Metal Slug 5

"Why am I fighting Shy Guys?"

I managed to pick up this game yesterday and eagerly played though it, being a fan of the series. So far I've played it though once, and have to say that it doesn't catch me the same way its predecessors have.

Metal Slug 5 offers no introduction or explanation of what I'm doing, as was shown in the intro of Metal Slug 4, with the return of General Morden. Surprisingly, neither he nor the alien race who have dominated the series so far have been seen, all of the enemies have been replaced by what appears to be a guerilla force mixed with sleek frogmen-type-guys. Without revealing too much, these troops are seen to be led by Shy Guy wannabe's with a bizarre and unexplained final boss. The original cast from Metal Slugs 1, 2, X and 3 have returned, which is a good thing. The bad thing is that said characters have a new slide 'attack' which irritates me more than anything when I end up sliding off a ledge than jumping and shooting downwards.

Some of the scenery changes in mid-level make no sense at all, such as leading directly from a grungy machine shop to a high-up ancient tower, and a makeshift laboratory to a desert scene with a sand-crawler boss.

Critical stats:
Audio: While many of the sprites are new the audio is kept the same, which makes the 'new' characters appear fairly unoriginal. I wasn't too fussed on the music either, too industrial. 5.5/10,

Video: Heh, as always, the video was very nice. Extremely detailed and smoothly animated sprites, and more ‘extra’ animations than you can poke a stick at. 9/10.

Gameplay: Metal Slug 5's predecessor played better than this one, I couldn't even convince my brothers to play a game with me as of late. Many shootables, a bit more chaotic than 4 and 3. 7/10.

Lastability: I've only played the game a few times, yet am still more inclined to play MS 3 or 4 in priority. I only learned of a hidden path I never took in 3 last week, which increased it's value. Metal Slug 5 however doesn't appear to have half as many paths. 8/10.

Overall score: 7/10.

Again, in conclusion, I recommend you play this game should you see it in an arcade, or are able to acquire it through other means. Though if you had a choice, it's better to play ‘X’, '4' or ‘3’.

Reviewer's Score: 7/10, Originally Posted: 01/14/04