Old School Goodness

[Guest MikeSC]

Just picked up Metal Slug 3 for the XBox and THIS is pure, old school, gaming bliss. The difficulty is brutal and the graphics are actually quite good, considering that it is a 2-bit shooter. The game is, again, BRUTALLY difficult (not Ninja Gaiden levels, but harder than any shooter I can remember in years). So, anybody else picking up this gem?

 

And, if yes, I don't suppose they have the first 2 Metal Slug titles hidden in this, do they?

-=Mike

[AndrewTS 0]

I have--I only got to play it in the arcade once, in NY, because no such machines exist near where I live. I've been waiting for it to come out since last year when the US PS2 version kept getting delayed, delayed, and eventually canceled. It actually was a big reason I got an X-Box.

 

Finally got it and it's a blast. Hard as hell, though. However, I've heard some say it is as hard as Ninja Gaiden, although I haven't played enough of NG to know.

 

Mainly it's the continue system that's rough. 5 lives per continue, having to restart the whole mission after losing a continue is rough, although I've gotten up to Mission 4 with a little help from a friend. (I'm not going to bother updating my sig until I can beat that robot solo. Funny thing is, my friend just ran out of lives until I got in a couple more shots on that bot, then he died. Hm.

 

For the un-modded PS2 owners, I laugh at j00 since you'll only get 4 and 5 instead of this one.

 

Still will be buying the MS double pack, though, and probably the GBA Metal Slug.

 

Incidentally, we came so damn close to beating Sunset Riders. Richard Rose's cronies just litter the screen with bullets, though.

[AndrewTS 0]

Oh, a little thing to be wary of--there are suicide bombers in Mission 4. After they die, their bodies explode, so you have to keep your distance.

 

Damn if that isn't politically incorrect--just like old school games tend to be (Sunset Riders, too).

 

Oh, and this one has a T rating, so the guys actually bleed blood instead of milk.

[Lightning Flik 0]

It comes close to NG in difficulty. Not quite there, but almost.

 

From what little of this game I have played.

[AndrewTS 0]

The current bane of my playing: ****ing son of a ***** man-eating plants! I was owning metric ****loads of dust-filled mummy ass until I had to battle more of those ****ers.

 

The difficulty probably varies depending on what level sections you take.

 

Mission 1 just takes a bit of practice. Each section I've taken seems kinda reasonable, but there is a difference in difficulty.

 

Mission 2 isn't insanely difficult once you have the zombie patterns wired (plus the zombie transformation gives you an awesome weapon), but if you hit the ice cave, you're in for a rough time on the way back, because there's a good bit of enemies and the Elephant Slug doesn't exactly haul ass.

 

Mission 3 is easiest if you take the subs after going in the first warp gate. The section with a ton of soldiers on levels above and below you can take a toll on you, though, if you don't know exactly where to be. However, I have a hell of a time getting that last hostage before the boss--reaching the platform is obviously the trick, because you can't rescue him from shooting below. The Mission 3 boss is hard mainly because of the tons of fast missiles he shoots out when he's near death. Other than that, you just need to be in the right place to avoid he laser and avoid having the platform knocked out from under you.

[DangerousDamon 0]

This game is pretty damn fun. My brother and I were playing it on a demo disc at the GameStop near my school and we had a blast slicing up and blowing away soldiers and mummies. Although, when we died and had to go back to the beginning of the level, my brother quit on me.

[AndrewTS 0]

Your Gamestop actually had this running on a demo? That Gamestop rules.

 

I'll admit I'm playing on Easy for now, but I can get up to the 3rd Mission without losing a continue, and only lost one life. However, that damn section with all of those soldiers near the end of Mission 3 and that freakin' robot keep killing me. I don't want to take many serious cracks at Mission 4 until I have 3 down.

 

Would it have killed SNK to give you an extra life after X amount of points? That would have been very helpful.

[Guest MikeSC]

Your Gamestop actually had this running on a demo? That Gamestop rules.

 

I'll admit I'm playing on Easy for now, but I can get up to the 3rd Mission without losing a continue, and only lost one life. However, that damn section with all of those soldiers near the end of Mission 3 and that freakin' robot keep killing me. I don't want to take many serious cracks at Mission 4 until I have 3 down.

 

Would it have killed SNK to give you an extra life after X amount of points? That would have been very helpful.

Damn, I still can't make it through the iceman area of mission 2.

 

This game is actually HARDER than NG.

-=Mike

[Renegade 0]

Nice to see Metal slug 3 getting a well deserved US release.

 

Damn, I still can't make it through the iceman area of mission 2.

God help you on the final mission.

[AndrewTS 0]

Damn, I still can't make it through the iceman area of mission 2.

Meh, not too bad. I found the Elephant Slug more of a hindrance than a help. Without it I actually did a lot better. It didn't hurt that the Mission 2 boss battle is very easy.

 

On the way through it, remember to take out the sasquatches on the same level as you first. The ones above you can't do anything but freeze you. You can easily break out and take no damage as long as the lower level is free of enemies that could give a follow-up hit.

 

As for on the way back, I found it better to skip the Elephant Slug due to you becoming such a huge target. Stay under the zombies on the top level while killing the ones on your level, then shoot above to take the zombies out on top of you.

 

If you do take the Elephant Slug, you don't have to ride him the whole time. Hop off when needed, for instance.

 

There's also the Player 2 trick if you're really in need of lives and have another controller, but you can only do it once.

[Guest MikeSC]

Nice to see Metal slug 3 getting a well deserved US release.

 

Damn, I still can't make it through the iceman area of mission 2.

God help you on the final mission.

**weeps in fear**

-=Mike

...**still loves the brutal game**

[Anya 0]

I am sort of interested, but the continue system really turns me off.

 

 

Sunset Riders is classic! Love the voice acting.

[AndrewTS 0]

I am sort of interested, but the continue system really turns me off.

 

 

Sunset Riders is classic! Love the voice acting.

Eh, they'll probably have an infinite lives code for the Gaction Sheplay sometime soon, anyway. Although considering how far I went in Mission 4 without even facing the boss, the thought of Mission 5 seems really daunting.

 

I'm surprised at how clear the Sunset Riders voices are for 16-bit. Although the voice acting itself sucks. As do the color schemes on the Riders....and those ****ing logs that fall out of the wagon. Oh, hey GTA fans, there are whores in the game!

 

A game along similar lines to Sunset Riders is Wild Guns. It doesn't hurt that the game makes me think of Trigun, either.

[Anya 0]

I don't like using codes. If something is so hard I have to use codes I'll pass.

[AndrewTS 0]

I don't like using codes. If something is so hard I have to use codes I'll pass.

Well, it's doable on Easy, but having a friend who is decent at those types of games is extremely helpful.

 

Having a hell of a time on Mission 4 (in both senses), but haven't wired any one path yet. I've ran into a relative of Queen Pulsating, Festering, Sweaty, Pus-filled, Malformed Slug-for-a-BUTT. Giant maggots are everywhere in that cavern, and it doesn't help when giant crustacean critters are ganging up on you.

 

PROTIP: Attack aggressively!

[Anya 0]

EWJ is another classic.

[AndrewTS 0]

EWJ is another classic.

Jim CD is the best version, though. Even if you don't have a Sega CD, you can pick it up for PC for about a buck. It has way better music, 2 new levels (well, 1 + 1/2 + 1/2 = 2), plus the Genesis' intestines level.

 

Jim 2's a really good game, but the Saturn version only has a revamped soundtrack over the 16-bitters, and you have no choice but to jump with "B."

 

The original Jim had the misfortune to come out at about the same time as Super Metroid and DKC, though, so it didn't sell too well. Stupid, stupid...!

[DangerousDamon 0]

Your Gamestop actually had this running on a demo? That Gamestop rules.

 

 

Would it have killed SNK to give you an extra life after X amount of points? That would have been very helpful.

Yeah, the Gamestop does rule. I just hate the people who work there and think they're experts on everything, even though they think Highlander is a PG-13 movie.

 

 

Anyway, back to Metal Slug. I was at my uncle's house awhile ago and I found a copy of Metal Slug X for the Ps1 in my 7 year old cousin's room. Needless to say, we played that game for the whole afternoon and my cousin was badass in that game. He got about 10 times more kills than me. He's also really good at Smash TV, which is kind of scary since i can't get past the second level.

[Rendclaw 0]

Gamestop usually have a bunch of idiot kids in their teens and twenties working there and their attitudes are horrible. They do act like they know everything about gaming, even though I have more knowledge in my little pinky than most of them do.

[AndrewTS 0]

Anyway, back to Metal Slug. I was at my uncle's house awhile ago and I found a copy of Metal Slug X for the Ps1 in my 7 year old cousin's room. Needless to say, we played that game for the whole afternoon and my cousin was badass in that game. He got about 10 times more kills than me. He's also really good at Smash TV, which is kind of scary since i can't get past the second level.

 

That's badass that there are still young'uns who appreciate the old school flavor. What difficulty level you play X on? I usually stick to normal, but I still die frequently. It's not a big deal because of the unlimited continues, but die JUST ONCE and all your saved hostages are gone. It's sad that even on Easy I'll probably never come close to filling that rescue list in MS3.

 

Gamestop usually have a bunch of idiot kids in their teens and twenties working there and their attitudes are horrible. They do act like they know everything about gaming, even though I have more knowledge in my little pinky than most of them do.

 

That's odd. Most of the Gamestop/EBs in my area are ran by guys in their 30's, although there's usually a 20-something guy. They're pretty knowledgeable and have good attitudes.

 

Although there was one in Erie that, when I had visited it, had two twenty-something girls on duty. Although as I sifted through the PS1 games I bit my tongue when they said to another customer that both the Van Helsing game and movie were awesome, and the customer agreed on the movie...

[Anya 0]

Gamestop employees can be so obnoxious. They always pressure me to buy strategy guides and subscriptions and are overly helpful, rambling on and on about stuff and assuming I can't help myself. They're relentless.

[AndrewTS 0]

Gamestop employees can be so obnoxious. They always pressure me to buy strategy guides and subscriptions and are overly helpful, rambling on and on about stuff and assuming I can't help myself. They're relentless.

The Gamestops outside my area seem to always ask if I have any games to trade in...despite the fact that I clearly have none in my hands. Yeah, my baggy pants/shorts could conceivably have some, but I'm not about to trade them in to get 3 bucks and a piece of lint. Or two bucks if you want cash instead of store credit.

 

Although a guy at a Gamestop was about to trade in an N64 w/ controllers and several games, and I offered him ten bucks more than the store was going to give him and got a sweet deal. So after I sold a couple of the games I'd basically gotten an N64 and a couple of games for free.

 

Back on topic, has anyone here played Contra III for SNES? I played it about 5 years ago, but I really sucked and never got past the first boss.

[Guest Askewniverse]

Contra III was pretty cool, but it was damn hard (but not as hard as the Contra game for PS2). I remember hating the top-view stages.

 

As for the GameStop/EB employees thing, I have no problem with the stores in my area. They know what they're talking about and they don't try to push subscriptions, reserves, etc. more than once.

[USC Wuz Robbed! 0]

Back on topic, has anyone here played Contra III for SNES? I played it about 5 years ago, but I really sucked and never got past the first boss.

my high school calculus teacher actually had Contra III in his office, and he would let people play it after they finished their tests, etc.... old memories.....

[AndrewTS 0]

That's more or less the case with me. However, the ones I'm familiar with know I buy a lot of stuff from them anyway, so that may affect it.

[Anya 0]

Contra Hard Corps is a lot better than Contra III.

[Highland 0]

 

Real Old School goodness.

[MrRant 0]

 

^

 

Old school bitches.

[AndrewTS 0]

Heh, River City Ransom EX is out. I haven't gotten it yet, but it's basically the same art as the NES version shown above, but with cutesy anime characters in place of the realistic-looking dudes.

 

Oh, a game some of you may be tempted to try out but should probably avoid: CT Special Forces for GBA. The sequel may be better, but this one is mediocre at best.

 

Going by the screen shots, you'd think it was a Metal Slug clone. There's certainly similarities in the look and controls. However, that's about where the similarites end. It's more of a platform game where you shoot people than a true Metal Slug game.

 

I frankly think the game sprites are too big, which I feel hurts the pace and response. You have a life bar unlike with any of the console/arcade Slugs, although when you lose a life you start over in the same spot.

 

Unlike the smooth as buttah controls of any of the Metal Slugs, these ones are stiff and iffy. You can only fire left, right, and upward. You can't fire downward, not even in the air, and you can't even fire upward while jumping. In fact, if you're holding "up" to aim upward, you can't even jump, period.

 

To throw a grenade, you have to be perfectly still. So if you're walking and try to throw a grenade, you get nothing. You don't even automatically stop and fling the grenade, you have to come to a dead stop, hit R, and hope it hits. The angle it is thrown at isn't as useful as in Metal Slug.

 

Oh, you have no close range attack, like how in Metal Slug you could stab or in Gunstar you could throw. So if you're right next to a guy and your gun barrel is past him you won't do any damage.

 

While you have fox-holes and and areas to take cover in, when you jump up, even if you're past the end of the platform, you'll likely land on TOP of the platform as you land from your jump, instead of back in the foxhole. You might take a bullet or two from this, because most of the foxholes are too small. Plus, while you're in your "dangling" animation on the ledge, you can't fire at all.

 

The A.I. is da ghey. Your adversaries are basically guys with guns but with the intelligence of an 8-bit platform enemy. They walk back and forth on their little platform, firing their guns when you happen to be near. However, you can actually end up walking behind them pumping lead in their back as they WALK THE OTHER WAY FIRING AT NOTHING! Freaking Army the Armadillo from Donkey Kong Country looks like a genius compared to these guys.

 

A welcome addition that Metal Slug could use is that ability to retain special weapons and use them when you want to. You switch between weapons using L. However, they should have realized that when you don't have a weapon, it's best to skip it than have "x 0" listed.

 

It probably sounds like I really hate the game, but that's not really true. While the gameplay is somewhat modeled after, and is inferior to, a nearly decade-old arcade game, I know that it's not supposed to play exactly like it, but rather at a slower-paced, more platform-centric style.

 

However, SNK already took a similar slant on the Metal Slug series. They called it Metal Slug 1st Mission, and it's available on Neo Geo Pocket Color. Then they vastly improved that and released Metal Slug 2nd Mission.

 

(By the way, if you only have a GBA and want true portable Metal Slug, Metal Slug Advance is slated for SEPTEMBER. =/)

 

So while not terrible, it pales in comparison to a 5 year old NGPC game.

 

Maybe I'll revise this and put it on GameFAQs. *shrug*

 

"Contra Hard Corps is a lot better than Contra III."

 

I have Hard Corps (thank goodness for Game Genie ), but I was wondering about CIII. Generally I've seen it favored much more than Hard Corp, and it does seem to look better over all graphically, sound-wise.

 

So maybe I'll pick it up if I find a good deal on it.