Metal Slug series
Encyclopedia
Metal Slug is a series of run and gun video games first released on Neo-Geo
arcade machines and game consoles created by SNK
. It was also ported
to other consoles
, such as the Sega Saturn
, the PlayStation
, the Neo-Geo Pocket Color and more recently, the Game Boy Advance
, PlayStation 2
, PlayStation Portable
, Xbox
, Xbox 360
and Nintendo DS
. There is also an anthology of the first seven games in the main series (including Metal Slug X) available for the Wii
, PlayStation Portable
, and PlayStation 2
.
The player starts with only a simple pistol, as the game progresses the player picks up new weapons. The player can only carry one weapon at the time, when a new weapon is found it replaces the old one. Similarly, when the ammo
runs out, the player reverts to using the handgun. A new system was implemented with Metal Slug 6
allowing players to carry two larger weapons and switch between them as well as the default pistol.
The SV-001 or Metal Slug
is the main vehicle of the Metal Slug franchise. It is a small, cartoonish silver-gray tank
(SV is short for "Super Vehicle"). The tank is armed with one cannon
and twin vulcan cannons. The vehicle can jump and crouch. Crouching opens a hatch on the top of the tank through which grenades can be thrown. The grenades are independent of the cannon's ammo system. The vehicle can run over infantry and perform a suicide attack, with the driver jumping clear and the tank ramming into and exploding upon the target. The vehicle can take three direct hits before it is destroyed. The enemy chaser variant has a shield that must be destroyed before the vehicle can be destroyed. It is propelled by caterpillar
treads. Over time, these specifications changed into any vehicle armed with a vulcan cannon and a cannon variant suited to the role of the vehicle, and propelled suitably for that vehicle's environment. In Metal Slug 6 (and the home version of Metal Slug X, 3, 4, 5), Tarma can lock the vulcan cannons into one position and fire continuously. The "slug gunner" is considered the epitome of slug evolution.
threat to Earth (the Mars People), as well as several other supernatural
threats including yeti
s, zombie
s, ambulatory Venus flytraps, giant crabs, and mummies
. Outlandish elements were removed from the fourth game to return to the feel of the original title, which resulted in poor critical and commercial reception. The fifth moved to the motif of modern guerrilla warfare, leaving only traces of the series signature quirky humor and paranormal enemies (except for the final boss). Metal Slug 6 returned to the plot of the first three installments, bringing back Morden's Rebel Army and the Mars People. Metal Slug 7 has less outlandish elements with the Mars People replaced by an alternative universe of Morden's Army with futuristic equipment and weapons
/Ikari Warriors
characters Ralf Jones
and Clark Still appear in Metal Slug 6, released for the Atomiswave
hardware in February 2006
. They are also playable characters (along with the downloadable character Leona Heidern) in the latest installment, Metal Slug 7
.
Marco Rossi
Tarma Roving
Eri Kasamoto
Fiolina Germi
Trevor Spacey
Nadia Cassel
Allen O'Neil
Mars People
General Morden
which have very similar graphics and gameplay. GunForce
(1991) and In the Hunt
(1993) had noticeably similar gameplay, with graphics that have a slight resemblance to Metal Slug. Gunforce 2 (1994), another title by Irem, had a similar gameplay as Metal Slug. Because of this, some fans refer to Gunforce 2 as "Metal Slug Zero".
Some of the stock sound effects from Irem titles were used in the Metal Slug games. The art style is done by Meeher and the music is composed by Hiya!. They worked on Undercover Cops
before forming Nazca.
However, the first 3 titles were developed by the Nazca team before SNK declared bankruptcy.
It is believed that composer Takushi Hiyamuta (Hiya!) was a designer for Sammy Corporation
's Metal Slug-style arcade title, Dolphin Blue, when his name was displayed during the ending credits.
After Playmore retained intellectual rights to all SNK titles, the characters Trevor and Nadia no longer appear in future installments because they were created by the Korean-based Mega Enterprise.
Neo Geo (console)
The is a cartridge-based arcade and home video game system released on July 1, 1991 by Japanese game company SNK. Being in the Fourth generation of Gaming, it was the first console in the former Neo Geo family, which only lived through the 1990s...
arcade machines and game consoles created by SNK
SNK Playmore
SNK Playmore Corporation is a Japanese video game hardware and software company. SNK is an acronym of , which was SNK's original name. The company's legal and trading name became SNK in 1986....
. It was also ported
Porting
In computer science, porting is the process of adapting software so that an executable program can be created for a computing environment that is different from the one for which it was originally designed...
to other consoles
Video game console
A video game console is an interactive entertainment computer or customized computer system that produces a video display signal which can be used with a display device to display a video game...
, such as the Sega Saturn
Sega Saturn
The is a 32-bit fifth-generation video game console that was first released by Sega on November 22, 1994 in Japan, May 11, 1995 in North America, and July 8, 1995 in Europe...
, the PlayStation
PlayStation
The is a 32-bit fifth-generation video game console first released by Sony Computer Entertainment in Japan on December 3, .The PlayStation was the first of the PlayStation series of consoles and handheld game devices. The PlayStation 2 was the console's successor in 2000...
, the Neo-Geo Pocket Color and more recently, the Game Boy Advance
Game Boy Advance
The is a 32-bit handheld video game console developed, manufactured, and marketed by Nintendo. It is the successor to the Game Boy Color. It was released in Japan on March 21, 2001; in North America on June 11, 2001; in Australia and Europe on June 22, 2001; and in the People's Republic of China...
, PlayStation 2
PlayStation 2
The PlayStation 2 is a sixth-generation video game console manufactured by Sony as part of the PlayStation series. Its development was announced in March 1999 and it was first released on March 4, 2000, in Japan...
, PlayStation Portable
PlayStation Portable
The is a handheld game console manufactured and marketed by Sony Corporation Development of the console was announced during E3 2003, and it was unveiled on , 2004, at a Sony press conference before E3 2004...
, Xbox
Xbox
The Xbox is a sixth-generation video game console manufactured by Microsoft. It was released on November 15, 2001 in North America, February 22, 2002 in Japan, and March 14, 2002 in Australia and Europe and is the predecessor to the Xbox 360. It was Microsoft's first foray into the gaming console...
, Xbox 360
Xbox 360
The Xbox 360 is the second video game console produced by Microsoft and the successor to the Xbox. The Xbox 360 competes with Sony's PlayStation 3 and Nintendo's Wii as part of the seventh generation of video game consoles...
and Nintendo DS
Nintendo DS
The is a portable game console produced by Nintendo, first released on November 21, 2004. A distinctive feature of the system is the presence of two separate LCD screens, the lower of which is a touchscreen, encompassed within a clamshell design, similar to the Game Boy Advance SP...
. There is also an anthology of the first seven games in the main series (including Metal Slug X) available for the Wii
Wii
The Wii is a home video game console released by Nintendo on November 19, 2006. As a seventh-generation console, the Wii primarily competes with Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Sony's PlayStation 3. Nintendo states that its console targets a broader demographic than that of the two others...
, PlayStation Portable
PlayStation Portable
The is a handheld game console manufactured and marketed by Sony Corporation Development of the console was announced during E3 2003, and it was unveiled on , 2004, at a Sony press conference before E3 2004...
, and PlayStation 2
PlayStation 2
The PlayStation 2 is a sixth-generation video game console manufactured by Sony as part of the PlayStation series. Its development was announced in March 1999 and it was first released on March 4, 2000, in Japan...
.
Gameplay
The gameplay of the series is characteristic of run and gun games: large numbers of enemies and a player character with extremely powerful weapons. In most run and guns, contact with an enemy leads to annihilation. In this series, however, contact results in the opportunity to perform a melee attack and the opportunity for the enemy to perform a melee attack of his own if he has one. The player's melee attack is also much stronger than most shots. This leads to the ability for the player to run in and use melee attacks to take down a number of troops, and the ability to quickly defeat enemies that can take plenty of damage like the mummies in Metal Slug 2.The player starts with only a simple pistol, as the game progresses the player picks up new weapons. The player can only carry one weapon at the time, when a new weapon is found it replaces the old one. Similarly, when the ammo
Ammunition
Ammunition is a generic term derived from the French language la munition which embraced all material used for war , but which in time came to refer specifically to gunpowder and artillery. The collective term for all types of ammunition is munitions...
runs out, the player reverts to using the handgun. A new system was implemented with Metal Slug 6
Metal Slug 6
is a run and gun video game for the Sammy Atomiswave arcade platform in the Metal Slug series. It was released in 2006. There was a PS2 port on September 14, 2006...
allowing players to carry two larger weapons and switch between them as well as the default pistol.
The SV-001 or Metal Slug
Metal Slug
is a run and gun video game for the Neo-Geo console/arcade platform developed by Nazca Corporation and published by SNK. It was originally released in 1996 for the MVS arcade platform. The game is widely known for its sense of humor, fluid hand-drawn animation, and fast paced two-player action...
is the main vehicle of the Metal Slug franchise. It is a small, cartoonish silver-gray tank
Tank
A tank is a tracked, armoured fighting vehicle designed for front-line combat which combines operational mobility, tactical offensive, and defensive capabilities...
(SV is short for "Super Vehicle"). The tank is armed with one cannon
Cannon
A cannon is any piece of artillery that uses gunpowder or other usually explosive-based propellents to launch a projectile. Cannon vary in caliber, range, mobility, rate of fire, angle of fire, and firepower; different forms of cannon combine and balance these attributes in varying degrees,...
and twin vulcan cannons. The vehicle can jump and crouch. Crouching opens a hatch on the top of the tank through which grenades can be thrown. The grenades are independent of the cannon's ammo system. The vehicle can run over infantry and perform a suicide attack, with the driver jumping clear and the tank ramming into and exploding upon the target. The vehicle can take three direct hits before it is destroyed. The enemy chaser variant has a shield that must be destroyed before the vehicle can be destroyed. It is propelled by caterpillar
Caterpillar
Caterpillars are the larval form of members of the order Lepidoptera . They are mostly herbivorous in food habit, although some species are insectivorous. Caterpillars are voracious feeders and many of them are considered to be pests in agriculture...
treads. Over time, these specifications changed into any vehicle armed with a vulcan cannon and a cannon variant suited to the role of the vehicle, and propelled suitably for that vehicle's environment. In Metal Slug 6 (and the home version of Metal Slug X, 3, 4, 5), Tarma can lock the vulcan cannons into one position and fire continuously. The "slug gunner" is considered the epitome of slug evolution.
Setting
The first game's story involved the Peregrine Falcon (PF) Squad, a small but skilled team of soldiers serving under the Regular Army's special operations division, who fight against the army of General Donald Morden in order to prevent a massive coup d'état and the creation of a New World Order under General Morden. Later games featured characters from the Sparrows Unit, which is under the control of the Regular Army's intelligence division. In the games following the first, the PF Squad also battles an alienExtraterrestrial life in popular culture
In popular cultures, "extraterrestrials" are life forms — especially intelligent life forms— that are of extraterrestrial origin .-Historical ideas:-Pre-modern:...
threat to Earth (the Mars People), as well as several other supernatural
Supernatural
The supernatural or is that which is not subject to the laws of nature, or more figuratively, that which is said to exist above and beyond nature...
threats including yeti
Yeti
The Yeti or Abominable Snowman is an ape-like cryptid said to inhabit the Himalayan region of Nepal, and Tibet. The names Yeti and Meh-Teh are commonly used by the people indigenous to the region, and are part of their history and mythology...
s, zombie
Zombie
Zombie is a term used to denote an animated corpse brought back to life by mystical means such as witchcraft. The term is often figuratively applied to describe a hypnotized person bereft of consciousness and self-awareness, yet ambulant and able to respond to surrounding stimuli...
s, ambulatory Venus flytraps, giant crabs, and mummies
Mummy
A mummy is a body, human or animal, whose skin and organs have been preserved by either intentional or incidental exposure to chemicals, extreme coldness , very low humidity, or lack of air when bodies are submerged in bogs, so that the recovered body will not decay further if kept in cool and dry...
. Outlandish elements were removed from the fourth game to return to the feel of the original title, which resulted in poor critical and commercial reception. The fifth moved to the motif of modern guerrilla warfare, leaving only traces of the series signature quirky humor and paranormal enemies (except for the final boss). Metal Slug 6 returned to the plot of the first three installments, bringing back Morden's Rebel Army and the Mars People. Metal Slug 7 has less outlandish elements with the Mars People replaced by an alternative universe of Morden's Army with futuristic equipment and weapons
Characters
Marco Rossi and Tarma Roving were the first playable characters, but each was reserved solely to the first and second player, respectively. In the second installment, Eri Kasamoto and Fiolina "Fio" Germi were added to the cast. These four are considered by fans to be the quintessential Metal Slug team. In the fourth game, Nadia Cassel and Trevor Spacey made their debut, replacing Eri and Tarma, respectively, but have not returned for later games. Eri and Tarma returned in the fifth game. The Game Boy Advance edition of the game features two new characters specific to that title: PF squad trainees Walter Ryan and Tyra Elson. King of FightersKing of Fighters
, officially abbreviated KOF, is a series of fighting games by SNK Playmore . The series was originally developed for SNK's Neo Geo MVS arcade hardware, which served as the main platform for the series until 2004, when SNK retired the MVS in favor of the Atomiswave arcade board...
/Ikari Warriors
Ikari Warriors
Ikari Warriors is a 1986 arcade game by SNK, published in the United States and Europe by Tradewest. Known simply as in Japan, this was SNK's first major breakthrough US release and became something of a classic. The game was released at the time when there were many Commando clones on the market...
characters Ralf Jones
Ralf Jones
is a video game character created by SNK Playmore . Ralf has made appearance in several games from the company, premiering in TNK III as a military tank driver. The Ikari Warriors series also emphasized Ralf's role as a soldier with him becoming the partner of Clark Still...
and Clark Still appear in Metal Slug 6, released for the Atomiswave
Atomiswave
The Atomiswave is a custom arcade system board and cabinet from Sammy Corporation. It is based on Sega's NAOMI system board...
hardware in February 2006
2006 in video gaming
-Events:* January 26, 2006 -- Nintendo announces its newly redesigned handheld, the Nintendo DS Lite. The new model is lighter, smaller, has configurable brightness and features an improved user interface.* January 26, 2006 -- Konami Corp...
. They are also playable characters (along with the downloadable character Leona Heidern) in the latest installment, Metal Slug 7
Metal Slug 7
is a run and gun video game developed by SNK Playmore for the Nintendo DS. It is the eighth title in the main Metal Slug series. It was announced in the September 2007 issue of Famitsu and marks the first game in the main series that will be released without an arcade version...
.
Marco Rossi
- Voiced by: Eric Summerer
- His full name is Marchrius Dennis Rossi. He is the main character and protagonist of the series, and has appeared in all the titles (except for Metal Slug AdvanceMetal Slug AdvanceMetal Slug Advance is a run and gun video game for the Game Boy Advance handheld system created by SNK Playmore in 2004, and is canon to the Metal Slug series...
). He comes from the United States and has ItalianItalian peopleThe Italian people are an ethnic group that share a common Italian culture, ancestry and speak the Italian language as a mother tongue. Within Italy, Italians are defined by citizenship, regardless of ancestry or country of residence , and are distinguished from people...
ancestry. Born in IdahoIdahoIdaho is a state in the Rocky Mountain area of the United States. The state's largest city and capital is Boise. Residents are called "Idahoans". Idaho was admitted to the Union on July 3, 1890, as the 43rd state....
, Marco is a computer expert who particularly enjoys writing computer viruses and programs; one virus he wrote managed to penetrate all of the US Military's defenses and nearly caused the launch of nuclear missiles. Marco graduated from Military's Special Technologies college and went on to serve in the Peregrine Falcon Special Forces Squad (PF Squad), starting in Metal Slug as First LieutenantLieutenantA lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer in many nations' armed forces. Typically, the rank of lieutenant in naval usage, while still a junior officer rank, is senior to the army rank...
. As of Metal Slug 6, he is a MajorMajorMajor is a rank of commissioned officer, with corresponding ranks existing in almost every military in the world.When used unhyphenated, in conjunction with no other indicator of rank, the term refers to the rank just senior to that of an Army captain and just below the rank of lieutenant colonel. ...
. Marco is a gentle man but capable of falling into uncontrollable rages; the series' villain General Morden (who is responsible for the deaths of dozens of Marco's friends and colleagues in the PF Squad) will trigger these if he is even so much as mentioned.
- Marco also appears in Neo Geo Battle ColiseumNeo Geo Battle ColiseumNeoGeo Battle Coliseum is a 2 on 2 tag team fighting game for the Atomiswave arcade board. The game features characters from several SNK and ADK titles. The PlayStation 2 version of the game has been released in Japan, North America and Europe...
, being the first time he is seen in a fighting game. In the history of this game, Marco joins to Battle Coliseum tournament to once again stop General Morden, who's now financed by WAREZ Corporation to make new plans to conquer the world.
Tarma Roving
- Voiced by: Dan McComas
- His full name is Tarmicle Roving III. Born the son of a distinguished soldier in HokkaidōHokkaido, formerly known as Ezo, Yezo, Yeso, or Yesso, is Japan's second largest island; it is also the largest and northernmost of Japan's 47 prefectural-level subdivisions. The Tsugaru Strait separates Hokkaido from Honshu, although the two islands are connected by the underwater railway Seikan Tunnel...
, Japan, Tarma joined the army's training college for special tactics and combat straight out of Junior High. When he was 20, he rescued the president and used this to get himself transferred to the Peregrine Falcon Squad (PF Squad). He fought alongside his best friend Marco Rossi in the Great War, leading to his promotion as Captain.
- Tarma is an expert motorcycleMotorcycleA motorcycle is a single-track, two-wheeled motor vehicle. Motorcycles vary considerably depending on the task for which they are designed, such as long distance travel, navigating congested urban traffic, cruising, sport and racing, or off-road conditions.Motorcycles are one of the most...
engineer and builds custom bikes for fun in his spare time. He had intended to retire and set up a shop, but his requests for a discharge from the military have always been denied.
Eri Kasamoto
- Voiced by: Susanna Fera
- Eri is an orphanOrphanAn orphan is a child permanently bereaved of or abandoned by his or her parents. In common usage, only a child who has lost both parents is called an orphan...
, abandoned on the steps of a church. Once she was matureMaturity (psychological)Maturity is a psychological term used to indicate how a person responds to the circumstances or environment in an appropriate manner. This response is generally learned rather than instinctive, and is not determined by one's age...
enough, she fled the church and became a leader of street kids. The Intelligence Agency of the Government Forces noticed her combat skills and recruited her. She went on to receive special spySPYSPY is a three-letter acronym that may refer to:* SPY , ticker symbol for Standard & Poor's Depositary Receipts* SPY , a satirical monthly, trademarked all-caps* SPY , airport code for San Pédro, Côte d'Ivoire...
training for those with special talent and successfully completed a number of missions as a first rate agentEspionageEspionage or spying involves an individual obtaining information that is considered secret or confidential without the permission of the holder of the information. Espionage is inherently clandestine, lest the legitimate holder of the information change plans or take other countermeasures once it...
. But Eri, weary from the series of missions involving assassinations and plots that took a hard toll on her conscience, requested to be transferred to the Special Ops Squad S.P.A.R.R.O.W.S. Her request, which normally would go ignored, was specially granted given her achievements and superior abilities. For her efforts in suppressing Morden's second coup d'étatCoup d'étatA coup d'état state, literally: strike/blow of state)—also known as a coup, putsch, and overthrow—is the sudden, extrajudicial deposition of a government, usually by a small group of the existing state establishment—typically the military—to replace the deposed government with another body; either...
, she received a promotion to sergeantSergeantSergeant is a rank used in some form by most militaries, police forces, and other uniformed organizations around the world. Its origins are the Latin serviens, "one who serves", through the French term Sergent....
second-class.
Fiolina Germi
- Voiced by: Melissa Ex
- Fio is the only daughter of a wealthy Italian family. After she was born, her mother was unable to have any more children, making Fio the first heiress in the history of her family, as she had no older siblings. Throughout the generations, the Germi family has made a tradition of sending their eldest child into the military; Fio upholds this tradition willingly, though she has aspirations of becoming a doctor someday, having studied chiropracticChiropracticChiropractic is a health care profession concerned with the diagnosis, treatment and prevention of disorders of the neuromusculoskeletal system and the effects of these disorders on general health. It is generally categorized as complementary and alternative medicine...
s, acupunctureAcupunctureAcupuncture is a type of alternative medicine that treats patients by insertion and manipulation of solid, generally thin needles in the body....
, and moxibustionMoxibustionMoxibustion is a traditional Chinese medicine therapy using moxa, or mugwort herb. It plays an important role in the traditional medical systems of China, Japan, Korea, Vietnam, Tibet, and Mongolia. Suppliers usually age the mugwort and grind it up to a fluff; practitioners burn the fluff or...
in college. Fio is a Master SergeantMaster SergeantA master sergeant is the military rank for a senior non-commissioned officer in some armed forces.-Israel Defense Forces:Rav samal rishoninsignia IDF...
of the Intelligence Agency's S.P.A.R.R.O.W.S, which serves as a special forcesSpecial forcesSpecial forces, or special operations forces are terms used to describe elite military tactical teams trained to perform high-risk dangerous missions that conventional units cannot perform...
group for the government. As with her comrades in Metal Slug 2 and beyond, she rose through the ranks for her service against General Morden. She has also appeared in the King of Fighters series, first as a Striker in The King of Fighters 2000The King of Fighters 2000The King of Fighters 2000 is a competitive fighting game produced by SNK for the Neo Geo arcade and home platforms. It is the seventh installment in The King of Fighters series for the Neo Geo, as well as the final one produced by SNK before the bankruptcy. The game was ported to the Sega...
, and then being playable for the first time in KOF: Maximum Impact 2KOF: Maximum Impact 2KOF: Maximum Impact 2, released in North America as The King of Fighters 2006, is a 3D competitive fighting game produced by SNK Playmore and released for the PlayStation 2 in...
; in the game, she has a special intro when fighting members of the Ikari WarriorsIkari WarriorsIkari Warriors is a 1986 arcade game by SNK, published in the United States and Europe by Tradewest. Known simply as in Japan, this was SNK's first major breakthrough US release and became something of a classic. The game was released at the time when there were many Commando clones on the market...
mistaking Ralf, Clark, and Leona as Marco, Tarma, and Eri respectively.
Trevor Spacey
- A South Korean computer prodigy by the age of 3, Trevor picked up his skills from his parents and by the time he was 7 he could understand complex computer engineering jargon and would upload vaccines to the net to fight viruses. While attending college he gained a reputation as a technical programmer and was recruited by the army, leading him to join Marco Rossi's Peregrine Falcon Squad where he is, as of Metal Slug 4, a Sergeant. Trevor admires Marco Rossi, especially for his computer skills, more advanced than Trevor's. He replaces Tarma in Metal Slug 4.
Nadia Cassel
- Hailing from France, Nadia was destined to be a ModelModel (person)A model , sometimes called a mannequin, is a person who is employed to display, advertise and promote commercial products or to serve as a subject of works of art....
, if only she could stop gaining weight. Failing to do that, she decided to join the army for the exercise despite her manager's objections. While in training she discovered her fighting potential and volunteered for the S.P.A.R.R.O.W.S. special unit to gain battle experience leading to her being assigned to assist Fiolina Germi and Marco Rossi of the Peregrine Falcon Squad in stopping General Morden. She replaces Eri in Metal Slug 4.
Allen O'Neil
- Allen O'Neil is a sub-boss, who appears in all of the games except Metal Slug 5, and in Metal Slug 6 he appears as A in the 2nd level. He has been fighting the Regular Army High Command since the first game. He taunts the player with the phrases "C'mon, boy", "Go home to mommy", and "you're mincemeatMincemeatMincemeat is a mixture of chopped dried fruit, distilled spirits and spices, and sometimes beef suet, beef, or venison. Originally, mincemeat always contained meat. Many modern recipes contain beef suet, though vegetable shortening is sometimes used in its place...
" (or minced meat), as well as maniacal laughter. Upon defeat he always utters "See you in Hell!" He uses an M60 machine gunM60 machine gunThe M60 is a family of American general-purpose machine guns firing 7.62×51mm NATO cartridges from a disintegrating belt of M13 links...
, a knife, and blue grenades that erupt in an angry red flame upon detonation. Despite the fact that Allen clearly meets his end at the conclusion of every encounter, usually he just seems to fall down dead except in Metal Slug 2 where he's eaten by a very large killer whale which spits his bones, the game makers have humorously brought him back in each new iteration of the series. An interview with the game-makers, which is unlockable in Metal Slug Anthology, reveals that the only thing that keeps Allen alive besides his muscles and guts is his devotion and will to return home to his wife and son after a hard day of fighting.
- Allen aids the player aboard the Mothership in Metal Slug 3 (unless the Metal Slug employed earlier is still surviving and in current use), laughing all the while (even though the player killed him earlier in the level). Despite his strength against the player(s) in Metal Slug 3 and before, his strength is much less on the Mothership than usual. One burst shot from his M60 cannot kill a clone by itself. He also has less "Life", and stands still against the hordes of clones. Thus, it does not take much for the clones to finish Allen, even by melee attacks. Because of this vulnerability, it can be assumed he's more of a decoy while the player assaults the clones.
- Allen appears again in Metal Slug 4, as a boss in Mission Two and during the Final Mission, where it is revealed that this Allen is in fact a Terminator-like android possibly built by the rogue scientist who is the main villain in Metal Slug 4. It should be noted, however, that using a similar process, the same scientist was successful in creating a mass produced Robot Morden Army that led people to believe Morden was behind the Amadeus Syndicate, possibly to frame him for the scientist's crimes. Unfortunately these mechanical incarnations were even weaker than their flesh & blood counterpart, having the weakness of falling after a few well placed shots from a simple handgunHandgunA handgun is a firearm designed to be held and operated by one hand. This characteristic differentiates handguns as a general class of firearms from long guns such as rifles and shotguns ....
.
- After an absence in both Metal Slug 5 and Metal Slug 6, Allen returns in Metal Slug 7 as the boss of Mission 6, where the player and Allen fight each other in Slug Gigants, with Allen apparently dying again.
Mars People
- The Mars People are alienExtraterrestrial lifeExtraterrestrial life is defined as life that does not originate from Earth...
s from space that are in a plot to take over Earth in the Metal Slug universe. They are similar to squids, using their tentacles as a form of movement, and a strange fighting style which involves gas and a laser pistol. In Metal Slug 2, they appeared as enemies near the climax of the game and their mothership is fought as the final boss, but they were defeated by the alliance consisting of the Peregrine Falcon Strike Force and General Morden's army after they betrayed Morden. In the Metal Slug X remake they appear as enemies earlier in the game. They tried again in Metal Slug 3, abducting Morden and one of the members of the Peregrine Falcons in the final level (which ever one the player uses will be abducted), only for the Peregrine Falcons and Morden's army to take the fight to their mothership and defeat them, and their leader Rootmars. In Metal Slug 6, the Mars People, Morden, as well as his rebel army and the Ikari Warriors, join forces with the Peregrine Falcons to fight a new alien invader who, ironically, feed on the Mars People. In the game, after Stage 2, the Mars People become the players' allies; some are even hostages.
- Mars People also are the first characters from Metal Slug series who appears in a fighting game: first in SNK vs. Capcom: SVC Chaos as a hidden (but playable) character and later in Neo Geo Battle Coliseum as a playable character once you complete 'Tag Battle' mode and, parodically, his partner in this game is Marco Rossi, who has a special ending picture in NGBC playing with this team.
General Morden
- General Donald Morden is the main antagonistAntagonistAn antagonist is a character, group of characters, or institution, that represents the opposition against which the protagonist must contend...
of the Metal Slug franchise. He is described as "...the AntichristAntichristThe term or title antichrist, in Christian theology, refers to a leader who fulfills Biblical prophecies concerning an adversary of Christ, while resembling him in a deceptive manner...
..." by the Regular Army High Command. He is depicted as a rambling madman wearing a beret, eyepatch, and bomber jacket, and carrying a bazookaBazookaBazooka is the common name for a man-portable recoilless rocket antitank weapon, widely fielded by the U.S. Army. Also referred to as the "Stovepipe", the innovative bazooka was amongst the first-generation of rocket propelled anti-tank weapons used in infantry combat...
, not to mention bearing a resemblance to Saddam HusseinSaddam HusseinSaddam Hussein Abd al-Majid al-Tikriti was the fifth President of Iraq, serving in this capacity from 16 July 1979 until 9 April 2003...
, Joseph StalinJoseph StalinJoseph Vissarionovich Stalin was the Premier of the Soviet Union from 6 May 1941 to 5 March 1953. He was among the Bolshevik revolutionaries who brought about the October Revolution and had held the position of first General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union's Central Committee...
and Adolf HitlerAdolf HitlerAdolf Hitler was an Austrian-born German politician and the leader of the National Socialist German Workers Party , commonly referred to as the Nazi Party). He was Chancellor of Germany from 1933 to 1945, and head of state from 1934 to 1945...
. He serves the final boss of the first game. He is only not shown in Metal Slug 5. He apparently mends his ways by the end of Metal Slug 6, as he (or Rootmars depending on a Different route) rescues the player(s) after s/he is knocked off a wall by an explosion caused by the huge enormous alien end boss. His army is the main force of opposition in the Metal Slug games, with the exception of Metal Slug 5 and 6. He commands the ever loyal Rebellion, and in Metal Slug 4 he was thought to be behind the Amadeus Terror Syndicate. He once again return to his roots of world domination in 7, this time with the help of the Rebel Army from the future. It also marks the first time since the first game where he is the final boss.
- He is quite ill-fated, with problems ranging from major injury, such as having a steel table crush him (to the dismay of his soldiers) and being dropped from his Chinook helicopterCH-47 ChinookThe Boeing CH-47 Chinook is an American twin-engine, tandem rotor heavy-lift helicopter. Its top speed of 170 knots is faster than contemporary utility and attack helicopters of the 1960s...
to minor embarrassment, such as being hung out of a flying saucerFlying saucerA flying saucer is a type of unidentified flying object sometimes believed to be of alien origin with a disc or saucer-shaped body, usually described as silver or metallic, occasionally reported as covered with running lights or surrounded with a glowing light, hovering or moving rapidly either...
donned in only his ever-present hat, eyepatch, and a pair of pink boxer shortsBoxer shortsBoxer shorts are a type of undergarment worn by men. The term has been used in English since 1944 for all-around-elastic shorts, so named after the shorts worn by boxers, for whom unhindered leg movement is very important.Reasons for a preference for boxers can be attributed to their variety of...
and having his pants torn off.
- Morden sometimes makes an alliance with the Mars People to help achieve his goal of world dominationHegemonyHegemony is an indirect form of imperial dominance in which the hegemon rules sub-ordinate states by the implied means of power rather than direct military force. In Ancient Greece , hegemony denoted the politico–military dominance of a city-state over other city-states...
. Unfortunately for him, he is betrayed and abductedKidnappingIn criminal law, kidnapping is the taking away or transportation of a person against that person's will, usually to hold the person in false imprisonment, a confinement without legal authority...
, abusedPhysical abusePhysical abuse is abuse involving contact intended to cause feelings of intimidation, injury, or other physical suffering or bodily harm.-Forms of physical abuse:*Striking*Punching*Belting*Pushing, pulling*Slapping*Whipping*Striking with an object...
and thoroughly humiliatedHumiliationHumiliation is the abasement of pride, which creates mortification or leads to a state of being humbled or reduced to lowliness or submission. It can be brought about through bullying, intimidation, physical or mental mistreatment or trickery, or by embarrassment if a person is revealed to have...
by the Martians.
- Like the main characters, General Morden appears in various SNK games as a cameo, especially in the SNK vs. Capcom: Card Fighters ClashSNK vs. Capcom: Card Fighters ClashSNK vs. Capcom: Card Fighters Clash is a series of SNK Playmore games between 1999 and 2006 for hand-held consoles.This game has a CCG theme, spun off from the popular series of fighting games by SNK and Capcom, and also including references to many other kinds of games from both companies. The...
series.
Development
The aspect of the Metal Slug series was to create a simple, but exciting side-scrolling shoot-em-up game with a very easy control scheme (one joystick and three buttons). The same team that created Metal Slug for the Neo-Geo previously created a handful of games for IremIrem (company)
is a Japanese video game console developer and publisher, and formerly a developer and manufacturer of arcade games as well. The company has its headquarters in Hakusan, Ishikawa Prefecture....
which have very similar graphics and gameplay. GunForce
GunForce
, or simply titled as GunForce, is a side-scrolling action shooting game produced by Irem for the arcades in . The game was later ported by Bits Studios and published by Irem to the Super Famicom exclusively in Japan in ....
(1991) and In the Hunt
In the Hunt
is a horizontal scrolling shooter arcade game by Irem. It was released in 1993 and later ported to the Sega Saturn, the PlayStation and Windows 95 for the PC by Kokopeli....
(1993) had noticeably similar gameplay, with graphics that have a slight resemblance to Metal Slug. Gunforce 2 (1994), another title by Irem, had a similar gameplay as Metal Slug. Because of this, some fans refer to Gunforce 2 as "Metal Slug Zero".
Some of the stock sound effects from Irem titles were used in the Metal Slug games. The art style is done by Meeher and the music is composed by Hiya!. They worked on Undercover Cops
Undercover Cops
is an arcade-style beat 'em up video game by Irem. It is Irem's first attempt in the modern beat 'em up genre that was founded by Capcom's Final Fight. A few years later after its release, a lot of the team who made the game went on to form Nazca, who created the Metal Slug game series...
before forming Nazca.
However, the first 3 titles were developed by the Nazca team before SNK declared bankruptcy.
It is believed that composer Takushi Hiyamuta (Hiya!) was a designer for Sammy Corporation
Sammy Corporation
was established on November 1, 1975 and is a leading developer and retailer of pachinko and pachislot systems in Japan.In 2001, Sammy Corporation created a subsidiary Sammy Entertainment, Inc. It would later change its name to Sammy Studios in 2002. Sammy Studios is responsible for developing and...
's Metal Slug-style arcade title, Dolphin Blue, when his name was displayed during the ending credits.
After Playmore retained intellectual rights to all SNK titles, the characters Trevor and Nadia no longer appear in future installments because they were created by the Korean-based Mega Enterprise.
Official homepages
| Site | Creator | Language | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|
| Metal Slug Project | SNK | Japanese / English | Contains original homepages of Metal Slug X, 3 and 2nd Mission. Now archived at Metal Slug Database |
| Metal Slug 1st Mission | SNK | Japanese | Now archived at Metal Slug Database |
| Metal Slug 2nd Mission | SNK | Japanese | Now archived at Metal Slug Database |
| Metal Slug X | Agetec | English | Now partially archived at Metal Slug Database |
| Metal Slug 3 | SNK Playmore USA | English | N/A |
| Metal Slug 3 | Ignition Entertainment | English | N/A |
| Metal Slug 4 | MEGA Enterprise | Korean | First version of www.metalslug4.co.kr. Now archived at Metal Slug Database. |
| Metal Slug 4 | MEGA Enterprise | Korean / Japanese / English | New version of www.metalslug4.co.kr. Now archived at Metal Slug Database. |
| Metal Slug 4 | SNK Playmore | Japanese | N/A |
| Metal Slug 4 | Ignition Entertainment | English | N/A |
| Metal Slug 5 | SNK Playmore | Japanese | N/A |
| Metal Slug 5 | Ignition Entertainment | English | N/A |
| Metal Slug 4/5 | SNK Playmore USA | English | N/A |
| Metal Slug 6 | SNK Playmore | Japanese | N/A |
| Metal Slug 6 | SEGA | Japanese | N/A |
| Metal Slug 3D | SNK Playmore | Japanese | N/A |
| Metal Slug 7 | SNK Playmore | Japanese | N/A |
| Metal Slug Advance | SNK Playmore | Japanese | N/A |
| Metal Slug Advance | SNK Playmore USA | English | N/A |
| Metal Slug Advance | Ignition Entertainment | English | N/A |
| Metal Slug Type-A | SNK Playmore | Japanese | Homepage for Metal Slug Pachinko machine |
| Metal Slug 10th-year anniversary site | SNK Playmore | Japanese / English | N/A |
| Metal Slug XX | SNK Playmore | Japanese | N/A |
Publishers, developers, & distributors
| Site | Language | Comments |
|---|---|---|
| SNK Playmore | Japanese | Developer & distributor of the Metal Slug franchise, as well as the main license holder |
| MEGA Enterprise | Korean | Developer & distributor of Metal Slug 4 |
| I-Play | English | Publisher & distributor of Metal Slug Mobile |
| Agetec | English | Former distributor of the discontinued PlayStation version of Metal Slug X |
| SNK Playmore USA | English | Distributor of SNK Playmore titles within Northern Americas |
| Ignition Entertainment | English | Distributor of SNK Playmore titles within European Union |