Metal Slug 4 & 5 E3 2004 Preshow Impressions

Though Sony denied SNK a US release for Metal Slug 3 on the PlayStation 2, it seems that there has been a change of heart. The fourth and fifth installments in SNK’s silly, hyperactive side-scrolling series are set to hit the US PS2 in early 2005.

Metal Slug 4, which is set in the historic year of 20XX, will see the team blasting through Morden’s forces once again as they try to stop a computer virus that is letting Morden hijack the military hardware of all the world’s armed forces. Similarly, the story behind Metal Slug 5 puts the team at odds with a paramilitary group known as the Ptolemic Army, which has stolen a disc containing secrets about the Metal Slug program. Fans should know, however, not to concern themselves too much with character motivations in Metal Slug games, as they are all about action.

You can expect more of the same larger-than-life side-scrolling action that the series has been known for from the get-go. This means plenty of secret areas and alternate paths, screen-filling boss battles, and a bizarre array of weapons and vehicles to help your lone-wolf commando cut a swath through the opposition. As in Metal Slug 3, you’ll have four characters to choose from in Metal Slug 4 & 5. Metal Slug vets Marco and Fio return in both games, while slots three and four are filled by new characters Trevor and Nadia in Metal Slug 4 and Eri and Tarma in Metal Slug 5. Between the two games, there will be a grand total of 11 levels for you to fight through, with the action taking place on land, at sea, and in the air.

With the arcade versions of Metal Slug 4 and Metal Slug 5 being hard to come by in most areas, this upcoming PlayStation 2 compilation should be a welcome addition to the PlayStation 2 library for fans of the series and, really, anyone looking for a unique 2D action experience.