In my opinion, gameplay is this sucker’s weakest point. For some reason, the transition from arcade to handheld just didn’t go very smoothly for
Metal Slug, and that’s a damn shame. The
MS arcade series had it all -- perfectly smooth and responsive control, decent replay value, incredibly innovative weapons and settings, and a wonderful sense of humor. Unfortunately,
MS: FM seems to be carrying very little of the legacy laid down by its predecessors; the controls are sluggish, the weapons are boring and limited, there’s almost no humor to be found in the game whatsoever, and although I hate to say this, I’ve beaten the game twice now and I never want to play it again. Needless to say, replay value ain’t a biggie with this one.
The game does have its good points, though -- the two vehicles you get to control from time to time (the Metal Slug and Slug Flyer) are a nice break from the monotony, and the game’s automatic save feature is a definite plus. This baby’s got 23 missions, and if I had to start from the beginning every time I turned my NGPC on, I’d never beat it! The game also introduces neat little alternative methods of completing levels (for example, if your Metal Slug explodes, you have to escape from Prison Camp; if your Slug Flyer is going down, you eject and parachute down, completing the mission on foot) which is certainly a welcome change.