Metal Slug 3 (メタルスラッグ 3- Metaru Suraggu Surī) is a run and gun video game for the Neo-Geo console/arcade platform created by SNK that was released in 2000 and is the sequel to Metal Slug 2. Being the last Metal Slug in the series that SNK was working on until its bankruptcy, it was given a lot of features, enhancements and improvements. The music of the game was developed by Noise Factory.
The game was ported to the PlayStation 2 and Xbox. The game was also re-released for the Wii, PSP, PS2 and PS4 (PS2 Classic Download) as part of the Metal Slug Anthology collection.
Story[]
The rebellion orchestrated by General Morden to bring about a new global regime is now history, and order and peace has begun to return to the world. Morden, brought back into power, was attempting another coup d'état, but government forces got wind of the plot beforehand and pre-empted the impending assault.
Instrumental in squashing Morden's rebel forces, Marco and Tarma of the Peregrine Falcon Strike Force are ordered to lead the team after their earlier requests for resignation were denied. Although General Morden has been written off as "missing" by his followers, they have hidden themselves throughout the world, and Marco and Tarma's abilities and experience are seen as a necessity to destroy the remaining rebel strongholds, one by one. Throughout the furious fighting against the holdouts, Marco and Tarma cannot help but suspect Morden's involvement in this new evil plan for world domination.
Meanwhile, the SPARROWS, a special strike force within the government intelligence agency, have come across a series of strange events running parallel to the Peregrine's pursuit of General Morden. From trivial abductions of livestock to the disappearance of government officials and the appearance of freakishly large creatures, numerous occurrences with nothing in common point to one grim possibility. General Morden is not the only menace to worry about.
Eventually it is learned that the alien menace that appeared in Metal Slug 2/Metal Slug X has returned. After defeating what appears to be General Morden, it turns out that he really is an alien in disguise, while the real Morden was their prisoner (again). The aliens abduct the player character (if there are two players, only player one is abducted), and another character takes his/her place. Once again, an ad-hoc alliance is formed to combat the external threat, with Rebel Army supplying a rocket ship that allows the player to break into the aliens' mothership. After a long battle throughout the ship's interior, the Rugname starts to collapse from all the damage. The player manages to escape, but is confronted by the aliens' leader, Rootmars, while falling through the Earth's atmosphere.
Rootmars is eventually defeated and is left for dead in the ocean. At the end, the player is seen with the abducted character while Morden and three surviving Rebel soldiers fly by in captured UFOs. The player character's rescuer throws their gun into the ocean signifying the end of this mess. That is until their gun accidentally hits the head of a fishman deep in the sea.
Gameplay[]
The gameplay mechanics are the same as previous Metal Slug games. The new thing about Metal Slug 3, however, is the branching path system. In the first four missions, there are forked paths for the player to choose from, each with their own obstacles, and varying in length and difficulty. All paths eventually lead to the same boss battle, but the player may have different equipment and may have rescued different amounts of hostages depending on their choices.
Branching Routes[]
- Slug Mariners route (Using Slugnoid against boss)
- Hammer-Yang route (Keep going forward and jump on the Borobune Slug; SV-001 Type-R against boss)
- Ohumein-Conga route (Jump inside the Warp Base; Using Slugnoid against boss)
- Rebel Army route (Keep going forward)
- Sasquatch route (Break the "ICEMAN" wall and go inside)
- Slug Mariner route (Below the first missile wall. Leads to the LV Armor route)
- Ostrich Slug route (Around the second missile wall where a tunnel lowers itself into view)
- Rebel Armor route (Keep going forward in the scuba section)
- Mummy route (Go up the base's roof and climb the pyramid. At the very top, pull the crank switch until the manhole cover opens)
- Quick Boss route (Same as above but avoid entering the cover)
- Mutated Bug route (Enter the base and pull the crank switch until the cover opens)
- Japonese route (Enter the base but skip the crank switch, go forward, and enter a portal with the Japanese word for "entrance")
Forms[]
In addition to the mummy form from Metal Slug 2/X, other forms are taken by the player in various circumstances:
Transformations:[]
- When doused by the zombie's (yellow) fluid, the player becomes a zombie. While medication is available to reverse the effect, the zombified player can make use of a blood vomit attack that is very powerful. The player cannot crouch, jump high, or make use of weapon upgrades or vehicles, but is immune to any attacks from the Rebels (except the zombified Rebels). Also the final mission has zombie clones, and they are slower but much stronger and they can unleash a deadly blood vomit that covers the screen.
- When hit by the Sasquatch's ice breath, the player turns into a snowman and is locked to the ground. The player cannot do anything but shake themselves free from the snow before the Sasquatch comes close and clobbers the player.
New Play Styles:[]
- Underwater, the player equips scuba diving gear along with a bubble helmet. Rather than grenades, the player launches a mine. The ordinance is affected by gravity, but not so much by water.
- Should the player lose their air vehicle, they rely on a backup jet pack. They can use homing missiles from the pack of the jet pack.
- Without the Astro Slug, the player also depends on a jet pack, as well as a breathing apparatus (but not a spacesuit, curiously). The grenade becomes the mine just like the underwater ones, except it goes straight forward.
Slugs[]
Alongside the returning SV-001, SV-001 Type-R, SV-Camel, and Slug Flyer, Metal Slug 3 introduces a various amount of vehicles for the player to use.
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The Slug Mariner gives some added firepower for those underwater. It fires high-mass rounds which sink to the bottom, as well as torpedoes. |
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The Elephant Slug is an elephant strapped with a Vulcan cannon. By picking up a Battery or a Chili Pepper, the mammoth can fire a bolt of lightning or a fireball from its proboscis, respectively. But when zombified, the player is unable to ride it again. |
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The Ostrich Slug is reminiscent of the Camel Slug. It is even faster, can jump farther, and can turn around. However, doing the latter makes the rider momentarily vulnerable to enemy fire. |
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The Rebel Armor is a Rebel-produced vehicle, but can be captured and used by the player. Unlike the Slugs, the Rebel Armor's main armament has limited ammo using special weapons (such as the HMG and the Flame Shot). It also has a Super Grenade, a melee claw attack, and jump jets. The other player can stand on top of the Rebel Armor, and can receive a boost to reach extreme heights. |
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The Slug Copter appears along with the Slug Flyer in the airborne portion of the Final Mission. Its Vulcan cannon can fire in all directions, unlike the Flyer. It is armed with gravity bombs. |
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The Astro Slug is used jointly by the players and the Rebel forces, when it is revealed that General Morden is a Martian in disguise. Booster rockets carry it into space, where the player makes use of its weaponry. Like the Rebel Armor, the Astro Slug can make use of special weapons through ports on its sides, but it also has its own cannon on the rocket's tip. It fires rockets as a secondary weapon. It can also be attached with Vulcan units late in the space trek. |
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The Drill Slug is a digging machine with treads similar to a tank's. This vehicle comes with Vulcans like most other slugs, but, instead of jumping, it can raise the cockpit of the Slug to reach higher areas or dodge enemy attacks. The secondary attack is, of course, the drill. The drill spins as the player moves left or right on the ground making it an extra attack, but can also extend outward causing immense damage to anything in its way. |
Stages and Bosses[]
| Stage | Name | Mid-boss | Boss | BGM |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | A Couple's Love Land | Huge Hermit | Blue Water Fangs (The Island of Dr. Moureau) The Unknown World Marine Diver | |
| 2 | Wandering at Midnight | Monoeye | Monoeye UFO | The Midnight Wandering Devil's Snow Cave |
| 3 | Eyes Over the Waves | Jupiter King | The Shallow Sea Assault Theme Hard Water Secret Factory | |
| 4 | Tombstone of Sand | Sol Dae Rokker | Desert Pyramid The Cenotaph The Japanese Army The Unknown World | |
| 5 | All About Love | Hairbuster Riberts Hi-Do Rugname Fake Rootmars Clone Incubator |
Rootmars | In The Void Assault Theme Into the Cosmos Kiss in the Dark The Unknown World First Contact Bioinformatics Escape |
Re-releases[]
Xbox/PlayStation 2[]
On the console versions, ported by Playmore, once the arcade mode has been beaten, there are two additional mini-games: 'Storming the UFO Mothership' and 'Fat Island'. Both versions were released in Japan, but only the Xbox version was released overseas. Unlike the Japanese Xbox version, using a continue in the Western release sends the player back to the beginning of the mission.
Storming the UFO Mothership[]
This mode allows the player to control one of the soldiers of General Morden, to rescue the Rebel infantry and attack the UFO forces. The player can choose between the Riot Shield Soldier, Bazooka Soldier, and Grenade Soldier. The player is given a single life; this is balanced by the number of reinforcements from fellow Rebel soldiers.
Only one player can play on Storming the UFO Mothership. There is no two-player mode.
Fat Island[]
Two players compete to gain the most weight in a limited amount of time by eating various food items. They start out with 100kg and must finish with 200. If players lose enough weight, they will return to normal size and then to a mummy state.
Xbox 360/One[]
At the 2007 Tokyo Game Show, it was confirmed that Metal Slug 3 would be released on Xbox Live Arcade on January 2nd, 2008 for 800 Microsoft Points (US$10). The game features updated graphics and co-op online gameplay, but it does not include the extra modes from the PS2 and Xbox releases. On November 9th, 2015, the game became part of Xbox One's backwards compatibility.
PlayStation 3/4/Vita[]
Features similar updates to the later Microsoft ports including Online Co-op. In August 2019, the PS Vita and PS4 versions received a limited physical release by Limited Run Games.
PC/iOS/Android[]
Ported by DotEmu. The PC port includes online play while the mobile ports have Bluetooth connectivity and controller support. Originally, the PC port locked the player to twenty continues until a later update that included Free Play as an option. Similarly, the mobile ports were locked to five continues but was later raised to twenty in an update.
Xbox One/PlayStation 4/Nintendo Switch[]
Ported by Hamster as part of the Arcade Archives series. Has a robust selection of game, audio, button, and display options and the ability to choose the Japanese and International versions.
Trivia[]
- Many of the prisoners' names are actually the names of the developers and producers of the Metal Slug series.
- In 2005, SNK Playmore USA attempted to release Metal Slug 3 for the PS2, however SCEA rejected the game due to making a stand-alone game with a standard price tag. At that time, SCEA believed that 2D games should not be sold for 40-50 dollars.
- This game, as well as Metal Slug XX was temporarily available for free in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 through a glitch.
- In the Final Mission, the following characters will replace the captured characters: Marco for Fio, Tarma for Eri, Eri for Tarma, Fio for Marco.
- The captured character will later attempt to use a computer to open the final blast door when escaping Rugname. Marco and Fio are successful, but Tarma and Eri have to resort to kicking it.
- Using an emulator, skipping the capture part to the space part, the player will have to save Marco (using Marco even), as if the player is using Fio, also in the part when the captured character is using a computer to open the Rugname, but when the player fights Rootmars, Eri will assist using a Mini-UFO. Incidentally, the player will be alone in the Metal Slug during the ending scene.
- Marco may possibly be the character who is canonically kidnapped in the game, though this is just a speculation.
- Missions 96 - 100 in Metal Slug Defense has the selected units fight the main bosses in this game in order.
External links[]
- Metal Slug 3 at Neo-Geo.com (reviews) 1 2 3
- Official Metal Slug 3 Xbox.com page
- GOG Store page
- Apple AppStore page
- Steam version page
Guides[]
- All Secrets Guide by sadece KAAN
- Speedrunning Guide by Enasper
- One Coin Clear Guide by GenevensiS
Screenshots[]
Flyers and covers[]
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