The Metal Slug games are over-the-top "run and gun" shooters known for their humor, difficulty and incredible 2D animation. While the series has had its ups and downs, several of the games are considered to be pinnacles of the action genre. Metal Slug Anthology for the Wii collects all seven Metal Slug arcade games in one package, and—barring some control issues and the occasional now loading screen—the Anthology is nigh arcade perfect.
SLUGS AT A GLANCE
Metal Slug
Only two characters and one vehicle (or Slug), but a classic. Military theme. No load times and no slowdown.
Metal Slug 2
Better than arcade due to no slowdown. Four characters and variety of Slugs. Beautiful animation. Multiple themes — military, mummy, aliens. No load times and no slowdown.
Metal Slug X
Essentially a remix of Metal Slug 2 to fix the original's slowdown. Different enough to warrant playing. Has some load times.
Metal Slug 3
Truly epic. Four char- acters, a variety of Slugs and multiple level paths. The final stage could be a game in itself! Heavy on the alien theme. Has some load times.
Metal Slug 4
Refocuses on military theme. Lots of re- cycled graphics from previous games, which are hit or miss. Game gets better on later levels. Has some branching paths and some load times.
Metal Slug 5
New enemies and themes. Adds sliding move. Great new Slug vehicle, the Slug Gunner. Branching paths all but gone. Lacks the detail of best in the series. Great music. Has some load times.
Metal Slug 6
Six characters to choose from and some welcome game- play improvements are negated by sloppy level design and bland back- grounds. Great boss fights and a good story ease the pain.
Metal Slug X and Metal Slug 3 are generally considered to be the best in the series and I would add the original Metal Slug to that list. All in all, the different games do not stray too far from the template of the first game and even the lesser of the Slugs are still fun. (For a rundown on each game and how it runs in Anthology see the sidebar to the right).
While playing these games again on the Wii, the highlight for me was definitely Metal Slug 2. No longer suffering from the slow down of the Neo-Geo version, you can finally see the game's incredible detail and animation. It definitely has the consistently best graphics of the series and plays a damn fine game of Slug to boot, making Metal Slug X almost superfluous.
Sadly the low point of the compilation is Metal Slug 6. The arcade sequel moved up to more powerful hardware, allowed you to store two power-ups at a time, added two playable characters from Ikari Warriors (for a total of six) and finally gave each character different strengths and weaknesses, but the often plain and static backgrounds, uninspired level designs, and many areas where the game just throws a bunch of exactly the same enemy at you over and over are definitely a buzz kill.
Still, the bosses compare well to some of the best in the series, and the story—taking place right after Metal Slug 3—is actually pretty interesting. It's still a good game, but you can tell it could have been great if the developers were allowed more time or a bigger budget.
Which brings me to the controls. There are six different control methods—ranging from using just the Wii-mote, to using the Wii-mote with the nunchuk, to plugging in a Gamecube controller. None of them are ideal, but holding the Wii-mote sideways and playing "NES style" worked well for me (even if shaking the controller to throw grenades seemed odd at first.)
Some people might be put off by the "lack of control" and I've heard that the PS2 version controls better, but I haven't tried it. I have played about half of the games on Neo-Geo hardware though, and I don't feel that the controls are "broken" by any stretch of the imagination.
While Metal Slug games are like SHMUPs (Shoot 'em ups) and can be played for high score, they are also about having a good time for an hour or so. If the controls bother you, I humbly submit that you either:
a) take your Metal Slug very seriously and probably already own many of the Neo-Geo originals or,
b) are someone who likes to complain a lot just because you can.
Either way "you know who you are" and this game disc is not for you. Which begs the question who is it for? Placing a bunch of beloved but niche games with compromised control on a mass-market console marketed towards casual, "lapsed" and non-gamers seems like an odd duck to me.
Nevertheless, I enjoyed this compilation, especially Metal Slug 2. If you like games like Contra and think the controls won't bother you, Metal Slug Anthology is a solid purchase.
2008 ben langberg, all rights reserved.