Walk and Shoot Games

In walk and shoot games you control a character who moves through a level, jumps and fires at whatever gets in the way. It's a very arcade style, with more than 200 games at different paces.

The run and gun genre

Fans call it run and gun, and the best-known example is Metal Slug, an SNK arcade game from 1996. The list has a fan version, Flash Metal Slug, and similar games like Aqua Slug and Rambo Bros Reload. The formula is always the same: the level scrolls to one side, enemies keep coming, you jump, shoot and pick up better weapons along the way. At the end of each stage there's a big enemy. You use the arrow keys or WASD to move and jump, and the mouse or a key to fire.

Outside that mold there's variety. Plazma Burst 2 and Thing Thing Arena 3 focus more on weapon combat, and Combat Strike Multiplayer sets it up for several players. Zombies Took My Daughter, Slime Hunter and Dino Blitz give it a different setting, with zombies, slimes or dinosaurs. And Duck Hunter and Super Mario Run And Shoot use the format for lighter fun.

Playing better

Move forward carefully and don't spend all your ammo on the first enemies. Look at your surroundings: often there's a gap or a platform you can shoot from without getting hit. Jumping for no reason is a quick way to lose health, because in the air you're an easier target.

Early enemies are good practice. Learn the order they appear in and you'll know when the dangerous ones are coming. And when you can't get past a stretch, try a different approach instead of repeating the same thing: backing up a little and firing from a distance works more often than you'd think.

If it's your first time, Rambo Bros Reload or Flash Metal Slug give a clear picture of the genre, and Duck Hunter is a calmer way to warm up. Plazma Burst 2 and Thing Thing Arena 3 have more weapons and options, so save them for when you've mastered the basics. In many games you can aim in several directions, not just straight ahead, and that matters: some enemies come from above or from another level of the stage.