Metal Slug facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Metal Slug |
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The original Metal Slug logo
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| Genres | Run and gun |
| Developers | SNK Nazca Corporation Noise Factory Mega Enterprise |
| Publishers | SNK Ignition Entertainment Atlus USA Namco Bandai Partners |
| First release | Metal Slug April 19, 1996 |
| Latest release | Metal Slug XX December 23, 2009 |
Metal Slug (Japanese: メタルスラッグ, Hepburn: Metaru Suraggu) is a Japanese series of games and media. It's famous for its exciting run and gun style. This means you move forward and shoot enemies constantly.
The series started with a company called Nazca Corporation. They later joined with SNK in 1996 after the first game was finished. Metal Slug games were first made for Neo-Geo arcade machines. Over time, they were also released on many other game consoles and mobile phones.
The games are about a small group of soldiers called the Peregrine Falcon Squad. They fight against a rebel army, aliens, zombies, and other strange forces. These enemies all want to take over the world.
Contents
How to Play Metal Slug Games
Metal Slug games are mostly about running and shooting. You play as a soldier who faces many enemies. You can pick up powerful weapons along the way.
In most shooting games, touching an enemy hurts you. But in Metal Slug, you can get close to an enemy. This lets you use a strong close-up attack. Your close-up attack is often more powerful than your shots. This means you can sometimes run in and defeat many enemies at once. It's also great for quickly beating tough enemies, like the mummies in Metal Slug 2.
Weapons and Grenades
You start with a simple handgun that has endless bullets. As you play, you'll find new weapons. You can only use one weapon at a time. When you pick up a new weapon, it replaces the one you had. If you run out of ammo for a special weapon, you go back to your handgun.
In Metal Slug 6, a new system was added. It let players carry their handgun and two other weapons. You could switch between them easily. You also have grenades to throw at enemies. Grenades cause a lot of damage but are limited. You need to find more ammo to get more grenades.
The Metal Slug Vehicle
The main vehicle in the game is called the SV-001, or 'Metal Slug'. It's a small, silver-gray tank with treads. The tank has a powerful cannon that shoots bombs. It also has two vulcan cannons that shoot endless bullets.
You can jump and crouch in the tank. When you crouch, a hatch opens on top. This lets you throw grenades you already have. The tank's bombs can also be refilled by finding ammo boxes. You can even run over enemy soldiers with the tank! If the tank takes too much damage, it will explode. A warning will appear telling you to jump out before it blows up.
Over time, other vehicles appeared in the games. They usually have a Vulcan cannon and a special weapon. Some vehicles only give you a Vulcan cannon. This cannon is stronger than your handgun. It also has unlimited bullets. In Metal Slug 6 and later versions of Metal Slug X, the character Tarma can lock the Vulcan cannons. This lets him shoot continuously in one direction.
Game Levels and Censorship
Most Metal Slug games have 6 levels. Metal Slug 3, Metal Slug 5, and Metal Slug 6 have 5 levels. Metal Slug 7 has 7 levels.
In some versions of the game, blood was changed. Instead of blood, you would see sweat. This was done to make the game less violent. However, there was a secret code to turn the blood back on.
Games in the Series
The Story and Characters
Game Settings and Enemies
The first Metal Slug game's story was about the Peregrine Falcon (PF) Squad. They are a skilled team of soldiers. They fight against General Donald Morden's army. Morden wants to take over the world. Later games also included characters from the Sparrows Unit.
Starting with Metal Slug 2, the PF Squad also fights aliens called the Mars People. They also battle other strange threats. These include yetis, zombies, giant plants, huge crabs, and mummies.
Metal Slug 5 went back to the original game's style. It focused more on modern fighting and had fewer strange enemies. But Metal Slug 6 brought back Morden's Rebel Army and the Mars People. Metal Slug 7 has fewer weird elements. Instead of Mars People, it features Morden's army from the future with advanced weapons.
Main Characters (Heroes)
- Major Marco Rossi and Captain Tarma Roving were the first playable characters. In the first game, Marco was for player one and Tarma for player two.
- From the second game, you could choose your character freely. Sergeant 2nd Class Eri Kasamoto and Master Sergeant Fiolina "Fio" Germi were added. These four are usually seen as the main Metal Slug team.
- In Metal Slug 4, Nadia Cassel and Trevor Spacey appeared. They replaced Eri and Tarma for that game. They haven't returned since.
- Eri and Tarma came back in Metal Slug 5.
- The Game Boy Advance version had two new characters: Walter Ryan and Tyra Elson.
- Characters from The King of Fighters series, Colonel Ralf Jones and Second Lieutenant Clark Still, joined in Metal Slug 6. Their teammate Leona Heidern is also available in Metal Slug XX.
Enemies You'll Face
- General Donald Morden is the main bad guy in Metal Slug. He's a wild leader who wears a beret and an eyepatch. He appears in almost every game. His army, the Rebel Army, is the main enemy force. In Metal Slug 7, he's the final boss for the first time since the very first game.
- Allen O'Neil is a sub-boss. He appears in most games. He uses a machine gun, a knife, and grenades. Even though he seems to die in every fight, the game makers humorously bring him back! His son, Allen Jr., appears in Metal Slug Advance.
- The Mars People are aliens who want to take over Earth. They look like squids and use gas and laser pistols. In Metal Slug 2, they were enemies near the end. Their huge spaceship was the final boss. They return in Metal Slug 3. In Metal Slug 6, the Mars People, Morden, and his army even team up with the Regular Army. They fight a new alien invader that eats the Mars People!
How the Games Were Made
The goal for Metal Slug was to make a simple but exciting side-scrolling shooting game. It had very easy controls: one joystick and three buttons. The same team that made Metal Slug also created similar games before, like GunForce and In the Hunt.
Some sounds and graphics from other games were used in Metal Slug. The music was made by Takushi Hiyamuta. The first three games were developed by the original team. After the company SNK went bankrupt in 2001, a new company called Playmore (later SNK Playmore) took over. They continued making the series with new staff.
See also
In Spanish: Metal Slug para niños
