Combat School (Sophia and Meg)

Combat School in Metal Slug: Super Vehicle-001 (PSX)

Combat School in Metal Slug X (PSX).

The Combat School is a special mode present in the Neo Geo CD, Sega Saturn, and PlayStation versions of Metal Slug, Metal Slug 2, and Metal Slug X. Sophia Greenville is the instructor in Metal Slug, and Margaret "Meg" Southwood is the instructor in Metal Slug 2/X.

Enrollment and Discharge

Playing any mission requires the player to first enlist in the army. Similarly, playing a 2-player game requires both players to have their own profile.

Enrollment begins by selecting Office and then Joining the Army. The player then inputs their name, birthday, blood type, and sex. If one wishes to cancel their enrollment, they must leave the name blank although the instructors will scold the player for wasting their time.

Discharging is done by selecting Discharge From Army and choosing the file to delete. The instructor's remarks when leaving depend on the level rank.

The player has to at least complete Mission 1 in Arcade Mission in order to access the Combat School, or Sophia and Margaret will kick the player out to the main menu.

Modes

Both modes can be played with two players with each player using their own profile. Note that in co-op the mission immediately ends when one of the players loses.

Pin Point Attack

The player is tasked to quickly complete a single mission under new rules:

• Three lives are given to the player regardless of what number of lives were selected in the Options menu.
• The player is given infinite ammo for picked up weapons (but not grenades, cannons, etc.).
• The Vehicle Slugs' health have all been reduced to one hit point. In Metal Slug and Metal Slug 2, these Slugs are in different palettes.
• The timer stops when cinematics are occurring but not during deaths. The time keeps running in Metal Slug.

The max score for each mission, achieved by going under a time threshold without dying, is 110 points in Metal Slug and 100 points for Metal Slug 2/X; a total of 660 and 600 points respectively for this mode. Completing the mission late is a loss.

Survival Attack

The player has to complete the entire game in one life under new rules:

• The player is given infinite ammo for picked up weapons (but not grenades, cannons, etc.).
• The player can transfer their weapons and grenade ammo across missions (not applicable for Metal Slug X).
• No Slugs are present.

The player is scored on the distance traveled before dying. Destroying the Hi-Do (Metal Slug) or Rugname (Metal Slug 2/X) grants the player with the max score of 340 and 400 points respectively for this mode.

Survival Attack is unlocked when all missions in Arcade Mission are completed.

Result

The instructor will comment on the player(s) on both Personal and Top 5. For the Top 5 in Metal Slug and Metal Slug 2, the instructors evaluate the 1st place rank for the entire scoreboard. In Metal Slug X, it is the 5th place rank that is evaluated.

Personal

Shows the personal top times for each of the six missions in Pin Point Attack, the longest distance in Survival Attack, and the total points (out of 1000). Both modes each give the total amount of attempts (includes successful runs).

The Pin Point Attack scoreboard shows whether a player passed the mission's max point threshold with a star and/or completed it under one life with a POW symbol. The Survival Attack scoreboard also gives a star when the player fully completes it but only gives out a POW symbol in Metal Slug (it is not given in Metal Slug 2/X as it is redundant).

Top 5

Shows the top five times of each mission and the top five distances between all profiles.

Ranking Table

Players earn points by quickly finishing missions and running far distances. Higher ranks will impress the instructors, and their dialogues change as the player's rank progresses. Points in bold increases the instructor's affinity level. To talk to the instructors, press the Start button (MS1), D button (MS2), Triangle button (MSX, Japan) or Square button (MSX, Int.) during their greeting before the Combat School menu opens.

Rank	Points
	MS1	MS2/X
Recruit	0	0
Private	20	30
Private 1st Class	40	100
Corporal	60	140
Sergeant	80	170
Staff Sergeant	100	200
Sergeant 1st Class	120	250
Master Sergeant	140	300
Sergeant Major	160	350
Warrant Officer	200	400
Chief Warrant Officer	280	440
2nd Lieutenant	360	470
1st Lieutenant	440	500
Captain	520	540
Major	600	570
Lieutenant Colonel	660	600
Colonel	715	660
Brigadier General	770	770
Major General	825	825
Lieutenant General	880	880
General	935	935
General of the Army	990	990
Super Devil	1000	1000

Super Devil

Normally, the military ranking table appears to go up to General of the Army (990 pts.). Reaching 1000 pts. ranks the player at Super Devil. At this point, the instructors become very infatuated to the player acting as lowly servants. Margaret additionally begins calling the player her Lord.

The Super Devil player in-game is represented by the player character in green or purple skin. While in Pin Point Attack this is purely visual, Survival Attack changes the pistol to shoot Slug cannons at an arc in Metal Slug and Metal Slug 2 or rapid-fire Super Grenades in Metal Slug X. Collecting any special weapon loses this special ability. Getting turned into a mummy reverts the pistol to its original version.

Trivia

• The Japanese PlayStation and Saturn versions of Metal Slug and Metal Slug X has both Sophia and Margaret vocally speak in full sentences. Sophia's voice actor, Miina Tominaga, also provides the vocals for the song "Hold You Still!" and reprises her role in Metal Slug Infinity.
• Margaret will fall asleep if the player leaves the game alone for a few minutes.
• Should a profile with high affinity (600-1000 pts.) be discharged in Metal Slug 2, a Regular Army personnel will inform the player that Combat School is cancelled due to Margaret sustaining injuries, and the player is booted back to main menu. Margaret returns with shorter hair when entering Combat School again. In Metal Slug X, the point range for discharge has to be 600-999 pts. for the event to occur.
• The alternative palettes for the one-hitpoint Slugs are reused for new variants in later games, which are the SV-001 Type-R (Metal Slug X), Slugnoid Type-R (Metal Slug 3), and Slug Flyer Type-B (Metal Slug Attack). Since the SV-001 Type-R exists in Metal Slug X, the Combat School keeps the original palette for all Slugs.

Gallery

Pin Point Attack in Metal Slug: Super Vehicle-001 (PSX)

Survival Attack in Metal Slug: Super Vehicle-001 (PSX)

Survival Attack in Metal Slug X (PSX)

Co-op with a Super Devil teammate

Co-Op result screen in Metal Slug: Super Vehicle-001 (PSX)

Margaret sleeping in the Combat School menu.

MS2/X Combat School after discharging a high ranked profile

Short-haired Margaret

SV-001 "Type-R"

Slugnoid "Type-R"

Slug Flyer "Type-B"