Summary

• Handheld systems have some amazing hidden gems in the shooter genre, like Gradius: The Interstellar Assault and Syphon Filter: Logan's Shadow.
• These games can offer arcade action or cinematic experiences on the go, depending on which you prefer.
• Big-name franchises like Resident Evil and Duke Nukem have also surprised us with fun handheld shooter experiences.

The only t𒉰hing more fun than playing a great shooter is getting to play a great shooter whenever and wherever you want. While shooters don’t have the most storied history on handheld systems, there have nonetheless been some true gems that often go unnoticed and underrated on gaming’s portable devices.

From gritty first-person shooters to arcadey shoot ‘em ups, handheld gamers have had access to plenty of great gun-blazing titles over the decades. Whether you’re on a long road trip, on vacജation, or just want to keep playing after li🐽ghts out, these handheld shooters will more than get the job done.

While the Switch is considered a hybrid system that can be used as both a traditional gaming console and a handheld system, this list𝐆 will only concern itself with shooters on dedicated portable de🧜vices.

10 Duke Nukeꦍm Advance 𝓀

One Of The Best Shooters Of The Game Boy Advance Years

One of the great novelties of gaming is playing a first-person shooter on the Game Boy Advance. The limited controls options and hardware of the📖 GBA should have🍒 made it impossible for this genre to even remotely work on the system, and yet, a small handful of games attempted to cross this seemingly uncrossable bridge.

Duke Nukem Advance stands at the top of this small, but admirable, pile of GBA first-person shooters. Sure, controlling Duke Nukem wi💫th the cramped GBA button layout is a bit funky, but the bravado and 🦋insane action that the series is known for has remained intact for this portable outing.

9 G♌radius: The Interstellar Assault 🔴

Some Classic Konami Shoot ‘Em Up Goodness

Gradius: The Interstellar Assault is a✃ terrific handheld spinoff to this iconic shoot ‘em up series from Konami. Despite being crammed on the Game Boy’s tiny monochrome screen, The Interstellar Assault still retains all the sci-fi space shooting action that the Gradius series is known for.

While this game can be completed in under an hour once you get the hang of it, that short playtime is perfect for quick bursts of Gradius fun while in transit or after sneaking off to the bathroom in class. If you still have an old Game Boy lying around, slap in a Gradius🐭: The Interstellar Assault cartridge and enjoy a blast through the stars.

8 Moon

A Methodical First-Person Shooter For The Nintendo DS

Developer Renegade Kid had already experimented with first-person games on the Nintendo DS with Dementium: The Ward, but Moon was where th🉐ey really perfected the formula. This atmospheric lunar adventure combines strong mechanics and a gripping setting to create one of the DS’s most underrated gam♔es.

While the controls can take some time to get used to, Moon’s more methodical pacing and stellar level design ensures you have the space to adapt.ౠ While a multiplayer mode would have been interesting to see, the single-player campaign of Moon is strong enough to mak💃e it a worthwhile play.

7 𒀰 Syphon Filter: Logan’s Shadow

A PSP Cover Shooter Not To Be Kept In The Shadows

Sony Bend has already proven they could make a competent third-person s🍌hooter on the PSP with Syphon Filter: Dark Mirror in 2006, only to one-up themselves with the genuinely excellent Logan’s Shadow the following year. While it may💃 take a mission or two to wrap your fingers around the PSP’s control scheme, Logan’s Shadow makes very few compromises in presenting a fully cinematic adventure on a handheld.

Duri🏅ng an era when cover shooters were all the rage, Logan’s Shadow still managed to set itself apart with some neat blind-shooting mechanics and the ability to use enemies as human shields. A🌼dd in a globe-trotting story of espionage, government corruptions, and betrayal, and you have a PSP shooter that has stood the test of time.

6 Resid♓ent Evil: Revelations🐈

A Literal Resident Evil Revelation When It Released On The 3DS

It’s hard to know what was more impressive about Resident Evil🥂: Revelations when it came out on the Nintendo 3DS back in 2012. Was it t๊hat the game made a clear attempt to return Resident Evil to its survival-horror roots after leaning more and more into the action genre at the time? Or was it that the game looked and played so well given it was a handheld spinoff?

Regardless of which aspect shone brighter at the time, Resident Evil: Revelations shouldn’t be forgotten as one of the168澳洲幸运5开奖网: best games in the series. With an appropriately spooky ghost ship setting and third-person shooter mechanics that translate surprisingly well onto the 3DS, this is one 𝐆RE game that is highly worth revisiting.

5 𝐆 Super Stardust Delta

A Twin-Stick Space Shooter With A Pumping Soundtrack

Super Stardust Delta may not be the most well known launch title for the PS Vita, but๊ it could be argued that it was the best experience to download and play if you happened to buy the handheld in ear🔴ly 2012. With slick controls and vibrant visuals that absolutely popped on the system’s original OLED screen, Super Stardust Delta felt tailor-made for the PS Vita.

This168澳洲幸运5开奖网: twin-stick space shooter contains all the trappings of a classic Housemarque game – from the thumping soundtrack to the eye-ca🉐tching art style. If you are looking for a stylish arcade-style shooter on a handheld to fall in love with, Super Stardust Delta is your perfect match.

4 Kid Icarus: Uprising🌠

The 3DS Reboot Of A Classic Done In The Style Of An On-Rails Shooter

After many years of floundering in obscurity, Masahir🃏o Sakurai resurrected the Kid Icarus franchise with a glorious reboot on the Nintendo 3DS. Gone was the 2D platforming gameplay, replaced with an inspired mix of on-rail shooter flying levels and free-🎶roaming third-person shooter segments.

Sure,꧙ if you weren’t fortunate enough to have the Circle Pad Pro attachment, the camera controls could give your hand pretty nasty cramps after long play sections. But Kid Icar✅us: Uprising is generally able to transcend its control issues thanks to its marvelous cast of characters, sharp wit, and stunning visuals.

3 Killzone: Mercenary ꦯ

Proof That First-Person Shooters Can Work On Handhelds

Despite the PS Vita being ideally set up for first-person shooters t💮o thrive on its hardware, the first couple of attempts at triple-A FPSs on the system missed the mark. Thankfully, Killzone: Mercenary came along to show everyone how it could be done.

The gameplay in Killzone: Mercenary captures all the energy and action of a home console FPS, without having to compromise much when scaling down to the PS Vita. The HD graphics still look impressive, and the epic set pieces are good enough to make you forget you are playing on a smaller screen, ending up as one of the168澳洲幸运5开奖网: best PS Vita games of all time.

2 Resistance: Retributio✱n ꦛ

A Decent Third-Person Shooter Made For The PSP

Resistance: Retribution tells the story of James Grayson, a disgraced wartime maverick who joins the French resistance against the Chimera on an adventure that eventually spans right across Europe. Sony Bend makes the third-person sꩲhooting work terrifically on the PSP, with the series’ signature weaponry playing as well on the handheld as on the PlayStation 3.

While 🙈the campaign of Resistance: Retribution provides an excellent experience, the game also had a fantastic online multiplayer mode that sadly is no longer accessible as Sony shut down the servers. Regardless, Resistance: Retribution still captures everything that made the series so endearing on home consoles and translates it onto the PSP.

1 Space Invaders Extreme ♈

An Awesome Reboot Of The Original Space Invaders Game

Space Invaders Extreme is to this iconic shooting franchise what Pac-Man Championship Edition was to Pac-Man. A glit💯zy reboot that pays homage to the roots of the originaꦡl game while cranking the energy and excitement up to eleven.

Space Invaders Extreme proves that the simplest of shooters can have lasting appeal if you give it the necessary glow up. And whether you played it on the Nintendo DS or PSP, chances are you were glued to your handheld trying to reach 🐻the next stage or beat your high score.