Run n' Gun shooter games have always captivated the hearts of gamers worldwide ever since video games started becoming a part of everyday life. Most of these games have what can be defined as “The Charm Of The Challenge.” Holding one's attention with grit and determination to be able to surpass the multitude of barrages being thrown at the player gives a certain adrenaline high upon the challenge being overcome. This is the addictive quality of these arcade-ish action genres, where one knows that completing or winning the game can be the armchair equivalent of completing the toughest actual obstacle course one could face when joining the Marine Corps.

To date, there are a lot of games in this genre that can provide a gamer with an enjoyable challenge to overcome if that is one's cup of tea, as the genre has always been one of the most popular in the video gaming world. Almost every gamer has spent (in one way or the other) time playing these games, and whether they get to complete it or not, the challenge factor remains and keeps the players coming back for more, regardless of which gaming generation they come from. With this, let's take a look at five of the best Run n' Gun games worth the challenge to this very day.

Dig Dug

You may be probably smirking right now, but believe it or not, Dig Dug is one of the oldest and practically a granddaddy of the Run n' Gun games we have today. Sure, it was cheesy, but what wasn't back in the 1980s? Yours truly had so much fun playing this rolly-polly arcade title on an Apple computer with its adorable and funny characters and carnival-like trademark soundtrack, not to mention the cute bells and whistles that came with it. Released by Namco way back in 1982, the player controls the protagonist Dig Dug, who has to dig through the ground in either the left-right-up-down direction.

As he digs, he has to avoid the two kinds of monsters that are chasing him, a fire-breathing underground dragon and a giant tomato with goggles. He has two options to deal with these beasts aside from, of course, running. He can either maneuver them under a falling rock or gun them down with his air pump. Gunning them down means pumping them full of air until they pop like a balloon.

As Dig Dug digs, shoots, and collects bonus items, he gets to keep scoring. Like most arcade games of the 80s, there seems to be no ending for the game, but with Dig Dug, once the player reaches the 'Kill Screen' level where a giant tomato appears directly on top of Dig Dug with no way to chase and kill him, the game ends. Dig Dug was one of the most memorable classic shooter games of a time when games had a less complicated and more uncomplicated feel to them, a gaming experience worth playing today.

Contra

If you're an old-school gamer, you'll likely remember this game. Contra brings back memories, lots of fun gaming memories. Originally released in 1987 by Konami, the game can be played in either single or two-player mode. You assume the role of a Contra Commando tasked to bring down the Red Falcon Army and their bases. The enemies are varied from aliens and vehicles to robots of different sizes and modes of attack. Contra is basically a side-scrolling platform gamer where one has to do a lot of jumping, running, ducking, and shooting. The challenge level is really way high, and it's only the grit of the players (and the Konami game codes) that keep them coming back for more self-abuse.

Regardless, Contra is Contra with its iterations through the years, and whether you play it alone or with a teammate, the game is bound to glue you to the screen for a long time to come. Just don't expect to win the game outright. It even takes years for some dedicated players to master and win the game finally. As an arcade shooter gaming experience, Contra is worth it.

Earthworm Jim

The gaming industry is a very competitive one, and developers have to continually come up with titles that provide new and unique experiences or capitalize on the time-tested ones. Indeed, having an earthworm for a protagonist isn't an everyday experience, so to speak. So, in 1994, Shiny Entertainment let loose their worm of a hero named Jim, put him in a nifty robotic suit, and made him save the day! Don't let the wacky characters and settings of the game fool you.

Earthworm Jim is as super challenging as they come. This worm doesn't slither; it runs, jumps, shoots, and swings like Tarzan, using its slithering head (yuck) to traverse long distances in the crazy reality he lives in. The graphics and sounds are as excellent as they can get, and the storyline... even a worm has a princess to save. Earthworm Jim is one challenging romp through sci-fi cartoon territory and, believe it or not, worth the play for arcade gamers in any day or age.

Metal Slug

Initially released for the Neo Geo console in 1996 by SNK, the game has gone through several iterations with a popularity that has risen throughout the years. Regardless, Metal Slug will always be remembered as the Contra-like enhanced super-duper side-scrolling platform shooter that comes to be loved by arcade gamers the world over. Metal Slug features one of the most impressive action-based cartoon environments in an arcade game that never fails to elicit a smile, smirk, or laugh in its cute and gory representation of death and war. Your soldier character can only shoot forward, up, or down and only diagonally if you manage to snag a weapon that does that.

However, the main feature of the game is the funny-looking Tank itself, Metal Slug. With Metal Slug, your commando can do more than he could ever do on foot, and the fight gets more interesting than ever. The latest version of the game is Metal Slug XX, and a lot of arcade gamers today are raring to get their hands on it and start slugging around and having lots of fun. Regardless, Metal Slug in its original form is one arcade shoot 'em up really worth the experience today.

Cuphead

Cuphead is one of the more recent arcade game releases. Put out in 2017 by developer Studio MDHR, Cuphead delivers one ultra-challenging platform shooting game. The game is really hard for a Run n' Gun shooter, rivaling Contra in that regard. Cuphead, however, is quite unique and outright beautiful in the graphics, sound, and animation department as it adopts the cartoon world of the 1930s, the Betty Boop generation.

The wacky characters that populate the game from the imaginations of children’s past, like robots, monster plants, evil giant mermaids, genies, mummies, and a mix of anything a child could dream of, make a helluva of an appearance in the game. The character himself reminds one of Mickey Mouse, but this time with a cup for a head and multiple ways to shoot at his foes. For those who want the challenge and the thrill of overcoming it, to those who simply want to enjoy and even reminisce about the cartoon style and quality of the game, Cuphead delivers!

There is a way lot more Run n' Gun arcade shooter games out there, but these are only five of those worthwhile playing today. It really doesn't matter if the game was created recently or way, way back before one was born, but importantly that it can deliver the challenges and thrill of the gameplay in just the right mix for gamers to want to play it for a very long time. Even Pac-Man never really becomes out of date in the gaming world.