For those seeking enjoyable run and gun action the first and third Metal Slug games are already available on the Switch’s eShop and now Metal Slug 2 gets the ACA treatment, faithfully recreating the sights, sounds and feel of the original game. Unfortunately, this also includes the extreme slowdown.
It doesn’t take much for the game to slow. Should a group of would-be assassins rush on to screen, there’s a small but noticeable loss of fluidity. Further on-screen activity (more characters or vehicles) causes a bigger, quite off-putting dip, whilst at its worst the game slows to a crawl with movement seeming to take place underwater. There are sections than run smoothly and the slighter dips are easy to get used to, but the slowdown is a constant throughout the game. The poor performance (which, it should be stressed, is no fault of the Switch itself but is present in the Neo Geo original as well) would be fixed in the updated Metal Slug X that also featured some additional/changed enemies and some colour palette differences. Presumably this too will get an ACA release at some point.
For now though, this original version of game offers the same story and aim: pick one of four characters, then travel the globe blasting enemy soldiers, other attackers and just generally blowing a lot of stuff up. As always, you can tackle this solo or have a friend join you.
With a range of different weapons available to pick up (heavy machine gun, flameshot, shotgun, etc) and a handful of grenades it’s simple gameplay, but a lot of fun; fun that is enhanced by great character designs, emotive animation, detailed background art, terrific music and a range of different things to shoot or be shot by. The controls work well although the slowdown can be annoying, causing you to lose a life when a sudden speed change distracts. On the other hand, the slowdown can make things easier for you, giving you time to plot your course through the oncoming bullets.
That these elements blend together so well shouldn't be a surprise to fans of the series, as each instalment feels like a proper action romp; this one sees you taking in the sights of the Middle East, China, the USA and the Arctic. Fun moments include jumping up a tower shooting at (and trying to escape from) gigantic mental jaws, battling a large armoured boat, driving across wooden rooftops in a tank and trying to destroy runaway train carriages before they crush you. Along the way you’ll be fighting soliders, mummies, strange creatures in an underground sewer base and a surprising group of foes in the final mission.
As is standard with these ACA releases HAMSTER has included options for adjusting the difficulty, toggling blood on/off, button remapping and display options to add scanlines should you so wish.
As a game designed to guzzle up coins in the arcade, things can get quite frantic with lots of bullets to avoid and enemies to shoot at on screen. Of course the option to add more lives - and a credit being just a button press away - mean that the game will not be difficult for you to complete on Switch. Luckily, the usual one-credit High Score and 5-minute Caravan modes are available, providing a stern challenge that will keep you coming back as you attempt to do a little better and move up that online high score table.
Conclusion
Offering the usual "fun and gun" action as the rest of the series, Metal Slug 2 will provide a lot of entertainment and the High Score and Caravan modes add to the replayability of it. The downside is that this is an authentic recreation of the original game, warts and all. The well designed stages, amusing character designs, detailed scenery and brilliant soundtrack are great, but the slowdown is painful at times. Smaller dips in performance are easy to put up with, but the larger ones harm the game, and your enjoyment. There's still fun to be had here, but Metal Slug 2 is far from an essential download, and it might be a better idea to wait for Metal Slug X, which fixes the slowdown and adds more content.
Comments 26
They could have fixed the Slowdowns with no problems.
The port on Metal Slug Anthology for Wii runs much better.
Which Metal Slug is the best if I only wanted to buy one in the series?
Still a good port, I'll probably get it once I had spare money.
@justin233 Many People consider Metal Slug 3 as the best in the Series.
Mental jaws?
Ugh. Why not just release Metal Slug X and skip this one?
@justin233 Depends on who you ask. Usually it comes down to either X or 3.
Respectfully, I disagree with this review score and do so recognizing that most have written this game off in favor of the X version.
There are actually more minor differences between the two than many realize, and I actually prefer this version, slowdown notwithstanding. Slowdown does not bother me very much in older generation games so it doesn't usually hamper my opinion overall.
It's maybe the best sequel to the best in the series.
@justin233 As others have said, X or 3 are the ones most often mentioned. I thought it worth pointing out that 3 can get particularly punishing in parts compared to most of the others. X is hard but more manageable.
There are some who prefer Slug 2 over X despite the performance issues. I also prefer X, but I also enjoy 2. At least they compensated by making Slug 2, in my opinion, the easiest in the series. I can get pretty far in one credit and didn't need too many credits to finish. Probably an easy 1CC if I cared to practice a bit.
Not bad. Not great.
Don't think I'd triple dip (already have it on Android and PC, both through Humble Bundle), but good to see it's available here.
Sounds like I'll get X or 3 at some point. Thanks, @sdelfin @Dr_Corndog @samuelvictor @Nagi_Nagisa
The metal slug 2 rom on ps4 running on my pro lagged like garbage too... Just something none of them touched up. Its still a great game in the series tho.
Why they insist on bringing Metal Slug 2 instead of Metal Slug X, I have no idea. X is just a strictly better version of the same exact game.
A question to Neo Geo enthusiasts... Is there anything Metal Slug 2 does better than X? Does it have any advantages at all? I know some of you do prefer 2 to X, but I just wondered what it had over it.
Lol how many ports? And why not metal slug advance with classic continues rather than the dumb life bar. I forgot the name of the one you could play as king of fighters army characters Leona, Ralf and Clark but do that and skip the dlc.
@MetalKingShield
Just my personal opinion, and I'm having a hard time putting it into words, but I kind of like that Metal Slug 2 has its own unique, grounded feel to it. In contrast, Metal Slug X is a crazy, at times silly, beast that doesn't always know when to calm down. In X, the bosses are all in a different order. Different enemies that appear later in the game show up sooner, and vice versa. In that sense, X almost assumes you've played 2 to get its crazy humor and onscreen references.
A good way to think of it is that MSX is the "remix" of MS2. Like any remix of a song, there's going to be some that like the original, and some who think the remix improved on it in every conceivable way. Me? I like both. It's a shame 2 has the slowdown issues that it has, because that's honestly the one and only thing I think that puts X in higher favor with me.
@Nagi_Nagisa
You're not wrong. I just can't quite get past the whole "bosses don't blink when damaged" thing, which is kind of needed in this game as it's not always clear when you're hitting their weak points. That, and mid-level loading screens can just jump into a lake and get eaten by an orca... the same one that ate the classic controller support.
Accurate emulation is admirable, of course, but I wish they could make an exception here and borrow the 'overclock' option from the PS3 release. Metal Slug 2 sans slowdown is my favourite of the series by a mile.
@ justin233
The whole series is great, but i agree with the majority of people that 3 is the best.
Which Metal Slug would you say is the worst in the series and why? It's interesting to hear people's opinions.
@justin233 I would have to go with 4. It just doesn't have that same feeling like the other games in the series do. If that makes any sense. Plus, my favorite character Eri isn't playable in 4.
@justin233 worst is probably part 4, for the same reason already mentioned above. It lacks soul, for lack of a better term. I recall it has its difficulty cranked up pretty high. It reuses a lot of stuff from previous games. It was developed by a different developer due to SNK's bankruptcy. The game isn't broken as it looks and runs fine.
I thought part 6 was off as well. I only played it twice so I can't say if it's better or worse than 4. I know part 5 isn't popular, but I thought that one was a lot of fun and is one of my favorites. My top picks are 1, X and 5.
There is a Metal Slug 2 (Turbo) ROM available which fixes a lot of the slowdown issues. Wish they had used that version (I use it on my arcade cab). Will hold for for X.
@SmaMan - Hmm, I'm more inclined to buy it now. I tend to be one of those people who never likes remixes as much, and I can understand the point about Metal Slug 2 being the original vision. Thanks.
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