Remember when we told you about Bitmap Books' upcoming Metal Slug release a couple of months ago? Well, pre-orders are now live, so what are you waiting for?

Metal Slug: The Ultimate History is an officially-licensed book which documents the franchise's creation and evolution. The UK publisher says that SNK has offered it "unprecedented access" to make the book a reality, with high-resolution concept artwork and illustrations included which are being made available to the public for the very first time.

There are two editions available at the time of writing: the Standard Edition and the Fully Loaded Edition. The standard variant includes a shrink-wrapped copy of the book for £29.99, while the Fully Loaded Edition is a limited release which is a little more pricey at £49.99. For that, you get a copy of the book inside a battery-operated slipcase that plays in-game sound effects; a glow-in-the-dark, A2 SV-001 blueprint poster; and a postcard illustrated by SNK artist TONKO. Only 1,000 copies of this edition will be printed.

Fullyloaded

If you're interested, you can secure your copy of either version right here. Bitmap Books has previously published NEOGEO: A Visual History, Super Famicom: Box Art Collection, and the excellent Visual Compendium range, which has so far covered the NES and SNES.

Do you have a collection of gaming books at home? Will this one be finding a home on your shelves? Let us know with a comment.

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