Metal Slug: Anthology review (PlayStation 2)

Let's spare a moment to think of Metal Slug. During the 90's when 2D side-scrolling shooters were the talk of the town, Metal Slug reigned supreme with distinctly superior graphics, gameplay and overall feel. It's a rarity to be able to talk of a game so grandly, but Metal Slug's slice of action was a particularly arousing treat, and to mark 10 years of the shining force, SNK has crammed all seven (yes, seven) MS games onto one disc ready for you to cram it into your PS2 with feelings akin to gleeful nostalgia.

A feeling very much deserved, no doubt. Although MS games are from a time long gone, the series ages well, but navigating a path already traveled isn't the only appealing element for this anthology - the games are simply still good.

Gun Ho-ly Crap!

With a hefty amount of weaponry, your obligations are self-explanatory when faced with a mass of combatants. When gaming technology was pale in comparison to today's, this formula was awe-inspiring in simplicity, and, especially with Metal Slug, sheer intensity. Level after level of endless action was the sole perpetrator of many aching hands, but the quality of the journey meant one was quick to subscribe to the pain. While this form of torture was seen elsewhere in games such as Gun Star Heroes, Metal Slug was always a cut above the rest with absurdly meticulous 2D visuals, a somewhat tongue-in-cheek sense of humor and vehicular combat that served to enunciate an already poignant experience.

Who's Got the Metal?

Just how MS became so favourable is no doubt due to its high quality design, not just visually, but in level dynamic and enemy attack methods - all bringing some form of innovation to the table. At the start of the game(s), the player is given a choice of two characters - increasing to six in the later games. The selection of player has no bearing on the game itself since all can obtain and use the same weapons and vehicles as well as perform the same jumps and maneuvers. This renders the process as little more than trivial preference at the start, but towards the later games, the selection is wider and grounded more in differing characteristics such as starting weapons.

CONTINUE?

It's a difficult choice to make, especially if you're somewhat of a newbie to the MS franchise, because ultimately your choice makes little to no bearing on your performance. Which, if I'm honest, isn't that much of a surprise or disappointment when faced with a challenge such as this one. I've been playing MS games for a long time, but evidently, in the gap between the fifth outing and this anthology, the grinding difficulty evaded me. As the player you are treated to some varying difficulty settings – the best of which gives you infinite retries, but it still has to be said that MS is ludicrously difficult at times. Although generic combat is of reasonable difficulty, the real challenge comes apparent during boss fights. I'm not sure what the guys at SNK expect of its consumers, but judging by the quarter-millimeter escape routes, it's something along the lines of super-human. Those easily frustrated should keep a safe distance, I'm afraid, because it's not uncommon, with grenades, rockets, bullets and lasers flying about, to die every 20 or 30 seconds if you're left with the average human reflexes like so many of us.

Metal Sluggish

As I've mentioned, though, the game remains fun if you don't feel bad about using infinite retries to slog your way through - 'slog' being the operative word there. While the action is nigh on unstoppable, the introduction of loading screens has a slight tempering effect. They are, of course, far lesser than those on the PSP version, but it's still a noticeable pause. To add insult to injury, some firmly distinct slow-down was present during a handful of boss fights, and while this is expected on, say, an arcade version of the game, I had greater expectations for the PS2 handling sprite-based gaming. Can't win 'em all, though.

In regards to sound effects and music, MS:A delivers what I can only classify as appropriate. There's never really any noticeably distinct audio and it's hard to compliment or decry this fact purely because a change would infringe on the nostalgia. But it is, overall, a fair contribution to the action.

Mission Complete

All in all, though, there is very little to fault Metal Slug: Anthology. Big guns, big vehicles and some colossal enemies is a combination that seldom comes under serious scrutiny, and of all the big platforming shooters out there, Metal Slug owns the field. Meticulous care and experience is woven deeply into each and every game, and in spite of its age, having all seven games on one disc is nothing short of a compliment to your collection.