Metal Slug (Neo Geo AES) Playthrough - NintendoComplete
215A playthrough of Nazca's 1996 run-and-gun shooter for the SNK Neo Geo AES, Super Vehicle-001: Metal Slug.
Played through on the normal difficulty level.
Super Vehicle 001: Metal Slug was one of the most successful games on the Neo Geo platform, and it started off what was to become one of the longest running key series on SNK's hardware through the 90s and beyond.
It's quite a simple premise - it plays somewhat like a true 2D Contra might have been like if Konami had kept away from 3D in the 32-bit era. Eight-way shooting, hordes of enemies chasing at you, weapon pick-ups - all of it is familiar. It also throws in knife attacks for CQC situations, grenades, and drivable tanks with huge cannons equipped to tear through the semi-destructable environments. There are POWs to rescue, secret items to uncover, and with a whole load of sight gags to keep things humorous throughout.
The gameplay mechanics are excellent - they controls are far less stiff than in Contra, and far more reliable and solid than in Cyber-Lip. It feels surprisingly similar to In The Hunt, an Irem submarine shoot-em-up that was made by many of the same people who would go on to form Nazca.
The graphics are amazing for 1996, featuring tons of detail animation flooding the screen nonstop. Even though slowdown does happen in spots, it rarely gets in the way of the action, and I always felt it was a worthwhile tradeoff for how good the game looks. The environments look fantastic whether they're intact or exploding, and the variety of animation brings the enemies to life - they'll often be talking or goofing with one another when you roll up on them, and their panicked screaming as they run in fear never gets old. There's a ton of variety for how many times you'll shoot the same little green uniformed men. The bosses aren't quite as impressive and creative, but a couple of them do create some sweet set-pieces.
The sound is fantastic here too - the constant bursts of gunfire, explosions, and screams sound good, and they're balanced so as not to drown out the super-dramatic music. I thoroughly approve of the excessive use of orchestra hits, as well. You can never have too many orchestra hits.
Later games greatly improved on the original in just about every way, but that doesn't change how special of a game the first Metal Slug was. It's not the best one, but that doesnt make it any less of an essential play.
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No cheats were used during the recording of this video.
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