Metal Slug Anthology
Posted January 9, 2007
The packaging for Metal Slug Anthology states that it contains the seven best military action games. This is a relatively bold claim, especially considering that Metal Slug X is just a revamped version of Metal Slug 2 with extra weapons and a little variation in boss battles. Despite some grandiose claims, the Anthology does offer a relatively fun experience that is sure to appeal to longstanding fans of the arcade series as well as gamers that simply enjoy side-scrolling shooters in the vein of the original Contra series.
Gameplay:
As with most 2D arcade shooters, Metal Slug games can be boiled down to shooting things and jumping to avoid being shot. Metal Slug Anthology for the Wii contains all six of the full entries in the series, along with Metal Slug X. As you progress through the games, you encounter a wide array of enemies, including soldiers, robots, tanks, planes, cult members, zombies, mummies, crustaceans and, of course, aliens. Presumably, the fate of the world depends upon your ability to blow all of these nefarious beings to bits.
When playing an entry in the Metal Slug series, it becomes glaringly obvious that these games were designed to suck quarters out of your pocket at the arcade. They consistently put you in situations that are nearly impossible to escape from and even the most seasoned veterans are probably going to be dying quite a bit. In fact, playing through all of the games at the arcade for a quarter per credit would probably cost about as much as purchasing the Anthology. That said, the ability to use a limitless number of continues ensures that gamers of all skill levels can play through every game in the series without encountering too much frustration.
SNK PLAYMORE claims that Metal Slug Anthology contains ‘arcade-perfect ports’ of every game in the series. While I have never played any of the arcade versions, their claim certainly feels true. Each of the games consists of non-stop action, full of cartoonish violence, exaggerated weaponry and a healthy sense of humor.
While the gameplay itself is exceedingly simple fun, the release of Metal Slug Anthology on the Wii has allowed for some innovation in terms of controlling the action on the screen. The game includes a plethora of options in this regard, with left and right hand configurations for most of them. The results are mixed at best.
There has been quite a bit of curiosity as to whether the Wii Remote and Nunchuk will truly enhance gameplay or merely be used as an inconsequential novelty. While several games have demonstrated that the former is possible, most players will likely feel that Metal Slug Anthology falls squarely into the gimmick camp.
For several of the new control schemes, the player holds the Wii Remote in both hands, somewhat emulating a classic NES controller. This makes it somewhat awkward to access the b button and tilting the controller left or right to make a character move is far less intuitive than it initially sounds. An arcade configuration that lets players hold the Wii Remote upright, as if gripping a joystick, also fails. While a creative idea, trying to emulate a joystick motion with a controller that is not attached to any sort of base gets old very quickly.
The best Wii control option basically consists of using the Wii Remote and Nunchuk as a two-piece version of a more traditional controller. A flick of the Wii Remote lobs a grenade, but all other functions are mapped to buttons. Even though this scheme is fairly effective, many players will likely be grateful that a Gamecube controller option is available as well. It is also worth noting that during cooperative play, both players can choose their own preferred control scheme utilizing any combination of Wii Remotes and Gamecube controllers.
Metal Slug Anthology attempts to provide some replay value through a gallery of unlockable content, but it fails to offer much as a reward for your efforts. Unless you really like seeing sketches of concept art or being able to listen to music from the game from a generic menu screen, the gallery is going to hold minimal appeal. An interview with several of those responsible for developing the Metal Slug games had the potential to be interesting. Unfortunately, the interview contains no video and is instead a text file that must be slowly scrolled through. On the bright side, the games in the series are fun enough that those who enjoy them will not require extra motivation to revisit them from time to time.
Graphics:
When I first started playing Metal Slug Anthology, I was quite surprised by how horrible it looked. I actually played through the first four titles in the series before realizing that the game does not support a 16x9 display and my tv was stretching the image horizontally. Strangely enough, the instruction booklet contains a screenshot showing a menu for changing the display options, but apparently this was left out of the final product.
With my television adjusted to display the proper 4:3 ratio, the game looked much better, but it is far from impressive. The original Metal Slug was released in 1996 and there have been extremely minimal improvements to the graphics of any game in the series. The games maintain a fun look and the graphics are not bad enough to hamper gameplay, but they do pretty much look like a decade-old arcade game.
Audio:
The audio for Metal Slug Anthology is exactly what one would expect from an arcade port. Music consists primarily of short loops of wailing guitars and upbeat synthesizers. Sound effects include a whole lot of shooting and explosions. Dialog, if you can call it that, is pretty much limited to people you save saying ‘Thank you’ and the game’s narrator calling out the name of the guns you acquire. The audio is completely serviceable for what it is, but there were quite a few times I found myself missing the Xbox 360’s ability to replace in-game music with songs from a hard drive.
Overall:
Metal Slug Anthology is not without its share of weaknesses. While ‘classic’ graphics are expected on the Wii’s Virtual Console entries, it seems like a $40 game should probably look a bit less dated. Most of the schemes taking advantage of the Wii Remote and Nunchuck’s capabilities feel like cheap gimmicks that are tough to use effectively. In spite of these flaws, the game remains quite a bit of fun and gamers who like side-scrolling shooters will likely feel that Metal Slug Anthology provides them with their money’s worth.
Gameplay:
As with most 2D arcade shooters, Metal Slug games can be boiled down to shooting things and jumping to avoid being shot. Metal Slug Anthology for the Wii contains all six of the full entries in the series, along with Metal Slug X. As you progress through the games, you encounter a wide array of enemies, including soldiers, robots, tanks, planes, cult members, zombies, mummies, crustaceans and, of course, aliens. Presumably, the fate of the world depends upon your ability to blow all of these nefarious beings to bits.
When playing an entry in the Metal Slug series, it becomes glaringly obvious that these games were designed to suck quarters out of your pocket at the arcade. They consistently put you in situations that are nearly impossible to escape from and even the most seasoned veterans are probably going to be dying quite a bit. In fact, playing through all of the games at the arcade for a quarter per credit would probably cost about as much as purchasing the Anthology. That said, the ability to use a limitless number of continues ensures that gamers of all skill levels can play through every game in the series without encountering too much frustration.
SNK PLAYMORE claims that Metal Slug Anthology contains ‘arcade-perfect ports’ of every game in the series. While I have never played any of the arcade versions, their claim certainly feels true. Each of the games consists of non-stop action, full of cartoonish violence, exaggerated weaponry and a healthy sense of humor.
While the gameplay itself is exceedingly simple fun, the release of Metal Slug Anthology on the Wii has allowed for some innovation in terms of controlling the action on the screen. The game includes a plethora of options in this regard, with left and right hand configurations for most of them. The results are mixed at best.
There has been quite a bit of curiosity as to whether the Wii Remote and Nunchuk will truly enhance gameplay or merely be used as an inconsequential novelty. While several games have demonstrated that the former is possible, most players will likely feel that Metal Slug Anthology falls squarely into the gimmick camp.
For several of the new control schemes, the player holds the Wii Remote in both hands, somewhat emulating a classic NES controller. This makes it somewhat awkward to access the b button and tilting the controller left or right to make a character move is far less intuitive than it initially sounds. An arcade configuration that lets players hold the Wii Remote upright, as if gripping a joystick, also fails. While a creative idea, trying to emulate a joystick motion with a controller that is not attached to any sort of base gets old very quickly.
The best Wii control option basically consists of using the Wii Remote and Nunchuk as a two-piece version of a more traditional controller. A flick of the Wii Remote lobs a grenade, but all other functions are mapped to buttons. Even though this scheme is fairly effective, many players will likely be grateful that a Gamecube controller option is available as well. It is also worth noting that during cooperative play, both players can choose their own preferred control scheme utilizing any combination of Wii Remotes and Gamecube controllers.
Metal Slug Anthology attempts to provide some replay value through a gallery of unlockable content, but it fails to offer much as a reward for your efforts. Unless you really like seeing sketches of concept art or being able to listen to music from the game from a generic menu screen, the gallery is going to hold minimal appeal. An interview with several of those responsible for developing the Metal Slug games had the potential to be interesting. Unfortunately, the interview contains no video and is instead a text file that must be slowly scrolled through. On the bright side, the games in the series are fun enough that those who enjoy them will not require extra motivation to revisit them from time to time.
Graphics:
When I first started playing Metal Slug Anthology, I was quite surprised by how horrible it looked. I actually played through the first four titles in the series before realizing that the game does not support a 16x9 display and my tv was stretching the image horizontally. Strangely enough, the instruction booklet contains a screenshot showing a menu for changing the display options, but apparently this was left out of the final product.
With my television adjusted to display the proper 4:3 ratio, the game looked much better, but it is far from impressive. The original Metal Slug was released in 1996 and there have been extremely minimal improvements to the graphics of any game in the series. The games maintain a fun look and the graphics are not bad enough to hamper gameplay, but they do pretty much look like a decade-old arcade game.
Audio:
The audio for Metal Slug Anthology is exactly what one would expect from an arcade port. Music consists primarily of short loops of wailing guitars and upbeat synthesizers. Sound effects include a whole lot of shooting and explosions. Dialog, if you can call it that, is pretty much limited to people you save saying ‘Thank you’ and the game’s narrator calling out the name of the guns you acquire. The audio is completely serviceable for what it is, but there were quite a few times I found myself missing the Xbox 360’s ability to replace in-game music with songs from a hard drive.
Overall:
Metal Slug Anthology is not without its share of weaknesses. While ‘classic’ graphics are expected on the Wii’s Virtual Console entries, it seems like a $40 game should probably look a bit less dated. Most of the schemes taking advantage of the Wii Remote and Nunchuck’s capabilities feel like cheap gimmicks that are tough to use effectively. In spite of these flaws, the game remains quite a bit of fun and gamers who like side-scrolling shooters will likely feel that Metal Slug Anthology provides them with their money’s worth.