Metal Slug

When asked to name something hard one might suggest Mr. T or the Incredible Hulk. What you don't know is that there is nothing harder on this Earth than the video game Metal Slug. It is honestly one of the most punishing arcade experiences of my life.

Obviously it's designed to be this way since it prompts the player to feed more and more coins into the machine. It took me 41 continues to finish the entire game, that would work out at over $10 if I was spending quarters.

Why would anyone play such a difficult game? How about because Metal Slug is bursting at the seams with action and humor. Along with Turrican and Midnight Resistance it's one of the best side-scrolling, run and gun shoot-em-ups ever. Watching things blow up has never been so much fun.

But you'll be getting blisters pretty damn fast on the tips of your fingers.

This game spelt the beginning of one of the greatest run and gun arcade series ever created.

Here's the story: In the year 2028, General Donald Morden seeks to lead his rebel army against the Regular Army and establish a totalitarian dictatorship. In response Captain Marco Rossi and Lieutenant Tarma Roving from the Peregrine Falcon Strike Force are dispatched to use new Metal Slugs to battle and defeat the rebels.

The gameplay follows the same side-scrolling shooting formula of Contra, R-Type, and Gradius. Your default weapons are a handgun and grenades, but you can wield a heavy machine gun, rocket launcher, and flameshot. You'll also have access to the titular Metal Slug, a one-man tank armed with a cannon and machine guns. The games combat is fast-paced and relies not only on accuracy and speed but enemy memorization and maneuvering, because just one hit will kill your character, so dodging projectiles and timing your jumps and movements can mean the difference between life and death, especially for those looking to beat your high score by collecting as many POWs as you can.

You'll traverse 6 gorgeous looking stages stretching from the jungles of Vietnam to snowy valleys in Europe fighting a steady stream of rebel infantry and vehicles including trucks, tanks, planes, and helicopters. At the end you'll fight a boss and eventually confront Morden himself.

The animation is beautiful and fluid, with hand-drawn levels and backgrounds. Plus, the sprites are very unique and some of the best looking I've seen in a 90s arcade game. The sound effects are intense and awesome, ranging from gunfire, to explosions, to the screams of dying enemies you'd expect in a shoot-em up' game. The graphics and animation were great for the time, with water splashes, blood spurts from enemies, explosions and flying smoldering debris from destroyed vehicles and buildings.

The music was excellent. The triumphant sounding "Mission Complete" fanfare really filled you with a strong feeling of victory that got better with each new installment.

Any true 90s kid who loved arcade games has definitely played this, me included. Even today, it's enjoyable and available on Steam.

By 1996 SNK was in real trouble and looked like they were going to have no money left. They pushed out two last titles, and one of them was Metal Slug. Neither were expected to do well but Metal Slug was a surprise mega hit.

It's not hard to see why. The game is very addictive and there are plenty of weapons, levels, things to shoot etc.

The attention to detail in the graphics is beautiful, for a game released in 1996 the graphics were excellent. The sound track was also excellent, I especially like the tune to the second level.

And with a 2 player mode this is one of the best shooting games ever made. And most of the arcade sequels are even better.