The Metal Slug team returns for even more frantic military action, along with new allies!
Contra was the forerunner and pioneer of the genre, and SNK Playmore took the opportunity to develop their own run n' gun series, and bam. This is the result. An addictive military side-scrolling shooter with comedy sprinkled all over it.
The first game of the series, Metal Slug, entered the scene in 1996. It became a quarter-nabbing classic in the arcades for its crazy difficulty, overwhelming number of enemies, and extremely humorous graphics and elements. Hey, what's more funny than seeing enemy soldiers sunbathing in their boxers, only to have you knife them moments later? The new releases, Metal Slug (and X) along with Metal Slug 3 were introduced in 1998 and 2000, respectively. Metal Slug 4 and 5 hit the arcades later in the following years, and now, it's ported to a console. Now, you can experience two arcade classics in the comfort of your own living room!
Story:
Metal Slug 4:
After the Metal Slug Team's glorious victory over the Martians and Morden seemingly faded into obscurity after not one, but three ashaming defeats, a new enemy rises out of nowhere-apparently, Amadeus, a scientist that had collaborated with Morden and provided him with the materials and technology to build his army, is now leading an army of his own! Not only that, but he has a super-virus ready to be unleashed!
You aren't going to sit around. Fortunately, you've got help. The super-macho Marco and adorable Fio are at your command, along with two new recruits, Trevor and Nadia. Your goal-find out where that madman is hiding and flush him out!
Metal Slug 5:
After another close victory, Amadeus is presumed to be killed in action. Once again, yet another enemy emerges from the shadows...but this time, it's...a super-high tech army! The Ptolemaic Army, a renegade guerilla force composing of pirates, bandits, cultists, and super-powerful special forces units, have stolen a disk containing secrets regarding the Metal Slug Super Vehicle-001!
The situation is dire, and the Regular Army sends 4 veterans of their Federation to combat this new threat, retrieve the data, and put an end to this secretive organization's ambitions.
Gameplay:
Metal Slug isn't your typical game. Actually...well...it is. All you do is simple-run, shoot, annihilate, collect powerups, and hope that next bullet flying from that sniper's gun doesn't have your name on it. One shot, and you're dead. Simple as that. Fortunately, you've got unlimited continues, so newcomers will be saved here, albeit having countless deaths over and over again really dampens the feeling of an accomplishment.
Throughout the game, you'll encounter vehicles you can hitch a ride from. They can range from a simple car with a machine gun and rockets to a prototype walker with one heck of a tank-destroying gun. It is strongly advisable to grab one of these whenever you find them, as you won't die in one hit when you're in a vehicle.
You've got 4 characters at your disposal. The first is Marco, the macho hero from the original Metal Slug. Following him is Tarma, his sidekick (if you play with 2 players in the first game) with an attitude similar to his. Then you've got Eri, a female commando with an attitude to match. Finally, Fio, the seasoned and supercute yet somewhat childish soldier, is the last one. Tarma and Eri aren't available for MS4, though (although they return for MS5). Instead, you get two new characters: Trevor, a computer whiz similar to Marco and Nadia, the supermodel that eats too much.
Character selection doesn't really matter-they're all the same in terms of controlling and attacks. The only difference comes in the different melee attack schemes. Pick a character that you adore, and you're good to go.
Annihilate all that stands between you in your battle for justice with an arsenal of machine guns, grenades, rocket launchers, RPGs and many more. You'll acquire these via rescuing prisoners (which are worth some nice bonus points if you manage to finish the stage without dying even once) or destroying certain enemies and objects.
Enemies range from small, weak soldiers with pistols and knives to massive flying fortresses and Mammoth Tanks ready to turn your character into a burning heap of ashes. This game's got it all-aside from the numerous military units you face, you'll have to face some natural enemies also such as squids, jellyfish, mutant insects, even mummies and zombies. This adds to the humor of the game, because what other game has such a massive variety of enemies!?
Music and Sounds:
I personally didn't really pay attention to the game's music, but some soundtracks are pretty sweet. Metal Slug 5 is notable for having metal-themed soundtracks, so if you're a fan of that music genre, I'll guarantee that you'll find a song you'll love in there.
The sounds (especially the voices) are really well done in this game. For a 2D game, the scream of an enemy soldier frightened of your presence is one heck of an amusing moment. If you get hit, your character will either utter a grunt or a scream, then drop dead. And who couldn't forget Allen's (the evil Rambo commando) one-liners when he taunts you?
Graphics:
There isn't really much to be said about this section. It's arcade graphics, you know, the ones you see in the arcade cabinets of the late 1990s and early 2000s. I personally don't care about this section as I loved the colorful 2D graphics that made Metal Slug such a charming game, so I guess I don't need to give too much of a lecture here.
Controls:
Instead of using the buttons and joystick as you always do at the arcades, you'll be using the XBox controller here. Won't be too difficult once you get the handling down, that's for sure.
Difficulty:
Because of the addition of having limited contiunes, you're pretty much invincible. You can die a million times and still destroy a boss like he wasn't even there. However, the enemies are absolutely merciless-they'll attack you with everything they have, so be prepared. Dying also forces you to lose the chance of receiving bonus points from prisoners you rescued. If you want to challenge yourself, limit the number of continues.
Multiplayer:
You can, of course, play a co-op with a friend. With the exception of sharing upgrades, I found the 2 player mode to be much easier as you'll be projecting twice the amount of firepower against your enemies.
In Conclusion:
If you're an avid fan of Metal Slug, run n' gun games, fast paced action, or just simply want to pick up the controller and get straight to the battle, this game is definitely worth a purchase. With unlimited continues, I suppose we (probably) won't have angry gamers whipping their controllers across the room like madmen (or madwomen)!
Hah, that was a bad joke. Regardless, if you like any of the above, get this game. Just because this game's colorful and the cast of heroes are cute characters doesn't mean this game isn't a challenging one!