Metal Slug X

"Great in the arcade, but how is it on the Playstation?"

The legendary arcade series known as Metal Slug comes in for an appearance on the Sony Playstation. Metal Slug X is a remake of Metal Slug 2 containing minor graphical changes and a few added power ups. It is time to see just how well this game ported over.

Gameplay (8/10): The most redeemable factor of this game is the controls, array of weapons, and vehicles. Of all the things from the arcade, the gameplay manages to remain faithful to its quarter guzzling counterpart. All of the levels manage to stay in tact as well. The controls are mind blowingly easy, which is a good thing since the whole games concept is pretty basic. You are given a trusty handgun, ten or so grenades, unlimited lives, and a whole bunch of weapons and vehicles to find to blow crap up with. The levels designs are highly enjoyably and you'll probably find yourself having fun from one stage to the next.

Graphics (5/10): Anyone who has played the arcade version of this game knows that it has great graphics, detailed backgrounds, and a whole load of frames. However, the Playstation port doesn't have all of this stuff in its entirety. You will notice that many of the character animations have been dumbed down to just a few frames, which tends to make things like character deaths look kind of choppy. Things like explosions and other effects have been reduced to extremely low quality. Some effects have been taken out entirely. The backgrounds however, still remain surprisingly detailed, and luckily things like the character graphics haven't lost a whole lot of their detail either.

Music/Sound (6/10): The game has a fairly decent sound track, but the quality of it was definitely toned down. Some songs like the first level features an annoying lady singing in the background that sounds all artificial, but that's okay since it was like that in the arcade version too. You'll occasionally find yourself running one of the songs through your head. The music isn't quite as notable as Metal Slug 3's, but it is by no means bad or anything. Many of the sound effects will sound just like they should, or at least they do when there are fifty soldiers screaming at once.

Story (1/10): Like the other Metal Slugs, this game requires no story, but the developers decided to give it one anyway. According to the booklet Major Marco Rossi has requested for a leave, but the Command Center refuses to let him, as there have been a bunch of uprisings recently. Sometimes you wonder why they give it a story anyway.

Challenge (5/10): The initial arcade mode has almost no challenge whatsoever. You are given unlimited continues to beat the game so it shouldn't take too long. That means you are welcome to be as reckless as you like. It's challenge isn't even worth a 1 out of 10 since the only way you can lose is if you decide to not continue after you lost all your lives. However, you do receive a whole bunch of bonus stuff once you beat the game, and some of them are nearly impossible to accomplish. Go figure. Its challenge is about a 9 or a 10, so the whole challenge of the game balances out at 5.

Replayability (9/10): You couldn't ask for a whole lot more. Once you beat the game you are handed a barrage of special modes. They are a whole lot more difficult than the normal game and require precise movements and reactions.

Conclusion: The gameplay is what solely makes this game. Those who like the playing it at the arcade are probably going to leave a tad bit disappointed as it is far from a perfect port. If you have never played Metal Slug before you might want to give this one a try. It is a good game, but it's still is nowhere as detailed and as enjoyable as the arcade version. If you are a hunter of rare games, a fan of the series, or even just a typical gamer, I would recommend this game. I still believe that they could have ported the game over much better. Final rating, 6/10 (not an average).

Reviewer's Score: 6/10, Originally Posted: 08/10/04