Metal Slug Advance

"Metal Slug Advance - Handheld Haven, or Palmbashing Peeve-cart?"

Introduction
Any veteran gamer who's ever been at the mercy of having "only a dollar" knows damn well where to head right when they hit the arcade: the big, shiny SNK machine to frag some hand-drawn, magical pixels. The Metal Slug franchise has been an underground favorite of the most die-hard gamer to the most casual arcade browser for years, and it's finally made a foray onto the biggest of the tiny consoles: Game Boy Advance. But does this pint-sized plastic case live up to its big brothers?

Story
Not surprisingly, the player is thrust into the middle of a nameless war, to battle a nameless enemy, who is out to kill anything that resembles something he doesn't like. In this case, it's an entire army against you. In all honesty, the "stories" involved in every Metal Slug game have been arbitrary; what matters is that most everything you see and hear is the enemy, and most everything you pick up and hop into can be used to kill them. This is no RPG. This is no cinematic masterpiece. It's a frag-full game of destruction and explosions the whole family can enjoy, with beautifully drawn animations to keep yours eyes from turning to the TV. The only thing we're missing now is robots and Egyptian tombs.

Oh, wait, we got those, too.

Graphics
Although definitely toned-down versions of the NeoGeo arcade predecessors, Metal Slug Advance's graphics truly set a precedent for not only the sprite animation of shooter carts, but any side-scroller this system can produce. There is a certain charm to the sprites contained in the Metal Slug series that cannot be rivaled. A perfect mixture of cartoonish and realistic qualities that keep almost every gamer that sets their eyes on them mesmerized. This is the only game in my history as a living creature that, after merely showing an animated GIF from any of the games to anyone who's never played it, will instantly result in that person demanding to know what the hell game that's from, and where the hell they can play it. Any gamer who remembers their first Heavy Machine Gun from the original game in the series knows full well the power of these illustrious hand-drawn graphics, and this GBA cart really captures the effect, although definitely without some of the excellent backgrounds and full-blown animation stylings.

Sound
This is pure nostalgia, people, in the form of sound waves. SNK really went all-out ensuring that they could cram as much of the original audio as possible into this tiny thing, at the best quality they possibly could. You almost feel like you're playing with the big boys at the local Tilt Arcade when you crank the audio up. Sure, the sound quality is a little dropped due to the limitations of the Game Boy's speakers, but this is hardly something one can count off for. The effect is still there. Loud and clear.

Gameplay
Here's the fruit of this... fruit. Keeping the previous formula, this tiny gem is still a side-scrolling shooter explosion, with weapon power-ups and super-machines dumped all around you in the 5 Missions surrounding your adventure. Each Mission has three sections, and each sections contains its own traps and tricks. And its own way to piss you off.

Metal Slug vets will breeze through the first couple of levels, but will immediately fall victim to what's known to many as "cheap ass tactics." SNK felt the need to include a Life Bar in this baby, which is a "feature" also included in the little-known (and little respected, for good reason) Neo Geo Pocket Color carts. Sure, the Life Bar makes it slightly easier on you, but the developers sure do make up for it by having insane amounts of enemy respawns, and enemy fire, almost constantly running into your face in later levels.

Of course, the POWs are back, also known as the "hostages" you must rescue if you wish to acquire some nice power-ups to kill ass with. They are scattered throughout the levels, some obvious, some very well hidden. Just finding these guys is bad enough, but SNK went ahead and added another layer of pain for the collectors out there: e-cards. Not only are they just another thing to find, some of them actually better your stats. Tanks can jump higher, you can hold more weapons, you can even make your Metal Slug disappear from enemy view, all by collecting certain cards. Not only that, but a good portion of hostages and cards can only be found in a hidden Dungeon area, which can only be unlocked after beating the final mission after picking up the Dungeon card itself. Talk about nail-biting!

The only true mistake on SNK's part is the utter lack of multiplay support. One of the funnest things about this series was the co-op play, where you and a buddy could team up and kill evilgoers together, which not only required many hours of play to master, but essential cooperation. There's no telling how many people simply played these games just for that reason, but honestly, any die-hard fan can overlook this flaw. The game is worth it.

Conclusion
A very fun, albeit slightly piss-offing, handheld expedition into the classic world of Metal Slug, Metal Slug Advance delivers most of what the fans wished for, held back only by the limitations of the system itself. While level designs leave veteran players somewhat let down, it's easily made up for by increasing difficulty, and the obsessive compulsive need to save every man held hostage, and every e-card which can help you on the way. The biggest let-down is the lack of multiplay support, almost considered to be a Metal Slug trademark. However, this can easily be overlooked. Metal Slug Advance a definite grab for anyone who's a fan of not only the Metal Slug series, but the shooter genre itself.

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 12/20/04