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Metal
Slug X |
| Gamefan
review
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Believe it or not, there was a time where arcade and console games were not glorified for their 3D polygons or their flashy special effects. Go even further back, and you’ll find yourself in a time where there was no such thing as Street Fighter II *gasp! *. Yes, my young gamers, there was an era of gaming where your skill level was not based upon whether or not you could perform Guile’s "Re-dizzy Sonic Boom" combo, nor on the reward of dazzling FFVIII CG movies. Before any of this, games were played for two reasons: (1) To get the highest score, and (2) to beat the game, no matter how hard, on one credit. Both of these were measures of skill, something gamers today have little comprehension of. And while there are beautiful games of 3D polygon wizardry, fighting games that number in the hundreds, and those nifty PC Voodoo/ATI/3D-graphic-card-o-Justice games, none of them have that ol’
skool, hardcore feel as much as one game, Metal Slug X.
For those that have been living under a large rock deep in the Himalayas, Metal Slug X is the "upgrade" to Metal Slug 2, which is one of the GF staff’s favorite action titles of all time. Basically, the Slug series started when Contra dropped off the face of the Earth. So, in a sense, I guess you could say the series is sort of a rip-off of Contra, as you guide one of four different characters horizontally and vertically, across large, detailed stages - blowing EVERYTHING up. But what started as a game that only emulated Contra, became one of the few games left that truly define action. You’ll know what I mean when you see the gorgeous 2-D visual explosions which have no true competition in the world of video games.
There is little doubt that the series exists as one of the last hold-outs in a near-extinct genre. Not too many companies "waste" their time producing 2-D action games with gratuitous amounts of animation - but in my humble opinion, it’s "wasted" quite well in Metal Slug X, as the animation and art in this game have no peer in the near-dead genre. Everything in the game has animation, and I could go on about every movement of your character for hours on end. Like every Metal Slug before it, the artwork in this game is fantastic and original, kept in that comical-style that set the series apart from everything else. And while everyone can play this game, only the hardcore need apply when trying to beat it on one credit.
Playing and beating Metal Slug X isn’t hard at all, if you have five bucks on you, but that’s where the challenge is! Any novice can jump on the machine and play to their heart’s content, but can they get past the second boss that constantly climbs up a tower, which forces you to constantly jump up before getting crushed, all while shooting down at it, but moving carefully so you don’t get hit by its missiles? Oh, you can? Then, I doubt you can get to the third level boss, a mechanical spider complete with Vulcan cannon and Flame-thrower, and that’s only if you can get past the mid-level boss airplane that tosses tanks (yes, TANKS!) at you. Simply put, this ain’t a game where there are "safety" zones, you have to dodge everything the enemies throw at you, be it grenades, lasers, or even poisonous butterflies (damn those things). And as the saying goes, as you progress throughout each level, it only gets better and better.
Metal Slug X, as mentioned above, is an upgrade of Metal Slug 2. Now, while we here at GameFan couldn’t possibly think of what they could do to improve Metal Slug 2, there have been a few noticeable enhancements. Slowdown, which plagued MS 2, is barely seen in this game. More mid-bosses have been added, and zanier weapons (like the Iron Lizard, rockets on wheels!) have been included. Unfortunately, there aren’t any new vehicles to speak of, but that’s okay. All the changes they’ve made seem to come to an end during the very last level. Still, the improvements not only make Metal Slug X a better game, but make it a treasure to experience.
So, is this game perfect? No, not by any means. I wish they would’ve added a new vehicle, and perhaps varying strengths to the different characters. But whatcha got here is a game where both veteran, jaded gamers who mastered the "Pac-man paths," to the new, cocky youths who’ve mastered "infinite combos" can find some common ground. It’s incredibly sad that this is a genre which is now nearly extinct, but which everyone still both plays and enjoys. But I guess if video game companies started making too many Metal Slug clones, it wouldn’t be quite as treasured as it is.
-Dangohead
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