Review: Metal Slug 3 (XBX)
Unlike the recently-released Metal Slug Advance (which was a newly-developed game), Metal Slug 3 is a port of the arcade classic that many feel is the best in the series - and it’s easy to see why. It truly captures the simple mechanics and trademark humour perfectly; in total you only perform four actions in the game - moving, shooting, jumping, and throwing grenades. What you will be using these actions to combat, however, varies greatly. One minute you’ll be blasting away at submarines underwater, the next you’ll be attacking giant mutated plants, and then perhaps you’ll be using a camel or ostrich to combat enemy troops (all the while earning more and more points for killing enemies and saving prisoners).
We mentioned that Metal Slug 3’s gameplay is simple, but that doesn’t mean it’s an easy game - in fact, far from it. You start with a limit of nine continues (each having between 3-5 lives, depending on the settings you’ve used). Expect to see these lives gobbled up, and hungrily. For example, on our first run-through, Gamestyle used up all of its continues by Level 3. However, to combat any outright frustration, SNK has allowed players to select previously completed levels when starting over - thus ensuring that easily-frustrated, and/or less skilled, players will have a chance of seeing the credits. Also, the game can be played co-operatively, so two people can battle through the entire game (making things more enjoyable, as well as easier).
Metal Slug 3 also features some new game modes: “UFO” and “Fat Island”. UFO casts you into the role of one of the game’s main adversaries - a World Army soldier. Here you’ll have to storm the UFO Mothership (from the final level of the game) and rescue your commander, General Morden. Fat Island is a variation of one of the main game’s little features; in story mode you collect food for points - collect too many and your character becomes fat (which slows you down a little, but at the same time “supersizes” your bullets for greater damage). Fat Island is basically a Survivor-style game where you kill and collect food until you ultimately expire - getting higher scores equals longer survival. The game also allows players to upload their best scores from the main game to an Xbox Live scoreboard. Though a nice enough option, it does leave Gamestyle feeling rather inadequate (have you SEEN the top score?! Christ-on-a-bike!).
Metal Slug 3 is a fun-but-difficult game that will bring a lot of joy for the nominal asking price (a mere £20). Despite being a grind, it won’t take very long to complete - indeed Gamestyle completed the game the day after we started playing. And, while going back to improve your scores can be habit-forming, it can prove monotonous, and we quickly found ourselves moving onto something else. The UFO and Fat Island sub-games aren’t something that will drag you back either, as they are really just condensed versions of the main action (and only the truly hardcore players will play long enough to get their scores onto the Xbox Live leaderboards). Admittedly, Gamestyle has returned to the game once or twice for a quick session of mindless mayhem.
Graphically, the game is superb for a 2D creation. All the sprites are incredibly well-animated - even the more limited ones, such as vehicles, fit in well with the cartoon style. And killing “human” opponents never gets old, as they are one of the main attractions; call Gamestyle sadistic but there’s few greater joys in gaming than watching a World Army soldier scream his lungs out as he dies a fiery death, thanks to our Molotov Cocktail (shaking and stirring not recommended). The game delivers solidly in the sound department too, as all of the samples blend perfectly with the on-screen action. The death cries of soldiers are music to our ears (and the in-game music isn’t bad either).
Metal Slug 3 is lots of fun, albeit difficult, but always good for a quick blast. Gamestyle recommends this game to anyone seeking a violent, explosive extravaganza of gaming mayhem. Don’t expect it to last forever, though, and your £20 will be well-spent
Rating: 8 / 10
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