Metal Slug 5

"Metal Slug never gets old."

The Neo-Geo system is a system that tried to target those who loved to spend every coin they had on a fighting game in their local arcade hall. Samurai Shodown, The King Of Fighters and Fatal Fury are one of the most known series that had their best times on the Neo-Geo, and then it was another series that never was a fighting game which also became popular on the system. That excellent series is Metal Slug. Metal Slug 5 was created by SNK playmore, unlike the latest game in the series which was created by the Korean company Mega Enterprises.

Metal Slug 5 is just like all the others in the series fast 2D "Run and Gun" games. You use one button to shoot down your enemies, one button to jump and one button to throw explosive grenades. Each stage works the same way, the point is to reach the end of the stage where a boss waits to be destroyed. On the way to the boss there are civilians who can be rescued and in return they will give the player something good, like more bombs or more powerful weapons. There are also in each stage at least one vehicle which the player can jump in to cause even more destruction, and will also be able to take four more hits before he or she gets killed.

There are a few changes which has been made in this game. In this game there is no such thing as a story. However something that should please every fan of the series is that Tarma and Eri is once again playable, but even if it's the fifth in the series there's still no difference in which character you choose. Another change is that the only type of transformation that hasn't been in this game is the obese transformation which causes the player to move much slower and also getting a fatter sprite of the character. And the last big change is that all the enemies has getting new sprites. That's right, the classic Morden Soldiers are gone.

Metal Slug 5 is a game for those who can't get enough of Metal Slug. While it's one of the easiest ones in the series and doesn't have much new things except a few new vehicles and of course five new stages for the Metal Slug fans to play through. It's still a very fun game to play, especially in two player mode.

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 12/11/06