how many metal slug 1 aes carts are there

Amongst the army of enemy grunts, you’ll need to dodge a sequence of them rolling giant snowballs down a hill, whilst sinking their boats results in a mad scramble to bail water. Whilst the series would become more recognisable for its outlandish humour, the original carries a wonderful comedic undertone, with a range of little touches helping bring this very visual story to life. You’ll fall in love with the game within the first five minutes, playing like an animated cartoon that’s jam-packed with action and personality. Bullets and grenades are avoidable with quick reactions and playing through the game, learning how its levels unfold, proves extremely rewarding.įront-and-centre of the Metal Slug experience is its gorgeous visuals. One hit is all it takes to lose a life, but as arcade games go, Metal Slug is relatively forgiving. Enemies try every tactic in the book to surprise the player: hiding in the undergrowth, sniping from awkward spots, spring ing trap s, even parachuting in from the air. One level sees Marco scaling a perilous, snow-capped mountain ascent another has him at sea, tasked with fending off dive-bombing planes with a flak-cannon. But what a half hour! Whilst a lot of shooters pad their levels with recycled sequences and repeated attack patterns, Metal Slug keeps the player guessing with a breathless succession of tailor-made set-pieces.Ī test of your platforming, shooting and evasive skills, MS is sheer class from beginning to end. T he game co nsists of six brief but exciting stages amounting to around half an hour’s gameplay. War may be hell, but Marco’s got a huge grin plastered to his face, all the way through. This is immediately clear from the lead protagonist Marco Rossi, a classically square-jawed action beefcake with a dashing, trademark lock of hanging hair. It’s a superb shooter, one that doesn’t take itself at all seriously. Unsurprisingly, it wasn’t long before both developer and the series were snapped up by SNK. Metal Slug ’s debut was developed by Nazca Corporation, a largely obscure gathering of former Irem employees. It provided a timely reminder of how brilliant arcade games were to play, and how brilliant the Neo Geo was for playing them. Instantly recognisable for its sumptuous animated design, Metal Slug would establish itself as a cult favourite in the hearts and minds of gamers over the decade that followed. The original Metal Slug remains a gloriously silly run ‘n’ gun, specialising in non-stop action that’s punctuated by surreal, comedic flourishes. Whilst particularly revered for its services to the 2D beat ‘em up, a rguably the format’ s most distinctive title was still to arrive.

By 1996, the Neo Geo had well established itself as the luxury games console of choic e.

How many metal slug 1 aes carts are there