Metal Slug 2

• Release Date: 1998
• Genre: Shooter
• Style: Platform Shooter
• Similar Games: Contra (Arcade), Metal Slug (Arcade)

Game Description

After seeing great success with Metal Slug, SNK could have taken its elements and shifted them around to produce a sequel that would have sold well on name alone. But instead, SNK has given the sequel the full treatment while staying true to the original's gameplay. Metal Slug 2 features more enemies, more animation sequences, and more vehicles.

Two playable characters have been added to the original's roster, bringing the list up to four for this game. Starting with one of these characters armed with a pistol and a stock of grenades, players must run through a series of 2D stages set in various environments shooting anything that moves and most things that don't. Along the way players will encounter friendly prisoners of war that can be freed, and some vehicles that can be boarded for more firepower.

Prisoners of war must be freed from their ropes by shooting or slashing them. After they're freed players can touch the prisoners to cause them to drop items, as well as to get the point bonus. Some of these items give the player more points, but most are weapons upgrades. Characters can upgrade their basic pistol to other weapons like rifles, flame guns, shotguns, and rocket launchers. These weapons have a limited amount of ammunition, and once expended return the character to using his or her default pistol. Occasionally prisoners of war also drop grenade resupplies for players to pick up. In rare instances a freed prisoner even joins the player for the rest of the level, hurling homing fireballs at enemies.

The Metal Slug tank from the first game is back, and this time around it's joined by several other vehicles all bearing the slug name and big guns. The vehicles range from the fairly standard airplane to the downright bizarre Camel Slug with rotating turrets. They're all capable of taking multiple shots before being destroyed, protecting the player inside in the meanwhile.

Roots & Influences

The first Metal Slug was influenced by Konami's classic shooter Contra in terms of gameplay, but had a very distinctive style all its own. Taking this style and running with it, SNK released Metal Slug 2.

Review: Overall

Metal Slug 2 gives players even more things to see and do, while retaining the first game's polished gameplay. The result is a game that's even better than the already-great original Metal Slug.

The game graphics are even better than in the first game, with even more high quality and very detailed animations going off everywhere. And they retain the characteristically over the top humor of the first game. Start shooting at an object and you'll see pieces blow off. Keep shooting and eventually the whole thing will explode in a frenzy of flying debris. The enemy soldiers all have different death animations depending on how you kill them. Shoot them with a shotgun and they'll disintegrate, hack them with a knife and they'll fall to their knees spurting blood. The facial animations are a bit more distinct in this game, and you can really see when the enemy soldiers get pissed off or get really scared. Everything that moves has been animated in an exaggerated fashion, making the game look as much like war as a cartoon.

Metal Slug 2 packs in some humorous animations for the player's characters as well. Mummies that spray purple mist from their mouths populate one level. When a mist spray catches a character he or she turns into a mummy, with very stiff and slow walking and jumping animations. Players must find a power up remedy to turn back into humans. In another stage players find a lot of food items piled in one area. If they get too greedy and pick up a lot of the food their characters turn fat and start waddling around like pigs. Their pistols even turn into funny looking cartoon guns that match the obese character drawings.

Unfortunately the slowdown that marred the first Metal Slug makes a return appearance in this game. When the screen fills up with explosions and moving soldiers the game slows down a bit. The slowdown isn't very pronounced and doesn't really affect gameplay, but it is noticeable. Metal Slug 2 is a very graphically intense game released on a system that's almost ten years old, so it's pushing the Neo Geo to its limits pretty hard. Still, it's a blemish on Metal Slug 2's otherwise great graphics.

The great sound effects from the first game are back, and are joined by some new sound clips. The explosions sound very realistic, and you'll never tire of hearing the various death screams as you systematically cut a swath through hordes of enemy soldiers. Metal Slug 2's music has been improved from the first game; now some of the tunes are quite catchy, and they all fit the gameplay very well.

The original game's great gameplay is one thing that hasn't changed at all in the sequel. Waves of enemy soldiers and vehicles continually attack you, keeping the game intense and interesting. Each level has a specific theme, and the enemies appearing no the levels fit the theme quite well. There's enough variety in enemy characters that you won't get bored of them, and the boss characters are especially interesting. All gamers who are even remotely interested in platform shooter gameplay should give Metal Slug 2 a try.

Review: Enjoyment

Simply great shooter gameplay, combined with hilarious animated sequences throughout

Review: Graphics

Incredible visuals well detailed and fluidly animated characters. Only the occasional slowdown keeps the graphics from being perfect

Review: Sound

Better sound than the first game, with more sound effects and catchier music

Review: Replay Value

Although the four characters don't play any differently, they have distinctly differently animations. The game also keeps you coming back with its intense gameplay.

Review: Documentation

Average documentation that does the job