Metal Slug 3 has a long history of being ported to pretty much every console since its original 2000 arcade release. And while there’s no shortage of ways to play the game, this port has a few extra features that could entice the hardcore Metal Slug fans. But, it’s still Metal Slug 3. And it’s great.

The story of Metal Slug 3 is… screw it. You just kill things and watch crazy stuff happen. Turn into a zombie and slowly walk forward and shoot a pistol. Or use a bomb to vomit blood and destroy everything in its path. Ride an elephant with a vulcan gun. Fight Giant Enemy Crabs. Fire ‘Rawket Loungers’ at aliens. Truly insane stuff, all wonderfully rendered in a 2D sprite framework and it hasn’t faltered in quality in the least all these years later. All accompanied by a soundtrack that’s very memorable. This game was NAZCA Corps. Last entry for the series, and they went out with a bang. There were of course sequels, but SNK Playmore who replaced them, just weren’t of the same pedigree. It was certainly a quarter-muncher, as death lurks about every frame. Only skill or a limitless supply of credits will see the day won. And it’s short, but oh so sweet.

As for the quality of the port, it doesn’t do all that much. There is a good transfer, but the game of course is still rocking the 4:3 aspect ratio it was made with. There are some actually decent filtering options, just don’t stretch the screen. It’s not pretty. The game also has a cross-saving feature, but it doesn’t work as easy as a simple menu option. It’s as if the game knows where your save file is as long as it’s been uploaded to the network. The game also sports cross-buy, which nets you all three Playstation versions no matter which you buy. And players on any version can play with each other. Online however, is random, as there are no lobbies to enter. Outside of multiplayer there are options that let you tweak the number of lives or continues you can use. Although the ability to save your state makes it a bit moot, should you choose to use it. At the end of the day, Metal Slug 3 is still a great game, with some additional bells and whistles. Even if they don’t work as well as they could have and likely one of the better conversions out there, but you have to decide if the $15 USD price tag is worth it just for three very good versions of a classic title, compared to the decent PS2 anthology that has Metal Slugs 1-6 for 5. But considering the quality of Metal Slug 3, I’d say it definitely is.

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