Run and gun

Run and guns are side-scrolling shoot 'em ups that feature on-foot characters as opposed to the vehicles that normally appear in regular shoot 'em ups. Because of the addition of an on-foot character the player is able to perform a variety of actions, such as jumping, ducking and multi-directional shooting. Platform elements are often included as well. Prominent games in the genre include Contra, Gunstar Heroes and Metal Slug.