Metal Slug 5 (メタルスラッグ 5) is a run-and-gun video game for the Neo-Geo console/arcade platform developed by Noise Factory and SNK Playmore. It was released in 2003 for the MVS arcade platform and is the last Metal Slug game released for the Neo Geo.
The game was later ported to Microsoft Xbox and Sony PlayStation 2, as a standalone game is Japan and Europe, and along with Metal Slug 4 as a compilation in North America and South Korea. It was also ported to PC specifically for a Korean release. It is also part of the Arcade Archives for Xbox One, Windows 10, PlayStation 4, and Nintendo Switch.
Story
Translated from the Japanese Metal Slug 5 PlayStation 2 manual:
In the constant conflicts around the world, the Peregrine Falcons (P.F. Squad), the Regular Army's special-purpose work force, was rushing to develop the next-generation of Metal Slugs in order to increase their strength. One day, the Regular Army's SV planning laboratory that was developing these Slugs were attacked by an unknown group, and the disk containing Metal Slug secrets was stolen. The disk contains blueprints of Metal Slugs, battle records of P.F. troops, weapon data of the Rebel Army, etc. Depriving this disk is equivalent to knowing all the hands of the Regular Army. Marco and Tarma of the PF Squad follow the whereabouts by command from the Chief of Staff to recapture the disk.
Eri and Fio, members of the Special Operations Unit Sparrows, an intelligence agency investigating the Ptolemaic Army, a paramilitary organization that was raiding historical ruins worldwide, succeeded in tracking it down at an ancient ruin known as the "Corridor of Fire". They tried to overtake them, but an unexpected enemy appeared in front of them and were forced to withdraw, the natives who settled in the ruins and the huge Metal Slug protected by them.
The incident revealed that the enemy behind the pilfering of Metal Slug secrets was indeed the Ptolemaic Army. When the Regular Army decided to re-enter the "Corridor of Fire", it was believed that the enemy had already grasped everything in their hands, so a large-scale operation was judged to be dangerous. A surprise attack by selected elite corps from P.F. and Sparrows was proposed instead. The ultimate purpose of this mission is to recapture or destroy the confidential disk and destroy the Ptolemaic Army. All battles after the plunge are left to the judgment of the front line, and this is the start of a counterattack mission by the four elite soldiers Marco, Tarma, Eri, and Fio!![1]
New Features and Differences
Gameplay
- The player can perform a slide-dash by pressing the jump button while crouching. The move is exclusive to this game.
- The Two Machine Guns' ammo is increased from 200 to 300 rounds.
- "Fat" is the only remaining transformation. It is only available in Mission 1.
- The Flame Shot has been omitted.
- The Metallish System from Metal Slug 4 has been abandoned.
Presentation
- The Rebel Army, Donald Morden, and Allen O'Neil are nowhere to be found in this game. Rather, one fights armies of veiled terrorists, special forces, and assorted mecha named the Ptolemaic Army. As a result, this game lacks much of the sense of humor of its predecessors. However, most of the new enemies are edits of the Rebel soldiers' AI, and while many feature completely new animations, some simply use edited sprites from previous titles.
- There are no zombies, mummies, aliens or other such supernatural creatures, although the final boss is a large demon.
- Unlike its predecessor Metal Slug 4, which reused many of the backgrounds and sprites from the previous games, Metal Slug 5 incorporates a wealth of new environments, backgrounds, and unique bosses.
- Eri and Tarma return as playable characters with Trevor and Nadia being omitted entirely.
- There are cutscenes at various points throughout the game, rather than one or two at the end, giving the game a hint of progression of plot.
- The soundtrack as a whole uses a heavy metal theme. This includes the remixed versions of "Final Attack", "The Military System", "Carry Out", and "Gravestone".
Slugs
Alongside the returning SV-001, Slug Mariner and Slug Flyer, three new vehicles were added:
- Slug Gunner: The ultimate evolution of the SV-001 and LV Armor. The Slug Gunner fires a machine gun, a chassis-mounted cannon, and can punch enemies with a close-combat exploding pile bunker. It can perform a mid-air jump like that of the LV Armor. It is also able to transform from a walker into a tank and can move slightly faster in addition to running over infantry. However, the Slug Gunner is clunky, takes a while to turn, and only has a 90-degree firing arc (180-degree while in the air).
- Slug Mobile: A car with a 360-degree Vulcan cannon attached. Its secondary fire is an oversized Enemy Chaser. Of particular interest is that the player cannot eject from the vehicle, meaning they'll die when it's destroyed, and will subsequently respawn in a new Slug Mobile.
- Augensterm: A giant spider-like walker with two legs tethered to the floor and two to the ceiling; pressing the jump button raises or lowers the cockpit. The Augensterm is armed with two 360-degree firing Vulcan cannons and a harpoon gun.
Missions and Bosses
Mission names are based on their level theme.
| No. | Name | Bosses | BGM |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Heavy African | SV-001/III Black Hound (secret miniboss) Metal Rear |
Heavy African Ruins Excavation |
| 2 | Windy Day | Shooting Ray | Windy Day Zoom Down |
| 3 | Intrigue | Screamer | Intrigue |
| 4 | Run Through | Sand Marine | Run Through Bottom of the Sea |
| 5 | Last Ditch Resistance | Mammoth Tower (miniboss) Avatar of Evil (final boss) |
Speeder Last Ditch Resistance |
Development
- Compared to other games the series Metal Slug 5 features lots of unused data in its assets, including graphics, stages, characters, bosses, items and codes. Based on this, assumptions and educated guesses have arose, pointing it to be sort of incomplete, rushed to meet release deadlines.
- In the Arcade flyer of the game (seen below), there seems to be some other versions of the enemy robots or vehicles than those included in the game; for example, the one below Tarma is a different variant that features what seem to be either fins or wings. Just as the many material related to this game, this may suggest that initially there were a large amount of enemy mechs but didn't make it into the final release.
- In the Xbox promotional flyer, below Marco and over to the right, there are two characters occupying the TIAF660. These two are nicknamed by fans "Achilles" and "Tabomba" although only the former has sprites and code in the game (and is also unused).
- Concept art for the bosses orders the missions as 3-4-2-1-5 (e.g. the Wall Crawler is listed as the Mission 1 boss) while the in-game debug level select orders it as 3-4-1-2-5 (as shown in early publications). This suggests that the first four missions were shuffled around due to deadlines, difficulty, or in-game story reasons.
- The Flame Shot is the only weapon to not return, but the sprites of various Ptolemaic soldiers burning to death exist. The Flame Shot is present in the game's code and is accessed by using debug and entering Area 3:9.
- There are two unused bosses, the Stone Turtle and Ptolemaios, both with mostly complete sprite sets and coding. The Final Mission's first background has the Stone Turtle carrying the Mammoth Tower and Ptolemaios on the burned city.
Trivia
- The Guerrilla Soldiers' scarfs share the same color palette as the game's blood. Turning the blood off will change their scarves from red to white. The dead Guerrillas in Mission 1 has red scarves regardless of blood settings.
- Only in the standalone PS2 and Xbox versions of Metal Slug 5 can the cutscene with the Natives be skipped.
- Despite the various unused assets, sprites do make appearances in later games. The Stone Turtle debuts in Metal Slug Revolution, and Ptolemaios is the main leader of the Ptolemaic Army in Metal Slug Attack.
Screenshots
Artwork
External links
- Metal Slug 5 at SNK Playmore
- Metal Slug 5 at Neo-Geo.com (review) 1
- Metal Slug 5 at MobyGames
References
- ↑ Metal Slug 5 PS2 Japanese Manual, pg. 2. Dirty Cheater! JPPM. https://blogimg.goo.ne.jp/user_image/17/9f/20f38b62d3f47fab1045e13b63d69d44.jpg
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