Metal Slug (1996 video game)

Metal Slug[lower-alpha 1] is a run and gun video game developed and originally released by Nazca Corporation and later published by SNK. It was originally released in 1996 for the Neo Geo MVS arcade platform. The game is known for its sense of humor, fluid hand-drawn animation, and fast-paced two-player action. It is the first title in the Metal Slug series. It has been ported to the Neo Geo AES, Neo Geo CD, Sega Saturn, PlayStation, Virtual Console, PlayStation Network, iOS, Android and Neo Geo X, and to the Wii, PlayStation Portable, PlayStation 2, PlayStation 4 (as part of the Metal Slug Anthology) and Nintendo Switch. A sequel Metal Slug 2 was released in 1998.

This article is about the arcade game. For the series, see Metal Slug. For the PlayStation 2 game, see Metal Slug (2006 video game).
Metal Slug
European arcade flyer
Developer(s)
Publisher(s)
Producer(s)Takashi Nishiyama
Designer(s)Kazuma Kujo
Meeher
Programmer(s)Atsushi Kurooka
Kenji Andō
Shinichi Hamada
Artist(s)Akio
Kazuhiro Tanaka
Takeshi Okui
Composer(s)Takushi Hiyamuta
Jim
SeriesMetal Slug
Platform(s)
Release
Genre(s)Run and gun
Mode(s)
CabinetUpright
Arcade systemNeo Geo MVS

Gameplay
Arcade version screenshot.

The player must shoot constantly at a continual stream of enemies in order to reach the end of each level. At this point, the player confronts a boss, who is usually considerably larger and tougher than regular enemies. On the way through each level, the player can find numerous weapon upgrades and "Metal Slug" tanks. The tank is known as the SV-001 ("SV" stands for Super Vehicle), which increases the player's offense, and adds considerably to their defense.

In addition to shooting, the player can perform melee attacks by using a knife. The player does not die by coming into contact with enemies, and correspondingly, many of the enemy troops have melee attacks. Much of the game's scenery is destructible, and occasionally, this reveals extra items or power-ups.

During the course of a level, the player encounters prisoners of war (POWs), who, if freed, offer the player bonuses in the form of random items or weapons. At the end of each level, the player receives a scoring bonus based on the number of freed POWs. If the player dies before the end of the level, the tally of freed POWs reverts to zero.

There are a total of six levels, in locations such as forests, garrisoned cities, snowy mountain valleys, canyons, and military bases. The vast majority of enemies are soldiers equipped with weaponry befitting their specific role. There are several mechanized enemies, such as tanks, mobile artillery, aircraft, armored personnel carriers and technicals. Much of the game's humor comes from how the enemies are depicted; the player often encounters them as they are sunbathing, roasting food over a fire, or conversing. They tend to scream loudly if they see the player, and often try to either run away or fight back.

Plot

In the year 2028, the evil General Morden and his rebel army launched a coup d'état on the world's governments, and all attempts by the armies of the various countries to curtail his power fail. His most recent attack has given him access to a new form of all-terrain combat tank dubbed "Metal Slug". In a last effort to stop Morden, Cpt. Marco Rossi and Lt. Tarma Roving of the Peregrine Falcon Strike Force are sent to locate and eliminate his powerbase, as well as reclaim or destroy any Metal Slugs they can find so as to keep the technology out of Morden's hands. After battling their way through hordes of Morden's soldiers, the duo face off against Morden, in a heavily armored helicopter. After defeating the helicopter and killing Morden, they destroy his base of operations. In an epilogue, one of Morden's men is shown throwing a paper airplane from a cliff face. As the credits roll, the plane flies across the various levels of the game, from the destroyed Metal Slugs on the forest and the city where a woman grieves for her slain lover who is a Rebel Army member before disappearing into outer space. If the game is completed using 2 players, the epilogue changes to show the rebel soldiers dancing around the various levels to a very upbeat tune. This time, the paper plane is caught by a wounded but still alive Morden, who unfolds it before looking up to the starry sky.

Development

Metal Slug was developed by most of the same that previously worked on several projects at Irem like In the Hunt and GunForce II before departing from the company and forming Nazca Corporation. Takashi Nishiyama served as producer.[1] Kazuma "Kire-Nag" Kujo and Meeher acted as co-designers.[2][3][4] Shinichi "Hamachan" Hamada, Kenji "Andy" Andō, Atsushi Kurooka (currently of PlatinumGames), T. Yokota, H. Yamada and "Pierre" Takada worked as programmers.[5][6][7] Artists Akio, Susumu, Kazuhiro "Max.D" Tanaka, Tomohiro, Takeshi Okui (currently of Monolith Soft) and Kozo were responsible for the pixel art.[5][7][8][9] Composers Takushi "Hiya!" Hiyamuta and Jim scored the soundtrack.[5][10] The team recounted the project's development process and history through various publications.[11][12][13]

Ports
An MVS arcade cabinet with Metal Slug.

Originally, Metal Slug was available on the Neo-Geo MVS arcade system and AES home entertainment system. Later, a Neo Geo CD version of the game was produced, featuring a "Combat School" mode that allowed the player to revisit previously-played stages, with new mission objectives.

In 1997, Sega Saturn and PlayStation versions were released, but only in Japan. Though the software market was increasingly dominated by polygon-based games, conversions of Neo Geo games to the Saturn and PlayStation had been selling well in Japan, motivating SNK to produce conversions for Metal Slug as well.[14] In order to retain all the animations of the arcade version, the Saturn version uses newer compression techniques, inter-level loading, and the 1 MB RAM expansion cartridge.[15] The Saturn version was available in two different versions; 1.002 and 1.005, which included some minor bug fixes. The PlayStation version is currently distributed by SNK Playmore as a re-release version. Both ports feature the Combat School from the Neo Geo CD version, while the PlayStation version also features a new game mode called "Another Story", which consists of a series of plot-based mini-games.

In 2006, Metal Slug Anthology (titled Metal Slug Complete in Japan) was released for the Wii, PlayStation 2 and PSP. This compilation includes the original Metal Slug, and all of its arcade sequels (including Metal Slug 2 and Metal Slug X) up to Metal Slug 6. The games are emulated versions of the originals, with none of the additional game modes or content introduced in the other home versions. In 2008, it was released on the Wii's Virtual Console,[16] and was included as part of SNK Arcade Classics Vol. 1 for the Wii, PlayStation 2, and PSP. An emulated version of Metal Slug is also available on PSP and PlayStation 3, and in 2012, a wireless version was released for iOS and Android. Metal Slug is included as one of the 20 pre-loaded games on the Neo Geo X console. Metal Slug was released on the Nintendo Switch via the Eshop on March 30, 2017.

Reception
Reception
Aggregate score
AggregatorScore
GameRankingsNeoGeo: 85%[17]
Review scores
PublicationScore
EGMNeoGeo: 7.25/10[18]
EurogamerVirtual Console: 7/10[19]
IGNVirtual Console: 8.5/10[20]
Next GenerationSaturn: [21]
Neo-Geo.comNeoGeo: 9/10[22]
148AppsiOS: [23]
AppSpyiOS: [24]
Slide to PlayiOS: 3/4[25]

In Japan, Game Machine listed Metal Slug on their June 1, 1996 issue as being the seventh most-successful arcade game of the year.[26]

Upon its initial appearance, Metal Slug received mixed reviews. The four reviewers of Electronic Gaming Monthly heavily criticized the game's unfair difficulty and one-hit deaths, remarking that playing through the arcade version requires an inordinate amount of quarters, while the Neo Geo AES version's lack of an option for limited continues means players of all skill levels can complete it in a single sitting, with no motivation to play again or improve one's skill at the game. However, they also concurred that the game is fun, chiefly due to its smooth and humorous animations.[18] GamePro agreed that the Neo Geo version suffers from low longevity, with too few levels and a complete lack of replay value, and also criticized the slowdown in the game. However, the reviewer approved of the graphics, music, and arsenal of weapons, and summarized the game as "a soldier-slamming, side-scrolling, tour de force that dwarfs recent side-scrolling Neo shoot-em-ups, including the system's strongest platform offerings like Cyber-Lip and Top Hunter."[27]

Next Generation reviewed the Saturn version of the game, and stated that "In the end, Metal Slug is not a game players will really obsess over. However, the easy and exciting gameplay will have players returning to it often, which is probably why SNK decided to bring it to the States."[21]

When the game was released on the Virtual Console in 2008, IGN's Lucas M. Thomas scored it 8.5 out of 10, and awarding it an "Editor's Choice" badge; "Metal Slug is arguably the most notable Neo Geo action game ever made. It's an excellent game to play through yourself, and even better when tackled with a friend through its co-op mode."[20] Eurogamer's Dan Whitehead wasn't quite as impressed, scoring the game 7 out of 10. Although he praised the original game, he was critical of the port, criticizing the lack of support for online multiplayers, in comparison to the Xbox Live release, and writing "A fantastic game then, in a slightly inferior technical presentation that offers poor value compared to the other available methods of sampling this fine shooter. Truly, Nintendo giveth and Nintendo taketh away."[19]

In a retrospective review, Neo-Geo.com scored the game 9 out of 10; "coming back to Metal Slug feels like returning to visit an old friend--it's just as good as you remember it no matter how long it's been since you last saw each other. Metal Slug is not only an insane amount of fun--it's also one of the best games to illustrate the genre, and among the best titles on the Neo, period."[22]

Notes
  1. Japanese: メタルスラッグ Hepburn: Metaru Suraggu, also known as Metal Slug: Super Vehicle-001 at the title screen

References
  1. Leone, Matt (14 December 2011). "The Man Who Created Street Fighter". 1UP.com. IGN. Archived from the original on 3 January 2012. Retrieved 8 April 2020.
  2. "Metal Slug – 1999 Developer Interview". shmuplations.com. Archived from the original on 2019-11-25. Retrieved 2020-06-21.
  3. Szczepaniak, John (January 2012). "The Making Of: Metal Slug". Retro Gamer. No. 98. Imagine Publishing. pp. 24–31. Archived from the original on 8 June 2019. Retrieved 8 April 2020.
  4. Szczepaniak, John (4 November 2015). Kazuma KUJO. The Untold History of Japanese Game Developers. 2. S.M.G. Szczepaniak. p. 322. ISBN 978-1518818745.
  5. Nazca Corporation (1996). Super Vehicle-001 Metal Slug (Arcade). SNK. Level/area: Staff roll.
  6. @PG_kurooka (18 October 2014). "Latest The Wonderful 101. Oldest GunForce2, MetalSlug1 RT @HokutoAndy: @PG_kurooka Other than Korra, what video games have you worked on?" (Tweet). Archived from the original on 14 December 2019. Retrieved 8 April 2020 – via Twitter.
  7. Games 96-09: Metal Slug: Super Vehicle-001; Interviews: Kazuma Kujo; Interviews: Shinichi Hamada & Takeshi Okui; Interviews: Andoh Kenji. Metal Slug: The Ultimate History. Bitmap Books. 11 November 2019. pp. 70–111, 390–394, 407–414, 423–427. ISBN 978-1-9993533-5-3.
  8. "AKIO". Monthly Arcadia (in Japanese). No. 119. Enterbrain. April 2010. pp. 23–25.
  9. "SNK". Famitsu (in Japanese). No. 1545. Gzbrain. July 26, 2018. (Translation by One Million Power. Archived 2019-12-23 at the Wayback Machine).
  10. "Neo Turf Masters with Takushi Hiyamuta". pixelatedaudio.com. Pixelated Audio. December 2016. Archived from the original on 13 December 2016. Retrieved 21 June 2020.
  11. "メタルスラッグ開発者インタビュー". Neo Geo Freak (in Japanese). No. 17. Geibunsha. October 1996. pp. 76–79. (Translation by Shmuplations. Archived 2019-11-25 at the Wayback Machine).
  12. Metal Slug 開発者インタビュー. メタルスラッグ公式ガイドブック. プレイステーション必勝法スペシャル (in Japanese). Geibunsha. September 1997. pp. 92–95. ISBN 978-4766928389. (Translation by Random Hoo Haas. Archived 2019-09-13 at the Wayback Machine).
  13. Yamamura, Tomomi (3 August 2020). ""大切なことはアイレムと『R-TYPE』に教わった"『メタルスラッグ』プログラマー濱田慎一氏が語るアイレムのあのころ、ナスカのあのころ【ゲームの思い出談話室・第3夜】". Famitsu (in Japanese). Kadokawa Game Linkage. Archived from the original on 2020-08-03. Retrieved 2020-08-03.
  14. "'97 Tokyo Toy Show". Electronic Gaming Monthly. No. 94. Ziff Davis. May 1997. p. 88.
  15. Leadbetter, Rich (June 1997). "Metal Slug". Sega Saturn Magazine. No. 20. Emap International Limited. pp. 22–25.
  16. "Two WiiWare Games and Two Virtual Console Games Added to Wii Shop Channel". Nintendo of America. May 26, 2008. Retrieved May 27, 2008.
  17. "Metal Slug for NeoGeo". GameRankings. CBS Interactive. Retrieved September 16, 2016.
  18. "Review Crew: Metal Slug". Electronic Gaming Monthly. No. 84. Ziff Davis. July 1996. p. 28.
  19. Whitehead, Dan (May 28, 2008). "Virtual Console Roundup Review". Eurogamer. Retrieved August 27, 2013.
  20. Thomas, Lucas M. (May 30, 2008). "Metal Slug Review". IGN. Retrieved June 22, 2013.
  21. "Finals". Next Generation. No. 32. Imagine Media. August 1997. p. 117.
  22. Elektro, Dan. "Metal Slug Review". Neo-Geo.com. Retrieved June 22, 2013.
  23. Dotson, Carter (January 2, 2013). "Metal Slug 1 (iOS) Review". 148Apps. Retrieved August 27, 2013.
  24. Nesvadba, Andrew (December 19, 2012). "Metal Slug 1 (iOS) Review". AppSpy. Retrieved August 27, 2013.
  25. Podolsky, Andrew (December 18, 2012). "Metal Slug 1(iOS) Review". Slide to Play. Retrieved August 27, 2013.
  26. "Game Machine's Best Hit Games 25 - TVゲーム機ーソフトウェア (Video Game Software)". Game Machine (in Japanese). No. 519. Amusement Press, Inc. 1 June 1996. p. 21.
  27. Major Mike (August 1996). "ProReview: Metal Slug". GamePro. No. 95. IDG. pp. 66–67.
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