls and ladders
and motorcycle sections ensuring its
continued existence it’s truly
impressive for its time before we unveil
our top pick here are a few honorable
mentions
number one GunStar heroes
in a time when the run-and-gun games
were growing tired this was the one to
bring new life to the shara here are
heroes seeking out gems that the
villainous Colonel red intends to use to
awaken an evil robot yet the surrounding
game is unbelievably innovative it does
away with one-hit deaths for a multiple
hit system shows the life countess
numbers offers bosses with smooth
animations and features a neat weapon
combination mechanic matching different
guns for different shooting styles meant
that you had up to ten possible firing
combinations to experiment with we don’t
know how this came to be but we were
thankful it did do you agree with our
list which arcade style run and gun game
is your favorite for more action-packed
top 10s published every day be sure to
subscribe to watchmojo.com
fire was the name of the game
welcome to watchmojo.com and today we’ll
be counting down our picks for the top
ten arcade-style run and gun games for
this list we’ll be taking a look at the
finest games that are all about blasting
waves of enemies and running away from
danger our focus is on runnin gun games
that would feel at home in the arcades
but do not need to have been released in
the arcades to qualify we order you to
destroy the supercomputer sporting
everything from high difficulty to
plentiful weapons to focus on fast-paced
action number 10 gnarrk
remember those winners don’t do drugs
messages that would appear in the arcade
screens well gnarrk took that anti-drug
message to new decreased levels in this
1988 classic you play as one of two
narcotics cops max force and hitman sent
on a mission to bring down a drug
trafficking ring this means blasting
through a cavalcade of drug dealers
addicts and assorted kingpins in brutal
fashion
all while confiscating drugs and money
for points the game is most remembered
for its extreme violence and given the
fact that most of your enemies look like
homeless people this was certainly
rather disturbing at the time number 9
Alien Hominid
although bizarre in some ways this game
has plenty of charm based on a popular
flash game on Newgrounds Alien Hominid
stars a yellow alien who crash-landed on
earth and seeks to go home unfortunately
for him government agents want him
captured and the road ahead is
treacherous to say the least
on top of that enemies come in heavy
weights and the alien can only take one
hit before dying it’s a good thing then
that the game offers special moves
power-ups and two-player gameplay to
balance the experience and that’s to say
nothing of the amusement we got from
seeing the alien fight off heads number
8
super star wars the force is strong with
this one
as they say taking the classic 1977 film
star wars into the realm of science
scrolling action super star wars offers
a more intense take on its source
material controlling the hero to be Luke
Skywalker and his allies players are
guided through an extended version of
the original film story across the
game’s 14 levels you go from traversing
Tatooine desert plains to hopping
through the Death Star’s entrance
there’s a good balance between fun to
play moments and consistent challenge
which is essential for a run at gun game
number 7 super turrican – who says being
shipwrecked means the job can’t be done
that seems to be the thinking in this
action game about a lone soldier
carrying on his objectives of stopping
galactic conquest
wearing the titular turrican assault
suit our hero battles past mutants and
cybernetic foes on a devastated planet
what’s most striking is the game’s look
a mix of post-apocalyptic locales and
vibrant colors it also offers a
grappling arm as a fun gadget and serves
to showcase the super Nintendos mode 7
effects number 6 broforce while still in
early access at the time of writing we
felt that broforce deserved a moment in
the spotlight acting is both a parody of
action movies and anna maj – classic
shooters this title puts players in the
role of a bro a commando sent to rescue
his comrades and prisoners of war
everything about the experience is goofy
and over-the-top the bro puns extend to
30 plus playable characters boss battles
end with raising a flag and a dramatic
explosion and the levels deteriorate
thanks to destructible environments
bottom line it looks like a lot of fun
number 5 alien soldier colorful and
unorthodox but no less fun in alien
soldier you are Epsilon to the good half
of a terrorist organizations leader
tasked with hunting down the
organization’s members what the game has
going for it is it’s Jara’s subversion
short levels instead of lengthy ones
plenty of boss battles rather than a
measured handful an extra reprieve from
fatal injuries and so forth match these
distinctive elements with a pleasant
color scheme and you have a delightfully
different game from the north number 4
sunset riders speaking of deviating from
the norm here’s a fun combination
side-scrolling gunplay meets the
American Old West that’s the premise of
sunset riders wherein players select one
of four bounty hunters and fight off
countless bandits on the way to a given
outlaw each level plays off some aspect
of the traditional cowboy experience
saloon shootouts horseback chases train
top escapades and the thrill of the hunt
man remember when Konami used to be good
number three Metal Slug although there
went on to be six more entries in this
series the original still remains
beloved for a good reason perhaps it was
the story an action narrative focused on
two soldiers battling a rebel army and
destroying experimental tanks
maybe people were drawn to the large
boss characters the beauty of the game’s
hand-drawn animation and the little
details like destructible scenery or it
could be the trademark humor after all
how many games give you enemies relaxing
by a campfire just waiting to be
startled and scared off number 2 contra
3 the alien wars let’s be clear here the
original contra helps define run-and-gun
gains for years but contra 3 was the
force needed to keep the sub-genre and
the Contra series moving forward it took
the technology of the SNES and used it
to deliver visuals on par with its
arcade predecessors while leveraging the
mode-7 technology for several
experimental top-down levels the game
also added new gameplay mechanics like
the ability to climb walls and ladders
and motorcycle sections ensuring its
continued existence it’s truly
impressive for its time before we unveil
our top pick here are a few honorable
mentions
number one GunStar heroes
in a time when the run-and-gun games
were growing tired this was the one to
bring new life to the shara here are
heroes seeking out gems that the
villainous Colonel red intends to use to
awaken an evil robot yet the surrounding
game is unbelievably innovative it does
away with one-hit deaths for a multiple
hit system shows the life countess
numbers offers bosses with smooth
animations and features a neat weapon
combination mechanic matching different
guns for different shooting styles meant
that you had up to ten possible firing
combinations to experiment with we don’t
know how this came to be but we were
thankful it did do you agree with our
list which arcade style run and gun game
is your favorite for more action-packed
top 10s published every day be sure to
subscribe to watchmojo.com
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