Metal Slug ... The emblem of the "Run'n'Gun" style is undoubtedly one of the most enjoyable games in the videogame world. Originally created by Nazca and published by SNK, the soft was born in the japanese arcades, then released on the Neo Geo AES a few months later (1996), before the many game ports that were made on Saturn, PS1, PS2, Xbox and many more. The goal in Metal Slug is to make the highest score possible without losing too much credits. This series doesn't hesitate to parody or allude to games or famous movies. Thus, Rambo, Resident Evil, Impossible Mission or Independence Day and many others world-famous films are part of the cast, and all this made this game one of the most legendary series in the world of videogames. Until today, nine games in total were released. In this very article, I will mostly talk about the first six episodes, those released on Neo Geo AES. Firstly, let's talk about the general content of Metal Slug, characters, weapons; andnext, we'll have  a presentation of each game and its levels.

Eventually, the gameplay of these games is quite simple! You play as one of the members of the "Peregrine Falcons" company, an army of mercenaries. You move and shoot to kill your enemies the more efficiently as possible, in order to reach the end boss of each stage. Incidentally, you have to rescue hostages, who might give you a little bonus gift to thank you. This can be a scoring bonus, special weapons (flame shot, rocket Laucher ...). Only three buttons are used, the first to shoot, the second to jump and the last one to thrown grenades. Vehicles provide more depth to the gameplay, and once you catch one, you will be much more powerful and resilient to the enemy. Thus the "Metal Slug" (tank), Slugnoid, Slug Flyer and others will help you to shreds enemies who dare fight you. At the end of each stage, bosses as huge as each other will give you a hard time.

There's nine main characters in the series, here they are:

Marco Rossi: présent since the first episode, it's the main hero of the saga. He comes back for every adventure.

Tarma Roving: he was there too for every mission, except in Metal Slug 4 where he was only there as an extra.

Fio Germi: Appeared for the first time in Metal Slug 2, she's then featured in all episodes of the saga. 

Eri Kasamoto: as for Fio, she appeared in the second opus. And like Tarma, she was featured in Metal Slug 4 but was not selectable.

Trevor Spacey: He replaced Tarma in Metal Slug 4, but he literally disappeared after this...

Nadia Cassel: She replaced Eri in MS4, and she never reappeared in the next episodes.

 General Donald Morden: It's the big Boss, bad guy of the story. Caricature of Saddam Hussein, he's here in the five first episodes of Metal Slug (Metal Slug X included).

Colonel Allen O'Neil: Here's your Némesis... True recurring nightmare, this colossus looking like Rambo will come to fight you in each adventure...

Hyakutaro Ichimoji : He's a prisoner of war, who once unfettered, will launch Hadouken on enemies. He'll go away if you die once.