Metal Slug Advance

"It's Metal Slug... w00t"

Yeah... this is Metal Slug Advance. The game that was supposed to tide me over until Alien Hominid came out for GC. Well, it did its job, for about a day. That's the main problem with this game. Read on to find out what I'm talking about.

Graphics: 9/10
Everything is done beautifully for the GBA. Weapons look as unrealistic or realistic as expected, and backgrounds are detailed. Plus, everything blows up real good. The only trouble I have is the flashing grenades (blue and orangish? come on!). Other than that, it's great.

Sound: 9/10
All the sound is done very well. Explosions, guns, yelling, etc., it's all here. Nothing below average.

Gameplay: 9/10
It's Metal Slug. You go around with some guy (or girl) and shoot people up. The guns were well balanced, and the AI was just right. The only real problem with the gameplay is that it's too easy. You get a life bar that allows you FIVE HITS before you die. The perfect amount would be about 2 to 3.

Story: Doesn't need/10
There was a story? You get to kill bad guys. This type of game doesn't really need a story, so I won't score it on that.

Replay Value: 6/10
The biggest problem about this game is the length. It has 5 levels. FIVE. I beat the entire game in under an hour. Then I decided to play it again and beat it in a slightly shorter time. They tried to add replay by making cards you collect during missions and keeping a log of how many prisoners you've rescued, but it feels repetitive compared to the actual baddie-killing, which is fun for a while.

Buy or Rent?
It depends. It's really one of the only good games in this genre for GBA. I would tell you to buy it, except that it's kind of short. If you want a good, but short, game that you can pop into your GBA and kill evil people for about half an hour at a time with, then buy. If you're just looking to beat the game, rent, because you'll be done with it before the first day is over.

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 11/17/04