Metal Slug X

"An insult to the arcade version"

Pitiful. That's the first word that springs to mind when discussing the PS port of Metal Slug X. Never before have I seen such a horrendous job of converting from one platform to the next. The PS port in essence is SNK's Metal Slug X which originally appeared on Neo-Geo with half the animation, muffled, overlapping sound, and some special features that barely kept me from giving it a lower score.
I have been a long time fan of Metal Slug, and it broke my heart to see it so mercilessly butchered, especially after waiting so long and having paid so much for it.
The Metal Slug series has taken great pride in the fact that they all boast some of the most gorgeous 2D sprite animation ever to hit a screen since goodness knows when. This in mind, I was appalled to see the utter lack of animation apparent in the port. I have difficulty believing that a system that can push a game such as Castlevania: Symphony Of The Night could not push Metal Slug X. It seems obvious that the port was done not to satisfy gamers or the programmers' intent, but to satisfy sales. The same can be said for the audio quality. Much to my relief, the original sound effects have remained, but they are muffled and have been programmed to overlap each other instead of interrupting. This means that repeated sounds such as machine gun fire pile up to become an unbearably loud noise.
This game may appeal to those who have never seen the original, but the sluggishness of movement and grotesque perversion of graphical quality will surely discourage any veterans such as myself from this title. The few saving graces of this game (for myself in any event) include a very intriguing art gallery featuring some excellent design sketches and drawings. Also added are cute loading screens and a training mode, as well as additional gameplay available after beating the game once. Other than that, Metal Slug X's original quality remains marred by the loss of animation and slow pace.
For those who are shocked at this revelation, I hold plans to assemble a Metal Slug site, decked with history, screens, tactics, sound effects and all the rest at some time so that I can finally display these gaming works of art for what they are worth.
My final note to anyone who owns this game or is thinking about it... Go play the original in the arcade, or get it on emulator. The difference will surprise you.

Reviewer's Score: 4/10, Originally Posted: 04/27/01, Updated 04/27/01