Metal Slug 2

Metal Slug 2: Super Vehicle 001/II
Metal Slug 2 Title Screen
Developer(s)	Nazca Corporation
Publisher(s)	SNK
Platform(s)	Microsoft Windows
Release	April 2, 1998
Genre(s)	Run and gun
Mode(s)	Single player, 2 player Co-op
Arcade system	Neo-Geo (362 Mbit cartridge)

Metal Slug 2 (メタルスラッグ 2) is a run and gun video game for the Neo-Geo console/arcade platform created by SNK. It was released in 1998 for the MVS arcade platform and is the sequel to the popular Metal Slug. It is the second title in the Metal Slug series. The game was later re-released in a slightly modified/remixed form as Metal Slug X.

Story

Template:Spoiler General Morden, the antagonist from the first game is back once more with his army, bent on taking over the world. It is up to the Penegrine Falcon squad to once again save the day, who are now joined by two new female characters: Eri and Fio. As the levels unfold, it turns out that Morden made a pact with the Devil, when he made an alliance with aliens to help facilitate his domination plans. Eventually the tables are turned, when Morden comes under attack. An ad-hoc alliance is formed between the Penegrine Falcon squad to combat the greater alien threat.

Gameplay

The feel of the game was not altered significantly from Metal Slug. Overall, it is the same game with many additional weapons, items, and features that fit very well in the game's animated and comedic setting. Nazca made much more of each level destructable, with a higher percentage of unnecessary destruction yielding helpful items. There are a total of six levels in the game.

New features

Character transformation

File:Mslug205.png

Gameplay screenshot showing Marco in "obese mode"

Metal Slug 2 introduced the ability into the franchise for characters to transform into different variants during the course of the game. The first transformation is one into a mummy during the second mission of the game. Any hit from the purple tinged attacks of the mummy-variants or bats drop will trigger the transformation. This causes a drastic reduction in player movement speed and reversion of any special weapon back into a pistol. The mummy fires the pistol at a rate of half as fast as normal, and takes several seconds to toss a grenade. Another hit by purple mist will cause the player, transformed as the mummy, to deteriorate and die. There are antidotes hidden throughout the level and dropped by enemies that can restore the player to human form.

Also introduced in this game was the ability to become obese. This transformation is gained, logically, by the acquirement of many food items during a single game-life. Once enough food is obtained a voice yells "Uh-oh, big" and the character is radically transformed. Movement speed is slowed, but every weapon's attack is altered: melee attacks are changed from a knife to a fork, grenades are changed to larger comedy-style bombs, and the current weapon is replaced with a version that has larger bullets, increased damage and may have its properties altered. If a diet-powder canister is found, enough time passes without picking up any food items or the player is killed, the player(s) will revert to their former average-girth selves.

New weapons

File:Mslug203.png

One of the new weapons introduced, the Laser, being used on the Mars People

Drop Shot [D]: The drop shot is one of the most unique, and unusable weapons in the entire series. This gun shoots out bouncy cannon balls that move horizontally at about the same speed as the protagonists. This gun cannot be shot in different directions. Because of their bouncy nature, accuracy is most often at a minimum.

Laser [L]: This gun is very similar to how it is implemented in Contra; it is a continuous, highly-damaging thin beam of light that depletes ammunition very quickly. In comedic flair, the player's hair stands on end, as if electrocuted, while shooting the rifle.

A.P. Shells: This powerup transforms normal tank shells into armor piercing shells and adds 10 more. A.P. shells travel at a faster trajectory, in a more linear fashion. They do much more damage to their intended target.

Firebomb: These Molotov Cocktail inspired weapons replace the grenades in the player's inventory (once depleted, the player still retains the original amount of grenades). Upon impact, the firebomb releases a blaze that is equivalent to six flameshots simultaneously.

New vehicles

File:Mslug202.png

Gameplay screenshot showing the Camel Slug, one of the new vehicles.

Camel Slug: The first vehicle the player is presented with in the game, the camel is basically just the directional blaster from the Metal Slug tank with no protection and no cannon. Grenades can be thrown from atop the camel's hump

Slug Flyer: This vehicle is an obvious take on the VTOL Harrier jet. Players can shoot with a blaster similar to on the other vehicles, except that it could not be shot backwards. Missiles can be launched from the vehicle as well; they drop out of the plane and rush straight to the target. They do not deviate like the rocket launcher weapons do. Like the tank, the plane used as a kamikaze weapon, one can survive if they eject out of the plane before impact. Ejection causes the players to parachute to the ground.

SlugNoid: This vehicle is reminiscent of the cargo carrier from James Cameron's 1986 film, Aliens. This vehicle has two blue blasters and can launch shells through the bottom of the vehicle. It is encountered during the boss sequence in Mission 2. Upon the first two impacts of enemy gunfire, the blasters will fly off the vehicle one by one.

Helper Characters

Metal Slug 2 is the first game in the series to provide characters to help the players in battle. The first is Hyakutaro Ichimonji, a prisoner who, when rescued, will fight alongside the player who saved him, throwing homing energy balls similar to the Hadoken at enemies, or roundhouse kicking them if they manage to get within melee range. Also appearing is Rumi Aikawa, a girl who wanders around with a huge, overstuffed backpack and drops items.

Trivia

• Seemingly parallel to Samurai Shodown IV, on the advisory screen, "advisory" is misspelled as "advisoly" (in SS4 "victory!" is infamously misspelled at "victoly!").
• The ending of Metal Slug 2 resembles the ending of the movie Independence Day.
• First appearance of the "mars people", enemy characters which would go on to become popular in the SNK universe, to the extent of even becoming playable in SvC Chaos: SNK vs. Capcom and Neo Geo Battle Coliseum.
• The Battleship Boss in both Metal Slug 2 and Metal Slug X is a caricature of the famous Space Cruiser Yamato.
• A bug in the system's AI causes the boss in the second stage to freeze, giving players an unfair advantage to eliminate it without any difficulty. To exploit this, the player must ride the Slugnoid vehicle and jump vertically once just right after the stage's boss has appeared. If done correctly, the boss will not move at all and the player can shoot it straight on until it is destroyed.

External links

• Metal Slug 2 at The Killer List of Video Games

• Metal Slug 2 at Neo-Geo.com (reviews) 1 2
• Template:GameFAQs