Metal Slug Advance

[The Gum Drop Kid]

Tronix have still got this as being released next week, yet I've seen stuff all on the interweb. Tell me it's not going to slip again.....anyone ?

[Beertiger]

well IGN say it's out in the states at the end of the year but that it's looking damn good.

September 26, 2004 - The E3 build of the eagerly anticipated GBA edition of SNK's shooter series Metal Slug might have been great, had SNK the right technology to run the game at its proper speed. Either the demo was incredibly early, or the TV playing system used to display the game was woefully underpowered, but back in May, the game ran as if it was in slow motion. It had fans of the series, who have been thinking the GBA a perfect candidate for some Metal Slug action, a little anxious...

Those fans can now breathe a sigh of relief, as a new build of the game was available for play on the Tokyo Game Show floor. Running on the GameCube GBA Player, the difference was immediate and very, very welcome. The latest build -- which should be nearly finished since the game is scheduled to ship sometime soon (provided that the date isn't pushed back further into the holiday season) -- was fully up to speed. In fact, the game showed no slowdown in the hectic battles and explosion-filled moments that the series is known for, and this bodes pretty well for the game on the portable as well.

Once we got over the finally seeing this game as it should be, we immediately found the gameplay to be different (in a good way) from what we expected. The interesting thing about Metal Slug Advance is that it really is what its name is, and not some rehash of one or another editions of the series. The entire structure of the gameplay has been significantly reorganized or redesigned for handheld and home play -- whereas the Xbox and upcoming PS2 editions of the game are pure quarter munchers without the quarters, the GBA game is clearly meant for gaming outside of the arcade. Your character has a life bar, and there's a battery back-up to save your progress. The gameplay in the demo level here at TGS was also a bit more leisurely than the panic-striking arcade game -- not that it's not frantic (and not that the GBA version is bowing to technical limits), but it's more a game meant to be played all the way through rather than for as many stages as you've got tokens to spare. For instance, you can go forwards and backwards through portions of stages (even on the up-stream river hopping section, which looked like it'd play like Contra's classic vertical stages yet let you explore the area instead.) There are also collectibles to be gotten in the stages -- 100 in all, if you're ambitious. All in all, the changes do a lot to make Metal Slug Advance a more complete experience for the on-the-go mercenary.

Now that we've seen it at full speed, we have appreciation for the GBA version's graphic design. The overall color palette is more subdued than the arcade games, but there's still lots of detail and color in the backgrounds. Animation is top-notch SNK quality, from the squirming hostages tied up on the battle field down to the way tanks are given life in that they walk into some battles on their treads like legs, looking like 10-ton puppies ready to pounce. Again, framerate was solid throughout, and with the game's tight control scheme, it was a fun time to be had.

Metal Slug Advance is still scheduled to ship in the States by the end of the year, and we're hoping to have a build of the game in the IGN office soon to be able to play deeper into the title.

[The Gum Drop Kid]

So next week's release date is looking very unlikely.

[Beertiger]

So next week's release date is looking very unlikely.

unless you're Jesus and can ask your dad for a favor it's not looking likely.

[Flockheart]

Really really looking forward to this game the publisher's site still has a release chalked in for "Autumn 2004 in PAL territories". In the meantime click here and smile.

[Flockheart]

And if you've not already seen it the trailer is available here looks lovely but there seems to be a very noticable reduction in the number of enemies on screen.

[Jim Miles]

That does look ace. The same sort of level of technical achievement that GBA Street Fighter Alpha 3 was IMO.

[patriot]

they should have held it off a bit an released it on the ds.

[DarhkFox]

they should have held it off a bit an released it on the ds.

no, because then they couldnt make a Metal Slug DS version as well.

[mrsambarlow]

they should have held it off a bit an released it on the ds.

Why?

How would it use the microphone? The stylus? The wireless? The 2nd screen? The 3D?

If people release 1.1 versions of GBA games for the DS it dilutes the GBA's software and also ruins the chance of the DS being something (as intended) genuinely different.

Not to mention the disparity in the size of the market (there are already millions of GBAs out there, normals and SPs, and unlikely to be that many DSs for a good while).

[Beertiger]

but the DS is more powerful anywa so it would be able to handle more characters on screen so it's more true to the Slug series.

[Flockheart]

but the DS is more powerful anywa so it would be able to handle more characters on screen so it's more true to the Slug series.

The gameplay in the demo level here at TGS was also a bit more leisurely than the panic-striking arcade game -- not that it's not frantic (and not that the GBA version is bowing to technical limits), but it's more a game meant to be played all the way through rather than for as many stages as you've got tokens to spare.

According to IGN it's a gameplay issue more than a power issue, the NeoGeo pocket versions of metal slug had an energy bar rather than one hit and your dead and to be honest it worked pretty well.