Metal Slug (series)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

You have new messages (last change).
Metal Slug logo

Metal Slug is a series of run and gun video games first released on the Neo-Geo game console created by SNK. It was also ported to other consoles, such as the PlayStation, the Sega Saturn, the Neo-Geo Pocket Color and more recently, the Game Boy Advance, PlayStation 2 and Xbox. In PAL territories the games have been ported to both the PlayStation 2 and Xbox. There is also an anthology of the first 7 games in the main series (including Metal Slug X) avalable for the Wii, PlayStation Portable, and Playstation 2.

Contents

[edit] Public opinion

Many fans consider Metal Slug 3 to be the best entry in the series, due to its complex level design, outstanding pixel art, and comical, over-the-top presentation. Metal Slug 4 is considered by many fans to be the least enjoyable game, as bosses, especially the final boss, can often "trap" the player making death inescapable. Enemies in the foreground can also "knife" the player in situations where enemies in the other games couldn't. These problems are often attributed to Metal Slug 4 being developed by Mega Enterprise and Noise Factory after SNK went bankrupt. Metal Slug 2 has the most slowdown of any game in the series, but a remix version, Metal Slug X, fixed performance issues. Some stages changed from day to night, new enemies such as the mummified dogs in Mission Two were introduced, the laser weapon can be used earlier, and an art gallery was added to the game's end.

[edit] Etymology of "Metal Slug"

Meeher, the lead designer of the game for Nazca, wanted to create an armored fighting vehicle that could crawl on the ground like a "slug", similar to a snail but without an outer shell protecting its body. The word "metal" in the title indicates that the vehicle is mechanical.

Initially players regarded the title as being "not good enough". Meeher later joked about the title, saying "Maybe I don't make much [sic] of a sense?"

Slugs in Metal Slug sequels included animals (usually only the Vulcan cannon mounted on the animal, with a cannon attachment occasionally available), planes and other vehicles that do not fit Meeher's original definition.

[edit] Storyline

The first game's story involved the Peregrine Falcon (PF) Squad, a small but skilled team of soldiers serving under the Regular Army's special operations division, who fight against the army of General Donald Morden in order to prevent massive coup d'etat and creation of New World Order under General Morden. Later games featured characters from the Sparrows Unit, which is under the control of the Regular Army's intelligence division. In the games following the first, the PF Squad also battles an alien threat to Earth (the Mars People), as well as several other supernatural threats including yetis, zombies, ambulatory Venus flytraps, giant enemy crabs and mummies. Outlandish elements were removed from the fourth game to return to the feel of the original title, which resulted in poor critical and commercial reception. The fifth moved to the motif of modern guerrilla warfare, leaving only traces of the series signature quirky humour and paranormal enemies. Metal Slug 6 returned to the plot of the first three installments, bringing back Morden's Rebel Army and the Mars People.

[edit] Gameplay

Gameplay screenshot of Metal Slug 6 featuring Clark and Ralf
Gameplay screenshot of Metal Slug 6 featuring Clark and Ralf

The gameplay of the series is characteristic of run and guns: The enemies come in hordes, the weapons have high fire rates. All of these characteristics come from the Contra series, which the gameplay is based on. Metal Slug however takes the concepts introduced in Contra and expands upon them. First and foremost is the ability to perform melee attacks. In most run and guns, contact with an enemy leads to immediate death. In this series, contact only results in either party's death if an attack is performed. This leads to the ability for the player to run in and use melee attacks to take down a number of troops. The second addition to the series is the use of vehicles, the eponymous slugs.

[edit] Developer history

The same team that created Metal Slug for the Neo-Geo previously created a handful of games for Irem which have very similar graphics and gameplay. Cyber Lip (1990) had some of the core developers as the original Metal Slug. Gunforce (1991) and In the Hunt (1993) had noticeably similar gameplay, with graphics that have a slight resemblance to Metal Slug. Gunforce 2 (1994) not only had similar gameplay but the sounds of dying soldiers were almost exactly the same as Metal Slug. Because of this, some fans refer to Gunforce 2 as "Metal Slug Zero".

[edit] Characters

Marco Rossi appearing with a 'slug' in Neo Geo Battle Coliseum
Marco Rossi appearing with a 'slug' in Neo Geo Battle Coliseum

Marco Rossi and Tarma Roving were the first playable characters, but each was reserved solely to the first and second player, respectively. In the second installment, Eri Kasamoto and Fiolina "Fio" Germi were added to the cast. These four are considered by fans to be the quintessential Metal Slug team. In the fourth game, Nadia Cassel and Trevor Spacey made their debut, replacing Eri and Tarma, respectively, but have not returned for later games. Eri and Tarma returned in the fifth game. The Game Boy Advance edition of the game features two new characters specific to that title: PF squad trainees Walter Ryan and Tyra Elson. King of Fighters characters Ralf Jones and Clark Steel appear in Metal Slug 6, released for the Atomiswave hardware in February 2006. Both characters had previously been in the war-setting game Ikari Warriors prior to their appearances in King of Fighters games.

[edit] Games

Screenshot from Metal Slug 3
Screenshot from Metal Slug 3
  • Playstation 2
  • Neo Geo Pocket Color
    • Metal Slug: 1st Mission
    • Metal Slug: 2nd Mission
  • Mobile platforms
    • Metal Slug Mobile
    • Metal Slug Mobile: Impact
    • Metal Slug STG
    • Metal Slug: Allen's Battle Chronicles (Part 1)
    • Metal Slug: Allen's Battle Chronicles (Part 2)
    • Metal Slug Survivors
    • Metal Slug Soldiers
  • PC
    • Metal Slug Online


For a list of released and upcoming titles, see game listing section of Metal Slug Database.

[edit] External links

[edit] Official homepages

Site Creator Language Comments
Metal Slug Project SNK Japanese / English Contains original homepages of Metal Slug X, 3 and 2nd Mission. Now archived at Metal Slug Database
Metal Slug 1st Mission SNK Japanese Now archived at Metal Slug Database
Metal Slug 2nd Mission SNK Japanese Now archived at Metal Slug Database
Metal Slug X Agetec English Now partially archived at Metal Slug Database
Metal Slug 3 SNK Playmore USA English N/A
Metal Slug 3 Ignition Entertainment English N/A
Metal Slug 4 MEGA Enterprise Korean First version of www.metalslug4.co.kr. Now archived at Metal Slug Database
Metal Slug 4 MEGA Enterprise Korean / English / Japanese New version of www.metalslug4.co.kr hosted on an unstable server. Use MSDB's archive if site is inaccessible
Metal Slug 4 SNK Playmore Japanese N/A
Metal Slug 4 Ignition Entertainment English N/A
Metal Slug 5 SNK Playmore Japanese N/A
Metal Slug 5 Ignition Entertainment English N/A
Metal Slug 4/5 SNK Playmore USA English N/A
Metal Slug 6 SNK Playmore Japanese N/A
Metal Slug 6 SEGA Japanese N/A
Metal Slug 3D SNK Playmore Japanese N/A
Metal Slug Advance SNK Playmore Japanese N/A
Metal Slug Advance SNK Playmore USA English N/A
Metal Slug Advance Ignition Entertainment English N/A
Metal Slug Type-A SNK Playmore Japanese Homepage for Metal Slug Pachinko machine
Metal Slug 10th-year anniversary site SNK Playmore Japanese / English N/A

[edit] Publishers, developers, & distributors

Site Language Comments
SNK Playmore Japanese Developer & distributor of the Metal Slug franchise, as well as the main license holder
MEGA Enterprise Korean Developer & distributor of Metal Slug 4
I-Play English Publisher & distributor of Metal Slug Mobile
Agetec English Former distributor of the discontinued Playstation version of Metal Slug X
SNK Playmore USA English Distributor of SNK Playmore titles within Northern Americas
Ignition Entertainment English Distributor of SNK Playmore titles within European Union

[edit] Fan sites

Site Language Status Comments
Metal Slug Database English / Korean / Japanese Active Updated constantly
Metal Slug: Missing in Action English Unknown Covers about secrets and trivias of the series
Metal Slug Polski Polish Inactive Site is up and running but not updated anymore
Metal Slug Deutsch German Unknown Updated rarely

[edit] See also

v • d • e
Metal Slug video games

Metal Slug • Metal Slug 2 • Metal Slug X • Metal Slug 3 • Metal Slug 4 • Metal Slug 5 • Metal Slug 6 • Metal Slug (PS2) • Metal Slug: 1st Mission • Metal Slug: 2nd Mission • Metal Slug Advance
 Metal Slug characters
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org../../../m/e/t/Metal_Slug_%28series%29_3b98.html"
In other languages