Say the words "Metal Slug" in a group of old-school gamers and more than a few eyes will light up. The franchise arguably perfected the run-and-gun formula begun on home consoles by the NES classic Contra. A soldier with a gun, running across the screen and shooting the bad guys, with increasingly more bombastic weapons. Simple yet effective, and fans loved it.
As the flagship title for SNK, one of the biggest developers of that era, Metal Slug holds an important place in the hearts of gamers everywhere. With 13 mainline titles in the series, the progression is fascinating to track from simple 2D side-scrolling shooter all the way to its only 3D entry.
Updated July 21, 2021 by Stephen LaGioia: Despite its crude retro style — and perhaps even because of it — the Metal Slug series has maintained a certain charm and appeal even after over two decades. It's hard not to be drawn in by the delightfully old-school pixel art and the frantic run-and-gun insanity. Though SNK has thus far mostly stuck with the "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" mantra regarding the series' formula, Leikir Studio and Dotemu look to venture into new territory with a roguelike RPG twist on the franchise, Metal Slug Tactics. Little is known about this anticipated release, but what is known is the timeless draw of this feverishly addictive sidescrolling shooter. With that said, it seemed appropriate to refresh this list and equip it with even more notable titles in the series.
14 Metal Slug Advance
Once upon a time, handheld gaming technology had lagged quite a bit behind its console and PC counterparts. This typically led to ports, spinoffs, and sequels that weren't always up to snuff. And while there are better options when it comes to Metal Slug, this '04 rendition by Dream Vision Games stands as a fairly underrated, overlooked portable shooter.
The game scarcely strays from the tried-and-true style of sidescrolling gunner action; a trait that most fans are likely to be fine with. It does include a couple of small additions though, with a more minor tweak in the form of a life bar replacing extra lives. The second is a bit more significant: a collectible card system, which can be scored from certain hostages and shooting obscured background parts. These obtainable cards vary in their use, ranging from player abilities and buffs to item and character information and even new slug unlocks.
13 Metal Slug 5
This entry offered more of the same run-and-gun action but stripped out a lot of the systems put in place by the games that came before. Nearly all the transformations were gone, there were no supernatural characters, and the medal system was removed as well.
The penalty for death was practically nonexistent, as ammo was refilled and damage inflicted was retained in boss fights. This led to grenade-spamming and very little difficulty to be found in a game that was already shorter than usual. Not the worst, but certainly not the best.
12 Metal Slug 3D
The only detour from the 2D roots of the game's lineage, Metal Slug 3D was released for PlayStation 2 in Japan but never came to the West. The graphics were nothing to write home about, and likely disappointing for both 2D and 3D adherents.
The idea of rankings was first introduced here, with the now typical S-Rank being the best. Semi-RPG elements such as skill points and Slug upgrades were introduced in Metal Slug 3D as well. The prevailing opinion was that this release was better than it was expected to be but just didn't feel like a Metal Slug game overall.
11 Metal Slug 2
Though this 1998 release for Neo Geo MVS tends to show its age with some brutal slowdown, it remains a classic relic of 2D action games, even if the "action" is often literally brought to a crawl by its performance issues.
Still, those who can get past these rough patches will find a pretty entertaining experience buried underneath. This sequel builds on the solid foundation of the original, while subtly sprinkling in some amusing details and features. With this game comes the introduction of avatar transformations, along with the fan-favorite SV-Camel, a Vulcan-laced animal that makes the experience all the more enjoyable.
10 Metal Slug 4
This 2002 iteration tends to get somewhat lost in the shuffle, being the first entry following SNK's bankruptcy, and crafted mostly independent of the company's reformation as Playmore. Still, Mega Enterprise and Noise Factory manage to come out with a bang here, proving they've got what it takes to keep this franchise chugging.
With that said, Metal Slug 4 certainly plays it safe, and there's little that can be considered innovative or even evolutionary; weird monkey transformations notwithstanding. It's one of the more chaotic, unforgivable entries too, though the inclusion of infinite continues tends to balance this out.
9 Metal Slug Anthology
The Anthology is the best way to play the first six games in the franchise on modern consoles. There are actually seven games included, as both Metal Slug 2 and Metal Slug X are part of the collection. Why anyone would want to play 2 with all of the slowdown issues is unclear, but collectors will be happy to have it.
Completionists and fans of the series will be excited for the carrot at the end of the stick. Defeating each game will give tokens that can be used to purchase galleries, music tracks, and other assorted goodies to enjoy. Unlimited continues were included to make the collection accessible even for those new to the rigors of classic gaming.
8 Metal Slug 6
The sixth installment of the series was an improvement over 4 and 5, but Metal Slug was starting to show its age a bit by this point. It offered some innovations on the original formula, giving a total of six playable characters and an Easy mode for beginners.
Two new systems appeared, one to allow two different gun upgrades at once, and a score multiplier system that rewarded kill streaks. It was also the first game to include button-combo techniques innovation, but this one probably gets a bump from fans due to a heavy dose of nostalgia.
7 Metal Slug 7
One of the four handheld-exclusive titles in the franchise, Metal Slug 7 offers a lot of fun over a short length. The only title to appear on the Nintendo DS. this entry is notable for using the second screen as a map to make navigation easier.
Metal Slug 7 utilized some of the same systems as the sixth game, keeping each player's unique characteristics, as well as the two-upgrade capability and score multiplier. It was unfortunately hurt by a lack of multiplayer options, though, and a very short length did nothing to help the value proposition.
6 Metal Slug: 1st Mission
This was the first attempt at making Metal Slug portable, and SNK came out of the gate firing. They simplified things from the console versions by offering just one playable character but gave gamers 17 missions with branching paths. There were only two Slugs on offer here, but just having a game of this caliber on a handheld device was revolutionary at the time.
The only knock on the game was that Metal Slug: 1st Mission didn't look quite as good as it could have. The developers had to program for the original and Color versions of the Neo Geo Pocket, and the overall graphical quality suffered a bit as a result.
5 Metal Slug: 2nd Mission
The second of what would become four handheld-only entries in the series, 2nd Mission is the best of them all. Unlike its predecessor, this one had the benefit of being designed exclusively for the Neo Geo Pocket Color, therefore it didn't have to accommodate the lesser hardware of SNK's original color-less handheld.
Featuring a massive 38 missions, the game had a branching structure that meant it could be beaten without even seeing some of the levels. Two playable characters (with a third being unlockable upon game completion), each with their own plots and exclusive weapons, and a total of three Slugs meant there was a ton of action built into a tiny package.
4 Metal Slug
While the PlayStation and N64 were the talk of the town in the mid-90s, Neo Geo MVS quietly carved out a name for itself, largely thanks to this breakout hit from SNK. It may seem a tad bare-bones these days, with the lack of diagonal firing with most weapons, for instance. Regardless, it's tough to deny the impact of this explosive debut; one that would lay the groundwork for one of the most renowned arcade franchises in gaming.
In a sense, it's the more basic design, minimal features, and old-school grittiness that makes this originator so uniquely appealing. Saddling up in the powerful Metal Slug tank for the first time is particularly exhilarating in this classic game. And despite its age, the charming sprite-based designs still hold up today.
3 Metal Slug: Super Vehicle-001
Released on SNK's own Neo Geo home console system, this is the one that started it all. Though it is simplistic even by its own later standards, the first Metal Slug created a template that is still being followed in the genre today. Like many games of the era, the story was secondary to the action, something to do with warring forces and an evil general. One or two players could take on the bad guys with two playable characters. The action scrolled left to right, as waves of enemies came at the player.
Starting with a simple pistol, the player liberated prisoners who then offered new weapons and power-ups to increase the carnage. The titular Metal Slug was a tank that appeared throughout each level, offering a cannon and powerful main gun with which to devastate the enemy. The game progressed through six different stages of gorgeous hand-drawn 2D backgrounds, which have grown more impressive with age as pixel graphics have come back in style.
2 Metal Slug X: Super Vehicle-001
When Metal Slug 2 was released in 1999, it had everything fans of the first game wanted. It also had an incredible amount of slowdown thanks to all the particles on the screen. Metal Slug X was the re-released version that fixed the slowdown and is considered the true version of the game. New Slug types were added, along with two new weapons for the soldiers and one for the original tank-like Slug. New types of enemies were brought into the mix as well, starting a supernatural theme that would persist through most of the series.
Those effects, called Transformations, included being drastically slowed by a hit taken from a mummy enemy, and a "Fat" transformation which increased the power of the player's attacks at the cost of movement speed. Additionally, two helper characters were introduced for the first time, fighting alongside the player or providing extra powerups. Six new levels set the stage for glorious mayhem and delighted fans everywhere.
1 Metal Slug 3
The third entry is widely regarded as the series' pinnacle, continuing the same intense run-and-gun action while adding several improvements. This is the first time players could take branching pathways through the game, with the opening four missions offering at least two paths each. Each path leads to the same final boss battle but varies in length, difficulty, and resources found in the form of prisoners and powerups encountered along the way.
Multiple new Slugs were added for this game, some of which coincide with the new level environments, namely underwater and outer space. There's even a jetpack which, should you be blasted out of the flying Slug, lets you get safely back to terra firma while launching missiles. There are only five levels on offer in Metal Slug 3, but with the branching pathways included, this is still the longest entry in the series on consoles. Even with the additions, it didn't so much change the formula as hone it to a razor's edge of perfection that is still beloved by fans today.