A fine example of what a shoot-'em-up should be. The game still retains the over-the-top action the series is known for.
My reply was "cardboard box."
He thought I was insane - but yeah - I said "cardboard box".
But if you were to walk up to me in real life, today, and ask me the first thing that comes to mind when you say, "Shoot-'em-Up", I'd say freaking Metal Slug.
Having grown up in a neighborhood where arcade machines and gamers alike were rare, I had to find my own fun. One day (which eventually turned out into several days), I sneaked through a daycare with my friend and my brother, and we huddled around an arcade machine. Imprinted in bold, on the side and on the front (I guess you could say the fascia of it), it read "METAL SLUG".
We played it for hours. It sure conjures up nostalgic memories whenever I load up Metal Slug 2 on the Wii's "Virtual Console".
Metal Slug 2 was originally a Neo Geo Console (or arcade) video game - which later found its way onto several other platforms - one of them was the Wii's Virtual Console.
Since Metal Slug 2 is a shoot-'em-up, it pretty much has almost no story (unless you read the instruction booklet), and because of that, I won't be revealing anything story-wise. Consider this spoiler-free.
The gameplay is just like its predecessor; you shoot people up and you get to see their guts fly out. Call me sick or whatever you want, but the feeling of blowing someone's head off with a shotgun sure is satisfying. The gameplay is what keeps me coming back for more in Metal Slug 2 - even though its short length leaves a little more to be desired, it's still a great game.
You can control Metal Slugs like in the previous game. You can pilot planes with missiles, take control of massive tanks - and even a camel mounted with lasers. However these are few of the creative vehicular designs implemented into the already-neat design of this game. It still retains the over-the-top action the series is known for.
Visual-wise, Metal Slug 2 is a stunner for its time. The amount of detail put into each and every frame of sprite animation sure is compelling. Its effects are jaw-dropping - and they're still impressive to this day. However the frame rate cripples part of the quick, frantic action. The frame rate dips - a lot; however it's forgivable - it picks up quite quickly again.
The music is intense; it fits the mood quite well. Songs in this game can range from fast-paced to ambient. Each and every song has been meticulously designed to fit the mood of the game, and it does it well. The genres can range from jazz-rock, metal, and others - some touched with a hint of familiar Metal Slug-like tunes.
The controls are extremely simple. They are mapped perfectly so that the player can perform several actions at once and manage to keep tight precision. In short - they're flawless.
The sound's amazing. Guns sound like guns. Explosions sound like explosions. Everything sounds like it should, and it feels so satisfying to blow off all of your heavy machine-gun ammo on a poor sucker or to empty a shotgun shell into a zombie. It's awesome.
Metal Slug 2 is a great game. It tries to change everything from its predecessor and make a lot of improvements for the better, surprisingly. Even though its short length may draw you away from the game, its action is timeless.
To this day I've never revisited that day care. I still see it when I go to get groceries and things like that, but I haven't the nerve to visit it again. I actually hated that daycare; the only thing that made me like it was - you guessed it - Metal Slug.
In fact, I may pop it in now for kicks.