Metal Slug 4

"You can treat him bad and leave him when he's down..."

Nadia Cassel has a problem. There's an entire squadron of enemy helicopters bearing down on her, spewing a hail of bullets and shrapnel in her direction. There are a bunch of grizzled Rebel Army goons marching toward her, armed to the teeth with knives, guns, and grenades. Meanwhile, Nadia is pinned beneath a station wagon, waiting for her chance to strike and praying she doesn't get riddled with lead. It doesn't help that the pavement beneath her is roasting hot under the noonday sun. The fact that this is her first day as a part of the Peregrine Falcons Special Forces doesn't bode well for her, either. Nevertheless, she picks up her dual machine guns, takes a deep breath, and starts shooting the Hell out of anything that gets in her way. For this rookie, the ensuing bloodshed is only a taste of what's to come.

That's right, boys and girls. Everyone's favorite band of bloodthirsty, gun-slinging warriors are back for the fourth installment of the Metal Slug series. However, fans of the previous games will notice a certain lacking in the Peregrine Falcon's roster this time; Tarma and Eri, two members of the classic Metal Slug team, have been reduced to making little more than glorified cameos. They've been replaced with Nadia, a wannabe supermodel/jailbait, and Trevor, a generic action hero with no personality whatsoever. But hey, don't worry. Despite the trainees' lack of charisma, they have all the skills necessary to kick the Rebel Army's ass all over the world. If anything, the apparent lack of space aliens from the previous games will make their job much easier.

It's not like Metal Slug 4 will go out of its way to make things insanely difficult for you, either. The previous installment featured epics levels that spanned for screen after screen, allowing for multiple branching paths, legions of enemies, and some of the most brutal challenges ever seen in a video game. It was epic, intense, and beautiful all at the same time. In this game, however, nearly everything about the game has been blatantly recycled and toned down. Instead of nabbing a Heavy Machine Gun and mowing through a horde of hapless solders, you'll get to dual-wield your way through smaller packs of foes and vehicles. There aren't nearly as many destructible environments to blast through, either; instead of chopping up the scenery in a blaze of glory and bullets, you'll be forced to amble through a handful of short and linear battlegrounds. Needless to say, this isn't the follow-up to Metal Slug 3 that fans were expecting.

The utter lack of variation doesn't help things, either. Remember those epic clashes against rampaging enemy crabs, comically oversized battleships, alien motherships a la Independence Day, and all those other badass battles that made previous Metal Slug games so awesome? They've all been thrown asunder by the Rebel Army, whose soldiers remain inept as ever. Sure, they have gatlin guns, rappelling commandoes, swashbuckling pirates, and scientists that can turn you into a diaper-clad chimpanzee. Big deal. Their poorly placed entrenchments and pathetic numbers (in the Metal Slug universe, being outgunned five to one is nothing) make the levels a breeze. Also, the opportunity to morph into different forms (like being bloated or turning into a zombie) has been drastically reduced to only a handful of times. With lackluster combat, drastically hindered gameplay, and a slew of utterly cheap bosses make Metal Slug 4 less stellar than its predecessors.

Veterans of the previous games won't appreciate the recycled levels, either. Many of the areas of the game look identical to their predecessors. You'll swear that you've shot your way down the same stretch of village road, only with slightly different enemies and attack patterns. How many times have you faced that exact squadron of four helicopters? How many of those tanks have ganged up on you with that same offensive strategy? The game tries to make up for its shortcomings by including little action sequences involving motorcycle chases through busy city streets, or escaping from the rusty innards of a sinking battleship. But if you consider the fact that all the animations, backgrounds, enemies, and gameplay are essentially reused, you'll find that Metal Slug 4 offers little in terms of the creativity and improvements that made the previous titles so much fun.

It's a shame. This game can be forgiven somewhat for its failings; Metal Slug 3 was a tough act to follow. It's hard to come up with fresh ideas to make a new game more interesting. That doesn't excuse Metal Slug 4 completely, however. The short, linear levels make the game less of an epic shootout and more of a generic run and gun game. The reduction of the usual features and missing characters hamper the game from attaining the greatness of its predecessor. The utter lack of overwhelming enemy presence and great boss battles and overall challenge make the game the most boring crusade of blood and destruction that you'll ever get to play.

Reviewer's Score: 6/10, Originally Posted: 04/02/07