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A.P.I Review: | METAL SLUG | ||
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Developer: | SNK | OPTIONS: | SCREENSHOTS: No.1 No.2 No.3 |
Distributor: | SNK | 1-2 Player | |
Game Type: | Action Side-Scroller (Japanese Import) | Memory Card | |
Availability: | Out Now |
Rapid Review
Metal Slug is yet another SNK developed title that has been imported to the Playstation from their own Neo Geo system. It's an action packed side-scrolling army action game that pits one of two Rambo wanna-be's against a plethora of enemies. Movement in the game is strictly left to right, with the customary platforms jumps and stairway climbs. As you move to the right, you can no longer venture to the "off-screen" left side...just keep on moving forward like a good little soldier. Everything in the game is sprite based with excellent character animation and smooth scrolling, colorful parallax backgrounds. The game is broken up into six different missions that take you through a variety of terrain conditions; from a watery swamps, through a war-ravaged city and over frozen tundra. The object is to rescue as many POW's as you possible can while laying waste to an overwhelming amount of enemies and then ultimately crushing the boss at the end of each mission. While the odds may appear to be stacked in the enemy's favor, you are not without your own devices for destruction. Throughout the game you will find power-ups and weapons to assist you in your fight. There are shotguns, rocket launchers, machine guns and my personal favorite - the handy dandy Flame-thrower! There is nothing quite as satisfying as toasting a platoon of opposing soldiers... Now there is one thing you should know about Metal Slug, the game is violent...extremely violent. You are literally mowing through scores of bad guys taking them out with your assortment of weapons with blood flying around all over the place. War may indeed be hell, but this game is bloody good fun! The action is non-stop, with your only breather coming in between missions. To add a little twist to the gameplay, on each level there a vehicle, aptly called "the Metal Slug" that your character can jump into and use to spread death and destruction throughout the land. The slugs have much more firepower than your hand held weapons and also offer you considerably more protection. Of course once the slug is destroyed, you're back on your own two feet again dishing out your own special blend of eradication. Sound effects are very nice with explosions, screams and other warfare noises thrown in for good measure. The music is also good, it's driving and dramatic without being obtrusive or annoying. There is also a Playstation exclusive Art Gallery section that lets you review various artist sketches of the game.
Comment
Boy, Metal Slug really pleasantly surprised me. The missions are spaced out just right, with a good deal of diversity between each one and the action is energetic and fast-paced throughout. There is also an excellent two-player cooperative mode thrown in to spice things up. The only unfortunate thing about this game is that it may never see a US release. It's been out in Japan now for quite awhile and Sony may consider the game a bit too violent (due to its military theme) to release it over here. A shame indeed because the game is basically a straight forward, mindless shooter that lets you place your brain on hold for a few hours and just have a basic good old time blowing up everything in sight.