Metal Slug 3

Metal Slug 3
Developer(s)	SNK
Publisher(s)	SNK
Platform(s)	Arcade, Neo Geo, PlayStation 2, Xbox, Xbox 360 (XBLA)[1]
Release date(s)	Neo-Geo: June 1, 2000 PS2: June 19, 2003 Xbox: May 25, 2004 XBLA: January 2, 2008
Genre(s)	Run and gun
Mode(s)	Single player, 2 player Co-op
Rating(s)	CERO: B (Ages 12+) ESRB: Teen OFLC: M15 PEGI: 12+
Input methods	8-way Joystick, 3 Buttons
Cabinet	Upright
Arcade system	Neo-Geo (708 Mbit cartridge)
Display	Raster, 304 x 224 pixels (Horizontal), 4096 colors

Metal Slug 3 (メタルスラッグ 3, Metaru Suraggu Surī^?) is a run and gun video game for the Neo-Geo console/arcade platform created by SNK that was released in 2000 and is the sequel to Metal Slug 2. Being the last Metal Slug that SNK was working on until the bankruptcy, it was given a lot of features, enhancements and improvements.^{[citation needed]} The music of the game was developed by Noise Factory.[2] The game was ported to the PlayStation 2 and Xbox. The game was also released for the Wii, PSP, and PS2 as part of the Metal Slug Anthology.

Story

The rebellion orchestrated by General Morden to bring about a new global regime is now ancient history, and order and peace has begun to return to the world. Morden, brought back into power, was attempting another coup d'état, but government forces got wind of the plot beforehand and pre-empted the impending assault.

Instrumental in squashing Morden's rebel forces, Marco and Tarma of the Peregrine Falcon Strike Force are ordered to lead the team after their earlier requests for resignation were denied. Although General Morden has been written off as "missing" by his followers, they have hidden themselves throughout the world, and Marco and Tarma's abilities and experience are seen as a necessity to destroy remaining rebel strongholds, one by one. Throughout the furious fighting against the holdouts, Marco and Tarma cannot help but suspect Morden's involvement in this new evil plan for world domination.

Meanwhile, the SPARROWS, a special strike force within the government intelligence agency, have come across a series of strange events running parallel to the Peregrine's pursuit of General Morden. From trivial abductions of livestock to the disappearance of government officials and the appearance of freakishly large creatures, numerous occurrences with nothing in common point to one grim possibility. General Morden is not the only menace to worry about. Eventually it is learned that the alien menace that appeared in Metal Slug 2/Metal Slug X have returned. After defeating what appears to be General Morden, it turns to really be an alien in disguise, while the real Morden was their prisoner (again). The aliens abduct the character the player uses, and another character takes his/her place. Once again, an ad-hoc alliance is formed to combat the external threat, with Rebel Army supplying a rocket ship that allows the player to break into the aliens' mothership. After a long battle throughout the ship's interior, mothership starts to collapse from all the damage. The player manages to escape, but is confronted by the aliens' leader, Rootmars, when falling through the Earth's atmosphere. Rootmars is defeated and is left for dead in the ocean.

Gameplay

The gameplay mechanics are the same as previous Metal Slug games. New for Metal Slug 3, however, is the branching path system; in most missions, there are forking paths for the player to choose from, each with their own obstacles, and of varying length and difficulty. All paths eventually lead to the same boss battle, but the player may have different equipment, and may have rescued more or fewer hostages depending on their choices.

In addition to the mummy form from Metal Slug 2/X, other forms are taken by the player in various circumstances:

• When doused with infectious material, the player becomes a zombie. While medication is available to reverse the effect, the zombified player can make use of a devastating vomit attack that covers most of the forward area. The player cannot crouch, jump high, or make use of heavy weaponry or vehicles, but is immune to any attacks from the Rebels (except the zombified Rebels).
• Underwater, the player equips a SCUBA apparatus with a bubble helmet. Rather than grenades, the player uses a bomb-launching system. The ordnance is affected by gravity, but not so much by water.
• Should the player lose their air vehicle, they rely on a backup jet pack. They can fire seeking missiles from the pack.
• Without the Astro Slug, the player also depends on a jet pack, as well as a breathing apparatus (but not a spacesuit, curiously). Explosives are contained in the pack, when fired it explodes in a massive fireball.

While no new weapons were added, Metal Slug 3 contains new vehicles for player use:

• The Slug Mariner gives some added firepower for those underwater. It fires high-mass rounds which sink to the bottom, as well as torpedoes.
• The Elephant Slug is a hulking elephant strapped with a Vulcan cannon. By picking up a Battery or a Chili Pepper, the elephant can fire a bolt of lightning or a fireball from its trunk, respectively.
• The Ostrich Slug is reminiscent of the Camel Slug. It is even faster, can jump farther, and can turn around. (However, doing so makes the rider momentarily vulnerable to enemy fire.)
• The lv Rebel Armor is a Rebel-produced vehicle, but can be captured and used by the player. It comes equipped with a heavy machine gun, which is interchangeable with other handheld weapons. (Unlike the Slugs, the Rebel Armor's main armament has limited ammo.) It also has a grenade launcher, a melee claw attack, and jump jets. The other player can stand on top of the Rebel Armor, and can receive a boost to extreme heights.
• The Slug Copter appears along with the Slug Flyer in the airborne portion of the Final Mission. Its Vulcan cannon can fire in all directions, unlike the Flyer. It is also armed with gravity bombs.
• The Astro Slug is used jointly by the players and the Rebel forces, when it is revealed that General Morden is missing. Booster rockets carry it into space, where the player makes use of its weaponry. Like the Rebel Armor, the Astro Slug can make use of infantry weapons through ports on its sides. It fires rockets as a secondary weapon.

Console extras

On the console versions, ported by Playmore, once the arcade mode has been beaten, there are two additional mini-games: 'Storming the UFO Mothership' and 'Fat Island'.

Storming the UFO Mothership

This mode allows the player to control one of the soldiers of General Morden, to rescue fellow soldiers and attack the UFO forces. The player can choose between the Riot Shield Soldier, Bazooka Soldier, and Grenade Soldier. The player is given a single life; this is balanced by the number of reinforcements from fellow soldiers. Only one player can play on Storming the UFO Mothership. There is no two-player mode.

Fat Island

Two players compete to gain the most weight in a limited amount of time by eating various foods. They start out with 100kg and must finish with 200. If players lose enough weight, they will return to normal size and then to a mummy state.

Xbox 360

At the 2007 Tokyo Game Show, it was confirmed that Metal Slug 3 would be released on Xbox Live Arcade on January 2, 2008 for 800 Microsoft Points ($10 USD). The game features updated graphics and co-op online gameplay, but it does not include the extra modes from the PS2 and Xbox releases.^[1]

Trivia

Lists of miscellaneous information should be avoided. Please relocate any relevant information into appropriate sections or articles. (March 2008)

• The music used for mission one of Metal Slug 3 is a remix of the music used in mission one of Metal Slug.
• Many of the prisoners' names are actually the names of the developers and producers of the Metal Slug series.
• In 2005, SNKPlaymore USA attempted to release Metal Slug for the PS2, however SCEA rejected the game due to making a stand-alone game with a standard price tag. (At that time, SCEA believed that 2D games should not be sold for $40-$50 dollars).
• This is the last game of the series to be developed by the same team who have developed the first three titles (including Metal Slug X), also known as Nazca Corporation. Their only non-Metal Slug title for the Neo Geo would be Neo Turf Masters, their first title.

References

External links

• Metal Slug 3 at the Killer List of Videogames
• Metal Slug 3 at MobyGames
• Metal Slug 3 at GameFAQs
• Metal Slug 3 at Neo-Geo.com (reviews) 1 2 3
• Official Metal Slug 3 Xbox.com page