Run ‘n’ Gun: A History of On-Foot Shooters can be most compared to Go Straight: The Ultimate Guide to Side-Scrolling Beat-’Em-Ups, and goes through multiple games the same way that book does. This makes perfect sense as it is from the same author and Dave Cook has managed to replicate his formula well. One thing that Run ‘n’ Gun: A History of On-Foot Shooters does well is to address that some games in the genre are very much hybrids with others such as platformers, and so there is some leeway into what we can consider a run’n’gun game.
For instance, all the Ikari Warriors games are covered here, and that includes Ikari Warriors III. While the first two Ikari Warriors games were very much run ‘n’ gun games, the third was an overhead beat em up that had run ‘n’ gun elements .Another instance are the games Out Zone and Assault Suit Leynos 2 which many assosciate with the shmup genre of gaming. These is just one example of how the ways Run ‘n’ Gun: A History of On-Foot Shooters goes above and beyond to include as many games as possible
Run ‘n’ Gun: A History of On-Foot Shooters is broken down into different eras from the 1980s to the 2020s, covering a wide variety of games from the start of the genre, to the lean years and to the present day revival. Admittedly there are some games not included that I would have liked, such as Robocop 2 Arcade, The Mysterious Murasame Castle, ( Especially since the similiar Sega game Ninja Princess is mentioned here and Warhammer 40 000 Shootas Blood and Teef, all of which fall into the domain the book covers and the years it covers. Still, there is a good variety of games included here and there may be new editions of Run ‘n’ Gun: A History of On-Foot Shooters that include these games
Run ‘n’ Gun: A History of On-Foot Shooters takes its time and does not just go into the well known games but also more obscure titles while taking the time to highlight where these games can be played, like with the Metal Slug inspired Demon Front. Care is given to talk about beloved classics like Mega Man, Metal Slug and Contra and Gunstar Heroes of course, but there is no sense of those games overshadowing others. If you want to learn about games you did not know about before, then Run ‘n’ Gun: A History of On-Foot Shooters is going to be ideal for you.
I also love that there are contributions from well known gaming personalities giving their thoughts on the genre and games and how the genre evolved. This is not to the extent that was done in The CRPG Book: A Guide to Computer Role-Playing Games (Expanded Edition), but Dave Cook chose a good crowd to bring in here. There is a great deal of insight about Run ‘n’ Gun games that the average person would not have known and this makes for a great tool for learning.
One thing I particularly enjoyed about Run ‘n’ Gun: A History of On-Foot Shooters is the realization of how many classics are available on modern systems that have escaped my attention. I have since checked some of these out like the aforementioned Demon Front and truly enjoyed them. There is also mention of ports that will be happening in the future, such as the Gunforce games which are getting ports thanks to ININ and Strictly Limited Games, so no one is left unaware that these games can still be enjoyed today legitimately.
Run ‘n’ Gun: A History of On-Foot Shooters makes something else clear; These games, even the older ones, have something that can still be enjoyed today. If not the original releases necessarily, then some of the re releases that are easier for players to get into such as with the Ikari Warriors games being made into twin stick shooters in the recent SNK 40th collection. In The CRPG Book: A Guide to Computer Role-Playing Games (Expanded Edition) review, I noted that some of the CRPGs are dated by today’s standards but still cleared the way for later games. With Run ‘n’ Gun: A History of On-Foot Shooters, it is made clear that even the dated games can still be a lot of fun today.
As mentioned, there is a great deal of mention given to the revival the genre has received and games like Cuphead and Deathwish Enforcers which have been carrying the genre forward while taking influence from classics from Sega and Konami such as Gunstar Heroes, Alien Soldier and Sunset Riders respectively, while also mentioning revivals from a few years ago like Hard Corp Uprising. The thing that Run ‘n’ Gun: A History of On-Foot Shooters does best with this is making sure we realize that the genre is still going strong and is in good hands still. If anything it feels the book ended too soon because there were even more great games in the genre that have come out since the cutoff date .
Something I must mention is Bitmap Books’ excellent care when shipping their product, as the book arrived tightly packed, and care was taken to avoid damage. The book arrived ahead of schedule and an eBook version was included within, which the screenshots in this review are taken from. Bitmap Books outdid themselves with this wonderfully made product, with high-quality material for the pages and excellent art on the hardcover and in the book.
For those wanting to look up specific games, there is a detailed listing of what games are on which pages, but bear in mind that some pages have multiple games and the games are arranged by era alphabetically and not overall alphabetically. Dave Cook also sometimes mentions other games when talking about an entry and when he does so, he includes a mention of which page you may find those games. This is not just a history book, but also a guide on the games which you may like, and ways to play them and is a book that is an essential resource for anyone wanting to play a run ‘n’ gun game.
This review is based on a physical copy of Run ‘n’ Gun: A History of On-Foot Shooters provided by the publisher. You can buy Run ‘n’ Gun: A History of On-Foot Shooters directly from Bitmap books here.
