Metal Slug

"Simply the best 2d side scroller ever."

Metal Slug is the greatest side-scrolling character based shooter EVER! The story is something about a soldier (you) put up against an array of soldiers, tanks, planes, and some unbelievable military machinery all lead by a bad guy. Sorry for the lack of story, but I had a hard time
caring with such kick ass gameplay.
The game is a non-stop action fest with cool guns (machine gun, rocketlauncher, flame thrower, etc), cool vehicles (tank, plane), and some awesome bosses.

Graphics:
Even today (Slug was released in 1996), in the age of Gamecube, PS2, and Xbox, this game shines. A bit low-res, but the colors and animation make up for it. I would argue that this game at 640x480 wouldn't even look right. There is some character to the 320x224 blockiness that
almost adds to the game. The sprites have beautiful vibrant colors, and animate with enormous fluidity. Metal Slug is the pinnacle of 2d animation. Only on Neo Geo could so many sprites with so many frames of animation be rolling on all at once. Sure, PS has MS, but at the cost of some dropped frames. The animations are often humorous, adding to the vibe of the game.

Sound:
I often find myself humming some of the tunes from the game after a long sessions of Slug. Great tunes! The sound effects are pretty nice too. One can, however, see that the Neo is aging hardware based on the sound. A bit on the low-fi side. It even gets a bit fatiguing at times, especially when wearing headphones.

Control:
Control is as tight as a Capcom/SNK fighter. With just three action buttons, you won't find yourself looking at the controls at all. All the more time to watch that beautiful animation!

Fun/Replay:
Definitely a fun game with loads of replay value. Though I can beat this game within a half-an-hour, I find myself playing it over and over. Something I can't say about Contra. I really don't understand how anyone could even compare Contra or Super C to this game. No contest.

Summary:
Play it. A true classic. Yet another reason to invest in some SNK hardware.

I give this game a 10, not because it is perfect (there is room for improvement in the irritating sound quality), but because it is the best in its genre. I don't see any game topping it in the near future.

Reviewer's Score: 10/10, Originally Posted: 11/27/01, Updated 11/27/01