SNK/Playmore's Metal Slug 4 & 5 for PS2 out on 5/24/05!

PC Engine Fan X! · Post by **PC Engine Fan X!** » Mon May 23, 2005 8:42 pm

If you're one of the smart gamers, you will have pre-ordered a reserve copy of the upcoming SNK/Playmore's Metal Slug 4 & 5 game for the PS2. (Both Metal Slug 4 & 5 were released seperately in Japan.) For the USA version release, SNK/Playmore decided to release them both on one PS2 game disc as an added bonus. I just wish that SNK/Playmore had released Metal Slug 3 for the U.S. PS2 console as well (but they did released an XBox version of MS-3). SNK/Playmore is also releasing both MS-4 & 5 for the XBox console too.

The U.S. PS2 version of Metal Slug 4 & 5 will arrive in speciality game shops on May 24th, 2005. It has been said that it has "unlimited credits"...so the MS virgin player can "credit-feed" his or her way to the end -- this is a no-no amongst the hard-core gamers who'll see how high they can get on just one credit & one credit only.

PC Engine Fan X! ^_~

Kiken · Post by **Kiken** » Mon May 23, 2005 8:59 pm

Does anyone know if either of the games retain the MVS difficulty setting? I ask since neither port of MS3 had it.

Dylan1CC · Post by **Dylan1CC** » Mon May 23, 2005 10:57 pm

Good news of course.

Moving this to OT tho.

dementia · Post by **dementia** » Tue May 24, 2005 12:26 am

I'm waiting for the Xbox version this August.

Sure, I'll just be confirming SCEA's fears that 2D games don't sell in the US, but they don't even deserve to be prooven wrong.

joshschw · Post by **joshschw** » Tue May 24, 2005 12:50 am

I'm pissed the Xbox version was delayed/coming out later. I paid full price for MS3 on the Xbox when Sony said they couldn't release it for the PS2. SNK rewards me by giving the next one to Sony exclusive for a few months.

I'm not getting the PS2 version since I want ultra fast loads and I also want all of the for the same console.

captain ahar · Post by **captain ahar** » Tue May 24, 2005 12:53 am

yeah this is shit. i payed $40 for 3 and now i get to wait another few months for 4 & 5.

Nemo · Post by **Nemo** » Tue May 24, 2005 2:20 am

Waiting for the Xbox version as well, the PS2 port of Slug 3 was inferior to the Xbox version.

Dylan1CC · Post by **Dylan1CC** » Tue May 24, 2005 2:45 am

joshschw wrote:I'm pissed the Xbox version was delayed/coming out later. I paid full price for MS3 on the Xbox when Sony said they couldn't release it for the PS2. SNK rewards me by giving the next one to Sony exclusive for a few months.

I'm not getting the PS2 version since I want ultra fast loads and I also want all of the for the same console.

My thoughts exactly.

Little dirty favors for Sony like this reeeaalllly tick me off. The more I hear stuff such as this, the more I am convinced the crap shoot-then-jump button mapping for Mega Man Collection on GC was deliberate. But I got a switched hori pad and showed them. HA!

Post by **system11** » Tue May 24, 2005 10:38 am

Yeah, I'm waiting for the Xbox one too - MS3 xbox was much better than ms3 ps2.

theevilfunkster · Post by **theevilfunkster** » Tue May 24, 2005 10:46 am

I can't wait for this. I hope it doesn't get delayed or weeks like Metal Slug 3 did. Are SNK Playmore still bringing out KOF 2000/2001 for XBOX in the UK? I remember it was suposed to have been released last november but didn't.

Naiera · Post by **Naiera** » Tue May 24, 2005 11:16 am

bloodflowers wrote:Yeah, I'm waiting for the Xbox one too - MS3 xbox was much better than ms3 ps2.

Yeah, with the change in difficulty that was never seen in a Metal Slug game before it was ported to the Xbox

The PS2 conversion, at least the Japanese one I have, is great. It's seriously not very far from the MVS version I had for a while. The only change I noticed was the increased resolution, which didn't hurt anyone. I'm definitely getting MS 4 and 5 for the PS2.

Post by **system11** » Tue May 24, 2005 1:42 pm

Naiera wrote:
bloodflowers wrote:Yeah, I'm waiting for the Xbox one too - MS3 xbox was much better than ms3 ps2.
Yeah, with the change in difficulty that was never seen in a Metal Slug game before it was ported to the Xbox

Funny thing, I've got the ps2 (jp) and xbox (euro) versions of ms3, and I can't see any difficulty change. The only thing I /did/ notice, was that you could play it for more than 5 minutes - the PS2 revision has some lovely eye-killing 30fps interlace.

Nei First · Post by **Nei First** » Tue May 24, 2005 3:27 pm

Well I'll be getting Metal slug 4/5 for the PS2 also.

And curious apart from the infinite continues, how was MS3 on the PS2 that much inferior to the Xbox version exactly?

Post by **system11** » Tue May 24, 2005 6:04 pm

Nei First wrote:Well I'll be getting Metal slug 4/5 for the PS2 also.

And curious apart from the infinite continues, how was MS3 on the PS2 that much inferior to the Xbox version exactly?

Interlace - that's really the big one. The PS2 one uses interlaced graphics, which shimmer slightly. This is also used in many ports on the PS2 (the Psikyo ones for example), but while those run at 60fps and the overall effect isn't too noticeable, interlace on a 30fps game can be quite hard on the eyes. The Xbox one doesn't appear to use interlace (or if it does, you can't tell), and definitely runs a little smoother.

LoneSage · Post by **LoneSage** » Tue May 24, 2005 7:29 pm

What are interlaced graphics?

Also, I'm callin up GameStop tonight and see if they got MS4+5 in.

For the USA version release, SNK/Playmore decided to release them both on one PS2 game disc as an added bonus.

You sure? I'm certain MS4 and 5 will be on separate discs, like the KOF 00/01 and 02/03 collections.

captain ahar · Post by **captain ahar** » Tue May 24, 2005 7:32 pm

^that's what i understand as well, they have some advert going that says "2 games, 2 discs, 1 package" or some-such.

UnscathedFlyingObject · Tue May 24, 2005 10:30 pm

I'll be playing this game with my Hori RAP to death before you Xbox junkies even lay a thumb on it

. I wonder if they'll have it in tomorrow, I can't wait to overdraw my bank account. WHohohohoho.

FatCobra · Post by **FatCobra** » Tue May 24, 2005 10:49 pm

Damn, I completely forgot that this was out!!! I love Metal Slug, but have never played 4&5. I heard that they were pretty bad, is that true?

Wonder how this combo pack got past SECA's "2D is bad" policy.

Moogs · Post by **Moogs** » Tue May 24, 2005 10:52 pm

LoneSage wrote:What are interlaced graphics?

A standard television has 480 lines on the screen. Interlaced means that when the television scans the screen, only half the lines are shown the first 1/60 of a second, and the other half are shown the next 1/60 of a second, ad infinitum. This is why HDTV is better than standard TV. At 1080 lines, HDTV displays more information.

It's a lot of jargon that isn't really worth figuring out.

Nei First · Post by **Nei First** » Wed May 25, 2005 12:00 am

Moogs wrote:
LoneSage wrote:What are interlaced graphics?
A standard television has 480 lines on the screen. Interlaced means that when the television scans the screen, only half the lines are shown the first 1/60 of a second, and the other half are shown the next 1/60 of a second, ad infinitum. This is why HDTV is better than standard TV. At 1080 lines, HDTV displays more information.

It's a lot of jargon that isn't really worth figuring out.

Oh right, but how does this affect the game itself, does it mean jerkiness in frame rate or just less detail in the animation or something?

it290 · Post by **it290** » Wed May 25, 2005 12:24 am

Damn, I completely forgot that this was out!!! I love Metal Slug, but have never played 4&5. I heard that they were pretty bad, is that true?

Wonder how this combo pack got past SECA's "2D is bad" policy. Confused
_________________

MS5 is actually pretty good. I don't care for 4 much as it just feels really bland, but a lot of people like it because the difficulty level is really high compared to other MS games.

As for SCEA's 2D policy, it got past it by being a combo pack, that's what SNK Playmore has been doing with all their games on the PS2.

About the difficulty level in the Xbox version of MS3, it is somewhat harder vs. the original version because of the lack of slowdown, but I haven't played the PS2 version so I don't know if that slows down or not. Personally, I like slowdown in MS games -- it just makes the game feel more movie-like and epic..... actually, I'm gonna play some MS3 on my AES right now, damn..

edit - decided to play Slug X instead. Damn, I need to practice more -- didn't even clear the game in five credits. I'll never get that 1cc if I don't play more often.

PepsimanVsJoe · Post by **PepsimanVsJoe** » Wed May 25, 2005 1:56 am

Never got around to playing Metal Slug 4/5. The only thing that annoyed me about the Xbox Metal Slug 3 was continuing kicked you back to the beginning of the stage. Considering I spent around $40 in virtual money trying to get through Metal Slug 3 on MAME is was rather perturbed about this.
EDIT: Which is made all the more disturbing since I can one-life Metal Slug 2 through stage 5, and almost 1CC Metal Slug 1(Stupid final boss takes forever to kill)

Didn't really notice any other issues regarding the difficulty but then again my skill level is a far cry from Kiken's. And yeah I own both the KoF 00/01 and KoF 02/03 collections and they come on separate discs. Honestly I prefer it that way, issues tend to crop up when you stash multiple games that were originally separate onto one disc(Sega Classics Collection is an example with it's Virtua Racing savegame bug).

BrianC · Post by **BrianC** » Wed May 25, 2005 2:05 am

it290 wrote:MS5 is actually pretty good. I don't care for 4 much as it just feels really bland, but a lot of people like it because the difficulty level is really high compared to other MS games.

I'm a bit confused about the difficulty thing. I haven't played 4 yet, but some impressions I read of it say the game is extremely easy and others say it's extremely hard. Why the conflicting opinions on the difficulty?

TalkingOctopus · Post by **TalkingOctopus** » Wed May 25, 2005 2:44 am

BrianC wrote:
it290 wrote:MS5 is actually pretty good. I don't care for 4 much as it just feels really bland, but a lot of people like it because the difficulty level is really high compared to other MS games.
I'm a bit confused about the difficulty thing. I haven't played 4 yet, but some impressions I read of it say the game is extremely easy and others say it's extremely hard. Why the conflicting opinions on the difficulty?

I think 4+5 are the hardest in the series because the bosses are harder to kill and shoot more stuff at you.

Cthulhu · Post by **Cthulhu** » Wed May 25, 2005 3:45 am

PC Engine Fan X! wrote:The U.S. PS2 version of Metal Slug 4 & 5 will arrive in speciality game shops on May 24th, 2005. It has been said that it has "unlimited credits"...so the MS virgin player can "credit-feed" his or her way to the end -- this is a no-no amongst the hard-core gamers who'll see how high they can get on just one credit & one credit only.

The Japanese ports of MS 3, 4, and 5 all have unlimited credits too. MS 1 only gave you a few, and I don't remember what MS:X did. The unlimited credits thing isn't just the US release.

BrianC · Post by **BrianC** » Wed May 25, 2005 4:13 am

Cthulhu wrote:
PC Engine Fan X! wrote:The U.S. PS2 version of Metal Slug 4 & 5 will arrive in speciality game shops on May 24th, 2005. It has been said that it has "unlimited credits"...so the MS virgin player can "credit-feed" his or her way to the end -- this is a no-no amongst the hard-core gamers who'll see how high they can get on just one credit & one credit only.
The Japanese ports of MS 3, 4, and 5 all have unlimited credits too. MS 1 only gave you a few, and I don't remember what MS:X did. The unlimited credits thing isn't just the US release.

Metal Slug X US PSX has unlimited credits.

it290 · Post by **it290** » Wed May 25, 2005 6:50 am

I like the AES style. 5 credits. That's a fair number to get through the game with, and you can always try to do it with fewer if you're feeling lucky.

UnscathedFlyingObject · Wed May 25, 2005 10:34 pm

I got the pack today. It isn't arcade perfect for sure. Metal Slug 4's framerate chugs a little and has that annoying flickering. I guess that's what you guys call interlaced graphics. Metal Slug 5 feels more right. There's that annoying flickering again, but it is less noticeable for some reason. You may consider it a bit before paying forty bones for it.

crithit5000 · Post by **crithit5000** » Thu May 26, 2005 12:36 am

Also got it today, noticed a few chugs in the framerate on 4 (one or two during the first boss), didn't notice too much flicker (or at least not enough to bother me)...my only gripe so far is that the sprites seem smaller than Xbox MS3...might have to do a comparison to see if I'm seeing things.

sven666 · Post by **sven666** » Thu May 26, 2005 1:10 am

MS3 didnt geta a US PS2 release? it got a PAL one anyways

never played the Xbox port but the PS2 one was superior to my MVS anyways

shmups.system11.org

SNK/Playmore's Metal Slug 4 & 5 for PS2 out on 5/24/05!

SNK/Playmore's Metal Slug 4 & 5 for PS2 out on 5/24/05!

Yikes

Re: SNK/Playmore's Metal Slug 4 & 5 for PS2 out on 5/24/

Re: SNK/Playmore's Metal Slug 4 & 5 for PS2 out on 5/24/