Metal Slug . . . the series that took on screen chaos to an entirely new level!!
The story behind Metal Slug is that you control one of a small number of commandoes employed in the Peregrine Falcon Squad, a team of elite soldiers working for your nation's regular army. However, there is a large portion of the populace who oppose the army's control and, led by General Morden, seek to institute their own form of leadership by overthrowing the army! Throughout the course of these games your ultimate target is General Morden, but you must first fight through missions filled with his army's soldiers and technological creations before you can get your hands on him. Although General Morden is consistently your main adversary there are other enemies that show up from time to time and sidetrack both armies, sometimes even making them temporary allies, including a large scale alien invasion. In the first game there are only two default characters you automatically play with, but throughout the rest of these titles a number of different characters recycle through, you have your choice from among four of them at the start of each game. The playable characters you'll see throughout the course of these games includes Marco, Fio, Tarma, Eri, Nadia, Trevor, Clark and Ralf.
As per S.O.P. I'll begin at the game's main menu for this review. The main menu for Metal Slug Anthology is like a slightly more complicated title screen. When you start the game up the menu screen will display a large image of some Metal Slug themed war machinery. In the upper left section of the screen will be a smaller display window, in it you will see the title screen of the very first Metal Slug game. Using the directional buttons to scroll upwards this display window will change, rotating through all of the various options available to you in the game. The first seven options are obviously the seven different individual games included in this collection. As you scroll upwards you will first see Metal Slug 2, Metal Slug X, Metal Slug 3, Metal Slug 4, Metal Slug 5 and Metal Slug 6, in that order. If you leave the display window sitting on one of the game's title screens for a short period of time, a brief game demo will play in said display window. Just press the A button on any one of these game screens and you will then be taken straight away to play the title of your choosing. The following is a brief (well, maybe not so brief) description of each of the seven Metal Slug games in this collection, in numerical order.
The original game is called "Metal Slug: Super Vehicle 001". This particular installment consists of six missions, the first mission takes place in an Amazon jungle type of environment, your main opposition are various green and yellow fatigued soldiers from the opposing army. You'll also have to deal with a number of their tanks and helicopters before battling the boss of the mission, some manner of enemy base formed from the wreckage of a downed aircraft.
The second mission begins in an enemy infested train station. Blasting your way through it you'll come to a bridge that crosses a river, a number of enemy boats attack and blow holes in the bridge. After defeating them and crossing said bridge you come to a short section of train tracks that feature a hybrid tank that's been fitted to the rails. Then you'll stumble upon a Metal Slug (a small, one man tank that the game is named after) and unleash destruction upon hordes of enemy fighter planes before coming to the boss of the mission, a much bigger fighter plane that totes a bazooka wielding madman on the wing.
Mission three starts off at the base of a snowy mountain cliff. You'll have to fight your way past numerous enemies as you scale to the top, once at the summit some really ripped dude toting a repeating machine gun attacks, sort of a mid-mission boss. After defeating him you'll pass through a rundown looking village and then on through a snowy forest. Fortunately there is a Metal Slug in the area, use it to combat a number of large enemy tanks that have been bulked up for the snowy conditions. The boss of this mission is the largest tank seen yet, with missile launchers at either end and a large laser turret in the middle.
The fourth mission begins in the middle of an enemy infested villa that you have to shoot your way out of. You'll eventually bust through and push onwards across a long cliffside, where a number of tanks try a sneak attack from the overhang above. Eventually you'll come across a Metal Slug and use it to forge ahead. Soon entering a mine shaft you'll have to battle the boss of the mission, a pair of really big tanks.
The entirety of mission five sees you pass through a busy town, as you make your way through the local population you'll be attacked by hordes of enemy soldiers, as well as tanks, fighter planes and motorcycles. Eventually a strange looking red truck/tank vehicle will approach and it is the boss, capable of firing grenades, guns, a flamethrower, as well as propping itself up on stilts for a better vantage point.
The sixth and final mission takes place on a high mountain cliffside, fight off all resistance until you come to a steel girder bridge. All of a sudden you'll be attacked by hordes of enemies, the eventual boss helicopter shows up and blows out the bridge, dropping you in to the ocean below. Fortunately you land near a boat and ride it back to shore, fighting off all resistance along the way (the handy built in machine gun turret on the boat makes it a lot easier!). Fighter planes, helicopters and paratroopers will come at you during this sequence. When eventually you get back to shore make your way to a nearby airfield where the boss helicopter shows up once and for all. The same bazooka wielding madman (General Morden) from earlier in the game is out on the wing of this aircraft as well.
Next up is "Metal Slug 2", this game differs slightly in that the on screen chaos is dialed back a bit and they introduce some new and more diverse enemies to fight. This second game also consists of six missions, the first mission begins in a desert environment. As you make your way to a nearby city you are attacked by hordes of sword wielding, Arabian type characters. Defeating them all you'll come to some sort of mosque that has three towers. The towers open up to reveal missile launchers, but this fight is an easy one. After the mosque you'll came upon a camel laden with weapons, climb aboard and clean house, taking down more enemies as well as some helicopters. Eventually you'll come to the boss of the mission, a massive jet plane that hovers above and tries to take you out with it's jet streams.
Mission two starts at some sort of Egyptian dig site. Head down in to a nearby tomb and deal with some bats that are chasing the archaeologists away. Then the more serious threat shows up, hordes of mummies intent on devouring your flesh! Eventually you'll come to the base of a tall stone tower, begin climbing it using the built in wooden platforms. Soon after the boss of the mission will attack, some manner of giant mechanical digging device that tries to snatch you off the tower.
The third mission kicks off at a train yard, climb aboard the nearby train and as it begins to move along the rails you'll have to make your way across it, dealing with hordes of various enemy soldiers. Eventually the train goes over a bridge that spans a waterway, a number of soldiers attack via hover boat. After making your way up to the train's engine, jump across to the train that is immediately ahead of the one you're already on. Some weird, tall tanks attack before you make it to a nearby fighter plane that you can hop in and pilot. Proceed to take on a large number of tanks and fighter planes before reaching the boss of the mission, said boss is a large tank that walks on steel legs, kind of like a crab.
Mission four takes place amidst a bustling city with an Asian theme to it. Fighting through a number of enemy soldiers you'll eventually make it to an area of dry docks where you come upon a new enemy, these trucks that fire clusters of missiles. Plus there are some helicopters as well. Eventually you'll come upon a Metal Slug and barrel down a hill with it, traversing a series of rooftops composed of the towns' little shanties, battling numerous tanks along the way. At the end of this sequence is the boss of the mission, this massive combination of a tank and a battleship that bristles with machine guns as well as a huge missile launcher on it's bow.
In an urban type of city environment is how mission five starts off. Begin making your way through the streets, squaring off against soldiers and helicopters, soon entering a subway tunnel. Once inside the subway you'll be set upon by armies of soldiers, tanks, helicopters . . . even the odd runaway subway car! At the end of the subway tunnel you'll blast through a door and in to some sort of research facility. Infesting the place are masses of zombies, only these aren't the slow and plodding kind, these are the fast and furious, crawling on the ceiling kind!! After fighting through them all you end up in the sewers, where the boss of the mission attacks, a strange submarine equipped with a massive laser device.
The sixth and final mission begins outside an Arctic military facility, you have to jump across some platforms over the frigid waters, dispatching enemy soldiers as you go. You'll eventually happen upon that ripped dude with the repeating machine gun once again, after this defeat he'll surely be learning his lesson, no!?! You'll then come to a dock area and fight across it to an indoor submarine launching base. Once inside the submarine hangar you not only encounter enemy soldiers but a new breed of resistance, these weird mushroom headed aliens that fire green plasma. Eventually you exit the facility and the boss is waiting. The boss you had fought at the end of the first Metal Slug game was prepared to do battle again, but before you can get to it he is abducted by the aliens! So you and the enemy soldiers will team up to take down the aliens' ship and end the game.
The next game in this anthology is called "Meta Slug X" . . . and it's a bit of a copout!! Basically Metal Slug X is just a carbon copy of Metal Slug 2, only they switched up the colouring of the environments and vehicles a fair amount, plus they altered the sequence of events slightly during a few of the missions. Basically just take my description of the events above, during Metal Slug 2, and that's close enough for Metal Slug X as well!
Next in the collection comes "Metal Slug 3". This game differs from previous versions a bit as although it is one mission shorter, the actual missions are much longer so that the game in total is a fair bit longer than the previous three. It is also pretty wild, the events get very wacky!! Anyhoo, the first mission starts off with your character parachuting in to some shallow water along a beachhead. Make your way across the beach, which is a graveyard of war machines, mostly ocean liners and aircraft wreckage. Along the way you'll have to fight these man sized crab creatures that try to spit green gob in your face. You'll eventually come to an area where the nearby jungle has overgrown the wreckage, more crabs attack, as well as some giant mosquitoes. Happening upon a lake you'll jump on to a nearby boat and make your way across, dispatching enemy soldiers piloting their own boats, soldiers swinging from the vines above, as well as these new bomb launching trucks parked on the shoreline. Eventually you run in to a long boardwalk and ditch the boat, then the mission's boss attacks . . . a giant crab with some mangled piece of war machine (in working order, apparently) it wears as a shell!
The second mission takes a bit of a detour. It begins in some manner of jungle/forest at night, making your way through it you'll be attacked by multitudes of zombies (the slow kind, thankfully!). Soon you come across the wreckage of a downed jet liner and make your way down it's fuselage. Some enemy soldiers attack, as well as some helicopters. When you get to the bottom of the plane enter the hidden cave to the left. Making your way through the cave you'll free tons of frozen POWs and enemy soldiers, but are eventually attacked by hordes of yetis and zombies! Once back outside of the cave forge on, facing more zombies, you'll eventually come across an asteroid sticking out of a crater in the ground. About a half dozen giant aliens looking like E.T. appear, floating and spinning around the asteroid. After taking them out destroy the actual asteroid to finish the mission.
Mission three plunks you down smack dab in the middle of a naval battle. Donning some scuba gear you'll head beneath the surface, having to deal with enemy divers and submarines. Eventually you reach dry land again, coming out in the middle of some sort of dock/construction site. Multitudes of soldiers and tanks attack, eventually you'll discover an armoured ostrich and climb on it's back, blasting your way through the mess together! The boss of this mission hides inside a nearby warehouse, enter and take it out, a giant treaded robot with a missile launcher for an arm.
In the fourth mission you start off back in a desert type of environment, right off the bat hordes of soldiers, trucks, helicopters and fighter planes all attack. Eventually you come to a large building and head inside, making your way to the basement, fighting these oversized Venus fly trap type of plant enemies along the way. Soon you'll find an elevator that takes you down, down, down, all the way to some sort of underground temple. You'll then have to fight off a number of Arabian swordsmen, these new tanks that walk on robotic legs instead of treads, as well as some fighter planes that are attached to the ceiling. As you work your way through the temple you'll eventually pop out on the roof of a turret where the mission's boss attacks . . . and I'm not even sure what it is! It appears as some manner of floating contraption that has a definite Asian vibe to it, firing various lasers as well as these exploding holographic dragons.
The fifth and final mission gives you the choice of starting off using either a jet fighter or a helicopter. Taking off through the skies you have to shoot down paratroopers, helicopters and fighter planes, then you'll bring the altitude down quite a bit and skim through the lower levels of the jungle canopy. Once there you face trucks, tanks, helicopters and tons of soldiers. Eventually a larger plane shows up, similar to one of the bosses in the very first Metal Slug game, the one with the ripped machine gun dude on the wing. Anyways, after dispatching it continue through the jungle on foot, eventually a helicopter just like the end boss in the original Metal Slug game shows up, with the main baddy on the wing. Upon defeating him you'll find out it was actually an alien in disguise, said alien captures your character and splits the scene. Now controlling one of the other three characters in the game you'll take off after your original kidnapped character, using a small spacecraft to chase down the alien ship. A number of odd aliens and alien like organisms attack as you make your way through space, take them out in what loosely resembles a giant game of Galaga!! Fight your way to the fleeing alien ship and enter it, you'll then roam the vessel's hallways and take on all comers. Eventually you'll come to a small passageway, on the other side is the enemy leader (General Morden) you're always fighting against. Free him from his alien prison and he'll marshal his forces, you then take the fight to the aliens together. Continuing on through the vessel you'll then encounter these new red spider aliens and come upon the chamber of the large alien brain that's controlling everything. Destroy it and continued on your way, facing zombies and more spiders, you'll come to another small passageway that leads to your captured comrade. Free him or her and you'll then both make your way to the hangar area of the ship and open the hatch, ejecting yourselves in to a free fall back to Earth. Apparently the alien brain wasn't quite finished though, it also ejects from the ship and comes after you. Defeat it in mid-air and finished the job (and the game) for good.
Moving on to the next title we have "Metal Slug 4", which consists of six missions. In the first mission you are air dropped in to a fairly normal looking city and immediately set to work against soldiers, tanks and helicopters. Eventually one of the POW characters you help rescue throughout the course of these games comes along, driving a motorcycle equipped with a side car. Hop in and you'll go about tag teaming the competition! You'll shoot down hordes of enemy soldiers attacking from the backs of trucks as well as a fair few helicopters. Once the ride is over continue along on foot, not long after the boss attacks. Said boss is a large enemy blimp capable of firing grenades, guns, mines and missiles.
Mission two starts in another normal looking city, right off the bat you'll be attacked by hordes of soldiers. Fortunately soon after you can hop in a tank that has a big missile launcher attached to it. Continue on and face more soldiers as well as tanks and helicopters, but eventually you'll have to give the tank up. Next you will happen upon a construction zone and climb on the back of a treaded truck, while it rolls along fight off many paratroopers and fighter planes, eventually coming to a grassy area that leads to a farmstead. As you make your way through it on foot you'll take out more soldiers and tanks, as well as these new weapon turrets. A hill with a built in boardwalk comes next, make your way up said boardwalk and eventually you'll come to a rope bridge, where the ripped dude with the repeating machine gun is waiting. Before you can fight though, a rocket ship approaches and blows up the bridge, and you plummet to the ground below. The rocket ship lands nearby, you then have to blow it up segment by segment before the ripped dude reappears, at the very top of the ship. This enemy is the boss of the mission.
Mission three kicks off on top of a snowy ledge, immediately take out a bunch of soldiers who are masquerading as snowmen. Then you'll drop down the cliff face a ways and come to an icy cavern filled with savage yetis, once you eradicate them you'll arrive at another area of snowy ledges. This time you have to ascend, taking out hordes of enemy soldiers and tanks along the way. At the top is a barren field where the boss soon shows up, the original bad guy (Morden) who this time is driving a very heavily armoured tank.
The fourth mission begins at the gates to a haunted house, believe it or not! Use a nearby freakish mechanical device to mow your way through tons of soldiers, tanks and helicopters, before wading in to a haunted village. Said village is filled with zombies, take them on as well as some soldiers and hazmat suit guys, before coming to the boss of the mission. The boss this time around is a large robot with an oversized head that has a pincer/laser built in to one arm and is capable of firing bombs that look like Hershey's Kisses.
Mission five starts inside of some manner of semicircular storage facility, as you make your way through it you'll have to fight off many soldiers and waves of Arabian swordsmen. Soon you can hop in a tank and continue to blaze a path of destruction, eventually exiting the facility. Said facility must have been part of a dock system as when you exit you'll all of a sudden be on the side of a ship at sea! Scale your way up over the deck rails, fighting more soldiers and tanks along the way, and head for the top of the ship. When you finally reach the top deck you pop out in some type of cargo area. Head to the bow of the ship but once you get there the ship will promptly be torpedoed, in the aftermath of the wreckage you have to fight the boss of the mission, a submarine equipped with missile launchers and the like.
The sixth and final mission has a very Mission Impossible theme to it. To begin you repel down a long shaft on the end of a rope, combating soldiers, then begin to make your way through this facility when you hit the ground. The facility definitely seems like something military, as you advance you'll fought soldiers, tanks, some new ceiling sentry turrets, as well as these new dark suited soldiers that seem similar to a Navy Seal or something. Eventually you'll come to a sequence where many clones of the original bad guy (Morden) in the game attack, you need to dispatch them all. Once dealt with proceed further, you'll end up entering an assembly line section of the facility. The ripped dude with the repeating machine gun attacks and it turns out he was a robot under there, so you have to defeat him twice in quick succession in this battle! Next you'll take an elevator and head up as far as you can. You come out in a control room where some old white haired dude controls these two robotic arms that shoot weird laser orbs. Defeat him and you'll then have to run and escape the crumbling facility, catching an airlift.
The next game in the series, "Metal Slug 5", consists of five missions. Mission one sees you start out in a canoe on some jungle river, with one of the POWs paddling! As you make your way down river you'll dispatch many enemy soldiers clinging from nearby vines, when you come to a small waterfall/rapids you'll have to jump in to a new canoe. Continuing along you must take out a helicopter and then enter an Aztec ruins sort of environment. Once on foot inside of said ruins you have to battle hordes of Aztec warriors and these new exploding grub creatures. Making matters worse is the spiked ceiling that keeps dropping down during the initial section of the ruins! You'll eventually pop back out in to the jungle to face the boss of this mission, a massive red tank with a futuristic look to it, almost resembling one of the Metal Slugs that you drive from time to time during these games.
The second mission begins high on a mountain ledge, make your way across it, fighting many enemy soldiers. You'll soon find a Metal Slug and continue along until you happen upon the entrance to an underground facility of some kind. Once inside you must fight off hordes of soldiers, gas mask soldiers and tanks, before finding an elevator that takes you even further underground. Continuing through the facility you'll engage these new hover car type vehicles and eventually find an aircraft of your own that you can utilize. Soon after comes the boss of the mission, a very large plane that shoots bombs, missiles . . . you name it!
Mission three kicks off in some sort of old, European looking type of city. Immediately enter a loading dock and proceed through a storage facility, fighting off gas mask soldiers and loader robots. Eventually you'll come upon a hybrid Metal Slug, it's more like a robot, walking on legs and what not. Use it to plunge deeper through the facility and fight off an even nastier version of the loader robots. You'll then navigate a series of elevators to make your way upwards, at the top is the boss of the mission, a robot that has a spider like appearance and clings to the outside of the blasted out building.
Mission four starts in a sort of industrial facility, like a salt mine or something of that nature. Fight your way through it, facing soldiers, tanks and helicopters, eventually you end up at a waterfront area. Hop in a nearby submarine and then plunge below the waves. You'll immediately have to take on enemy divers as well as some submarines, all the while avoiding the depth charges falling from above! Mother nature takes it upon herself to attack as well, as you have to fend off multiple jellyfish and squid. After a while you'll come to a man-made tunnel passage that takes you in to some sort of underwater base. Battle your way through it and you'll eventually come out on dry land, somehow in the middle of a desert!! This is when the boss attacks, a mechanical mutant cross between a tank and a submarine.
The fifth and final mission begins with your character driving down a war riddled highway in an old jalopy car. As you roll along you have to avoid giant missiles and take on many fighter planes and helicopters. You eventually arrive at a subway entrance and abandon your vehicle to head below the streets, right off the bat you'll face lots of gas mask soldiers. Next you'll discover a machine that looks kind of like a spider robot and is attached to the subway rails. Jump on it and ride it a ways, taking out tons of tanks, trucks and soldiers. Popping back up to the surface your surroundings look like Armageddon has taken place! Fight your way to some sort of blasted out structure that has a pile of wreckage below it. Make your way through said wreckage, destroying all soldiers and tanks along the way, eventually coming out at the top of a high tower. You'll then have to jump across a series of pillars, ultimately defeating this weird mechanical contraption built in to a wall that shoots exploding grubs. Utilizing a nearby elevator you then travel to the top of a turret where the game's final boss appears, a large dragon/bat mutant.
The seventh and final game in this fantastic collection is "Metal Slug 6", consisting of five missions, and it's all about the parachute entrance!! In the first mission you parachute down in to a grassy field, then advance through a nearby village of huts, fighting off some soldiers and tanks. You'll then come to a wooden bridge that's in a bit of disrepair, having to fight a bunch of helicopters that take the opportunity to attack. After this battle you can hop in a Metal Slug and then battle a herd of war machines that look like World War II themed AT-ATs or something, stampeding through the environment in a long convoy! Moving on you'll enter a rocky canyon and begin climbing the formations, fighting soldiers, tanks and helicopters all the while. At the top you'll find a cave, enter it and fight more soldiers and tanks, eventually you'll run in to the mission boss, a large hybrid between a tank and a bulldozer.
In the second mission you are parachuted down in to a wooden city built on stilts, over a body of water. As you make your way through it you'll be attacked by a number of what look to be pirates, armed with large knives. After navigating this pitfall you come out upon a grassy plain with a winding dirt laneway. Follow it, crossing some wooden bridges, when eventually some mushroom aliens show up. Fortunately there is an armoured horse lying around, just jump on his back and take the fight to the aliens, as well as some soldiers and tanks. You'll soon come to a long boardwalk spanning a hillside, before you can cross it a large tank hurtling down said hill like a juggernaut smashes the bridge like a child's play thing! Jump on this tank, the mission boss, and destroy it.
Mission three sees you parachute in to a fairly normal looking city with an Asian vibe to it. What attacks right off the bat is a new type of alien, capable of spinning like Sonic the Hedgehog, and also of spitting exploding grubs. As you infiltrate the city you'll eventually come to a building under construction that has all sorts of scaffolding around it. Climb the scaffolding, making your way back down to ground level on the other side. At this point you not only have to deal with the spinning aliens, but also a new type of crab alien that shoots bubbles. Soon after another new creature shows up, these flying aliens that look like oversized june bugs. The june bugs take the enemy soldiers, who are more concerned with the alien invasion than they are with you, and turn them in to zombies that then go after you. Next you'll head below ground and hit the sewers, proceeding until you come to an underground facility of some unknown type, filled with hordes of various aliens and these weird junk hording robots that fire trash at you. You'll eventually find a swamp walker robotic vehicle and use it to fight the boss of this mission, a giant robotic walker with claws for hands and an alien brain on top.
The fourth mission sees you parachute on to a mangled bridge (looks like the Golden Gate), immediately you have to fend off hordes of various aliens. You'll soon come across an abandoned fighter jet and hop in, taking to the skies to fight quite a number of those june bug like aliens. Eventually you stumble across a beached battleship, which is when the mission's boss shows up. The boss this time around looks like a giant mechanical centipede, capable of firing purple plasma.
The fifth and final mission has you parachute in to what looks like a blast crater in the middle of a desert. Some enemy soldiers immediately come to protect you for some reason, ushering you in to a tunnel. Make your way through a number of chambers, fighting off multitudes of aliens, including a new frog/crab hybrid. You'll then stumble upon some sort of personal sized digging device, use it to burrow down through the ground a ways. You come out in to a series of caverns where more aliens present themselves, including a new type that resemble giant mouths. Working your way along you'll eventually find a Metal Slug, not long afterwards your surroundings start to give the impression that you are actually inside of a giant alien! Begin blasting away at your surroundings in an attempt to topple whatever manner of beast has consumed you, when you do so a smaller alien, the final boss of the game, pops out and takes the fight to you. You'll eventually destroy it as well as the larger alien you were inside of, a massive explosion brews because of this. Fortunately you are rescued at the last minute though . . . by General Morden!! GAME OVER.
Finally getting back to the main menu/title screen, there are two more options that you will scroll past in the display window besides the options for playing the seven games I just reviewed. The next option you'll come to is called . . . why, "Game Options" of course! When you select it you are presented with three sub-options, the first of which is called "Control Options". Here you can do a couple things, including setting the preferred control setup for both Player 1 and Player 2. You can choose to use your control method of choice from among a bevy of options, including Wii remote (right handed), Wii remote (left handed), GameCube, Nunchuk C.S., Arcade, Nunchuk only, Tilt Wii remote (right handed) and Tilt Wii remote (left handed). You can also toggle the Autofire function on/off, as well as restore all Control Options to their default settings.
The second sub-option is called "Audio Options", where you can use sliders to adjust both the Music and Sound Effects volumes in the game. You also have the option to restore all Audio Options to their default settings.
The third and final sub-option is "Profile Options". Here you can do a number of things related to your game save file for the Metal Slug Anthology. You can view your high scores on all seven installments, adjust the game difficulty (Easy, Normal or Hard), set your preferred amount of continues (limited or unlimited), restore default settings, or reset your entire profile.
The last option you come across in the display window on the main menu/title screen is called "Gallery". Here you also have three sub-options, the first of which is "Art Galleries". When you complete any of the Metal Slug games you will earn a small number of tokens, which can be spent under this Gallery option. In the Art Galleries sub-option you will find 16 galleries of game art up for grabs, the first 15 cost a token each, but the final gallery, called the Tonko Art Gallery, I haven't been able to purchase yet. I think you have to beat this anthology on the Hard difficulty level or something for it to become available for purchase. The various Art Galleries are pretty cool, they include a number of images, mostly production artwork, of the various characters, vehicles and settings from all of these games.
The second sub-option is "Music". This sub-option is very similar to the Art Galleries sub-option in that it gives you a number of music galleries to purchase using your game tokens. There are 5 galleries in total, the first 4 cost three tokens each. The last one though, called Special Music, I haven't been able to purchase yet. I think it's similar to the Tonko Art Gallery in that you have to beat the game on Hard or something before it becomes available. These galleries include the various original pieces of music that you hear throughout the course of these games.
The third sub-option is called "Interview". Here you can use your tokens to unlock the transcript of an interview done with a few of the Metal Slug series' key developers. This item costs only a single token.
The Metal Slug games feature a number of things to watch out for as you proceed through their environments, mostly points and weapons pickups. I'm not sure if you earn free men by accumulating points, either way it just doesn't really matter if you do or not, to be honest!! The action is so chaotic and intense that you die fairly regularly, and with unlimited continues available it's pretty much the only way to play unless, you want to drive yourself completely nuts and play with limited continues. That being said, the various points pickups are important simply for the pride behind your high score! Here is a list of the random items that appear in the environments of the Metal Slug games, either just lying around in the open or appearing after you destroy an object or person: Pig (1000 points), Fish (500 points), Envelope (500 points), Plaqued Medal (500 points), Chicken (1000 points), Doll (5000 points), Coins (10 points), Frog (500 points), Bird Nest (1000 points), Individual Medal (10 points), Monkey (1000 points), Cat (1000 points), Ruby (30000 points), Teddy Bear (5000 points), Potion Vial (100 points, also turns you back in to human form in the levels with mummies and zombies, if they happen to turn you in to one of their own), Yellow, Red and Blue Jewels (100 points), Purple Jewel (50000 points), Treasure Chest (1000 points, or it can also contain a weapon pickup instead), Apple (100 points), Carrots (10 points), Rooster (500 points), Various Fruit Medleys (10 points), Various Vegetable Medleys (10 points), Meat on a Bone (500 points), Snake (100 points), Bananas (10 points), Medi-Paks (1000 points, or restores you to human form like a Potion Vial does), Bones (100 points), Roasted Turkey (100 points), Lizard (500 points), Barrels of Apples (1000 points), Mushrooms (100 points) . . . and a Turd Coil (10 points, and yes you read correctly, a turd coil pickup!!). I believe I have most of the point totals correctly reported, but like I said that action is so fast and furious that I may have screwed a couple of them up by accident.
The other main pickups you'll be after are weapon pickups. You begin each level with just a basic gun at your disposal, but many opportunities arise throughout every level of these games for you to upgrade your weapon for a limited time (either until you die or run out of ammo). Weapon pickups appear as a square box with a letter inside of it, indicating which weapon is contained within. The various weapon pickups you'll come across throughout these games are as follows: H – Heavy Machine Gun, F – Flamethrower, R – Rocket Launcher, S – Shotgun, L – Laser, D – Dunk Shot, C – Chaser Missiles, J – Airplane Gun, 2H – Double Heavy Machine Gun, G – Fast Missile, and Z – Sonic Sword. Your character also has a secondary weapon at his or her disposal, and that would be grenades. To begin each life you have 10 at your disposal, throughout each level you will find grenade pickups to help stockpile your wares. A crate of grenades nets you another 10 I believe, whereas single grenades count for just 1 extra grenade.
Still going with the weapons theme, throughout these games you will happen upon vehicles that you can climb in and pilot, helping bring the destruction to brand new levels! You will find small one man tanks (called Metal Slugs, what the game is actually named after), fighter jets, helicopters, and a few other more rare and unique vehicles like robotic walkers and what not. When piloting these vehicles you will have access to the built in guns, but you can also find pickups to top up your secondary weapon, which is usually some sort of bomb or missile launcher. When driving the Metal Slugs you will also come across Gasoline pickups. And don't forget the armoured animals you can mount now and again that help you along, including the camel and the horse.
The final thing you need to look out for in these games are the POWs scattered throughout. These filthy men with long, yellow hair can be found anywhere, usually tied up or hanging from something. You can free these characters for bonus points. In the first game or two you earn an extra 1000 points for every POW you've freed when you complete a mission, bit in latter games the ante is upped and you earn an extra 10000 points for every POW you've freed. The only complication is that as soon as you die, any POWs you've freed on that life are erased and you have to start over. So realistically, given how chaotic most boss battles are in these games, you don't finish too many missions with any freed POWs under your belt. But it's worth a try!
The game screen has a good amount of information on it, but most times you're so bloody busy trying to sort out the chaos of the game that you barely have a chance to look at it! In the top left of the screen you will see your current score. Underneath that is some sort of power gauge, but I believe it is only applicable in Metal Slug 6 as normally just one hit from anything in this game finishes you off. Below this gauge is a number representing how many lives you have remaining. To the right of this information, more towards the top middle of the screen, is a readout indicating which weapon you are currently using as well as how much ammo is left for it. Also represented here is a number indicating how many grenades you have left in your possession. In the top right of the game screen is this exact same information, but for the second player in the game, if you indeed have a buddy you are playing with. In the very top middle of the screen is a timer that counts down, you have a time limit within which to complete each level of these games. In the bottom left of the game screen is a counter representing how many POWs you've freed on your current life. Same goes for the bottom right of the screen, but for the second player, if applicable.
Controls for the Metal Slug Anthology are very simple. I will list the instructions for the default controls, which I used and prefer, the Wii remote (right handed) option. This consists of just turning the remote on it's side, making it look like a good old fashioned original NES controller! The control pad is used to move your character around his or her environs, and also to aim while shooting or jumping. The right and left buttons make your character walk, jump or shoot in those directions. Pressing down makes you duck, whereas pressing up will make you look straight up in the air and aim your weapon in that direction also. The 1 button is used to fire your primary weapon, whichever type of gun you have equipped. If you get in tight on an enemy character you won't shoot your gun at him or her, but switch to your melee attack, whipping out your knife and slitting their throat. The 2 button is used to make your character jump. To throw a grenade simply shake the Wii remote. The A button is used to switch between one of two equipped primary weapons (this function only applies to Metal Slug 6). As for the B button, it isn't used for anything during gameplay. And finally, the – button is used to pause the game.
Speaking of pausing the game, I'll now gloss over the pause menu, where you have four options. The first option is "Resume Game", simple enough. The second option is "Game Options", which takes you to the three sub-options under this same heading that I described earlier. The third option is "Save Game". You can choose to quit your game at any time, but by selecting this option you'll be able to get right back at it from where you left off the next time you start up. The final option is "Return to Main Menu", which simply ends your game without saving any of your progress.
As for this game's presentation, it is absolutely amazing! I'm sure at the time it was first released it was one of those classic and ground-breaking types of games that you'll always remember and look back on fondly. What I like about the presentation is it's old school nature, combined with some more innovative ideas. First of all, it's a sidescroller, which I love, and on top of that the graphics are super cool. It's got a very comic book/cartoony type of vibe, but it also maintains an essence of realism at the same time. Metal Slug features blood spatter when you get in tight and use your knife on your enemies, so I'm sure it was one of the first games to really start exploring that aspect. I also really enjoyed the creativeness behind the appearance of the game's main visual aspects. A lot of the vehicles and weaponry in the Metal Slug series seem to be hybrid combinations between varying pieces of technology, and they did a fantastic job in pulling the look of them off. The sheer number and various types of enemies in this game always leave you guessing at just what you're going to find around the next corner. Complementing the delightful visuals this series has to offer is a pretty severe original soundtrack. The music in this game is quite creative and intense, the various pieces always seem to capture the mood of whatever mission you happen to be playing just perfectly. Combine the look and sound of these games with a very basic and easy to use control system and you've got a recipe for fun!
In terms of the pros and cons, I actually can't think of any cons. For the time this series was initially released it would have been well above average in just about every aspect. Graphics, sound, gameplay, fun factor, length, there really isn't a bad thing I can think of when contemplating this series. As for the pros, they are many! As I just discussed regarding the game's presentation in the previous paragraph, everything surrounding the look and sound of this game is amazing. I love the old school nature of the side scrolling action, the unique and cartoony graphics, the intense soundtrack, and the simple control scheme. Some may consider this next point a con, but I very much like how easy this game is. Now, it's not easy in the sense that you just waltz through the game in 10 minutes and hardly get touched by your enemies. It's easy only in the sense that you get unlimited continues to help you make it through as the game itself is actually quite hard. Like I've mentioned a few times so far there is just so much going on on the screen at any given time, it's impossible not to use up at least a couple continues per mission. I'm not kidding, it's absolute chaos on that game screen!! But this is another large part of what makes these games so fun. A nice beat 'em up, smash 'em up series that you know you'll finish if only you keep at it and blast everything in sight all to hell! This is a refreshing break from a lot of the more popular games of nowadays where they take so long to finish but nothing ever really happens, considering how much time you put in to them. Another pro is the aspect of this being an entire collection, the anthology angle. It's cool to not only own the original Metal Slug game, but it's even cooler to also own the next six games in the series, observing how things changed as it went along! And it's nice to see that for such a retro game they added in a bit of unlockable material with the Gallery option, also very cool. Finally, and this is what it's all about, everything in the Metal Slug series is just so much fun!! These games are a joy to play, there is never a dull moment, they are just so entertaining. This is why I've given this particular title a 10 rating. Some modern gamers may scoff at that, saying it's not nearly as complex as the games produced nowadays, but that's not the point. I don't consider top notch graphics, a story worthy of a major motion picture, a difficulty level so out of sync it makes you want to gouge your eyes out with a fork, or the most glossy packaging what's most important in a video game. FUN is the most important aspect of video games, it always has been, and the Metal Slug series has fun in spades!
I honestly don't have any tips or tricks to offer for this game. Like I said it's very easy (yet also hard) to complete, so I don't foresee anybody needing advice on how to beat it. There is usually only one direction you can go, just keep killing everything that comes at you along the way and you'll be just fine! Just experiment with all the different vehicles and weapons and enjoy, it's a real hoot to play.
In summary, I don't really know what else to say! I got this title for $15, for that money I got seven games in a series I've always heard about but never been able to play. What can I say now, after having played these games . . . what took me so long!?! This is just another prime example of how a simple, sidescrolling, old school type of game where the main ingredients are fantastic gameplay and an unbelievably high fun factor easily beat out anything video game developers can throw at us nowadays. This series goes down in my own personal history as a favourite in the same category as the Super Mario Bros., Mega Man and Sonic the Hedgehog series'. This is just a very well executed bunch of games, I would highly recommend buying this title if you indeed happen upon it.