Metal Slug: 1st Mission review by substance J

Metal Slug: 1st Mission is an amazing spin on the Arcade and Home versions of Metal Slug, Metal Slug 2, and Metal Slug X, and it's the only game of its kind on Neo Geo Pocket (or any other system, for that matter). SNK couldn't have picked a better title to launch the US NGPC with. A note of warning to those planning on playing Metal Slug: 1st mission on original, black and white NGPs - It's going to be tough. Be sure to read more about that in the Graphics category. I must also warn you of the long length of this review…there's just so much to talk about!

Graphics - A+
Simply astounding. It is a bit hard to explain just how good the graphics in Metal Slug are. The character sprites are large, detailed, well colored, and retain even the subtlest animations. Like the gentile bounce of the Slug Tank as it rolls along, enemy soldiers turning into skeletons when shot, your character's idle animations are intact (like drinking from his/her canteen, waving to the camera, etc), and the most impressive Parallax Scrolling ever seen on a Portable gaming system. All of the player and CPU sprites are very clear, and there is absolutely no motion blur of any kind, so dodging gunfire is left to skill, not luck. The explosions are good, though they lack the trademark flying debris and such. Although, I'm glad they were not added, because there is simply no need. One aspect that really amazes me is the diversity of environments you play in. Desert, Canyon, City, Sewer, Forest, Prison Camp, Weapons Dump, Sea Port, moving Train (!!), Sky battle, etc, etc (the list goes on and on) - All of them feature completely different (and high quality) platform and background graphics. Also, the Boss characters/vehicles are well designed, wonderfully drawn, and usually they are very large (as any respectable boss should be).

Though, there is one downside. With so many vibrant colors onscreen at any given time, Metal Slug: 1st Mission can look rather poor when viewed on an original Monochrome NGP. Usually, with Color software, SNK limits the number of different colors onscreen to ease compatibility with Monochrome units. However, it seems that this time around, SNK decided to go all out. Thus, Monochrome compatibility is lackluster at best, with rather pronounced Motion Blur and an overall dark look. Really though, when played in Monochrome mode Metal Slug still looks better than any Gameboy titles I've ever seen.

Sound - B+
As usual I don't have much to say about this category. But it's definitely worth mentioning the high quality music, which is a very accurate reproduction of the music from the original Neo Geo Metal Slug (all of the same tracks are featured). The gunfire and explosion sounds are suitable.

Gameplay - A
This is just pure genius on SNK's part. Usually when console or Arcade games are ported to handheld systems, they're dumbed-down considerably (although all of SNK's ports so far have been fantastic). Metal Slug is one of the first games to ever go so far beyond its roots, that it can actually be considered a fully competent title it its own right. I won't go too deeply into the gameplay involved, because I think seeing it all for yourself is the most enjoyable part of the game. But there are some additions I simply must talk about.

The gameplay system has been totally redesigned. Now the focus is on platforming, exploring, using your head, and of course, blowing up everything you can. The platform elements make for a very interesting new experience. The Neo Geo original did not allow vertical scrolling, unless the level was strictly vertical. Now there are often multiple screens of vertical movement possible, in almost every single level. This allows for some very cool strategy to be employed. Such as avoiding "ambushes," where you must fight large groups of enemies before being allowed to move onward. By taking a route through the treetops of a Jungle, for example, you can stay out of such dangerous situations.

Many of the missions are now objective-based, rather than simply scrolling to the right until you encounter a Boss. Now you may have to rescue a specific POW, find a hidden exit, or of course, blow up a Boss. Many of the levels feature different sections of play. Such as foot-based combat, and Vehicle combat. The Slugs (Tank and Flyer) are no longer Power-Ups. They're now separate gameplay elements used in a 'chase' fashion. This could be disappointing to some, but it's now an integral part of the deeper, platform formula. One of the coolest new situations this presents is the concept of being captured while piloting a vehicle. If you should run out of "Fuel" or crash, you will be sent to a POW Camp, where you then must escape using only your knife, freeing other POWs along the way! If you're shot down while piloting the Slug Flyer, you'll parachute to the ground in a very cool 'mini-game'. Not only does this change your immediate gameplay situation, it changes your whole trip through the rest of the game. Many levels (such as the exhilarating Train Chase) are hidden within Metal Slug's branching mission path, and the only way to access them is by meeting certain conditions such as the ones mentioned. Truly fantastic stuff!

Overall - A+
I feel kind of odd about giving out the almighty "A+," but I really do believe this game deserves it. Nowhere else will you find a game quite like this. Not in the Arcades, on your Playstation, Saturn, Dreamcast, etc. Nowhere else! SNK struck gold with the concept of making a Metal Slug spin off, rather than a direct port. Metal Slug: 1st Mission combines concepts from virtually every sidescroller around, and it succeeds (obviously). I've gone on for nearly 3 full pages now, and I still feel as if I've left out a lot of great points about the game. That alone says something about how wonderful the game really is. It's a simple fact - Metal Slug: 1st Mission is an Action/Adventure classic along the lines of such greats as Contra 3, Gunstar Heroes, and of course, the original Metal Slug - but with more depth than you would ever expect. Metal Slug: 1st Mission is truly a must-have for any Neo Geo Pocket owner and reason enough for perspective buyers to pick up a unit. Do not miss this game!