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METAL SLUG (NEO)
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Publisher: SNK.
Developer: Nazca Corporation. Released: April 1996 (Arcade); May 1996 (AES). Genre: Run 'n' Gun. Other versions: NGCD; PS; SAT. Posted 22nd February 2021. By Tom Clare © 2021 |
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By 1996, the Neo Geo had well established itself as the luxury games console of choice. Whilst particularly revered for its services to the 2D beat ‘em up, arguably the format’s most distinctive title was still to arrive. The original Metal Slug remains a gloriously silly run ‘n’ gun, specialising in non-stop action that’s punctuated by surreal, comedic flourishes. Instantly recognisable for its sumptuous animated design, Metal Slug would establish itself as a cult favourite in the hearts and minds of gamers over the decade that followed. It provided a timely reminder of how brilliant arcade games were to play, and how brilliant the Neo Geo was for playing them.
Metal Slug’s debut was developed by Nazca Corporation, a largely obscure gathering of former Irem employees. Unsurprisingly, it wasn’t long before both developer and the series were snapped up by SNK. It’s a superb shooter, one that doesn’t take itself at all seriously. This is immediately clear from the lead protagonist Marco Rossi, a classically square-jawed action beefcake with a dashing, trademark lock of hanging hair. War may be hell, but Marco’s got a huge grin plastered to his face, all the way through. And so will you. The game consists of six brief but exciting stages amounting to around half an hour’s gameplay. But what a half hour! Whilst a lot of shooters pad their levels with recycled sequences and repeated attack patterns, Metal Slug keeps the player guessing with a breathless succession of tailor-made set-pieces.
It's easy to get caught admiring the scenery, but foes come at you from all angles in Metal Slug
A test of your platforming, shooting and evasive skills, MS is sheer class from beginning to end. One level sees Marco scaling a perilous, snow-capped mountain ascent; another has him at sea, tasked with fending off dive-bombing planes with a flak-cannon. Enemies try every tactic in the book to surprise the player: hiding in the undergrowth, sniping from awkward spots, springing traps, even parachuting in from the air. One hit is all it takes to lose a life, but as arcade games go, Metal Slug is relatively forgiving. Bullets and grenades are avoidable with quick reactions and playing through the game, learning how its levels unfold, proves extremely rewarding.
Front-and-centre of the Metal Slug experience is its gorgeous visuals. You’ll fall in love with the game within the first five minutes, playing like an animated cartoon that’s jam-packed with action and personality. Whilst the series would become more recognisable for its outlandish humour, the original carries a wonderful comedic undertone, with a range of little touches helping bring this very visual story to life. Amongst the army of enemy grunts, you’ll need to dodge a sequence of them rolling giant snowballs down a hill, whilst sinking their boats results in a mad scramble to bail water.
Front-and-centre of the Metal Slug experience is its gorgeous visuals. You’ll fall in love with the game within the first five minutes, playing like an animated cartoon that’s jam-packed with action and personality. Whilst the series would become more recognisable for its outlandish humour, the original carries a wonderful comedic undertone, with a range of little touches helping bring this very visual story to life. Amongst the army of enemy grunts, you’ll need to dodge a sequence of them rolling giant snowballs down a hill, whilst sinking their boats results in a mad scramble to bail water.
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It doesn’t end with the grunts, either. Metal Slug chucks everything bar the kitchen sink at the player: tanks, planes, rocket-wielding snorklers and, naturally, screen-filling bosses. Its inspirations are broad and numerous: the plump, pleasingly vibrant animation is comparable with Irem’s 1993 subterranean shooter In the Hunt, whilst the mobile artillery is an idea expanded from earlier SNES shooter GunForce. The hapless but visually-expressive soldiers bring to mind the pig infantry from Konami’s Rocket Knight Adventures. Sprite design is incredibly ambitious, not only packing out each level with stunningly beautiful backdrops but also making large swathes of it destructible, leading to some of the most impressive explosive effects of its time.
As a result, the gameplay is immensely satisfying. It’s a joy to play. There’s a tangible sense of the weapons wreaking havoc. Granted, the basic pistol is a bit puny, but there are ample opportunities to upgrade. The rocket launcher is gleefully destructive, though the best weapon has to be the cackle-inducing flamethrower, which is unadulterated fun to wield, laying waste to all that stands in your way.
Sound is another distinctive highlight. Perhaps unsurprisingly, Metal Slug doesn’t follow a conventional mid-nineties 16-bit approach, instead opting for a fusion of marching band bombast and classic war film thrums. It captures a kitsch, grandiose feel, aided further by some excellent sound effects and full-blooded death cries. No one could doubt Metal Slug’s want to create a spectacle, its own unique take on the theatre of war.
As a result, the gameplay is immensely satisfying. It’s a joy to play. There’s a tangible sense of the weapons wreaking havoc. Granted, the basic pistol is a bit puny, but there are ample opportunities to upgrade. The rocket launcher is gleefully destructive, though the best weapon has to be the cackle-inducing flamethrower, which is unadulterated fun to wield, laying waste to all that stands in your way.
Sound is another distinctive highlight. Perhaps unsurprisingly, Metal Slug doesn’t follow a conventional mid-nineties 16-bit approach, instead opting for a fusion of marching band bombast and classic war film thrums. It captures a kitsch, grandiose feel, aided further by some excellent sound effects and full-blooded death cries. No one could doubt Metal Slug’s want to create a spectacle, its own unique take on the theatre of war.
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Hold on to your hats: Metal Slug doesn't do explosions by halves
Die at the wrong time, and you’ll be left to respawn amidst an onslaught of foes, heavy artillery or a boss, with only a pistol at your disposal. This can be a slippery slope, as it’s easy to haemorrhage further lives in such circumstances. Metal Slug does suffer from slow-down here and there, typically when you’re facing a flood of soldiers, or in some instances, helicopters. It’s perhaps a little less of a purist’s endeavour than Gunstar Heroes and some will doubtless bemoan the lack of eight-way firing. This apparent limitation does however place a greater focus on utilising your character’s mobility.
The inevitable question mark, as with all AES titles due to their luxury price-point, is whether Metal Slug could possibly justify such cost. After all, the PlayStation would receive excellent, expanded ports of the first two games and at a fraction of the cost. Contextually speaking though, let’s be fair on the Neo Geo version, which had no parallel version to compete with it on release, and there’s nothing quite that captures the arcade feel quite like a joystick. There’s no question you’ll return to it, again and again, even if its just to see if you can beat your high-score or finish the game using fewer continues.
The best reason to return to Metal Slug 25 years on? The same reason it was an essential play all those years ago: its two-player mode. The Neo Geo’s arcade routes ensure that almost all of its games featured a multiplayer component and Metal Slug’s cooperative action is tremendous fun. Pairing up gives it that true arcade feel and with a bit of teamwork, you and a friend can make light work of bosses and pincer attacks. Whilst Metal Slug would go on to bigger and better things, the original remains a work of art, fit to grace any arcade.
The inevitable question mark, as with all AES titles due to their luxury price-point, is whether Metal Slug could possibly justify such cost. After all, the PlayStation would receive excellent, expanded ports of the first two games and at a fraction of the cost. Contextually speaking though, let’s be fair on the Neo Geo version, which had no parallel version to compete with it on release, and there’s nothing quite that captures the arcade feel quite like a joystick. There’s no question you’ll return to it, again and again, even if its just to see if you can beat your high-score or finish the game using fewer continues.
The best reason to return to Metal Slug 25 years on? The same reason it was an essential play all those years ago: its two-player mode. The Neo Geo’s arcade routes ensure that almost all of its games featured a multiplayer component and Metal Slug’s cooperative action is tremendous fun. Pairing up gives it that true arcade feel and with a bit of teamwork, you and a friend can make light work of bosses and pincer attacks. Whilst Metal Slug would go on to bigger and better things, the original remains a work of art, fit to grace any arcade.
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VERDICT
"Metal Slug keeps the player guessing with a breathless succession of tailor-made set-pieces... It’s a joy to play. A work of art, fit to grace any arcade." OVERALL: 8/10 |