Metal Slug [GBA]

SNK showed off a few of its upcoming titles recently, right in the middle of the Game Developer's Conference in San Jose, California. Among them was a port of the original Metal Slug for the GBA. SNK decided not to fiddle with the formula, opting for a faithful recreation of the arcade classic. According to developers, everything's the same - nothing has been added or removed. Even without any extras, that's a whole lot of slug to stuff in your pocket. But hey, it'll fit just fine.

The title marks the 10-year anniversary of the arcade original, which appeared on the Neo-Geo MVS platform. Obviously, the game made quite an impression with audiences worldwide and became an instant hit. So now, there's two Metal Slug games coming out, one for the PSP and the other for the Nintendo GBA. But the PSP iteration isn't the topic of discussion today - it's the port of the original for the GBA.

Fans know the Metal Slug series stands on three pillars of goodness. They are, in no particular order, wicked-cool hand-drawn animation, frenetic action and humor. But for the uninitiated, just know players take control of a soldier in two-dimensional, sidescrolling battlefields chock full of tanks, helicopters and other weapons of war. Each iteration in the long-running franchise turned things up a notch in terms of presentation, but the gameplay remained largely unchanged.

As previously mentioned, there's a whole lot of game to contend with in MSC. Developers promise a perfect port with each title, too, and from an early playtest it certainly seems that way. While still very early in development, the title shows a lot of promise, particularly for those looking for 2D action. Slowdown was indeed apparent, as were a few other graphical glitches, but it's nothing a little development time can't fix.

As far as the action goes, however, things are decidedly 1996. And in this case, that's a very good thing. You'll still spend a majority of your time blasting enemy troops and vehicles. The environments boast a fair bit of destructibility as well, and it's still rewarding finding that specific barrel or shack that'd bring down the entire screen. And, just as before, you'll need to save POWs scattered about every stage. Your weapons are also upgradeable, just as before. In short, it's Metal Slug.

As previously stated, the game is still early in development, so there's plenty of time to patch things up. But it looks as though SNK intends to serve fans another dose of arcade-perfect Slug.

Stay tuned for more.

©2006-03-24, IGN Entertainment, Inc. All Rights Reserved