Japanese import test
From its first announcement in September 2004 until its release on June 29 in the land of the Rising Sun, Metal Slug 3D has never ceased to bother us. It's a truism, some series have every interest in keeping their realization in 2D.Street Fighter, The King of Fighters, Final Fight, Mega Man, Fatal Fury and so on. There is no shortage of examples to prove that the transition to 3D is not without difficulty. Despite all these failed attempts, SNK Playmore has been tempted once again to experiment with 3D with one of its flagship series of the 90s: Metal Slug. The result has never been so desperate.
"3D killed me"
Let's break the abscess fissa since many of you must have already taken a look at the more than explicit note located at the bottom of this page. As you can see, Metal Slug 3D isn't disappointing or even mediocre, it's just bad. Bad by its realization which verges on the total hallucination. It's been a long time since we've seen such a pitiful game running on the PlayStation 2. above all attends a permanent festival of bad taste. Marco, Tarma, Eri and Fiori benefit from modeling of an unnamed coarseness, giving the impression of being totally disproportionate. Our four heroes are indeed between the garden gnome and the character in SD. The same goes for the rest of the protagonists, enemy soldiers as prisoners of war who have lost all their soul and their charm of yesteryear.
Speaking of charm, don't expect to find all the offbeat humor of the series, it has completely evaporated in this 3D episode. The excess heat due to the heat wave certainly. While in the previous installments, each pixel was placed on the screen with relevance and attention, the sets here seem totally empty, bland and without the slightest effort. For little, we have the impression that the developers have placed the elements next to each other without worrying about the consistency of the staging. We go from one level to another without the slightest interest while trying to find the way, not because it is not marked but because the game's brightness settings have also been made snatch. The textures used are also unspeakably ugly and the level-design seems to have been made by CP children. But we are not at the end of our troubles, to this execrable achievement is added a gameplay completely on the street.
The art of making life difficult
Until now, Metal Slug was also known for its simplicity. With just three or even four buttons in use, even a toddler could manage just fine with the controls. A button to jump, another to shoot and a button to throw grenades. Nothing really rocket science, you agree. For Metal Slug 3D, SNK Playmore wanted to complicate things. The few changes in the gameplay seem to be the obvious excuse for SNK Playmore to have wanted to complicate things. From now on, it is possible to glean several weapons and grenades at the same time. A first for the series before the upcoming arrival of Metal Slug 6 which also uses this system. But instead of using a single key to switch weapons, the designers had the ingenious idea of using two keys. To change weapons, you must therefore hold L2 and press the Square key. To switch grenade types, hold R2 and press the Round button. In absolute terms, it is hardly complicated but that does not prevent either that the logic is not respected either. Similarly, the knife, the ultimate weapon for slicing enemies in close combat, no longer automatically draws. It is now necessary to use the Triangle key. Suffice to say that in the heat of the moment, brushes are quickly mixed up, which is all the more frustrating when you know that the other buttons on the controller are not used. SNK Playmore has just shown us the art and the way to complicate life.
The other quality of Metal Slug was obviously its surgical precision, thus offering the possibility to certain madmen of the joystick to launch totally crazy challenges, like finishing the game with a single and unique life. In Metal Slug 3D, do not expect to offer yourself such a challenge. With a completely risky aim - and this despite the presence of a lock system - and a camera that never does what is asked of it (with the annoying tendency to refocus at the slightest thing), all the precision of the series liquefied in nature. The worst being the throwing of grenades which is done in the most grotesque way possible since at no time is it possible to give amplitude to one's gesture or a good direction. The explosive object will at best crash 2 meters in front. So what is left to this Metal Slug 3D? Not much to tell the truth. Big bosses maybe? Certainly not ! In this regard, they are almost non-existent and much too easy to kill to endorse the status of end-of-level bosses. As for the slugs, they are hardly more interesting to drive since the maneuverability, once inside, is also catastrophic. Suffice to say that the antics that we had fun doing in the past are now impossible to execute as the machines are so overwhelmingly slow. And it is not this futile option that allows you to customize your war machines that allows you to raise the already pitiful level of the game. There is no other possible alternative. The destiny of Metal Slug 3D is all mapped out. Head to the dumpster.
