Title Metal Slug Anthology Date 12.30.2006 Genre 2D Shooter Platform Wii Developer SNK Playmore USA Publisher SNK Playmore USA

In this age of pixel-shaders, real-time physics, and games that cost more than movies to make, sometimes it does one good to get back to basics. Back to a time when gaming wasn't all about buzzwords and polygons, but good old fashioned FUN. Thankfully, the masters at SNK are keeping fun alive. Long revered as the masters of 2D gameplay, SNK has been soldiering on this past decade as the foremost standard bearers of the 2D grail. SNK are widely regarded for their fighting franchises, most notably the King of Fighters series. However, they are equally adept at all genres of 2D, as evidenced by one of their fan favorite series of games, Metal Slug!

Since 1996, Metal Slug has been running and gunning in arcades everywhere. Ahh...who can forget their first time walking up to an unassuming Neo Geo MVS cab, only to be greeted by the "attraction mode" of Metal Slug? "Hmm...what is this game? I've never seen it before. It looks like Contra, but...wow! Look at those graphics! I've never seen animation this beautiful. Wow! There's blood flying everywhere! I have to play this...wow, this is intense! What's that, some kind of tank? Wait, I can DRIVE it?! Wow, this game is amazing!"

Five dollars worth of quarters later, and you've found yourself with a severe case of Metal Slug fever. Definitely the best in it's class of "run n' gun" 2D shooters, Metal Slug went on to spawn six sequels over the past ten years, as well as numerous spin-off games and console ports.

What we have here is just about everything a Metal Slug fanatic could ask for. All seven arcade games, including the most recent (just released this year, in fact) Metal Slug 6! Seven games in one (especially considering the $40 USD price tag) is quite a bargain. However, how did this all translate to the Wii? Will a hardcore Metal Slug fan be just as happy as someone discovering these games for the first time?

Graphics

The graphics are simply beautiful. They are truly arcade perfect; ported to the Wii with gorgeous precision. It truly is a wonder to watch any of these games in action. Besides perhaps Garou: Mark of the Wolves (another SNK fighter) or Capcom's Street Fighter III, there is NO 2D game out there as wonderfully rendered and animated as Metal Slug. On the graphics end, there is nothing to complain about.

Sound

Another area where Metal Slug shines is the sound. Every game has an awesome soundtrack that matches the action well, getting your adrenaline flowing for the hectic action taking place. Explosions, the screams of the enemy, gunshots, the movement of the various Slug vehicles...everything comes together perfectly with no hiccups whatsoever.

Gameplay

If you're a fan of Contra or any similar games AT ALL...you will be in absolute heaven. The Metal Slug games are the pinnacle of 2D side scrolling shooters. Much like, say, the Mario series is the standard by which all 2D platformers are judged...so to is the Metal Slug series for run n' gun shooters. As much as I love Contra, Metal Slug puts it to shame. The gameplay is varied as well, considering that every game has new weapons to try out, as well as vehicles to pilot. The actual gameplay in some of the games also changes to more of a SHMUP style in certain games of the franchise as well, when your character takes to the air in a jet pack or Slug airplane.

Replay Value

Simply put, you'll never get tired of these games. You'll want to play through them again and again, and challenge yourself to use as few continues as possible (by default, the games have the unlimited continue option on, but this can be altered). Not only that, but a second player can join in, and as we all know, run and gun shooters are some of the most fun games to play in co-op mode. Also, several of the games contain multiple paths through the same stage, so you can play over and over again in different orders. Finally, SNK included a number of unlockables for this collection, including developer interviews, music tracks, and concept art. Completing the different games on various difficulties gives you "tokens" which can be used to unlock things.

Port Quality

This is the only area that I have issues with, and thus the score must be lowered. This collection would have been PERFECT had SNK not made a few odd decisions and neglected a few things.

First of all, in the arcade originals, when fighting enemy bosses, many of them have a "weak point" you must aim for, and when this point is hit, the whole boss flashes to let you know you're hitting the target. For some reason, when SNK ported these games to Wii, they screwed this up. Metal Slug 6, for instance, has no hit flashing at all. In all the other games, some bosses have hit flashes, but it seems a lot of them don't. This probably won't be a HUGE issue to Slug veterans...after all, most of them have played these games countless times, and they know where to shoot. However, for a new player, they may have some trouble figuring out where they are supposed to be aiming for. Why this was neglected, I'm not sure, but it's absence keeps these ports from being perfect.

Also, some of the sounds aren't quite right. For instance, Metal Slug 6's sound effects and soundtrack sound a little quiet in comparison to the other games. Thankfully, you can change the volume in the options for each game, and pump 6's volume up. However, we shouldn't have to fix SNK's oversights for them. Also, for some odd reason, in the earlier games in the series, when you complete a level, the familiar "mission clear" music doesn't always play. As a huge Metal Slug fan, this bugged me A LOT, and it brings the port down somewhat.

However, the biggest thing that will probably irritate hardcore Slug fans is that SNK neglected to include the "Classic Controller" as a control option for the games. Most of the various control schemes are Wii-centric, which while fun, takes some getting used to, and certainly doesn't replicate the arcade experience. Thankfully, SNK did include the option to use the Gamecube controller instead of the Wii Remote or Nunchuk, if you so choose. However, oddly enough, the Gamecube D-Pad DOES NOT WORK. This means that not only are you forced to use the analog stick, but you cannot use any of the arcade sticks or D-Pad controllers that were made for the Gamecube. Definitely a disappointment. Luckily though, the other controller schemes are very responsive, as is the Gamecube controller. It's not game breaking, but I'm sure many fans will be upset.

However, despite these issues, this is still a great collection, worthy of a purchase. Any Slug fan that owns a Wii would be crazy to pass up this deal. Seven near-perfect arcade ports for that price simply can't be beat. Also, if you are a Wii owner that is new to the Metal Slug series, I STRONGLY urge that you pick this collection up. Every Wii owner should have this game in their library. Support SNK and 2D gaming!

Game Score

B+

Reviewed By: Contributed