Together Retro: Metal Slug

[Flake]

X fixes slowdown in 2, right?

Correct . It changed a few other things, but it was mainly released to fix the huge slowdown issues.

Maybe I am just that terrible (I've already spent nearly "$70" getting through Metal Slug for TR and I am only thru Metal Slug 3), but I actually wouldn't mind some slow down.

Mostly what I noticed was the new weapons and different color schemes - like the first level happening at night instead of during the day.

[BoneSnapDeez]

Beat the first three games, which are the ones I have MVS carts of (thanks, chupon!).

Metal Slug - 1CC
Metal Slug 2 - 6-ish credits
Metal Slug 3 - you don't wanna know

I don't have part "X."

Of this initial trio, part one is by far the superior entry. Levels are well-designed and the game feels "fair" overall. Only wish I could play as Fio....

Part two has some crippling slowdown which makes is hard to gauge movement, especially jumps.

Part three...... They overdid things. Too hard, too chaotic, too much of a quarter muncher. The last level is absolutely absurd, takes about twenty minutes to complete. To think that this game was ported to the Xbox sans the ability to credit-feed makes me want to cry.

Am I done? I may take Advance for a spin. I've made it to the final boss in the past.

[ExedExes]

Metal Slug - 1CC

WUH?
HOW?
YOU?

Not a knock against you of course, but a 1cc in any MS game requires serious skill. You'd make a good player on the competitive circuit. We played this game in our latest IGBY from this year, the best score on the first Metal Slug was 2,535,780, which I'm sure was also a 1cc. Do you remember your score by any chance?

[BoneSnapDeez]

Don't remember my score. Can I view it on the memory card? I'll check it out later. I doubt it's an impressive score, I tend to miss tons of hostages.

I've played a lot of the first game on PS2, prior to this month. I'm generally not "good" at video games but there are a rare few that have really clicked with me. Contra, too. I can get through that one without getting hit.

[ExedExes]

I've played a lot of the first game on PS2, prior to this month. I'm generally not "good" at video games but there are a rare few that have really clicked with me. Contra, too. I can get through that one without getting hit.

Contra too? The arcade version? Hot damn, we did that in a competition too. The game loops I think, instead of actually ending.

[travis_stywall]

I just finished Metal Slug and I forgot how amazing and unforgiving this game was. It only took me 15 continues and the deaths started rolling in around the fourth mission where they started going crazy with the soldiers. Either way, I remember having a ton of fun with this as a kid, glad I got to experience, again.

My favorite parts would definitely have to be watching the bridges topple down on the final mission and watching the building collapse then watching the enemy soldiers fly towards the screen. Amazing!

[noiseredux]

first one is down with 12 continues. I find it odd and amazing that Bone is able to 1CC this bastard. Good on you, friend.

[Betagam7]

Started Metal Slug: Second Mission (NGPC) today.

Was having a rip roaring time with it until the frustration of one of the game's penultimate stages. it has a mine cart section with instadeaths if you don't choose the right path.
I wasted about 20 continues before I realised you could slow down the cart by pulling left and back and even then it was a frustrating exercise in guesswork because of the game's odd continue system.

For some reason, instead of giving you infinite credits you only have up to a maximum of 9 refillable credits (earned at the end of each stage) yet you can save at any point to continue.

This can leave you in an annoying predicament where you've saved with only 2 credits meaning that, while you can restart as many times as you like you have to allow the game to manually reset and jump past the intro and title screen every couple of credits.

It would have been much simpler just to allow unlimited credits as this system just makes it more annoying than challenging.

Anyway, I made it to the final level now! the :B: is close.

EDIT UPDATE:

Made it to the final boss now but he's a bugger. It's a giant missile that you need to beat over four seperate stages (at least that's how many I've gotten so far) The last part is tricky because the warhead is flying around everywhere and you only have limited big gun ammo so grenades become very important. I can reach this part without losing a life or continuing but then it murders me.
I'm guessing it's just a case of very carefully avoiding it while you pick it off from a distance.

Logically speaking, I'm not sure what the payoff to blasting away at a nuclear warhead is going to be though! Downer ending incoming?

SECOND EDIT:

Beat the final boss. I found out that saving does actually work for sub levels as well as the main missions so saved right before the final form and...found it very tough. By random exploration however i found a hidden grenade launcher that appears if you shoot in the right spot of the last room. The boss fell and I finished the game on Normal with CPT. Ranking with the male character. I'm now replaying as the woman who gets different power-ups and takes a sometimes different route to the end.

I like how, as with First Mission, failing a vehicle stage often leads to a quirky bonus stage such as rafting or even a jetpack.

The NGPC games really do have a lot of invention and replay value to see everything.

[retrosportsgamer]

I fired up Metal Slug on the NeoGeo Station for PS3 today. Forgot you can't credit feed here - you get four credits total (so drops to 3 when you start) with 3 lives each. You can adjust the # of lives to a max of 5. I kept it on normal with the reg lives and had a good run to the 3rd boss.

I just got a new laptop so thinking this is the right time to get the wireless 360 controller setup in place and play these on Steam also.

[retrosportsgamer]

As an aside, thought it was interesting that M2 did those Metal Slug / NeoGeo Station conversions. Same company that does the Sega 3D classics so well.