Do you love the smell of napalm in the morning? Do you stand in the mirror practicing your war face?
Do you and the members of your platoon wear full metal jackets while making your great escape from the enemy at the gates, only to find out your letters from Iwo Jima were sent to Hamburger Hill by a deer hunter because you failed to comply with his demand of apocalypse now?
If so, SNK Playmore’s got a game that’s good for what ails you.
The “Metal Slug Anthology” for PSP jams so much action and carnage into one package that Action Jackson himself would be in disbelief. Wanton violence and destruction literally cover every inch of the screen as gamers battle their way through colourful 2D levels.
The anthology, which contains seven different Slug games, thrives on the simplest, most primal of gameplay philosophies – if it moves, kill it. And what gloriously violent gameplay it is – blood bursts out of every bullet wound and enemies frantically run around on fire as war planes drop bombs from the sky. If I weren’t so damned manly, I would cry at the site of all this beautiful action.
The “Metal Slug” games provide a sick rush that’s so over-the-top hilarious, it’s almost as if SNK threw Contra into a blender with Itchy & Scratchy.
And while the gameplay is still compelling some 10 years after the series first graced the Neo-Geo console, the difficulty has remained just as brutal as the on-screen chaos.
Now, before we go any further, let’s get one thing straight – I am no wuss when it comes to gaming. I’ve laughed in the face of some of the tougher console games. “Final Fantasy Tactics?” piece of cake! “Devil May Cry 3?” like a slow Tuesday for me. Hell, I even blew through “God of War II” in four days, while working full-time.
But to this day, “Metal Slug” remains one of the most difficult videogame franchises I’ve ever played. One hit is all it takes to kill your character and avoiding damage is quite the challenge when enemy projectiles literally fill up the entire screen.
If you are the type of person to get easily flustered, stay away from the “Metal Slug Anthology” because it will eat you and your entire family for breakfast and pass you all by lunch.
Perhaps realizing how tough the Anthology is, SNK has allowed players to chose between a limited and unlimited amount of continues. Though gameplay remains difficult either way, choosing unlimited continues trumps the challenge of “Metal Slug,” which is vital to the whole experience.
See, this is why I hate invincibility codes – what’s the point of playing if you can’t lose? While you may see all the sights a game has to offer, you never really experience any of them.
So suck it up, Princess, and resist the urge to blow though just so you can unlock all the bonus materials. You will thank me later.
Though newer or easily frustrated gamers may want to take a pass, “Metal Slug Anthology” is perfect for the gamer who loves their action violent, 2D and insanely difficult.
WHAM! Rating: |
8.5 out of 10 |
ESRB Rating: |
T (Teen) |
Official Web Site: |
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