Metal Slug X is a modified version of Metal Slug 2 released in 1999 for the Neo-Geo console/arcade platform by SNK. It was created to fix the original's constant slowdown. The game introduces extra features such as new weapons, rearranged enemy replacement and greater difficulty.
It was later ported to the Neo Geo AES (May 1999) and the PlayStation (January 2001).
New Features[]
Gameplay[]
- Slowdowns that plagued the previous version were minimized greatly and various bugs were fixed in this version.
- While all missions have identical level layouts from Metal Slug 2, enemy and item placement are entirely different.
- The fat transformation is accessed from Mission 3 to the Final Mission instead of being exclusive to Mission 4.
- The Dog Mummy makes its first appearance here as well as a few variations of the Mummies that would later appear in Metal Slug 3.
Weapons and Slugs[]
- The SV-001 gets an upgraded version that is faster and can jump higher called the SV-001 Type-R.
- The SV-Camel's Vulcan is slightly modified.
- New weapons that would become a staple in later games:
- The Enemy Chaser sends rockets that track down enemies at random.
- The Iron Lizard fires a remotely controlled missile car that travels on ground and explodes at contact.
- The Drop Shot fires anti-personnel landmines that bounce on the ground until it hits an enemy.
- The Super Grenade fire a large high explosive shell that travels straight forward and causes a massive explosion on impact.
- Stone is basically a large rock which is thrown much farther compared to other grenade types.
- The Armor Piercer changes the SV-001's cannons to fire faster at a straight line. It can be reverted by collecting a Normal Cannon.
- The Heavy Machine Gun, Flame Shot, Rocket Launcher, Shotgun, and Laser Gun have stronger versions of themselves with greater firepower and range. These are called Big Weapons and are indicated by the pulsing letter of their pickup icon. Collecting these while fat makes them even more powerful.
Presentation[]
- Some stages take place in different times of day. For example, Mission 1 starts at night instead of day.
- Indoor areas also have different color palettes.
- The Announcer from Metal Slug and Metal Slug 2 is replaced with a new voiceover, which adds more sounds bytes regarding the new weapons. This voiceover would endure until Metal Slug Advance.
- Music and sound effects are remixed and improved for this game.
Stages and Bosses[]
Stage | Name | Mid-boss | Boss | BGM |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Drifting in Desert | Mosque Artillery | Iron Nokana MKII | Judgement |
2 | Monument of Depression | Aeshi Nero | Prehistoric Site The Cenotaph | |
3 | Madrigal of Wind | The Keesi II | Dragon Nosuke | Livin' on the Deck |
4 | Return to Hong-Kong | Big Shiee | Back to the China | |
5 | Kiss in the Dark | Shoe | Hozmi | New Godokin Street Kiss in the Dark Metamorphosis |
6 | I Wish to Believe in Love | Allen O'Neil | Dai-Manji Rugname |
Assault Theme First Contact |
PlayStation Exclusive Modes[]
- Combat School: The player attempts to rise through the ranks and impress the instructor Margaret Southwood by quickly running through missions and clearing the entire game under one life.
- Another Mission: Unlocked after beating the game. This mode features twenty different challenges such as reaching the end of the course unarmed or beating all enemies using only grenades. After beating all challenges, the player is rewarded with a secret credits screen and new pictures are added to the Art Gallery of the game.
Screenshots[]
Iron Nokana MK II as the new first boss
Flyers and Covers[]
Trivia[]
- By using the developer's debug menu after enabling a debug dipswitch in an emulator, there are a total of 56 of unused areas that can be found. Most of them are early versions of stages that were eventually used in Metal Slug 3, with various improvements done. All missions from Metal Slug: Super Vehicle-001 are also available, albeit with several broken functionalities and slightly edited routes implying that every level would have had alternate routes. Early versions of certain vehicles like the Slug Copter, Slug Mariner, and even items and enemies from Metal Slug 3 can also be found in several unused areas.
- A bug in which the letter "F" can appear on the score meter rarely if the player pays close attention to their score. This is so far proven on the PC version of the game.