Retro Let's Play: Metal Slug Series (Nazca/SNK 1996 - 2000)

Retro Let's Play - May 2023:
Metal Slug 1 - 2/X - 3 (メタルスラッグ 1 - X - 3- Metaru Suraggu Surī)





What is Metal Slug?

Metal Slug: Super Vehicle SV-001



Metal Slug is a military-themed run and gun game set in the near future that centers around the fight between the Regular and Rebel Armies, with the former quickly losing ground and developing the state-of-the-art tank known as the Metal Slug.
When several of the newly-produced tanks fall into Rebel hands, Marco Rossi and Tarma Roving of the Peregrine Falcon Squad are deployed for a desperate counterattack. The mission: recapture the stolen vehicles and destroy the opposition!

Metal Slug: Super Vehicle SV-001 released for the NeoGeo MVS arcade system (April 2th 1990); developed in conjunction with Neo Turf Masters by NAZCA Corporation, independent subsidiary of SNK and a newly formed company by a group of employees originating from Irem's defunct development department.

Made from ex-Irem members (See In The Hunt & GunForce 2) and despite a troubled development it ended up releasing to great success and NAZCA being subsequently being acquired by SNK and the franchise is still alive 27 years later!

NAZCA headed by Yoshihiko Kodo (Former Irem executive and president of Nazca Corporation), Takashi Nishiyima (The Creator of Street Fighter!) They would have a talented team or programmers and composed of artists: Meeher (みぃはぁ), Akio Oyabu, Susumu, Kazuhiro "Max.D" Tanaka, Takeshi Okui.

After their disbandment in 2000 after the release of the 3rd Metal Slug the pedigree of this team would go on to different pastures, from Dimps,Squaresoft, Monolith games and even the CEO of PlatinumGames Atsushi Inaba



Why?
Because it's my birthday! There haven't been any Neo-Geo titles on the Retro Let's Play as yet so lets start this off with some gems. And it's one of the best run and gun series and some of the best 2D sprite work ever made!

I was lucky to grow up playing this series in the arcades in primary school and fell in love ever since!




How to play:

The Metal Slug series is available on all major platforms from Steam, Nintendo Switch eShop, Xbox, PlayStation (Heck even your phones!). For prime members their 'free' on the Amazon Games storefront from 1 - 4 as well if you have a subscription

If you're lucky to own a Neo-Geo MVS system that would work too, Also available on MiSTER for the purists out there.

I'll be doing a play through of the 'NAZCA' collection that they worked on from 1 - 3, with the main focus if you have to play just one will be the 3rd and final title that they worked on and arguably the best in the series. Feel free to join me if you can do a 1Credit Clear and post up your high scores (also for the previous ones in the series if you're that way inclined.

Also recommend Fightcade which i'll be doing a mix of where you can play them online with friends or randoms (Even OCAU members who want to do coop!) online with rollback netcode (but can be played solo through the app just fine via FBNEO which is extremely easy you just need to download Fightcade here, insert the JSON script in the main directory which you can get from here. Find the corresponding room for the Metal Slug title of choice - choose test game to setup your inputs and visual and sound preferences and you're good to go!

Longplay:




Feel free to ask any questions if you need help setting up or any tips we can all share enjoy and hopefully I don't end up like this come Monday morning after my birthday

"HEAVY MACHINEGUN!"

 

absolutely AWESOME!!!! Happy BIRTHDAY mate !!!!!

Great game, freaking awesome, def one of my fave all time shooters..

Theres a ....secret... too beaut writeup **lols at the Heavy Machinegun** barf..

 

Thanks mate! Hahaha man that pic gives me memories is that from 2/X? I remember it opening up to an alternate path I think?

 

Happy mate.



JSmith

 

I could totally use a 1-Up right now thank you!

 

Happy birthday! What a series. All aspects come as one for an ultimate experience.

Not a fan of arcade-style games myself, but experiencing metal slug for the first time was absolutely a memorable event in my gaming life.

 

oh yer! top choice. i play one and 2 all the time, some of the boss levels still kick my arse today and i cant beat them

Happy B'Day mate

 

Fuck yeah, great choice @Triaze

I have some leave coming up so will enjoy a bit of Metal Slug in between holiday activities.

 

What a classic. All of these are great. X is my personal jam, it's the main one my local arcade had growing up. Level 2 with the mummies is one of the top top top top best things ever - the design, music, atmosphere, the little secrets and techniques.

I also love 3, as the most bulked up packed out full on iteration. Another iconic Level 2, with the zombies. Dat music! Also notable is the whole 'In The Hunt'-style section with the submarine in Level 1.

I must say that I tend to enjoy the first halves of these games the most. It may just be my lack of finesse and skill, but by the latter halves I tend to get a bit fatigued and shot out (or out-shot??).

 

There’s a patch for metal slug 2 that fixes the slowdown.

 

Schwoit choice this month. I'm fortunate enough to have MS 1 through to X in MVS format, and I can play them on AES too via a hardware adapter or the DarkSoft cart. The last time I saw an original boxed AES MS1 sell, the final price was around $20K. Who knows what crazy figure it would be now.

 

Can we get some love for the only non metal slug game Nazca made, Neo Turf Masters. A truly incredible arcade game and I don't even like golf.

 

thats some gold right there

 

I won't post my Metal Slug MVS games because Adi's are much nicer, but I do have something Adi doesn't have. The POW bloomers that were a promotion for metal slug XX . If only I was as thin as a POW they would fit me.

 

I also have this book https://www.pixelcrib.com.au/products/metal-slug-the-ultimate-history It's absolutely gorgeous.

 

hows that book? are we talking coffee table thing? or is it too small for that? looks nice and glossy..

 

waiting on my 161 in 1 cart to arrive i also have this original on NeoGeo X, but its rather crap.

 

All of the Bitmap Books releases are quite substantial and absolutely superb quality - including the Metal Slug release. Last year I ordered a few books directly and made the mistake of going to collect the parcel on foot, on a hot summer's day. I didn't count on carrying an 7kg parcel the 2.5kms back from the parcel locker. The prices on them seems too low for what you get, given what money buys these days. 100% recommend Bitmap Books.

 

The book really is something Special

 

First time I played this was in the arcades, I fell in love with the animation style..completely different to pretty much anything else. They just seemed to have gotten it right. had no idea this was available on the playstation store though - going to grab it tonight.