Review: Metal Slug Anthology (PS2)

Surely not? For some it will be a revelation that it's been ten years and seven titles since Metal Slug arrived with a bang on the Neo Geo system. Either it seems like yesterday they pumped their first 20p into the machine, or they'll hardly believe that anyone could squeeze so much out life out of a 2D shooter at the wrong end of the 90s. With ostensibly arcade-perfect conversions of the earlier Slug titles and the all-new Metal Slug 6, it's certainly comprehensive, at the very least, elderly or not.

Surprisingly, even the early titles haven't aged too badly. The magnificently fluid animation is still intact, every frame dripping the amount of personality that most modern titles are only beginning to achieve. It's evocative stuff. For anyone whose childhood is sprinkled with the giddy promise of 330 Mega Pro Spec and implausibly high hi-score tables, it'll provide fond memories. Indeed, it's hard to see why anyone but hardcore arcade fans or the intolerably cheap would find themselves considering this title for purchase, which is a shame given its notable legacy. Its execution lacks, however.

The absence of any sort of 60Hz mode and the presence of those all-too-familiar PAL conversion borders mar the fun somewhat, and the obligatory infinite credits option allows those unattainable scores to be reached and every game cleared within a day's solid play. These failings still provide little to complain about. Even the addition of loading times - unavoidable given the shift from ROM cartridge to DVD - are mostly forgivable, the imperfections of the port seeming beside the point when the titles underneath are so brilliantly executed.

From killer aliens to an evil Nazi-inspired general via mummies, Middle Eastern stereotypes and zombie attacks, your average Metal Slug raises more eye-brows in a single two-hour play-through than most top-selling titles will do in a twenty-hour drudge. A simple two-attack system should allow everyone (bar Great Aunt Edith) an easy entry - the old easy-to-learn, difficult-to-master chestnut in full effect. Taken in small doses, this anthology is the perfect antidote to the next generation blues afflicting many a gamer - who needs anything more than two buttons and a stick to have fun?

Metal Slug 3 is arguably the best example of the series’ pedigree. Released in 1999 to minimal fanfare during the unstoppable hype-wave of the PlayStation 2 and the Dreamcast's brief ascendancy, it surely represents the franchise's pinnacle. Building upon the Metal Slug trademarks of comically over-the-top violence, massive fire-power and balanced, compulsive gameplay, it adds a self-referential humour and almost perfects the pacing of its already superb predecessors. Though still difficult in the extreme (short of an afternoon of pumping pound coins into an old cabinet, this is possibly the first time many gamers will stand any chance of clearing the title at all), it pushes all the right old-school buttons.

Metal Slug 1, 2, and X (the second title's tweaked remake) are also excellent in their own right, and their inclusion alone makes this budget package a must-buy for arcade fans. The forth title, developed by Korean studio Mega Enterprise, lacks the same pizzazz as previous titles, and is altogether too easy by comparison. The final two titles do make up somewhat, with more impressive graphics and even more refined gameplay, but never really reach the peaks of those first three titles. It's hard to be overly negative, however, when they still remain such magnificently good fun to play.

And that is your lot - seven games, one a remake, and very little else. While scoreboards can be saved to memory card, and the limited option settings carry across between titles, there are only a suite of unlockable and hardly extensive art galleries, and one text-only interview with the original developers to add additional meat to the package. Given how the series began with a mere handful of artists, programmers and designers, and spawned a massive following internationally, the lack of a serious retrospective seems rather slight.

Perhaps it's symptomatic of the state of modern game pricing that, even at £15, there's still a slight tinge of doubt over whether this series of niche ports can justify its RRP. While comfortably the most playable version of the release available (compared to the Wii edition's clunkily implemented tilt controls or the PSP edition's epic load times), it still isn't quite the perfect Metal Slug release some would have hoped for, and it's doubtful it will take SNK long to work out the value of releasing the series in definitive, online co-op ready form on the PlayStation Store and Xbox Live. Still, you would be hard-pressed to find a cheaper way to indulge your nostalgic streak, and few people deserve to live their lives without experiencing the giddy thrills on offer here.

Rating: 7 / 10

Words by Colin Whiteside