Metal Slug

"Nazca gives birth to a very stylish but repetitive action game....and SNK's second most exploited cash cow."

Metal Slug is an action game developed by Nazca Corporation that debuted in April of 1996.

The original Metal Slug always struck me as a phenomenon in the arcade gaming world. At the time that it was released, game magazines and video game critics raved about it and gave it awesome reviews, and players were unanimous in their testimonials that it is one of the best arcade action games of all time. I feel that Metal Slug is a fun game and I definitely like it's unique visual style, but I feel that the overall gameplay may be too repetitive.

Metal Slug's visuals are extremely stylish and very memorable. Although the character design of the heroes (Player 1 =Marco, Player 2 = Tarma) and the enemies is the furthest thing from being realistic, they are all incredibly detailed and well designed. The colors are very vivid and bold and immediately stand out the minute you press the start button. The backgrounds also have intricate detail with various landscapes and different types of terrain, and in the foreground you have pigs, chickens, and a lot of odd items which leads to a very humorous atmosphere. The characters are all done in the traditional Japanese anime "super deformed" art style, with huge heads and little bodies. At first glance these characters look extremely cute and you would easily dismiss them as being kid stuff. But don't be fooled. There is a shocking amount of unbelievably graphic violence in Metal Slug, with blood flowing freely out of open wounds and extremely graphic depictions of enemies being crushed, burned alive, jugular veins being sliced, bodies succumbing to the brutal impact of an onslaught of bullets, and much more. Enemies run around clutching at open wounds and waving their arms in torment when being set ablaze. The animation is exceptionally well done and is extremely smooth. Basically the graphics are a joy to watch.

In terms of sound the BGMs are rather average and don't intrude on the action taking place on screen. It is generic "military music" (whatever that is) that is supposed to get your adrenaline flowing for the next mission ahead. The sound effects are excellent and are above average, with the multiple death wails of your enemies sounding crystal clear. There is also an announcer that comes into play every time you pick up a new weapon or bonus item. The many P.O.W.s you encounter during the course of the game are extremely polite and always exclaim , "Thank You!" after being rescued. It's a very hilarious touch and the first few times you play Metal Slug will be very humorous (after several game sessions the death screams of your enemies will probably grate on your nerves).

The controls are perfect in Metal Slug because they are so simple. Button A fires your weapon, Button B allows you to jump, and Button C allows you to throw grenades. There are no tricky maneuvers, no sophisticated controller motions or finger breaking techniques. The simplified control scheme allows to focus on the hectic action taking place on screen.

Metal Slug's gameplay is definitely a throwback to the classic arcade games of the eighties. Metal Slug can be definitely be described as a gaming experience specifically tailored to the hardcore gamer who loves a challenge. This game is the very definition of a "Quarter Muncher", and you and a friend can spend upwards of $20 each in trying to beat this game. First of all, there are no life gauges, health bars, or valentine shaped hearts to depict your vitality. Nazca takes it back to the days of super challenging arcade action games like Sega's legendary title Shinobi where one hit equals instant death. Whether you are sliced, shot, or have rockets raining upon you, you are dead. Fortunately, Nazca also implemented the rule in Shinobi that only actual attacks will kill you, not making contact with the enemy. So you don't have to worry about losing a life for simply colliding with the enemy.

The are a decent sized amount of weapon power ups you can attain in Metal Slug, such as Heavy Machine Guns, Shotguns, Flame Shots, and Rocket Launchers. It may not be the massive arsenal of weapons that you can acquire compared to other games in the action genre, but it works perfectly well for this game. These weapon powerups have limited ammunition, although you can add to your supply of ammo by picking multiple power up icons for the same weapon. One thing that you will want to be careful of is that prisoners of war often cough up power ups and the weapons might be weaker or less versatile than the weapon you already have in your possession. This is incredibly frustrating when you are in the middle of an intense firefight and you accidentally pick up a weapon icon that may be less powerful than the one you already have. Fortunately your default pistol has unlimited ammo and your Bomb supply is replenished each time you lose a life. There are also a ton of bonus point items that you can pick up to increase your score.

Then there is the ultimate weapon power up for Marco and Tarma (and the weapon for which this game is named), the Metal Slug Super Vehicle-001. The Metal Slug is basically a kickass tank that has supreme firepower capabilities, thanks to it's ability to spray machine gun fire with 360 degree rotating turrets and the ability to shoot devastating armor piercing cannon shells. The only time you have a life bar in the game is when you are operating the Metal Slug vehicle, and it's armor allows you to sustain multiple hits without losing life. You can even use the Metal Slug as a sort of explosive device to detonate on impact with anything in it's path. The Metal Slug appears on each one of the game's six stages and is vital to beating the game. Preserving the state of this vehicle is a wise option as it is your most valuable asset. Fortunately you can find fuel canisters to repair the Metal Slug's armor and refill your life gauge.

Despite every thing that seems good about Metal Slug so far, the major ugly part that drags this game down is that it is EXTREMELY repetitive. The game features six missions and although many people may feel that it is too short, it actually feels like it takes an eternity to complete this game. There are only so times you can endure the killing of the enemy grunts (there are abundant on every level and basically all look the same), blowing up the same enemy tanks, helicopters, and jets, while grabbing the same few power up weapons. And because this game is so challenging and death is so frequent, it can be very frustrating. Once you get past the initial draw of the aweome graphics and humorous elements, you see glimpses of a boring repetitive action game that lies beneath the flashy surface.

In the end Nazca created a visually arresting game that is an homage to the super challenging arcade action games that ruled the eighties. The blend of cute super deformed anime characters, humorous offbeat elements, gruesome and graphic depictions of violence, and challenging gameplay make it a blast the first time you play Metal Slug. However, the novelty wears off extremely quickly after beating the game the first time. Afterwards it just becomes a dull and very boring and repetitive experience. I still don't know how Metal Slug achieved it's cult status in the gaming world that allowed SNK to warrant developing 8 sequels as of the writing of this review. Maybe it's just me, I don't really see how Nazca and SNK could stretch this one out since the game mechanics are so simple. Metal Slug is a decent game that proved to be profitable for SNK (apparently SNK was so pleased with the player feedback and arcade profits for Metal Slug that they made Nazca Corporation a second party in-house developer). Unfortunately, Metal Slug would eventually become the second SNK cash cow franchise to be severely milked to death (the other obviously being the King of Fighter's series). Overall Metal Slug is a decent game that fans of eighties arcade action titles should check out, although repetitive gameplay definitely hurts the replay value.

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I highly recommend Neo*Geo fans to play Nazca Corporation's great game, Neo Turf Masters, possibly the best 2D arcade golf game ever created.

Reviewer's Score: 6/10, Originally Posted: 08/30/06