Metal Slug 7 (Nintendo DS) Reader Review

Seven, 7, Seben, Sept. Yes, this is the seventh game in the series. Originally released on the neo geo way back when, the series has continued on at a blistering pace and has now landed itself on the DS (and XBOX), even though the majority of its predecessors have been on an arcade format in a fun little run and gun package. Now it sits in your hands, It’s fun and it more than delivers...

For those of you who know nothing about the Metal slug series, it is basically a 2D side scroller action shooting game comparable to that of the Contra series. It incorporates fast thinking, dodging and all out general warfare. American Style.

The game allows you to choose between two gaming modes. Mission and combat training. The latter of which being a series of gruelling tasks that get gradually harder, verging on impossible. This leads to many hair shredding moments, and believe me, it will be your hair as your fingers will have been triggered down to opposable useless stumps protruding from your fist if you want to chew em’. The game is harder than nails. Period.

Mission Mode sees you selecting one of the six memorable characters that all have their strengths and weaknesses (e.g. Marco has double the strength) to battle through the fifteen available missions to save various hostages that all look like Jesus. This is where the fun kicks in. If you are expecting contra with its four enemies on screen at any one time, you are in for such a shock, and then a hell of a time. The game drops you in the deep end and you start blasting away anywhere and killing. The game throws at least TEN enemies on screen at any one time which are quickly replaced. The controls are simple B is shoot and R is change weapon. That’s it. You also have the option to run up to an enemy and gut them with a knife and watch blood spurt out of them! The action is fast paced and you have no health, you are given old school lives and have to watch the gazillion bullets whizzing towards you to dodge the inevitable. Then we hit the end of level bosses. Holy Jebus. These are massive mecha constructions that you have to bring down with bullets and the reactions of a fly. They vary in size and really have a ‘Metroid’ feel to them. Maybe it’s the size, maybe it’s the difficulty....

The weapons are inventive. There are tasers, shotguns, knives, machine guns, homing rockets, grenade launchers, flamethrowers and countless others. All of the weapons all have their unique traits for example; the taser will home in on enemies and kill multiple enemies in one, especially useful if the enemies are raining down like flies on your kill parade.Oh, and lets not forget the weapon suits you can wear...

The graphics. This is where the game gets creative and creates the most hilarious game known to man. The expressions of enemies to be frank are the best. Some of the scenarios encountered include; when you appear they have over the top shocked looks that quickly turn to pain when you shoot them. All the weapons yield different results. A taser shot will cause them to clutch their heart and die, the flamethrower makes them run around screaming into their mates covered in glorious orange fire and the shotgun literally takes their legs out from underneath them. The glorious overuse of blood is a given, which makes it all the more comical.

The sound in this game has some nice touches, but you really won’t hear that as the shouts of enemies when they die and the numerous guns over the top of that drown out any form of music ever created. But that in itself is music too my ears.

The only nitpick of the game is its length. Its way, way to short for my liking. The fifteen missions can be shot through in under an hour (if you play O so epically) but the combat school will take forever, if you can ever be bothered, it’s not as fun as the main missions all in all. The other problem is purely cosmetic, the DS itself. The action gets so packed that it struggles to keep up in some areas of the game, it slows down, and for around a second each time but it is noticeable.

This game is brilliant for seasoned hardcore arcade gamers as the higher difficulties would make even army men cry. It also caters for the newbie crowed with the easier difficulties, and starting characters off with machineguns ect. This game is not for younger people though as it does get very, very violent (albeit in a comical way) and may leave them thinking that “hey lets join the army if it’s as fun as this”. The game is wickedly hard and devilishly funny/cruel to play. It’s a charm in a box that will keep you smiling and satisfied till the very end. That is if you have a face after bashing it in a couple of thousand times....