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| | Title:
Metal Slug 4 and 5 Bundle Pack
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System:
Xbox
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Genre:
Arcade
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Publisher:
SNK NeoGeo
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Developer:
SNK PLAYMORE
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Release:
8/16/2005
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Online:
No
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ESRB:
Teen (T)
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If I had to sum up Metal Slug 4 & 5 into just two words, they would definitely have to be "Intense Arcade". The game is bursting at it seams with action and there isn't a second where there are no bullets flying through the air, explosions, or some sort of massive machine coming straight for you. As you can obviously tell by the title, Metal Slug is not a new game and has been around for quite a while. The true arcade gameplay such as the sprite graphics and side-scrolling (the fact that you are always moving only left to right) has stayed throughout the entire series and this, although is a very old concept, sets it apart from so many other games out there today.
Gameplay
The game plays just how you would expect an arcade game to play. You can easily pick it up and begin playing. There are no detailed instructions, complicated button layouts, or deep story lines. It is just fun and simple gaming. There are a few different stages on each Metal Slug game and they have different types of environments, mostly different enemies, and you will usually get to use a number of different weapons on each stage. At any time throughout the game, a second player can jump in a help you out, this is definitely not mandatory, but adds a lot more fun to the game.
The number of weapons that you can use really helps to cut through the masses of enemies. When you first start a mission, or after you die, you are given a puny pistol and a few grenades. The grenades are great at taking out a number of enemies and lowering the health of bigger enemies but you have to conserver them. Special weapons are much more powerful and consist of things like rocket launchers, laser guns, RPGs, and other similar weaponry.
The slugs are the vehicles in the game and they put quite a bit of variety into the game. The vehicles in the game range from jumping tanks, to mechwarrior looking things, to submarines, to airplanes, and to just about other kind of vehicle you can think of. Most of the vehicles have a primary and secondary fire. The secondary fire is always more powerful and is usually something like a rocket or a large bomb. Your primary weapon will usually be some sort of fast shooting laser or gun.
One of the biggest let downs in the game is the length of the game. You can easily beat each Metal Slug (4 & 5) in about 40 minutes a piece. You can virtually have the entire game beaten, played with a friend or two, and compared your scores with people online, in about two or three days. Because of this, unless you are a die-hard arcade or Metal Slug fan, it would probably be best to just give this game a rent.
One of the biggest contributing factors to the speed at which you can beat the game is the fact that you have infinite continues and you never have to restart a stage. This can be viewed as both a good thing and a bad thing. It is great because many people were frustrated when they made it to the end of a huge level and some puny little enemy shot and killed them forcing them to do the entire huge and difficult stage completely from the beginning. With Metal Slug 4 & 5 this will never happen because once you waste all your lives, you get a continue which allows you to continue playing without starting over at all. The negative side to this is that there is really no difficulty or need to not die. Sure you won't get the highest score for not dieing a million times, but with no death limit you can power your way though the entire game and beat it in just minutes.
Graphics
Everyone should know that this game isn't trying to win the award for most realistic graphics ever. It is an arcade game, and it is keeping to that style. All the sprites are cartoon-like and blend well with the rest of the foreground and background. The character models and animations are done very well. Explosions, which happen all the time, look excellent, as does bullets, lasers, and bombs flying through the air. The vehicles look great and have nice animations as well. Overall, the graphics are not anything astonishing, but rather keeping it to the simple arcade style that a lot of people enjoy.
Sound
Similar to the graphics the sound and background music in the game fit the overall theme and style of the game. It is fast, upbeat, and intense, just like the action all around the player. Although the audio part of the game is quite nice it is nothing to get exciting about. It is great but just above average when compared to other similar games. There is also a nice transition between music such as when you approach a boss, or move into a creepier type of level the background music will fit the mood of the level well.
Overall
Even though there are two games packed into one for a retail price of just $40, this is still a squeeze for the money. Both games are extremely short and can be beaten easily in about 40 minutes each. Although you can play the missions over and over again and with another player, it doesn't really make up for how short the games really are. If you are fan of the Metal Slug series, or just like playing arcade games, you will definitely enjoy Metal Slug 4 & 5. If you are looking for something new besides the latest first person shooter, you will find that it isn't worth your money and you would have been better off renting it. However, despite its extreme shortness the game is a classic and it always fun to pick up and play every now and then.
| The Core Score |
Overall
7 |
| Fun |
|
8 |
| Gameplay |
|
8 |
| Graphics |
|
7 |
| Audio |
|
7 |
| Replay |
|
5 |
|
| | | |
