Metal Slug Advance

"Well, It's Time For The Game We Have ALL Been Waiting For. . ."

Well, we have all played the great arcade fraction of games known as the Metal Slug series, and we would all agree that a title of this faction is LONG overdue for the GBA. Well, Now we finally have it. But, many believe that this game may lose the MS touch, while many believe that it is only an upgraded version of MS: First Mission for the NGPC. Well, I am here to say that this is not the case.

Story: 7/10

Well, if you have played any of the Metal Slug games, you'd know that the story is basically "There is no real story". These are just pure "Watch as it unfolds" types of games. Because of the lack of story, but the unique way this has been done, it gets a 7.

Graphics: 9/10

This is where the game REALLY shines. All of the same graphic displays you love from the first 5 on the Neo Geo are all here. There were some minor things that were cut to make the game smaller, such as when you nuke a coptor or tank, pieces can't be seen flying everywhere, or most of the "Stand Still" graphics, such as drinking from the canteen or yellinbg into the walkie-talkie, for your character have been removed. All these sprites greatly reduced the size of the game and made it smaller. But, these are very minor and doesn't take the fun out of the game. Everything else is as it was.

Sound: 10/10

All the sounds, music, level themes, and boss fight tunes have been restored successfully into this little 64MB cart. the announcer who yells what gun you pick up, the yelps and yells that come from the soldiers as you blast hot lead through 'em, and the gun noises and machine clancks are all here. Very, VERY impressive.

Gameplay and Controls :10/10

Well, in a very short explination, the controls are as thusly: A= Jump, B= Shoot, and R= Grenade. That's it. Really simple and easy to use.

Playtime and Reliability: 5/10

Well, in all of the game's aspects, this is where it falls short. Once you start the game, you are given 2 different choices. 1. You choose who you want to be and 2. You choose the difficulty, either Normal or Hard. Now, the problem with this is that the Hard mode is suprisingly very easy, and Normal is just that much easier. The second bad thing of this is that after you beat the 5 missions, you don't feel like playing it anymore. Once it is beat, it is beat. There is the new card system that adds to the excitment and replayability, but it isn't that exciting and leaves you quite bored. Bu, if you enjoyed pumping those arcade machimes full of quarters just to beat the game OVER and OVER again, you just may like this title. Another aspect that made this game too easy was the saving system and the life system. In the original versions, you got 3 lives with one hit per life. In this game, you can get hit a max of 5 times before you die. Once you die, you have the choice of starting over from the last screen change or starting the whole level over. It makes the game VERY easy. Because of these conditions, this section of the game gets a 5.

Buy or Rent??

Buy. Definitley buy, even if you aren't a Metal Slug fan. If you have never played a Metal Slug game, you need to start now. This game, even tough it gets boring after you beat it, is a must have for anybody.

Overall Score

Metal Slug Advance gets an 8/10 (Not an average). This is one of the greatest shooters in the world, and now it is even greater on the GBA. If you enjoyed blasting the "war hero" wannabees on the arcade versions, you will have a blast with this one.

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 11/07/04