Metal Slug Anthology

"An Anthology of Seven Worth Your Time and Money"

I must admit, this was my first experience with the Metal Slug series. However, I've always loved side-scrolling shooters and, well, side-scrolling anything, really. My interest was piqued when I saw the release data for this anthology, and I made sure to pick it up at the store as soon as I could. That being said, I will now break down the game into different criteria...

Gameplay:
As I waded my way through the first Metal Slug, I noticed the sheer calamity of the environments and enemies before me. Three grenades would come flying from above; a sniper's bullet would whiz by my head; a heavy tank would fire three volleys at me; a mortar would be prepped to blast me to smithereens - all of these things made my heart race, my fingers twitch, and my adrenaline surge. The throwback side-scrolling gameplay is both addicting and maddening - in a good way - because your enemy is harsh and unrelenting. That being said, I didn't feel that bad when I died time and time again and had to use some continues...over and over and over. I yelled so much profanity at my TV during certain boss fights that I am sure I woke my dorm floor up with a start.

The different types of enemies encountered during the missions throughout the anthology are many. Each enemy's pattern of attack may be relatively consistent and recognizable (and some may find this boring), but fear not. There are enough enemy types to keep the gameplay fresh and invigorating as mission after mission falls before your gamer superiority. Tanks, aliens, yetis, zombies, and myriad soldiers are but a few of the enemy types encountered. All of these are formidable adversaries in their own way, and it is through this dispersal of enemy types that brings me back for more.

There are also many different kinds of weapons for the player to smite enemies with. Heavy machine guns, grenades, rocket launchers, and a whole slew of other weapon power-ups makes the slaughter even more appealing than killing everything with a dinky pistol. Often these power-ups are acquired by freeing the numerous hostages sprinkled throughout the level. Just don't die when you get a shotgun or homing rocket launcher; you won't get many chances through a level to acquire your favorite murdering machine again.

The loading screens between segments of gameplay are not great transitions between the action, but are tolerable if you want to catch a break from clutching the controller. It's only between missions and parts of missions where you aren't controlling anything that this happens, so I see it as admissible as it doesn't actually affect how you are able to play the game.

Score for Gameplay - 9/10
Basically, if you enjoy games that allow you to deal damage in a 2D environment and blow up everything in sight, this is the sort of gameplay you would enjoy. Loading screens are a bit of a distraction.

Controls
As I started playing Metal Slug, I at once noticed my discomfort playing with the default control setting. This default setting, which uses only the Wiimote, cramped up my hands after about 30 minutes. This is no fault of the game designers, as they did not need to accommodate my gimpy hands. :P

Anyway, finding that I needed a better control scheme, I went into the options menu, switched to the "Arcade" configuration, and un-paused the game. I attempted to use the control stick and D-Pad to move my character to no avail. I died. A lot. I was apparently too stupid to figure out that the Wiimote needed to be held in the vertical position and positioned a little horizontally to move the character. Finding this control scheme very unintuitive, I switched to the "Nunchuck Control Stick" configuration and, to my amazement, I liked it. My hands didn't cramp up (I think I was too excited when I used the Wiimote-only control scheme, thus gripping the Wiimote too tightly) and I felt like I had better control with the control stick of the Nunchuck than the control I felt with the Wiimote's directional pad. I kept this control style through every iteration of Metal Slug that I played and loved it...mostly.

My only problem with the control is that a grenade toss (accomplished by snapping the Wiimote to one side) is often not registered when I play. No, I didn't run out of grenades. Periodically through my play through of the anthology, I would take a moment to test how well I could throw these grenades. I would wave the Wiimote back and forth subtly at first. Three waves back and forth might trigger one, maybe two grenades to be hurled at an enemy. However, sometimes I found that after five "snaps" of the Wiimote, I still hadn't launched any grenades. Even when I snapped the Wiimote vigorously, I often would not throw any grenades.

Score for Controls - 7/10
You can probably find a control scheme that you can live with and enjoy using. It may take some getting used to, but its worth it to experience the marvelous gameplay of the Anthology. The function for pitching grenades with the Wiimote is either too sensitive or not sensitive enough.

Sound
The music adds some atmosphere to the gameplay, and (since I cannot really recall not liking it or notice it looping) remains fresh throughout the Anthology. There are some nice dynamic shifts in music during boss fights (as there should be). All the music is as it should be for this kind of game. Sound effects, such as "death grunts" when a soldier falls after mowing him down with pistol fire, could have been more diverse. Hearing the same familiar death grunts after a while of playing gets a little old. Really, that's my only gripe with sound. Nit-picky, I know.

Score for Sound - 8/10
Nice ambiance to the environments and music compliments atmosphere of levels/boss fights. Sound library for some of the effects could be more diverse.

Extra Content
There is some extra content stuff, too, but I'm not going to rate it. The text interview with SNK developers is a little lame (they could have made a video). Other than that, this part is in they eye of the beholder, really.

My Recommendation
Would I recommend this game to those who have not played it but love 2D, side-scrolling gameplay? Absolutely. As someone who has been outside the series until just recently, I can say that this set of games is not only worth your forty U.S. dollars, but also worth your time to embellish yourself in this stalwart and hectic gameplay. Think of Metal Slug as Contra with intricate designs in environments coupled with outstanding gameplay choices. It's a challenge, that's for sure, but that can be part of the fun if you will allow yourself to experience the entirety of the Anthology. It's a solid title for the Wii, even though it does not make exceptional use of the Wii's controls. It's still insane fun, especially if you have another player to feel your anguish and joy as you complete each level. Pitching a fit, laughing, and yelling profanity at the screen are but a few of the reactions that you and your friend will exhibit as the night rolls on.

Overall Score - 8/10

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 12/20/06