The Metal Slug series is a classic side-scrolling shooter in the vein of Contra. It’s a satisfying blend of mega-violence and cartoon graphics, and the plot is always twisted weirdly to introduce some outlandish new enemy type. It has been ten years since the release of Metal Slug X (based on Metal Slug 2), hence the XX moniker. This iteration is based on Metal Slug 7, and this time it’s futuristic laser soldiers pouring out of a portal.
Graphics and gameplay: familiar but not fantastic
The main mission consists of seven stages. The sprites and animations are going to be familiar but previous entries in the series managed to have more interesting enemy types. You see, when using tanks in the conventional way proves fruitless, they start trying to drop the tanks on you. The background art lacks the thought and attention to detail I can remember from previous Slugs. Some of my enjoyment of the series has come from lovingly crafted backgrounds, and these seemed sparse and basic. The bosses, when they are good, are lavishly detailed and enormous. Sometimes you will fight on them, a hallmark of the series. When they are not good is when they are a copy of a previous boss or a stationary target with one attack.
Level designs are competent and throw in some platforming and other simple elements for good measure, but there are no branching paths and the game abandons many of the other innovations the series has experimented with over the years. You can’t lock the direction of your slug’s cannon, another minor but unnecessary inconvenience.
There is the standby arsenal of fun and sometimes wacky weapons. New in XX is the Tesla cannon, which fires an arcing bolt of electricity homing towards enemies. I nearly wept with joy when I saw that the best new feature of Metal Slug 6 was carried over: you can carry up to two weapon power-ups and still switch back to your pistol. I laughed when I saw the ostrich slug, and the portion spent playing a giant mech, raining down destruction was good fan service, but the rest of the slugs left me wishing for a sub or a plane.
Bargain bin depth doesn’t satisfy
The difficulty can be harsh. Even on beginner — when I was afforded a heavy machine gun with unlimited ammo — I probably burned through enough continues to pay for the game had I been playing with quarters. My first playthrough clocked in at just under 30 minutes. The 70 combat school missions add some replay value, but I was disappointed that they weren’t more original — they are just bite-sized segments of the levels, and your goals have little diversity. An ad hoc two-player mode is included, and it is worth mentioning that a bonus character is available through DLC, but these things aren’t enough to make up for the oversights. (Bonus Trivia: as a bonus for pre-ordering, Japanese customers received a pair of underwear)
I was left expecting just a bit more from XX when I compared it to its predecessors – this could explain its $20 price point. If you are a die-hard Metal Slug fan, the ability to play ad-hoc or hop into action against a boss immediately might be a draw, but if you are looking for a greater breadth of Metal Slug goodness for PSP, go with Metal Slug Anthology.
Metal Slug is awesome. It is one of my favorite old style games. Good review of the Metal Slug XX game.
Love the series, and had a blast with it on the DS (where it is released as Metal Slug 7), but it never felt like anyone loved making it. I am not surprised to hear about the same thing with the PSP release.
I’ve played a number of Metal Slug games, but I’ve never beaten a single one… I always run out of continues. This makes me want to pick up my old anthology for the xbox
Awww I was hoping for good things from this game..
may still try this out. The Metal Slug games have always been fun to play.
I’ve also never beaten one at all. I die a lot in the games, but most of them are still fun. It’s always fun to play with a friend.
way too short
I love the MS series. I had a blast with 4 & 5. Sad to hear you didnt like it though.
nice review. I’ll check this game out anyways when possible. I played the gamebody advanced version of Metal Slug on my DS, seemed pretty ok and fun :D
It is a fun game.
Nice little review.. I’ll have to try the game out myself. I’ve never actually completed a Metal Slug game, but I’ve played every one at some point, and they’ve all been fun.
I never even heard of this, it looks fantastic.
great game but still missing a few things