Prepare to slug it out alongside some of SNK’s best!
Running from the pizza table off to the arcade corner of the local Pizza Hut or Round Table, both me and my little brother would scamper over with some hard-earned (through begging and pleading) quarters to plunk away while we waited for our pizza to arrive; an act that would often feel like hours if we had to wait with the parents and grandparents. Together, my brother and I would often play games like Maximum Force and Area 51… but the game that most often snagged our attention was the first Metal Slug game in the Neo Geo cabinet. Captivated by the wonderfully-drawn sprites and the intense action on screen, my joy was not cut short by playing the game (especially when me and my brother teamed up to slaughter everyone together). And, while the years have aged me, it’s good to know that these games haven’t done so quite yet.
Metal Slug may have premiered in the mid-1990’s amongst a dying arcade business, but the gameplay and antics were distinctly what many call ‘old-school’ from back in the days of Contra and Ikari Warriors.
The profits of this game alone were enough to warrant a sequel, a remake of the sequel, yet another game, a game made when SNK went bankrupt, and two more arcade games – one of them made in the last two years! This game collects them all, though it does ignore the Metal Slug games made for the Neo Geo Pocket Color and the Game Boy Advance.
I’ll say this right now: Metal Slug Anthology is probably my childhood dream come true, so I might be a little biased in the long run. However, I don’t think I can be blamed entirely, considering what’s packed into the game.
This little UMD disc carries not just the first Metal Slug, but the second… and the remake (X)… and the ‘third…’ and the ‘fourth…’ all the way up through the ‘sixth’ game in the series – seven in all! That’s seven games for the price of one… though it is worth noting that these games are not all that long, considering their arcade roots.
The first game, Metal Slug, features Marco (First Player) and Tarma (Second Player) being sent in to quell an enemy army intent on taking over the world, all led by a Saddam Hussein knockoff. Along the way, the player will find upgrades to their gun in order to pummel away the masses of green and yellow-uniformed grunts, and even drive tanks – the titular ‘Metal Slug.’
While a few games had featured vehicles in their 2D shooting, none were quite like Metal Slug. You see, this tank not only has a pair of Gatling guns mounted onto it, but also a rather large cannon carrying limited ammo. And the ability to jump.
That’s right, jump. And the tank was also your best protection against the unending tide of enemies, considering one hit would always kill off your character (even most splash damage can catch one by surprise if they’re not careful).
In any case, Metal Slug was a resounding success – in both gameplay and profits: Which is where Metal Slug 2 comes in, of course.
Metal Slug 2 features the return of General Morden (actually giving a name to the general from Metal Slug), and even more enemies to kill; and more powerups to collect. Play mechanics were enhanced, sprites were smoothed out a bit, and even a few new ‘Slugs would show up – like the Camel Slug, which was… a camel with a Gatling gun. Two more characters, Eri and Fio, would also round out the cast for this jaunt – creating a touch of gender equality.
However, this game also pushed the Metal Slug engine beyond its limits; which plagued the game with immense slowdown during most levels. This especially got bad during the final stage, where it turned out aliens were working with General Morden… and were only using that as a front for invasion.
Because of the problems in MS2, Metal Slug X was soon released. This game fixed almost all of the problems contained in 2 by using the game engine developed by Metal Slug 3 (which was in development at the time, and most likely almost completed by the time X was released). However, SNK wasn’t content there.
Even more powerups would be added to this game, such as the wondrous Enemy Chaser and Super Grenade… and the almost-useless Drop Shot. Balls that bounce along the ground do not a great weapon make, but is still fun to use. The Metal Slug-R would also show up, only shown before in the final stage of Metal Slug. Essentially the same, the –R can move faster and jump higher than its classic counterpart (possibly a reference to Char Asnable, a major fictional character in Japan).
However, that still wasn’t enough. Enter Metal Slug 3.
Metal Slug 3 is arguably the best in the series – featuring multiple branching paths for each level (available in 2/X, but not in the sheer supply shown in 3), as well as levels that just won’t end in scope and the amount of enemies flowing through it. Morden again returns, as does the alien menace. However… let’s just say Morden’s not exactly in charge.
There are no less than 10 ‘Slugs available in this game, each depending on which route the player takes through the game. Some are somewhat reasonable, like the Astro Slug. Others, however, border on the psychotic… like the Elephant and Ostrich Slugs. There isn’t anything majorly new in terms of powerups, but the player can now go through multiple transformations during their fights (before, the best one could do would become a slow-moving mummy, or a slow-but-powerful fat person). The one that left a biggest impression upon me was the Zombie form… which allows the player to vomit blood in a stream of death at everything trying to kill you.
While not my personal favorite, this game makes the collection worth buying alone. But we’re not done yet!
Metal Slug 4 wasn’t technically developed by SNK, but instead by a Korean company known as Mega Enterprise. However, they still teamed-up with the creators of Metal Slug to make sure everything was perfect before release. Instead of fighting against the forces of General Morden, the player instead goes up against the forces of a mad scientist – taking them down in just about every place imaginable. Characters Tarma and Eri wouldn’t return for this game, instead replaced with Trevor and Nadia for this outing. Both do appear in brief segments, helping out the character you choose.
While only one new power up was added for this version (2x Machine Gun, allowing the character to carry two Uzis), a few old enemy weapons would become playable ‘Slugs for this outing – as well as a new combo system. This system would be activated by a Combo power up, activating a timer bar at the top of the screen. If the player could live long enough to finish out the line, medals would be given to them for the amount of points scored. If they could finish the stage, said medals would be turned to points.
While not the best incarnation, this game does hold a soft spot in my heart for one reason or another.
Metal Slug 5 marks SNK’s return to the series as a full-on developer. However, General Morden still does not return – and the plot remains pretty bare-bones overall. Something about a data disc with government data being stolen… which results in fighting a cult. This game also marks a more ‘serious’ tone to the series, dropping most of the player transformations save the overweight one. Eri and Tarma would also come back for the game to replace the leaving ‘new people,’ marking a re-uniting of the ‘old cast.’
More new ‘Slugs show up, though many of the insane ones don’t return. Of particular note are the Car Slug and the Slug Gunner. The first one is nothing more than a car with a mounted gun, which is unique enough. The other Slug I brought up is more of a personal armor than a slug – complete with arms, legs and a weapon that uses gun-powered impacts to drive a blade deep into the enemy for melee. Quite frankly, this game has my favorite variants on the ‘Slug ideas. Definitely fun.
Finally, it’s worth noting that one minor change was made to the gameplay for 5 only: a sliding dash. Done by pressing down and jump at the same time, the player then slides along the path in the direction they were facing, allowing them to even go so far as to fire weapons repeatedly while sliding. However, this is only to bypass certain parts of a few levels, is generally useless and can be a hindrance against certain bosses and characters.
The final game, Metal Slug 6, features the most dramatic changes and modifications to the franchise overall. Advertised as ‘the final mission’ in Japan, General Morden and the aliens from 2/X/3 return… only to be assaulted by a new alien race that devours the old aliens for breakfast (literally). Marco, Tarma, Fio, Eri and two newcomers team up with the Morden army and Mars People in order to save the Earth once again!
Now, unlike the newcomers in Metal Slug 4, these two newcomers have a history with SNK. Their names are Ralf and Clark; the original main characters of Ikari Warriors and regular combatants in the King of Fighters series.
The biggest change to the franchise, though, is that of the way the characters work. Before, it didn’t matter who you chose: each one played differently. Now, however, everyone has a different bonus – as well as a second (and even third) melee attack!
Marco’s pistol has twice the ordinary strength.
While riding in or on a Slug, Tarma makes the durability and effects of power-ups double; additionally, the Vulcan cannon's power is increased by 50%. He also is capable of using Vulcan Fix when on or in any vehicle.
Fio begins each mission or extra life with the Heavy Machine Gun. Her weapon supply is also increased by 50%.
Eri receives twice as many grenades upon starting or resupplying. When throwing them, she can aim in a specific direction.
Ralf’s melee attack speed is doubled, but at the expense of weapon and grenade supplies being halved. He can also use the special 'Vulcan Punch' attack, melee strikes capable of damaging vehicles. Most importantly, Ralf can take two hits from most attacks before losing a life.
Clark utilizes the Super Argentine Backbreaker, a special technique that, used properly, can net large amounts of points. He also gains temporary invincibility while doing so.
As you can see, this alone is a major change to the system – allowing the player to tailor the game to their playing style for once.
Another major note is that the game also includes an ‘easy’ and ‘hard’ mode. The only real difference is that ‘easy’ ends before the final level – leaving the player with a ‘to be continued.’ But best of all, the player can carry about not just their typical pistol, but also two different power-up weapons and switch between them on the fly!
If this was just Metal Slug 3, or Metal Slug 6, this game would be worth buying alone. However, this is all 7 games – for the price of one!
Each of the games play pretty similar. Square fires your weapon of choice, X is jump, Circle tosses Grenades, and Triangle is useless for the first three games. After 3, Triangle becomes a ‘Slug Suicide button, allowing the player to sacrifice their ‘Slug to do massive damage to the enemy. Before, this was done with Shoot and Jump being hit at the same time – creating a serious problem in some situations.
With Metal Slug 6, Triangle becomes the weapon switch and R+Square becomes the alternate melee attack. A few things get changed about, the everything feels perfect in 6 when it comes to controls.
Overall, a definite 7 – solid, but with a few flaws in the earlier games (and 5’s stupid slide move).
The sound is a little lacking in these games, but they perfectly compliment the intense action running about onscreen. I’ve found a few boss themes floating about in my head from time to time, but nothing too major.
Overall, an 8 – it’s good, fun, but isn’t perfect.
The visuals for this game, on the other hand, make me literally drool. These sprites feature an insane amount of detail, and once you combine in the fact that tons of them can be crammed onto one screen without completely screwing up the game is an achievement in itself. Each enemy type looks unique and varied, from the Morden Soldier to the Arabian Fanatic. The ‘Slugs also look wonderful – and the effects surrounding the battles with them also look wondrous.
Easily, a 10 – which is odd, considering the games go back a good decade in age.
When it comes to replay value, though, this game is a little lacking overall. There are tokens the player receives for beating the game (in MS6, you must be on ‘hard’), which are used to unlock gallery items – like art sketches, PSP backgrounds, PC desktops, music downloads and even an interview with the crazy creators behind this series!
However, beyond that, there’s not much. There aren’t any hidden games, like the handheld versions, no time-attack modes, nothing. In fact, it’s a little harder to find these games extremely hard now, thanks to the save system for the first 6 games in the series – allowing you to save anywhere and come back later.
On top of that, unlimited continues can make the game less of a challenge (though ‘limited’ gives you about 40 continues anyhow); but the new auto-fire feature is perfectly welcome to spare poor PSP buttons from dying.
Certainly a 7 - while there’s a good amount of material here, it’s still somewhat lacking in replay value and unlockables.
And, if you couldn’t tell, I absolutely love this game. A 10 for my own personal tilt.
Now… this game does have some sad flaws with it. Because it’s streaming from a UMD, there’s some serious load times between areas in each game – far worse than the PS2 or Wii versions of this game. As the enemies stack up, the game might even freeze temporarily as the PSP tries to process everything (something especially noticeable in X, which already had a major slowdown problem).
On top of all that, the game has a problem keeping up with the loading – the menu screen alone lagging the poor PSP quite a bit. While starting levels, effects and music will also temporarily lag, but will catch up soon. It’s just overall annoying – and detracts somewhat in the end.
Listen, if you’re a fan of Metal Slug, this is already a must-have.
If you’re a fan of Contra, this is also a must-have. It’s awesome.
If you like 2D games, it’s a ‘heavily-recommended’ game.
If you own a PSP, it becomes ‘recommended, should get sometime’ game.
Unless you own the PS2 or Wii versions of this game, there is literally no excuse for not getting this game!
Average Score: 8.5
Points Removed for Load Times: 0.5
Final Score?
8.0 out of 10.