SNES run 'n guns, as well as "shooty" action-platformers?

[Austin]

In recently playing games like Contra and Gunforce for the SNES, I began wondering to myself, "What other titles in a similar vein are available on the system?" I know the Genesis has quite a few run 'n guns, as well as lots of arcadey, linear action-platformers that primarily revolve around shooting. I'd like to finally make an effort to find out what else is available for the SNES, then look into acquiring the carts if possible.

 

What I am looking for is anything that's straight run 'n gun, like Contra, Gunforce, etc., but also, action-platformers that focus heavily (hopefully primarily) on shooting. These must be linear for the most part though, as my least favorite kind of 2D platformer is of the sprawling, non-linear kind, like Daffy Duck in the Marvin Missions (blech).

 

**Edit 2/10: Here's what I know of so far and what has been mentioned in this thread already, as well as what has been posted in the same thread over at NintendoAge. I have also attempted brief categorizations, so if you are interested in checking them out, you will hopefully know what you are getting into:

 

THE OBLIGATORY ARCADE-LIKE RUN 'N GUNS

(i.e., straight from point A to point B, no exploring whatsoever)

 

Contra III: The Alien Wars

- Self-explanatory

Gunforce

- Like Contra, but slower/more floaty. Port of the arcade game (a somewhat shoddy one, but still).

 

.....ones that may or may not fit this bill to a "T":

 

Super Turrican

- Mostly straight-foward, arcade-like action. Some levels are large and explorative though.

Super Turrican 2

- Like the above, but I believe it's more linear (could be wrong, been a long time since I played it)

Rendering Ranger R2

- Super Famicom only; like Turrican in many ways.

Mutant Chronicles: Doom Troopers

- Pre-rendered visuals, mostly linear point-a-to-point-b gameplay with some sketchy platforming.

The Terminator

- Straight-forward gameplay from what I can tell (although I only watched a video of the first level). Looks fairly run-of-the-mill.

 

 

THE OBLIGATORY ARCADE-LIKE [sort-of] RUN 'N GUNS (that don't have "guns")

(straight from point A to point B, no exploring whatsoever)

 

Super Adventure Island

- Action-platforming set in a linear, arcade-like manner. Rather than shooting guns, you toss boomerangs and stone axes.

Super Ghouls 'n Ghosts

- Like the above, the entire game revolves around tossing various kinds of weapons.

Joe 'n Mac

- Along the same line as Adventure Island. Two-players at the same time!

 

 

PLATFORMERS THAT ARE "SHOOTY" BUT FOCUS ON EXPANSIVE LEVEL DESIGN:

(i.e., large stages; may or may not have puzzles, key collecting and other gimmicks as well)

 

Robocop Versus Terminator

- Large characters; game revolves around blasting the shit out of things (in an awesome way mind you). Levels can be fairly large and can sometimes be traversed multiple ways if I remember correctly.

Phantom 2040

- Seems pretty linear at parts, but has some kind of rope gimmick and the stages look like they can become larger than just a "point A to point B" kind of scenario.

Realm

- Large stages, but a heavy emphasis on shooting (unfortunately, ammo is limited. bah!). I've only played one level in this, so i can't vouch for the rest of the game.

Demolition Man

- Very action-oriented (and pretty cool at that). Levels are fairly large if I remember correctly and there is a large emphasis on platforming along with shooting and knocking the crap out of everything.

Metal Warriors

- Shooty and action oriented, but the levels are very maze-like. You control a mech and can get out and walk as a tiny dude.

Judge Dredd

- Attacking is primarily done by shooting, and there are quite a few different attacks. Big, expansive levels that require a lot of item collecting.

Jurassic Park 2

- Very, very maze-like (some will likely say, "not in a good way!"). Lots of shooting, though.

B.O.B.

- Large stages. Reminds me of Turrican a tiny bit. Sort of.

Time Slip

- Reminds me of Contra in the way you aim diagonally and duck. It looks like the levels may be large though and there are items to collect (only watched a few seconds of a video snippet. Will have to try it out later).

Super Star Wars series

- Mostly (really difficult) action-oriented shooting, but these games tend to add sword play, jedi powers, and flight scenes into the mix.

Daffy Duck in the Marvin Missions

- Blech. Don't get me started on this one.

 

 

OFFBEAT ONES THAT ARE HARD TO CLASSIFY (but have a lot of shooting):

 

Jim Power: The Lost Dimension in 3D

- Action-platforming revolving around shooting; Even though shooting is the way you attack, I think it is really secondary to the platforming though, which is set in a rigid, extremely-difficult, Shadow of the Beast-like manner.

Sunset Riders

- Walk 'n gunner (like that one? ). Based on the arcade game.

Joe 'n Mac 2: Lost in the Tropics

- It's similar to the first game, but revolves mostly around hand-to-hand combat (why did they decide to do this? ugh). There are projectiles, yes, but nothing like in the original. Also, somewhat non-linear with weird things like talking to people being a requirement.

Metal Morph

- Who's grand idea was it to release this game as-is? Ugh.

Great Battle IV

- Import game; Shooty and arcade-like, but seems slow.

Plok

- Platformer that revolves around tossing out your limbs in a shooting kind of manner.

Xardion

- Shooting is your main form of attack, but this game is soooo slooooow.

Earthworm Jim 1 & 2

- Yeah, there's shooting, but the game's meat is the platforming.

Dream T.V.

- A platformer that revolves around exploration, but the primary attacks come in the form of projectiles.

Magic Boy

- A cutesy platformer where shooting is your primary attack (still have to bag and dump enemies after though).

Warlock

- Action-platformer based on what I am assuming was a relatively unpopular movie. There are two kinds of primary attacks, but you will mainly be using your shooting-themed one for the majority of the game. If you give this one a go, do so on the Genesis version, it plays much smoother and you can ironically shoot faster.

Mega Man X series/Mega Man 7

- Naturally shooty in nature, but a very heavy emphasis on platforming.

 

 

OTHER GAMES THAT ARE SHOOTY, BUT NOT WHAT I AM LOOKING FOR:

 

Super Smash T.V.

- Port of the arcade game. Top-down, twin-stick styled shooter. Pure awesomeness (even if it's hard as nails)!

Total Carnage

- The spiritual successor of the above. Top-down, twin-stick styled shooter. Not nearly as awesome as Smash T.V. (IMO), but still pretty good.

Operation Logic Bomb

- Top-down. Not very fast paced at all if I remember correctly.

Pocky and Rocky

- Like a shmup, but not! Top-down, shoot in any direction. Very difficult game, but lots of fun, if I remember correctly.

Pocky and Rocky 2

- Like the above, naturally.

Zombies Ate My Neighbors

- There's projectile-tossing, but this is mostly a fetch-quest kind of game. And an awesome one, at that.

Ghoul Patrol

- Like the above. People say it's not as good though. I haven't played it so I can't vouch.

 

-Gradiu.... ahh, naaah, I'm not listing any straight-up shmups here.

Edited February 10, 2012 by Austin

[retrogamer73]

You have good taste in games. One you don't have mentioned thats really great is Sunset Riders.

[Austin]

You have good taste in games. One you don't have mentioned thats really great is Sunset Riders.

 

That one actually came to me right after I posted the thread. I must have edited it right as you were posting.

[Rex Dart]

Great Battle IV sorta fits

[SEgamer]

Not sure if it exactly fits what you're looking for, but Super Smash TV is pretty fun. Kind of repetitive for me, but the humor and mayhem keeps it entertaining.

[Austin]

Not sure if it exactly fits what you're looking for, but Super Smash TV is pretty fun. Kind of repetitive for me, but the humor and mayhem keeps it entertaining.

 

Nah, not quite what I'm aiming for here, but I agree, it's fun. A great port of the arcade game, IIRC. It's been a while since I actually played the SNES one.

[Drixxel]

It's fun trying to filter game libraries like this. A few titles worth checking out:

 

B.O.B. - It's of a medium pace but there's plenty of shooting and while the levels may be large but there's only minimal exploration required. A personal favourite, this one, and the SNES version fares considerably better than B.O.B. on Genesis, which is fairly dreadful.

 

Rendering Ranger R² - From the creator of Turrican, Rendering Ranger's a hybrid action game blending run-'n'-gun and shmup. The run-'n'-gun sections are of a good ol' fashioned Contra-like variety and definitely the kind of thing you're looking for.

 

Xardion - Xardion's about as mediocre as it gets but the game's at least reasonably entertaining and features some light RPG elements. Play as a handful of different mecha heroes fulfilling some poorly told mission and keep shootin' them generic baddies.

 

The next batch fall in the "maybe" pile as they're adherence to stated criteria is questionable:

 

Metal Morph - A rather awful action platformer, in my opinion, with large-ish, somewhat aimless levels and the most terrible handling of shooting-while-jumping ever. One notable oddity that I've never encountered elsewhere than Metal Morph is that you can pause the game during the pre-title cinematic. Perhaps worthy of the quickest look, I wanted to like this game for some reason but can't manage it.

 

Phantom 2040 - Quite a fun game with enjoyable action but, regrettably for this thread, it's on the nonlinear side with stage selection and some backtracking.

 

Plok - The problem here is that the protagonist doesn't wield a gun but Plok still has a shooty feel and levels are mainly of the linear sort (some involve an exploration collect-a-thon). Your primary attack is the constant flinging of limbs which act as medium range projectiles.

[Rhomaios]

Not the best, but Doom Troopers: Mutant Chronicles is a run-n-gun. You could also count the Star Wars games.

[The Usotsuki]

Super Star Wars?

[tpugmire]

It's been forever since I played it, so I don't remember many details, but how about Earthworm Jim?

[Chuck D. Head]

I just got Sunset Riders at Goodwill and liked what I saw on a short play session. Walk N' Gun is a perfect term. Got it for $1.99 and guess I got a good deal; glad I took a chance on it, I wasn't too sure.

[Austin]

Not the best, but Doom Troopers: Mutant Chronicles is a run-n-gun. You could also count the Star Wars games.

 

I forgot about that one. I believe the levels are always linear in it, so it definitely counts.

[Austin]

Rendering Ranger R² - From the creator of Turrican, Rendering Ranger's a hybrid action game blending run-'n'-gun and shmup. The run-'n'-gun sections are of a good ol' fashioned Contra-like variety and definitely the kind of thing you're looking for.

 

Wow, this game looks incredible! It seems like it's got multiple types of modes--look at how much is going on here, with little-to-no slowdown!

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2liTcrxOESA

 

*edit: it looks like it goes for a ridiculous amount of money, too!

 

http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/360389160510?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1423.l2649=

Edited February 4, 2012 by Austin

[mbd30]

Rendering Ranger R² - From the creator of Turrican, Rendering Ranger's a hybrid action game blending run-'n'-gun and shmup. The run-'n'-gun sections are of a good ol' fashioned Contra-like variety and definitely the kind of thing you're looking for.

 

Wow, this game looks incredible! It seems like it's got multiple types of modes--look at how much is going on here, with little-to-no slowdown!

 

...

 

*edit: it looks like it goes for a ridiculous amount of money, too!

 

http://www.ebay.com....84.m1423.l2649=

 

That looks like a NEO GEO game. The pre-rendered visuals are reminiscent of "Pulstar" and "Blazing Star" on the Geo. It's a shame that it was released too late in the console's lifespan. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rendering_Ranger:_R2

[+thegoldenband]

B.O.B. - It's of a medium pace but there's plenty of shooting and while the levels may be large but there's only minimal exploration required. A personal favourite, this one, and the SNES version fares considerably better than B.O.B. on Genesis, which is fairly dreadful.

 

I've been intermittently playing through the Genesis version, and it doesn't seem as bad as all that. Maybe I'll change my mind when I get further into the game, though.

 

Xardion - Xardion's about as mediocre as it gets but the game's at least reasonably entertaining and features some light RPG elements. Play as a handful of different mecha heroes fulfilling some poorly told mission and keep shootin' them generic baddies.

 

Good description. There's something kind of endearing about this game, despite its shortcomings. The music in the second level is nice, and it's got what may be the most non-obvious savegame system I've ever encountered -- I didn't realize it was there until I'd beaten the game! The title character (once he joins your party) looks and walks like he's wearing bright red high heels.

 

One more that comes to mind in the "maybe" category is Spider-Man/X-Men: Arcade's Revenge. It's a very borderline case at best, and the game is aggravating and in dire need of a save/password system, but it has the flashiest music I've ever heard on the SNES:

 

[Drixxel]

I've been intermittently playing through the Genesis version, and it doesn't seem as bad as all that. Maybe I'll change my mind when I get further into the game, though.

 

The Genesis version is perfectly playable but, in comparison to SNES B.O.B., it's weak. Everything about the port takes a hit, some departments more than others, and it even plays slower. In my opinion, a poor effort was made in bringing B.O.B. to the Genesis but more power to you if you're digging it. I'd recommend checking it out on SNES.

 

One more that comes to mind in the "maybe" category is Spider-Man/X-Men: Arcade's Revenge. It's a very borderline case at best, and the game is aggravating and in dire need of a save/password system, but it has the flashiest music I've ever heard on the SNES:

 

Definitely agreed on the music (awesome) and need for a save or password system, I've only dreamed of being able to beat this game in one shot and even with the shameless and repeated use of save states there are some levels that just wreck me. Getting the hang of Gambit's pushy levels in particular has taken countless lives. Even so, I have an odd affection for this game but, yeah, maybe not quite "shooty" enough for a full recommendation in this case.

[Megaman Legends]

You have good taste in games. One you don't have mentioned thats really great is Sunset Riders.

 

 

sunset riders review main review stars at 3:22

[genesisguy]

Run and Gun on the SNES?

 

They all end up more like Walk and Gun. Sunset Riders is really good. Contra 3 plays clunky compared to the NES and Genesis versions.

I got Super Star Wars and as soon as I started playing it I thought how much better this woulda ran on a Genesis. There are some levels were the slow down is so bad its like Super R Type.

 

What are you going to Austin? A video or discuss SNES run and gunners on the podcast? I'm interested to hear. Shoot em ups and run and gunners are my favorite genres and usually the cheapest on the SNES as to I guess most SNES collectors aren't into those games. They are also cheaper than their Genesis counterparts, which makes me want to collect them, but I just get so let down with them once I start playing them.

[Drixxel]

A few more games popped to mind.

 

Demolition Man - It's a blend of sidescrolling and overhead stages but the sidescrolling bits definitely scratch the itch. Platforming feels a little wonky but the gunplay is satisfying. The sound suffers in this version compared to Demolition Man on Genesis, the muffler is in full effect here.

The Terminator - Thoroughly forgettable.

Robocop vs. The Terminator - The version on Genesis gets a lot more love, and perhaps deservedly, but Robocop vs. The Terminator on SNES is decent. Moves at that leisurely Robocop pace.

[Austin]

I was able to give more games a chance last night. Perhaps as I try them all, I will update the original post--perhaps we can use this thread as a general "go-to" for this genre on the SNES.

 

Realm - Large levels from what I can tell, fairly confusing on where you need to go. It controls well though and has some decent visuals. You can pivot yourself in place to aim diagonally, which is nice. The firepower options seem relatively satisfying. If the levels stay sprawling though I can picture it getting old. Overall the game seems average, but so far it doesn't seem nearly as bad as others have made it out to be. Will put more time into this.

 

Rendering Ranger R² - Definitely Turrican-like. My first impression is that it's not quite as impressive first-hand as it is via YouTube videos. But I only played the first level, so that might not be the best time to judge it fully. One thing that's certain though is the visuals are dark and kind of run-of-the-mill. Maybe it's just that the pre-rendered style hasn't held up well, at least in this case. Some background elements are also hard to make out at first (like instant-death pits). The gameplay (at least on the first level) is set up to be pretty "stop-and-go", more so than certain versions of Turrican. Lots of endless pits, lots of flames shooting up from the ground at particular intervals, lots of large enemy ships that come in that forcefully halt the screen progression until they are destroyed, etc. With how some of the enemy layouts are as well, this game could really, really use a pivoting system. As it is though if you want to shoot diagonally, you have to be moving or jumping in order to do so. The music isn't very catchy at all either (It's no Mega or Super Turrican, that's for sure). I'll have to give this one more time (and I will).

 

What are you going to Austin? A video or discuss SNES run and gunners on the podcast? I'm interested to hear.

 

Nah, this is more for my own personal curiosity. Since I got my flash cart, I wanted to check out all the ones I missed out on. You know, maybe I skipped over a lost gem or something. Action/platformers and run 'n guns are some of my favorite games when it came to the 16-bit era, so I wanted to fill more of that void if I could.

 

Having a podcast or video revolve around this topic is a good idea, though. I'll need some more time with each game I haven't tried before I can decide on doing something like that, but we'll see.

[Austin]

I recompiled the main thread with all the information gathered from here as well as the same thread I posted over at NintendoAge.