Metal Slug X

"The legend hits the PSX!!"

Owners of the PSX, rejoice! Yes, rejoice because one of the best games ever has come out on the PSX; the King of shoot-em-alls is now available!! I'm speaking of SNK's great title, Metal Slug X. And SNK has managed a perfect conversion in every way.

Metal Slug X is a shoot-em-all in which you control a mercenary who must make his way through several missions while fighting against soldiers and aliens. I really think everybody has played Metal Slug at least once...Have you!? It seems highly improbable that someone hasn't ever heard of this great series as it was a hit as soon as the first one came out.
To get on with it, once you've chosen your character out of four, you're off to battle against streams of soldiers. You start out with your regular pistol which has unlimited ammo but as you fight your way through the stages, you get more powerful weapons which have limited ammo this time. And you also get to control some vehicles like an army airplane and the ever-popular slug tank. The PSX version has some cool options although the unlimited continues do spoil the fun a little. But hey, you're not obliged to use them! The hostages are ever so present with their beards and their long hair...and their bonuses too!

Metal Slug X has cute and great graphics. Credit must given here to SNK for having managed to convert such a great Arcade hit to the PSX while maintaining superb graphics. A lot of details have been given to the characters and all the enemies. The amount of details present in the game is simply awesome. You just get one example as soon as you begin the game. Choose Fio as your character and notice what happen.
You'll see as you progress through the game why Metal Slug was such a success and each stage is packed with the small details which made MS such a funny series. For example, when you die and are no longer on the screen, you can see the soldiers look around, scratch their heads and wonder where you are. Then, as you jump in from above, they scream in horror and raise their hands to show that they've been taken by surprise.
And that's just one example. It would take too much time to list all of them here as Metal Slug X is packed with those.
Check out how your character looks when he's big and is jumping, it's worth it! The way the enemy soldiers react and carry out their work is simply hilarious and will make you laugh until your back aches. I still clearly remember how much I laughed the first time I played Metal Slug X. The game still has the same great backgrounds. The backgrounds are well-drawn and are great just like in the Arcade.

The music is still the same, that is, excellent. The themes are just great and really put you in the mood for the game.
They're well-varied too and each theme goes well with each stage like the music in the final mission which is a slow and serious one. The theme of Mission 1 will just show you the quality of the music as soon as you start playing the game. And as for the voices, they're all perfect. The way the soldiers scream is cool and well-done like in all the series. Most of all, the voice-acting is worth a perfect score in Metal Slug X and I know you'll agree with me once you've got it running. Enemy Chaser!

Now...I'm still wondering, must I talk about the control...?I mean, c'mon, this is Metal Slug! What would you expect? TOP-NOTCH. The control is, as usual, excellent and won't spoil your fun.

And you're asking me for the fun-factor of Metal Slug X!? In simple words, you'll never get tired with this game. Although it may seem short in the Arcade Mode (only 6 missions), Metal Slug X has a perfect replay value! Trying to beat the game with only 3 continues is just a miracle and if, like me, you love the challenge of a game at the ''Difficult'' level, you won't regret buying Metal Slug X. And the amount of hidden bonuses and hostages will keep you going for a long time.
Metal Slug X is the greatest shoot, alone or with a friend. The challenge is great when two people are helping each other across the stages as you must still decide who of you will take the bonus or who's gonna free a hidden hostage.

And yes, just in case you're still wondering, Metal Slug X is a must.Buy it now!!

Reviewer's Score: 10/10, Originally Posted: 04/18/01, Updated 11/09/02