Metal Slug Advance review

Thankfully, the developer hasn't just ported one of its previous games, but has developed specifically for the machine. It features the same no-nonsense "kill-em-all-and-let-God-sort-em-out" gameplay with some new additions - some of them suit the series, but most seem rather pointless. Metal Slug Advance differs very little from other games in the series: you move to the right, sometimes left, shooting enemies and watching as they comically die. Rescuing POWs and collecting powerful limited-ammo weapons (and maybe getting into a vehicle, be it the Metal Slug tank or VTOL Aircraft) are still yours for the taking. Using these would seem to make the game easier, but the trick is that enemies are well-armed, outnumber you by the hundreds and aren't ashamed of using huge death machines to take out your solitary soldier. It's completely bonkers but enjoyable - while also spitting in the face of the arguably overcomplicated nature of some of today's games. However, Metal Slug Advance has some new tweaks. Instead of one bullet causing you to lose a life like other games in the series, Advance features an energy bar that can take 3-5 hits (depending on the weapon) before you get killed. And, when you die you start again at the last area (new areas are opened after each "door"), instead of reappearing where you died. Unfortunately, being a Metal Slug game, you will die a lot and constantly be repeating whole areas again and again until you've managed to get to the next area (either through luck or skill). But then you'll encounter the same thing - which is especially annoying on bosses; the last boss required about 30-50 attempts on Gamestyle's part. Even with only five missions to complete, it will take a fair while to do. And your patience WILL be tested. However, along with the energy bar, there are other options to make the game less stressful. The ability to save after completing a mission will be a godsend to most, and there's also the auto-fire option - which, when selected, requires you to hold down the B button to constantly fire (instead of constantly pumping it, which is the default setting). On the cramped GBA SP, this will definitely save you some thumb blisters. Another change to the tried-and-true methodology of Metal Slug is the omission of points and scores. Gamestyle doesn't know about you, but we've always believed the point of difficult shoot 'em ups was to see how high you could score before you finally snuffed it. Not to see the end movie (and Metal Slug Advance's ending is particularly stupid to boot). The omission of a high score table will make some people wonder why they are bothering to put up with the difficulty of the game. And then you've the "added" difficulty of Advance's card-collecting system. Some POWs and certain targets will leave cards behind when freed/destroyed: some will restore energy (such as "Fish" and "Turkey"), while others are purely for keeping in the gallery. Some cards can be equipped from the main menu to give extra power to weapons (or different versions of the game's vehicles). However, the cards are only saved if you collect them and finish the level without dying. Which makes collecting them a boring chore and ultimately pointless. Only the best players will be able to collect all 100 cards - and for what purpose? In fact, why even bother getting the card to power-up your Drop Shot weapon when: a] 80% of the enemies you'll encounter only need one shot with the Pistol to die; b] you only ever use the Drop Shot once or twice in the entire game; and c] the Drop Shot is useless to begin with anyway. Graphically, the game is impressive, capturing the cartoon look of the series quite well on Nintendo's handheld (although some of the death animations, particularly for you and the soldiers, look rather stiff with only two noticeable frames). The backdrops are also a little bland, but youre usually too busy killing - and being killed - to notice. Meanwhile, the games sounds are a bit of a mixed bag. Most of the effects are clear and fit the action on screen (explosions in particular sound really good), whereas others are rather flat - such as the soldiers' one-and-only death cry: "ah". Oh, and then there are the planes, which sound like they're running on farts (which is actually more offensive than the missiles they fire at you). All in all, the basic gameplay of Metal Slug Advance is quite entertaining and fun - whilst slightly marred by additions that are rather pointless and dont add anything worthwhile to the experience. If you're a fan of the series and fancy some carnage in your pocket, you're welcome to apply. Newcomers to Metal Slug may wish to invest in the superior (and somewhat cheaper) Metal Slug 3 on Xbox or PS2.