Fun, But Tedious
posted by Hubris (AUSTIN, TX) Jan 8, 2007
Member since Dec 2006
The interesting thing about Metal Slug is the difference between playing the game in an arcade cabinet and playing it on a console, in this instance the Nintendo Wii. Metal Slug stands as one of the more difficult arcade shoot-em-ups, with heavy level memorization necessary for survival as well as twitch reactions. The difference when playing the game on the Wii is that you don't have to pay quarters for lives; the game is set on "Free Play," meaning that the moment you die you merely respawn exactly where you were. This is a double-edged sword, as it eliminates a certain frustration about the game's sometimes cheap level design, but it also exposes just how simple and tedious the run and gun gameplay can get at times. Furthermore, while there are nominally seven games on this disc, there is little differentiate the titles save for how creative the level designs are (4 and 5 are rather boring efforts on this front, while 1-3 are consistently amusing and unexpected.) This is exposed even further when one of the games, Metal Slug X, is just a "remix" of Metal Slug 2; granted, MSX is the better version, but it begs the question of why include both? Metal Slug 2 has known slow down problems, one of the main reasons X was created in the first place. The only game that dramatically shakes up the game-play dynamic is 6, with it's dual-weapon wielding, but even this becomes somewhat tired eventually. Worth a look at for any die-hard Metal Slug fans, but also make sure you're playing with a friend, one way to really enhance the experience and extend your enjoyment of it. This is the very definition of a rental, and while possibly fun at parties, it probably won't get much play beyond the first run through all seven games.
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