METAL SLUG

Say hi to the "Metal Slug" - the 1996s classic over-the-top hard-as-nails arcade run and gun shooter that had liberated a lot of quarters and arcade tokens from unlucky youth pockets in the late '90s. Did it hold up over the years? Let's find out.

Story:

To be honest, nobody plays arcade games for the plot. Metal Slug didn't change that. There's almost no story beyond the fact that you're playing as a one-person army taking on an evil dictator and his massive army. Along the way, you’ll mow down hundreds of soldiers, and blow up tanks, boats, helicopters, and other weird machinery. The game is cheesy, over-the-top, and exactly what you’d expect from an arcade classic. Forget the story, and grab that "HEAVY MACHINE GUN".

Graphics:

First of all, technically, this is not a straight-up port, but a game being played on some kind of NeoGeo emulator, because the slowdown and other quirks seen before are still present.

The exaggerated and cartoonish art style keeps the action gory and explosive but gives everything a cheeky vibe. So all that violent carnage happening on a screen is still pleasant to look at.

Pixel art is top notch and those animations? God, every frame is perfect, I kid you not. Just look at the screenshots.

Audio:

It's great as well. Upbeat military marches mix with constant shooting, sounds of explosions, enemy screams and the announcer loudly naming every weapon you pick up. I can't even begin to imagine this amazing symphony of destruction assaulting your ears when you stood in front of an arcade machine. Good stuff. 

Gameplay:

You run and you shoot. It's as simple as that. You move from left to right (and down up on one level) shooting at everyone and everything you see with enemies coming from every possible direction.

Since you die from one hit, running and gunning is harder than you think. Don't worry tho, human enemies die from one hit too.

How do you survive all that? With your glorious arsenal of course!

• Handgun. Weak, but has infinite amount of ammo.
• Heavy Machine Gun. Okay damage, crazy rate of fire and a lot of ammo.
• Flamethrower. Medium damage, short range.
• Rocketlauncher. Great damage, can track enemies.
• Super Shotgun. Godlike damage, can not a lot of ammo, can melt bosses.

Don't forget your trusty grenades. And most importantly, don't forget your Metal Slug: Super Vehicle-001 a nice little tank with two turrets, that can take a punch and do some damage. You can find one per level and take it for a ride. You'll definetely need that extra level of protection, cause amount of bullets flying at you is staggering.

That's no problem because, in this modern re-release, they added four difficulty options and a mode with infinite continues.