Customer Reviews

Metal Slug Advance

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(13)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Metal Slug Advance is the best possible realization of SNK's run-and-shoot series on the GBA. It is a technical marvel; the rich, over-exaggerated animation that made the series stand out in arcades is achieved with vastly inferior hardware. This portable entry in the series suffers only rare slowdown and a few lost frames of animation.

While the game looks like the early arcade entries, the gameplay is modified to fit a handheld. A health bar replaces the arcade's one-hit death system. The arcade versions of Metal Slug can be conquered in less than an hour given a few pockets full of quarters. (Or a PC capable of emulating the hardware.) Metal Slug Advance addresses the inherent brevity of their rich worlds with an adroit card collection system. Cards are hidden throughout the game worlds. Most of the cards are trinkets, but others provide benefits like increasing the armor for your vehicles or doubling your ammo supply for a weapon. The catch is that in order to keep the cards you collect in a level, you must complete that level without continuing. For the first time in the series I'm forced to consider the best approach to surviving levels and I end up appreciating the game mechanics more than my virtual quarter-munching practices allowed before. Less obsessive-compulsive players can abandon card collecting and leverage an infinite number of continues to power through the game, but the benefits from the power-up cards can make an aggressively challenging experience more approachable.

There are small aggravations that reveal some shortcomings in the design. While the health bar is a welcome addition, falling into a pit still causes an automatic death; it feels a bit unfair when you're "juggled" into a pit after being hit by an enemy attack. The frequency that the enemies respawn can be quite troubling when you're dodging enemy attacks by moving to the left and right, only to re-introduce defeated enemies as you scroll the screen. Without careful play, you can end up facing a never ending barrage of foes in some areas.

Metal Slug Advance does not stray far from familiar ground, but it is the only handheld version of the series that approaches the wacky, chaotic bliss that imbues the arcade editions. SNK demonstrated with the Neo Geo Pocket Color that it understands handheld game design at least as well as Nintendo. Metal Slug Advance is their first title on Nintendo hardware to continue that legacy.

This sort of shooter has long been among my favorite types of games, dating back specifically to since I first played Gunstar Heroes. The Metal Slugs have always been the biggest quarter-eaters to me at the arcade machines, and I've really fallen in love with the comical commando approach that these games have mixed in with the variety that all the levels have to offer. Metal Slug Advance does a good job of holding up these much-beloved parts of the series.

As with all the other Metal Slugs, you run around levels blasting the heck out of any and every enemy while rescuing hostages. The gameplay in this one is great, and the control, collision detection, etc. are all excellent quality. The graphics are on par with the arcade games--beatifully simple, yet well-animated pixel graphics. The music is typical for Metal Slugs, very well-fit to the game, but far from anything that was designed to sell soundtracks.

There are a few points about this game that bothered me, though:
(1) The game felt really short for a game that you don't play at the arcade. The "normal" mode has five levels plus the additional bonus dungeon that you get to mindlessly wander around while searching for cards.
(2) This game gives your character a health bar, which when reduced to zero kills your character. I personally am more used to Metal Slug X's one-hit death style and felt that the health bar allowed for some lousier level design and some accidental "cheap shots" on your character without developers worried about players getting irritated with cheap shots equalling death. This kinda detracted from the arcade-ish feel, and
(3) I found it particularly annoying that the game starts you back at the beginning of the section of the level you were playing when you died, rather than the beginning of the level. In other words, you get to take as many cracks as you want in a row at a boss until it is beaten. This took away from a lot of the challenge the game should offer
(4) There are only five bosses in this game (and I know at least one of them is borrowed from MSX), whereas similar games in the genre (see "Alien Hominid" and Treasure's upcoming "Gunstar Heroes Advance") are chock-full of fun bosses and minibosses.
(5) The power-up weapons don't do all that much for your character. There are plenty in this game, but I find that about half of them to be worth avoiding. In particular, I cannot think of any part of the game where either the drop shots or flame thrower were worth picking up.

But despite how much I wrote about the game's vices, I found it to be thoroughly enjoyable and would recommend it to any fan of the series or genre.

let me just say I love metal slug and game retains the basic feel of it. I got this on Christmas at first though I didn't even know they had a game like this out for GBA. I love this game though so let me get those gripes out. When you die the people you killed respon, and also the game is just to short. Now let's talk about good stuff the character model match the arcade version pretty good. I like the the metal slugs[metal slugs are the tanks can even be a air plane] there's only 3 so as for my favorite I don't have one. I love the story, but the game can become easy to hard. I like the collectible cards that change your attributes. So my advice is if you wan't to take metal slug on the road and you see this in the store get, but if you see the legend of Zelda and the minish cap choose wisely. other wise get this.

Metal Slug is by far the greatest run and gun game ever. Growing up my mom worked at a bowlling alley and my family was to poor to hier a baby sitter for me. So my mom would take me to work with her and leave me in the arcade at the bowlling alley. She would give me $5.00 in quarters to play the arcade games each time I came to work with her. While I was looking around the arcade I came across "Metal Slug 3". My eyes opened wide as I saw a preview of the soldier Marco running around killing off armies and armies of bad guys. The moment I saw that I started playing it non-stop until my pockets were empty of quarters. Now several years later they come out with "Metal Slug Advance" a game worthy of the great Metal Slug name. Now I dont have to spend quaters playing it at an arcade. I recommend this game to all Metal Slug fans.

Metal slug is a great game with good graphics, and music. It's an action packed shooter, with cool enimeis and great expsoshins. i reccomend this game for a metal slug fan, or a shoot em up fan. The only reason i gave this game 4 stars is because you die to easily and the bosses can get a little annoying.

One of the most fun and challenging games to play in the arcade way back when was SNK's Metal Slug. A 2-D side scroller similar to the old Contra games, you run and gun your way past hordes of challenging tanks and enemies until you reach a level boss. The game mechanics are almost identical to the classic game, as are the graphics despite instances of slowdown and a few drops in frame rate. The biggest con of Metal Slug Advance is what players new to the game will automatically notice. The learning curve is far from forgiving, as things go from easy to very, very hard rather quickly. Boss battles are the most challenging, and the most frustrating as new players will soon learn. Not to mention, the game is pretty short, but other than that you'll find some addictive and fun playability with Metal Slug. All in all, this is one classic game you really can't go too wrong with, but those new to the game should take fair warning before diving in.

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Awlsome old game for those of you out there with a old DS. Recomend the retailer and product highly. Get it now!!!!!!!
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metal slug advance for the GBA is an awsome game being an all new metal slug game with features to add with replay value.turn out good wile retaining the same metal slug formula anyone who loves the series should get this game

If your an arcade buff such as myself then you know what "Metal Slug" is.

Introduced solely for the NEO-GEO, you would find this in any arcade or in laundry mats. This side scroller can be played up to 2 players. You and another player work together in defeating the multitude of enemies that come on screen. You can choose from many weapon upgrades while saving POW's along the way. The enemies are relentless and the action is riveting.

This is a perfect companion for people on the go!

Anyone who enjoys the metal slug series will certainly have fun with this game. A small difference that might bug some people is that the 3 life format has been replaced by a health bar. Otherwise its all the same as any other metal slug game. A little short for my taste. Still good fun. 4/5