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karasu99
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"Completely forgot Metal Slug 7" , posted Tue 18 Nov 02:53post reply

So how is it that I completely missed the release in Japan of Metal Slug 7? It appears that it came out in mid-July, and I've only noticed its upcoming US release date by accident, on Play-Asia's site.

This is odd, because I try and snap up most if not all of SNKP's releases, to try and show them that yes, I love them still. I'm still trying to figure out how to get across to them how I'd like them to improve.

Has anyone tried it? It comes out tomorrow in the US, and can be gotten relatively cheaply, which is good.

So is it so mediocre that no-one has said anything about it? From what I've seen it's just Metal Slug 6 over again, complete with Ralf and Clark (who, by the way, I'm guessing are just spot-welded to the series now), and reviews generally agree that it's so-so.

It's funny-- I love this series, but with each release since Metal Slug 3 I've gotten more and more anesthetized to it. I don't avoid it, I just have gotten a 'so what' response to it. As I write this post, I can't even really come up with a reason why I'm so ambivalent. I was excited when 6 came out, since it adjusted the gameplay somewhat with 'personal actions' (I think that's what they're called) and the addition of two more characters, but once I actually played it, it really didn't feel any different from 4 and 5, especially.

Maybe it's that 3 felt as though it had been made with incredible care and craft. The ones since then? I don't know. 3 really set the bar high. And 7 being on the DS directly, with no arcade version? It doesn't look good for the series, honestly.

Anyway, does anyone want to talk about this? I'm probably not making much sense, much less a point-- such is the level of my ambivalence. But it's still, I think, an incredibly important series when viewed as a whole. Want to tell me why you care/don't care about Metal Slug 7?






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Freeter
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"Re(1):Completely forgotten Metal Slug 7" , posted Tue 18 Nov 05:07post reply

MS6 with smaller sprites and no co-op mode. Enjoy.





sfried
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"Re(2):Completely forgotten Metal Slug 7" , posted Tue 18 Nov 06:31post reply

quote:
MS6 with smaller sprites and no co-op mode. Enjoy.

Sure will. I enjoyed MSAdvance.





karasu99
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"Re(3):Completely forgotten Metal Slug 7" , posted Tue 18 Nov 06:45post reply

quote:
MS6 with smaller sprites and no co-op mode. Enjoy.
Sure will. I enjoyed MSAdvance.



Wow, hadn't even considered that! MSAdvance was a load of fun. I even enjoyed the ones for NeoGeo Pocket!





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"Re(2):Completely forgotten Metal Slug 7" , posted Tue 18 Nov 08:19post reply

quote:
MS6 with smaller sprites and no co-op mode. Enjoy.

\

Wahhhhh, really!? Glad I didn't pick it up, then. I'm no Metal Slug expert, but I thought 6 was pretty poor. Makes me sad to see a new number tacked on an old game.





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Digitalboy
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"Re(3):Completely forgotten Metal Slug 7" , posted Tue 18 Nov 12:36post reply

Mega Man?
quote:
Makes me sad to see a new number tacked on an old game.







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Grave
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"Re(4):Completely forgotten Metal Slug 7" , posted Tue 18 Nov 13:31post reply

quote:
Mega Man?


If you're talking about MM9 I'm going to rape your face off.





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"Re(5):Completely forgotten Metal Slug 7" , posted Tue 18 Nov 14:26post reply

quote:
Mega Man?

If you're talking about MM9 I'm going to rape your face off.

Heheh, the face peaking from around the corner surely indicates joking! Or mayyybe DB was thinking of Rockman SEVEN or EIGHT, in which case the assessment kind of stands. Well, at least for 7. Ick. But don't worry, be happy, go do the HORNET DANCE





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badoor
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"Re(6):Completely forgotten Metal Slug 7" , posted Tue 18 Nov 18:16post reply

I came to play MS7 with low expectation. I hated MS6. It made me feel very fatigued about Metal slug in general and I thought MS7 will be bad too especially with smaller sprites and no co-op. But I actually liked it.
IIRC it has 7 stages which is pretty long, though their are no multiple paths like MS3 AFAIK. It has great level design, new weapons and actually makes you do stuff you never did before

Spoiler (Highlight to view) -
Like Giant Mech vs Mech battle against Allen O'Neil of "C'mon boy" and "see you in hell" fame

End of Spoiler

though there isn't anything revolutionary or something like that. I think its better than MS6 and possibly MS4. You could wait for the xbox live verssion but with SNK's track record that might not be coming for a while.





Grave
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"Re(6):Completely forgotten Metal Slug 7" , posted Tue 18 Nov 20:00:post reply

quote:
Heheh, the face peaking from around the corner surely indicates joking! Or mayyybe DB was thinking of Rockman SEVEN or EIGHT, in which case the assessment kind of stands. Well, at least for 7. Ick. But don't worry, be happy, go do the HORNET DANCE



That cover is beautiful, but all things aside, I just feel that need to give out a good old-fashioned face raping. I'm sure y'all understand.

But on topic! I've heard next to nothing good about the DS version of MS7, mostly that it's about as ugly as it gets and everything looks awkwardly scaled, but there's an XBLA version coming and maybe that won't be as offensive? Maybe? Between that and 98UM I'm gonna need to get me a 360 and one of those HRAP EX sticks. So much for my brilliant decision to get a PS3 because they were taking backwards compatibility out (which, it turns out, still lags severely on HDTVs and ruins everything but RPGs) and because that's where I figured all the fighting games and shooters would be. I feel so

quote:
You could wait for the xbox live verssion but with SNK's track record that might not be coming for a while.



Considering how most of us forgot the DS version even existed, I'm content to forget again for a little while longer!





[this message was edited by Grave on Tue 18 Nov 20:01]

Digitalboy
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"Re(5):Completely forgotten Metal Slug 7" , posted Wed 19 Nov 06:31post reply

I am talking about Mega Man 9.

But let me finish, assholes.

I am jestering about Mega Man 9, and I NEVER played the game so I can not actually give you my thoughts and opinions. I acknowledge it's existence but I have outgrown Mega Man.

quote:
Mega Man?

If you're talking about MM9 I'm going to rape your face off.







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Iron D
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"Re(6):Completely forgotten Metal Slug 7" , posted Wed 19 Nov 06:45post reply

I guess my thoughts on the series have already been said here (MS6 not as good as rest of series, feel fatigued about the series, etc.) but what's been said so far about MS7 so far sounds disheartening. I mean, no multiplayer? WTF?

But a mech vs. mech battle with Allen O'Neil sounds all kinds of kick ass. Has it ever been explained how this damn dude will just NOT FUCKING DIE?



Spoiler (Highlight to view) -
Go home to mommy!

End of Spoiler







Er.....

karasu99
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"Re(7):Completely forgotten Metal Slug 7" , posted Wed 19 Nov 08:47post reply

quote:
I guess my thoughts on the series have already been said here (MS6 not as good as rest of series, feel fatigued about the series, etc.) but what's been said so far about MS7 so far sounds disheartening. I mean, no multiplayer? WTF?

But a mech vs. mech battle with Allen O'Neil sounds all kinds of kick ass. Has it ever been explained how this damn dude will just NOT FUCKING DIE?




Yeah, so I ordered it. Hopefully it is winging its way to me as we speak, for delivery in the next few days.

I dug out my copy of MS6, and what do you know? It's really not that bad.

Am I sick of the series? A little. There's been almost no movement in terms of gameplay in years. It hit its peak four games ago. Honestly, one of the things I miss the most is the multiple path system from 3, so I suppose I'll be a little disappointed.

Oh well. The fact that lots of people out there are still making games with such nice, clear little pixels is heartening enough for me. Plus, portable! That means a lot too.

ALTHOUGH... the load times in the PSP Metal Slug Anthology are OUTRAGEOUS. Have I said that already?





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"Re(8):Completely forgotten Metal Slug 7" , posted Wed 19 Nov 12:17post reply

quote:


ALTHOUGH... the load times in the PSP Metal Slug Anthology are OUTRAGEOUS. Have I said that already?



This must be a constant with PSP Snk collections. KoF Orochi Collection had some god awful loading times too.





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karasu99
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"Re(9):Completely forgotten Metal Slug 7" , posted Wed 19 Nov 12:37post reply

quote:


ALTHOUGH... the load times in the PSP Metal Slug Anthology are OUTRAGEOUS. Have I said that already?


This must be a constant with PSP Snk collections. KoF Orochi Collection had some god awful loading times too.



That's why I grudgingly avoided both. I only picked up MSA because it was about 5 dollars.

I just can't believe that that kind of load time is considered acceptable to anyone who is involved in assembling these collections. And this is coming from a person with an embarrassing tolerance for load times (when appropriate is the key here).





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"Re(10):Completely forgotten" , posted Wed 19 Nov 13:26post reply

This would be off-topic, but as long as we're on the subject of completely forgotten DS releases, whatever happened with Sigma Harmonics? It supposedly came out months ago but I haven't heard a peep about it.





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"Re(2):Re(10):Completely forgotten" , posted Wed 19 Nov 14:59post reply

quote:
This would be off-topic, but as long as we're on the subject of completely forgotten DS releases, whatever happened with Sigma Harmonics? It supposedly came out months ago but I haven't heard a peep about it.



All I can say is that this is the first time that I felt the need to get a game's soundtrack before playing the game. The soundtrack is so good that I want the game based on it alone.





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Maou
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"Re(3):Re(10):Completely forgotten" , posted Wed 19 Nov 22:51post reply

quote:
This would be off-topic, but as long as we're on the subject of completely forgotten DS releases, whatever happened with Sigma Harmonics? It supposedly came out months ago but I haven't heard a peep about it.


All I can say is that this is the first time that I felt the need to get a game's soundtrack before playing the game. The soundtrack is so good that I want the game based on it alone.

Hilariously, I happen to be listening to the soundtrack RIGHT NOW by chance. Hamauzu is clearly the greatest thing to happen to Square in many years. The game...well. I haven't bought it, but if you read the myriad Amazon Japan reviews, for instance, you find people intrigued by the story and music, but who find the investigation system clunky and who are disappointed you only find the source of the murders but don't resolve them...assuming you can solve them, since a lot are apparently quite hard. I'm still interested, but maybe I'll finish Wish Room/Hotel Dusk first, a year overdue as usual.





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nobinobita
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"Re(1):Completely forgot Metal Slug 7" , posted Thu 20 Nov 07:39:post reply

quote:
So how is it that I completely missed the release in Japan of Metal Slug 7? It appears that it came out in mid-July, and I've only noticed its upcoming US release date by accident, on Play-Asia's site.



The game is fun, my only complaint is that the graphics are kind of rough compared to the previous games. They're still good, the art and designs are excellent, but it looks like they just scaled everything down without going in and fixing it pixel by pixel.

Also, alot of the backgrounds are now paintings, rather than tiling blocks.

This is something that I surprisingly miss and prefer about 16bit era games is the tiling backgrounds.

There's a real art to making tiling backgrounds that are appealing and well, don't like like they're tiling (I know that sounds roundabout).

More importantly though, tileable backgrounds have to be crafted pixel by pixel, so everything is optimized and in the right place. Just scanning in a picture and scaling it down with no further revisions doesn't have the same clean appearance.

When going through the levels, I feel like I'm traveling through flat, quickly painted jpegs. I got the same feeling from the layouts in Sonic Chronicles.

I think that's why I prefer the graphics for most SNES and genesis games to GBA and DS ones. I wonder if anyone else feels this way or if I'm just be an old fart.





[this message was edited by nobinobita on Thu 20 Nov 07:40]

karasu99
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"Re(2):Completely forgot Metal Slug 7" , posted Thu 20 Nov 09:07post reply

quote:
I think that's why I prefer the graphics for most SNES and genesis games to GBA and DS ones. I wonder if anyone else feels this way or if I'm just be an old fart.



No no, I strongly agree. A lot of DS games feel this way. JPGs are relatively low in terms of resource use when compared to other methods. Plus I don't think development tools support the use of tiles for building larger objects like they once did.

I really enjoyed 16-bit era tiled backgrounds. 8-bit tiled backgrounds, on the other hand, are pretty hit or miss. At their best they could be beautiful in their simplicity, but at their worst they could just be awfully overworked.





karasu99
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"Re(3):Completely forgot Metal Slug 7" , posted Fri 21 Nov 09:40:post reply

So it came, and I've played the first stage.

And... it's not bad. Which is to say that I don't hate it, but it's very easy. Easier than any MS so far, from what I can tell.

Nobinobita, you are absolutely right about the backgrounds being dull and painting-like. I feel like I should have more clues that I can jump onto a platform than the fact that there is a box on it...

Otherwise-- not bad at all. I like that I can assign Clark's SAB to the otherwise unused X button instead of the awful +A+Y or whatever.





[this message was edited by karasu99 on Fri 21 Nov 09:40]