Metal Slug! Metal Slug! Metal Slug!

In this month's newsletter, we celebrate the long history of a game series that has managed to charm us with its artistic style. It also brings out our smiles with its sense of humor, and it has kept us coming back for 2 straight decades with its hectic yet simple gameplay that, for many, defines the arcade experience. 20 years ago, it all started when a game by the name of "Super Vehicle-001: Metal Slug" burst onto the arcade scenes and blasted its way into our hearts. Inspired by such games as Konami's Contra, and IREM's Gunforce, this series was created by the talented folks at Nazca Corporation. Nazca itself was made up of a group of developers from IREM who had grown tired of their lack of development in the, at the time, booming arcade scene. 6 sequels, 2 remixes, and several spinoffs have come our way since that time. Today we celebrate the 20th Anniversary of Metal Slug and take a look at some of the best, and the strangest, the series has to offer.

If you haven't ever tried these games, read on to see why this brand of light-hearted warfare is so frantic and fun either by yourself or with a co-op partner!

Super Vehicle-001: Metal Slug Systems: SNK Neo Geo, SNK Neo Geo CD, Sega Saturn, Sony Playstation

Year: 1996

The one that started it all! This is where we were first introduced to the quirky style and co-op gameplay that defines the series. It was the first time we got to jump into that titular Metal Slug weapon and blast our way through wave after wave of enemies. It also showed us that war games don't have to be a gritty and serious affair. Rather they could be light-hearted and poke fun at themselves and still be just as great. Metal Slug proved such a success that SNK would absorb the entire development team at Nazca in-house to ensure the series remained a staple of the Neo Geo.

Metal Slug X Systems: SNK Neo Geo, Sony Playstation

Year: 1999

Actually a re-release of Metal Slug 2, this game came out just a little over a year after the sequel hit arcades. The initial purpose of the release was to fix a number of slowdown issues that occurred in the 2nd game. However, not simply content to just release a simple technical update, SNK threw returning players for a loop with increased difficulty and enemy placements, as well as remixed levels and weapon/power up locations. Still not enough? Well they also threw in all new weapons like the Super Grenade, the Golden Metal Slug, and a few others we won't spoil here.

Metal Slug 5 Systems: SNK Neo Geo, Sony Playstation 2, Microsoft Xbox

Year: 2003

Released by the newly founded "SNK Playmore" that rose from the ashes of SNK's bankruptcy at the turn of the century; Metal Slug 5's development placed an emphasis on attempting to evolve some of the series traditions. Due to this new direction there are a lot of fresh environments and art present in the game, as well as some more gameplay related changes like the great new slide maneuver. There's also cut-scenes that occur occasional throughout the game, rather than just at the end. However, the biggest change was the slight departure from the iconic lightheartedness of the series, as well as a more 'metal' stylized soundtrack to go along with the change in tone.

Metal Slug 6

Systems: Sammy Atomiswave (and Sony Playstation 2 in JP)

Year: 2006

Having been released in 2006, this was the first game in the series not to be released on the now retired Neo-Geo MVS arcade system or the AES home-console counterpart. Instead it was originally released on the Sammy Atomiswave arcade board. However, by this time, the arcade scene was already on its last leg in most regions and as result many players didn't get the chance to experience this gem in its original form. Mostly sticking to the tried and true Metal Slug formula, one interesting new feature this game brought to the table was the ability to switch between your standard and powered up weapons. Allowing you to conserve those better guns for when they were needed.

Metal Slug Anthology

Systems: Sony PSP, Sony Playstation 2, Nintendo Wii

Year: 2006

Released as a celebration of the 10th anniversary of the series, this fantastic anthology contains games 1, 2, X, 3, 4, 5, & 6 and as result is a fantastic way to celebrate the majority of the games in the series. An interesting point worth mentioning is that these titles (with the exception of #6) in the collection are actually emulated versions of the original Neo Geo releases, rather than ports of their console counterparts. Something of a rarity among commercial releases.

Metal Slug XX

Systems: Sony PSP

Year: 2009

While the 7th and latest canonical entry in the series, Metal Slug 7, made its debut on the Nintendo DS handheld system; it was the remix Metal Slug XX (Pronounced "Double X") that was re-released shortly after for the Sony PSP that stands as the most recent entry in the main series. This game acted as both a slight remix to 7 and a return to the much loved feature of Co-Op, which was omitted in the DS version, enabled by linking 2 PSP systems together.

Metal Slug

Systems: Sony Playstation 2

Year: 2006

Also known as "Metal Slug 3D" or "Metal Slug: Evolution" This is easily the most obscure title in the series. Having been developed without any involvement from the original Metal Slug team, this unique take on the series brought the game into the 3rd dimension. Originally it was planned to be localized for the west, however due to very poor critical reception, these plans were abandoned. Interestingly though, despite being only released in Japan, the game features menus and dialogue presented mostly in English, making it easy to approach for importers and emulation enthusiasts.

Metal Slug Advance

Systems: Nintendo Game Boy Advance

Year: 2004

This fantastic handheld game was notably the only one in the series not to feature the main protagonist; Marco Rossi. The GBA exclusive would instead have you play as one of two new recruits during an attack on an island training facility. There are some interesting changes as well, such as a life-bar and a collectible card system that would reward the player with power-ups or information on items or characters. Metal Slug has a long history and a great lineup of games that are all worth playing for any retro enthusiast. So if you and a buddy are in the mood to run 'n gun down some rebel forces, join the fight over at Emuparadise and get in on this retro co-op mayhem!