All of the Metal Slug games, ordered

Metal Slug is, in my opinion, one of the best run-and-gun games ever made. The gameplay is clever and well-balanced, and the visual style was not only well-executed for its time but is today regarded as some of the greatest pixel art ever grace a cathode-ray tube. A behemoth of arcade games, that one.

They weren't created equal, however, and there were many of them. Even if the first creators' games were all fantastic, things began to go wrong in 2002 with SNK's collapse. It wasn't always awful, however. Depending on your criteria, it was actually never bad.

Most would advise playing Metal Slug 1, X, and 3 if you want to start the series, with 2 sometimes tossed in there as well. However, you may feel like going deeper with Metal Slug Awakening and Metal Slug Tactics just around the corner. So, this is what's in store for you.

Before we get started, let me mention one caution. Several Metal Slug games were published for pre-smart phones. A few online mobile games were also made available in other regions. I'm leaving them out due to their wide variety, inadequate documentation, and lack of accessibility (the majority have been delisted). In addition, the pachinko machines—I'm not even sure how to compare them.

15. Defense of Metal Slug

The genre of mobile tower defense is strongly aligned with Metal Slug Defense. After amassing resources, you dispatch troops to engage in combat with rival forces. The Metal Slug graphics are the only true twist here, but that's also where its tie to the series stops.

It's not a bad interpretation of the idea, and you can now acquire it on PC for not too much money without the freemium components. I must caution you again, though, because this genre is intentionally made to be addictive via the use of slow, frequent advancement that makes quitting a challenge. The objective of most games is to foster player connection, but it feels disgusting when it's used to justify cheap gameplay in an attempt to get you to pay money. The moral dilemmas are addressed by the (somewhat) decreased microtransactions on PC, but not the lack of depth.

14. Attack of Metal Slug

Screenshot provided by Ontario Online CasinoI could hardly tell you what the main difference is between Metal Slug Attack and Metal Slug Defense. They are the same game conceptually and fundamentally. It's a rudimentary interpretation of tower defense where the goal is to maximize resource use. With the intention of defeating the opposition's forces and destroying their base, you deploy units.The games' structure has undergone a significant alteration. Metal Slug Attack employs a gacha system more than other games. That is a more efficient technique to get consumers to spend money on microtransactions on their own. Nevertheless, the microtransactions were eliminated once again in the newly released Metal Slug Attack Reloaded for PC and consoles. The gacha in Attack is marginally superior than Metal Slug Defense since it is a little more entertaining sans microtransactions. But it's still simply manipulative techniques to make chemicals erupt in your brain without offering any real sensation

13. Touch of Metal Slug

The title Metal Slug Touch is a little strange. There are only four stages, all of which take place in automobiles. Because it's a smartphone game, the controls are limited to touch, which is unfortunate for a game that demands precise movements. The fact that it's not freemium is a positive. On the negative side, it's not very big. Controls-wise and visually, it's kind of like a Metal Slug game, as the whole artwork is taken from the arcade games. But it's devoid of any genuine effort.It isn't actually available anymore since it doesn't work with more recent phones, which may be a good thing.

12. Advance of Metal Slug

Metal Slug looks like a perfect fit for the Game Boy Advance. Metal Slug Advance was favorably received when it was released, although I'm not sure why. It looks like an arcade game, for sure, but it also seems to have lost a lot of liveliness. The core series' immediate death has been replaced with a health meter, and the gameplay is just considerably slower. Though it hardly feels like one, it looks like a Metal Slug game. I had to push myself really hard to play it.

11. Slug Metal 7/XX

Being the first game to preserve the original gameplay on a portable device without compromising, Metal Slug 7 transferred the core franchise to handheld and was enjoyable to witness when it was initially published on the Nintendo DS. It's harder to see things so positively these days. particularly if you play Metal Slug XX, the console version.The majority of the games that were published following SNK's first bankruptcy in 2001 are what I will refer to as "bland." Metal Slug 7/XX is the most bland of the bland. Although the action is moved to exotic surroundings and the gameplay itself is still strong, the action's flow is very boring. Even if it's not bad, once all is said and done, all I can say is, "Well, it's Metal Slug, I guess."

10. First Mission of Metal Slug

Screenshot provided by Ontario Online CasinoSNK made a big splash with their portable NeoGeo Pocket device. In a vain effort to get it off the ground, they labored feverishly to obtain representation of all their arcade successes on the small portable, and Metal Slug was one among them. It's a heroic effort, Metal Slug 1st Mission. It has much less detail but plays roughly what you'd expect from a game in the series.Many of the elements from the arcade have been included, although the primary protagonists have been replaced with some new ones. It just can't truly convey the same flow or enthusiasm due to the platform's constraints. If nothing else, it adheres to the formula more closely than Metal Slug Advance.

9. Slug Metal 3D

I think Metal Slug might be turned into a 3D shooter, but if I were to imagine it, I doubt it would look anything like Metal Slug 3D. Something quick comes to mind, such as a contemporary character action game with precise controls and quick movement. That is not Metal Slug 3D.Rather, it's a strange collection of really brief missions in constrained spaces. They move slowly, and there isn't much speed potential due to the targeting method. To provide an engaging experience, the task design is somewhat cheesy and heavily relies on upgrades. Although it's not bad, it's not at all like the 2D games it's based on. If anything, the 3D visuals are the main draw for playing it. They're alright. Although they lack the appeal of the 2D sprites, at least the art team avoided making them seem too realistic.It's odd that Metal Slug 3D was never released outside of Japan. The majority of the game is already in English, which makes it odd. Although it's sometimes said that it was never published overseas due to negative reviews, I can't locate any reliable sources to support that claim

8. Metal Slug 4

After going bankrupt in 2001, SNK was swiftly revived as SNK Playmore, although it was never the same business. The fourth game in the Metal Slug series was given to Mega Enterprise and Noise Factory after the original makers of the series broke up. They performed well. It's OK.Metal Slug 4 retains a fundamental gameplay experience that is essentially intact and still feels fantastic, but it lacks originality. The majority of the time, the new developers improved upon the previous work, even reusing many elements from the previous titles. It seems like Metal Slug 4 is mostly adequate because of the foundational work. What is ordinarily a boring experience is greatly enhanced by the mechanisms that were already in place.For some, the biggest disappointment will be that Trevor and Nadia have taken the places of Eri and Tarma. For some reason, I assumed the new characters were crossovers from King of Fighters, but it doesn't seem like that. That just serves to raise more questions about the replacement. While I could see two additional characters, I didn't think it was a good idea to replace two of the core cast

7. Metal Slug 6

Metal Slug 6 is OK. It's the first mainstream game that was published on Atomiswave rather than the NeoGeo MVS system. It revisits the Martians thematically. With the addition of Ralph and Clark from Ikari Warriors, the total number of playable characters is now 6. If nothing else, at least none of the key characters were swapped out for Metal Slug 4.It seems uninteresting. The games that came out after SNK's bankruptcy all share the series' excellent gameplay, but they also have a loose, uninteresting vibe. While Metal Slug 6 seemed to emphasize the quality difference by employing a higher-resolution backdrop in a totally different style from the pixel art in the foreground, Metal Slug 4 felt the worst. It's a dissonant aesthetic. It isn't bad overall, but it doesn't make up for the post-Nazca games

6. Second Mission of Metal Slug

Created by Ontario Online Casino; screenshotMetal Slug 2nd Mission develops the series into something more than just an underpowered port, while Metal Slug 1st Mission seemed more like an effort to get the series onto SNK's small handheld. There is a branching campaign, more slugs, improved weapon handling, and larger, more varied stages. It's also longer, more difficult, and more enjoyable. While 2nd Mission is a worthwhile game to play, 1st Mission was a commendable but underdeveloped version of the arcade classics.

5. Metal Slug 5

Among the Metal Slug titles released after SNK's demise, Metal Slug 5 is the most durable. It offers some really unforgettable experiences, such as racing down the highway in a highly armed jalopy or taking on a massive bomber in the skies. Even if it didn't follow that route, Metal Slug 4 was still a positive step in the right direction considering that it seemed like it was only maintaining the series in a holding pattern after the original devs left.But there are a few significant disadvantages. They included a ground slide, to start. Jumping while holding down is how this is done. This is inconsistent with the fact that you would leap and hold down to fire at anything below you in every previous major game in the series. This little modification implies that while hitting underneath you, you must always be mindful of what you are pressing.Apart from that, the whole program exhibits considerable sloppiness. A few bosses could have used a little more polish, and the fight that concludes the game so suddenly seems out of place. And to top it all off, it only has token level branching and lacks the ambition of Metal Slug 3.

4. Metal Slug 3

Many individuals, including those who have created lists similar to this one, would rank Metal Slug 3 first. Though I disagree, you may have fun and safely shuffle Metal Slugs 1, 2, X, and 3.At Metal Slug 3, that's when things turn truly weird. Giant crabs are the first opponents you encounter in 3, although Martians are introduced towards the conclusion in Metal Slug 2 and X. We start with the aliens and go on to missions on small submarines and fighting hordes of zombies.If not for the ending, Metal Slug 3 would rank higher in my opinion. Although it seems amazing to send you into space, the experience is really a very drawn-out ordeal against the Martians. They are everywhere, crammed into eerily empty passageways. It's so long and becomes very quarter-munchy that it seems out of place given its arcade roots. Although there is a fantastic finish, the conclusion comes out as more of a relief than an exciting one.Everything that comes before it is easy. The ultimate quest has several bright points to somewhat offset its poor points.

3. Slug 2 Metal

If not for a few issues, Metal Slug 2 might also rank higher on our list. The main one being that there is a lot of slowness, which is one of the problems that prompted the redesign of Metal Slug X. The frame rate decreases and the action may become quite slow as it becomes intense.Despite that problem, there are still a lot of positive aspects. In comparison to the original, it adds a lot of new elements, such as the ability to morph your character's movements and attacks and new "slugs" that go beyond the tank. It's also little less extravagant and more realistic than Metal Slug X, so if you're not into the crazy of later games, this one could be more to your liking.Eri Kasamoto and Fiolina "Fio" Germi were also added to the cast of playable characters in this game. Big Shiee, my favorite boss, is also in it. However, you may get these items in Metal Slug X.

2. Slug Metal

I usually play the original Metal Slug game the most. I love it so much even though it's much simpler and less diverse than the games that came after it. Solid, it depends less on unforeseen events and tumultuous circumstances. Although there are still a lot of them, it's simpler to appreciate the tight gameplay without as many interruptions.It's difficult to adequately characterize Metal Slug at this stage in the rankings without rehashing old terrain. Along with the POWs, Marco, Tarma, and the Metal Slug SV-001 tank, it also introduced the majority of the armament. It established the series' tight controls and breathtakingly beautiful pixel imagery. Everything that followed after was butter as Nazca and SNK did it flawlessly on their first attempt.

1. Slug Metal X

Metal Slug X is simply an improved version of Metal Slug 2, as mentioned above. Call it Metal Slug 2: Turbo. Everything has been updated, even if the levels are almost the same. This covers significant art modifications as well as boss and power-up placement. Most notably, the majority of the slowness that afflicted the original sequel has been rectified.Although it doesn't completely replace Metal Slug 2, there isn't much of a reason to go back to it. The new elements in that game are often thrown right in your face, making it difficult to ignore them. However, this may sometimes make things seem a little too chaotic. However, the additional features are fantastic. Everything feels fantastic, the stages are different, and the bosses are amazing.With one big exception—Fio is missing from the original Metal Slug, and everything is better with Fio—I would honestly rank Metal Slug above this one.