Metal Slug for the Neo Geo is that rare breed of game that has endeared itself to gamers of all ages the world over. It's popularity hasn't diminished since it's release in 1996; if anything it's fanbase only ever seems to grow in size and devotion. Crucially, Metal Slug redefined the status of 2D graphics at a time when the focus of arcade gaming was seeing a shift towards 3D-driven games such as Namco's Tekken series and Sega's Virtua titles. While these flashy new 3D games were still very successful, Metal Slug seemed to fill a void that the newer technology couldn't satisfy. 3D games of the mid 90s were certainly interesting to look at in arcades at the time, but they also emanated a cold, brittle quality. Enter Metal Slug, which oozed so much character and personality from every screen it was outrageous!
Metal Slug's graphics have a gritty charm perfectly suited to this parody of mechanized warfare. The animations of the game's cartoony sprites are brimming with humorous touches. The stunning background artwork offers an extensive range of uniquely themed locations for the action, and Metal Slug has action aplenty. Whether your spraying gangs of enemies with heavy machine gun fire or lobbing tank shells at end of level bosses, the brutal military destruction hardly ever lets up. The combat intensity escalates as each mission is cleared, so skillful use of the tank is an essential strategy for minimizing your own casualties.
You might say, "who cares? I'll just put in more credits". Believe me, with many of the best arcade games limiting the number of continues is vital to player satisfaction. While it's tempting to pump in more and more credits in a greedy bid to see the last screens, it's also a sure way to ruin the overall gaming experience. The sense of accomplishment to be gained from gradually mastering a classic game is far more rewarding than breezing through it in one go with however many continues it takes just for the sake of a short term thrill. A game as fantastic as Metal Slug deserves better, so take my advice people and limit those continues!
At the default settings of difficulty level 4 and 3 lives per continue, my suggested continue limits would be:
Beginner - no more than 10 credits
Intermediate - no more than 7 credits
Advanced - no more than 5 credits
Anything less than 5 credits and you can consider yourself well on the way to true Metal Slug mastery.
The almighty Slug!
Metal Slug, more Rambo than Rambo!
My copy of Metal Slug.
Reporting for duty with my Neo Geo CD.
My Metal Slug gameplay vid. Along with the cool 2D graphics and great sound effects, it's hard not to notice the game's dramatically warlike music.
Hello, that was a very nice and informative article
I shared always your opinion about the credits - not just for Metal Slug, but also for any other Arcade Game. Back in the 70's you had to become a master to finish a game, today, everyone can do it - and the newest games don't even come up with a live bar or lives no more... To sad somehow...
As you maybe know, I do have a Metal Slug Cart for my NG MVS - but I saw that you have there a version on your NGCD, too. How much is it, and is it worth to buy this version? Does it come up with long loading times?
[NewNet]*Atarix wrote: Hello, that was a very nice and informative article
Hey, thanks Atarix!
[NewNet]*Atarix wrote: I shared always your opinion about the credits - not just for Metal Slug, but also for any other Arcade Game. Back in the 70's you had to become a master to finish a game, today, everyone can do it - and the newest games don't even come up with a live bar or lives no more... To sad somehow...
Yes, it would be too easy to ruin the MVS version of Metal Slug first go if you wanted to just keep popping in more credits. That's one good thing I like about the NGCD version - each player is limited to five credits (not sure if that's the same for the AES), so you need to be what I consider reasonably advanced to get through the game. That still leaves the path open for master level playing by winning the game with only one credit, or even true mastery with no deaths at all!
[NewNet]*Atarix wrote: As you maybe know, I do have a Metal Slug Cart for my NG MVS - but I saw that you have there a version on your NGCD, too. How much is it, and is it worth to buy this version? Does it come up with long loading times?
Good questions. I don't know offhand how much a copy of NGCD Metal Slug would roughly sell for these days (I bought mine back when it was released), although I'm guessing that while demand for this title would be high, prices should be reasonable.
BE WARNED! Unfortunately there was a fair bit of NGCD game bootlegging going on back in those days, so there are a number of things to watch out for if you're in the collectors market.
A genuine NGCD jewel case should have a circular NEO GEO logo imprinted in the top right corner of the front cover. If not, then it may be a bootleg.
A genuine NGCD disc will have a standard looking bar code near the centre hole of the disc. Bootlegs usually have a solid bar instead of a proper bar code. A bootleg may have also have a normal looking bar code plus a solid bar, or nothing at all in that area.
The picture side of the disc may show evidence of poor quality printing if it's a bootleg. Also there should be no wavy lines or track marks of any kind on the read side of a real NGCD disc.
The game manuals of bootlegs usually show evidence of poor quality printing. If pictures are blotchy or if white areas are slightly dirty looking then it's most likely a bootleg
A bootleg may have a mismatch somewhere between the NGCD numbers on the back cover of the game, on the back of the manual and on the disc itself.
This last one is very tricky to spot. The spine area of the insert card inside a real NGCD case is perforated to make it fold neatly around the spine. If there are no perforations then it's probably a bootleg. The tricky part is that the pirates eventually started using perforated cards. However, it's still possible to spot them if you know what to look for.
Looking directly side on at a real NGCD game you should only be able to see the single row of neat perforations closest to the back of the cover. There should be 29 of these visible perforations measuring 3mm each. Here is a basic diagram of how that looks:
If there is any variation from that then it's most likely a bootleg.
With all that said, I can definitely recommend NGCD Metal Slug for your collection if you can locate a legitimate copy. The loading times actually aren't that bad compared to, say, King of Fighters '97 on the NGCD (ouch). It takes 45 seconds to load Metal Slug at initial boot up. On average, the levels take somewhere between 10-12 seconds to load; enough time to scratch yourself and punch your friend in the arm for losing too many lives. The NGCD version also has these extra features - the very cool Combat School Mode plus some really nice art galleries. I'll make another post later with more info about those extras.
Yes, for the NGCD only Metal Slug and Metal Slug 2 were released for that series (I have the MS2 CD as well). Like part 1, Metal Slug 2 still has the Combat School and art gallery modes.
The reason I have done research on NGCD bootlegs is because a few slipped into my collection back in the late 90s. Bootlegging was not an issue at first since NGCD was initially well supported by major retailers who only sold genuine originals. But after the NGCD bombed out, it suddenly became hard to find any decent place to buy the games for it. I did manage to find a little shop near Chinatown in Sydney that was still supplying the games, but of course it turned out they were not always the most trustworthy suppliers.
Sometimes after buying a new NGCD game from them I would later notice that some things were not quite right about it, like poor quality printing or wavy lines on the read side of the disc. The games still worked fine but I used to wonder sometimes if perhaps they were pirated copies. Many years later I finally get an internet and find out about all the different markers for identifying NGCD bootlegs and confirm what I had long suspected. The problem with this is that even though the pirated games still work, they are virtually worthless as collectors items. They might as well be very expensive ashtrays or drink coasters.
Luckily for me, this research also helped confirm that my most prized NGCD games are the real deal. Hopefully the info can help any other Neo Geo fanatics here.
"A game mode where you enter the Union Army Academy as a cadet and go through rigorous combat training. Players train under special conditions to test their skills and improve personal records.
The main Combat School action takes place in Pin Point Attack and Survival Attack.
Pin Point Attack
In Pin Point Attack you get three lives to clear a stage as fast as possible. All weapon pickups have infinite ammo. The Metal Slug is available.
Survival Attack
In Survival Attack you try to proceed as far as possible through the game with only one life. All weapon pickups have infinite ammo. The Metal Slug is not available.
Rankings
After exiting either of the Attack Modes, any points earned will go towards your ranking. Can you become General of the Army?
Hey, you're OK man. I can only imagine how busy you must be!
I think a hardcore collector like yourself will not be disappointed to have MS and MS2 for their NGCD. Those extra modes are totally worth it. Just beware of bootlegs!
