From Dave Cook - the mind behind the awesome Go Straight: The Ultimate Guide to Side-Scrolling Beat-’em-Ups - comes this history of run ‘n’ gun shooters (think Contra, Metal Slug etc. and definitely think about Mercs and Rambo III on the Mega Drive, which are a couple of my personal faves), a genre of videogames that – to me at least – almost feels like the very essence of gaming itself.
The requirements of concentration, quick reflexes and (usually) saucy multiplayer action are timeless, and these quintessential essential ingredients allow for quick dip in ‘n’ out gameplay for blasts of fun, whilst requiring the players to lose themselves in the flow and design of the game to really get the most out of it…and the most 10p’s out of your pocket, natch!
