Produced by: SNK

Genre: Platform/Shooting

Players: One

The Metal Slug series borrows from such classics as Midnight Resistance and Contra. There's no danger of you using your brain much here - it's just a matter of blowing everything up in sight. That's not really a bad thing though, and the arcade and home versions of SNK's shooter have proved to be immense fun.

Now SNK have brought their platform shooter to the (very) small screen in the form of Metal Slug: First Mission. The gameplay is very much the same as the original - blast your way to the end of the side scrolling level, picking up power-ups and using the titular "Metal Slug" tank to help you on your mission of destruction. There are some welcome twists this time round, though - you get to pilot a small Harrier jump jet on one level, for starters. Also, the levels now have several "exits" so you can take different routes in the game. I can't remember this being in the original Metal Slug, but it may have been an addition to the second game in the series. Anyway, it's a welcome addition, and adds a little replay value and lifespan to the game. The other major gameplay change is the introduction of a life bar.

In the original Metal Slug, one hit would lose you a life. Here, you don't have lives. The life bar is reduced for every hit you take, and once depleted, it's game over. The bar starts off quite small, and you can only take a handful of hits, but once you start to advance levels (RPG style) you get a larger life bar. One of the trademarks of the series is the stunning 2D artwork and backgrounds. However, the NeoGeo Pocket isn't the best machine for displaying lavish, detailed levels and bosses, so the game looks poor compared to the others in the series. The backgrounds are dull and feature very little detail - but then again, this is only a handheld, so it's a little silly to expect it to match 32-bit graphics. The animation is of a high standard though, and whereas the bosses may not be as impressive as those found elsewhere on the more powerful consoles, they still manage to eclipse any other end of level guardians you would see on a handheld. The game moves along nicely, and the gameplay is true to the original. It can get a little repetitive at times, but then most shooters do. The blur-free screen of the NeoGeo Pocket means you get a pretty good view of what's going on, even when the screen is full of baddies and flying bullets. However, when the screen is busy, slowdown rears it's ugly head, and at times it becomes quite annoying.

All in all, SNK have done a fairly commendable job of bringing an arcade classic to the NeoGeo Pocket. The "twitch" gameplay has translated very well, and while it lasts, First Mission is great fun. but it doesn't last long. Once you've finished the game (and that only takes about a day), you might play it a few more times to see the levels you missed, but after that, it'll just sit on your shelf gathering dust. It's the same problem with all games of this type. It offers short term appeal, but in the long term it'll leave you wanting something with more depth.

3 out of 5