Three Cheers for Metal Slug

I was able to plow through the first six Metal Slug installments, in between sleeping, writing, reading, eating, and doing other staycation-type activities, so the re-experiencing the action is fresh on my mind. I only played the first two games, long ago, when they were both in the arcades in the late nineties.

It’s very rare that a game can combine the run and gun genre with humor, some gore, and such detailed animations at a low resolution. Aside from a few later, secondary titles, the series kept its 32-bit aesthetic (the 2023 Awakening game feels like a different franchise altogether).

Note: I had originally titled this “In Praise of Metal Slug,” but I dislike using “praise” for as mundane a subject as a gaming franchise. Synonyms seemed just as profane: “adoration,” “honoring,” “extolling.” I thought “three cheers” was lighthearted enough to be appropriate.