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Image: Damien McFerran / Nintendo Life

Metal Slug is arguably one of the few series from the '90s which has managed to endure and persist despite the passage of time and the advances of technology; it seems that blowing up 2D sprites has a timeless quality to it, and we've personally been really enjoying revisiting these classic games on Switch.

If you're a fan of the series then you might already be aware of Bitmap Books' new Metal Slug: The Ultimate History, an officially-licenced tome which includes concept art, screenshots, interviews, features and much more besides.

Produced with the full cooperation of SNK, the book is 452 pages long and features input from Kazuma Kujo, Takushi Hiyamuta, Andoh Kenji and Takeshi Okui, three of the key developers who shaped this seminal series.

Every game in the Metal Slug bloodline makes the cut, right up to Metal Slug Advance and Metal Slug 7, the two Nintendo-exclusive entries (although the latter did get released on the PSP in a slightly updated form). The book also covers titles which are considered to be forerunners to the franchise, such as In The Hunt (which is coming to Switch soon) and GunForce.

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Image: Damien McFerran / Nintendo Life

If you like what you see, then you can order a copy direct from the publisher for £29.99.

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