All the Metal Slugs coming out on GBA!

ThirdStrike · Post by **ThirdStrike** » Sat Sep 17, 2005 10:00 pm

For those who want to SLUG it out on the go Metal Slug 1-3 and X are being ported to GBA.

News from Famitsu Magazine

Word is bond

Bar81 · Post by **Bar81** » Sat Sep 17, 2005 10:11 pm

Can the GBA even properly handle those games? I would have thought the DS or PSP particularly would be a more suitable platform for the compilation.

theevilfunkster · Post by **theevilfunkster** » Sat Sep 17, 2005 10:19 pm

Metal Slug 1 was anounced ages ago. Metal Slug Advance was pretty cool but I cant see the GBA being able to do these games justice.

gameoverDude · Post by **gameoverDude** » Sat Sep 17, 2005 10:54 pm

We'll probably see either a horrid drop in resolution to get everything to fit onscreen- 304 x 224 vs. 240 x 160 guarantees a less-than perfect port, or there's going to be (GAG!) Wobble Mode.

BrianC · Post by **BrianC** » Sat Sep 17, 2005 11:15 pm

There's the obvius resloution issue, but the GBA is not the same as the SNES where they had to limit sprites to only a few on screen or use a special chip to prevent slowdown. There are games that have at least 7 or more sprites on screen with no slowdown. Just becuase the system got poorly done ports of Earthworm Jim, R-Type 3, and Donkey Kong Country 1 doesn't mean that the system is a total clunker.

it290 · Post by **it290** » Sun Sep 18, 2005 12:54 am

Metal Slug, yes, I can see it. X, maybe. But 3? I don't think there's anyway the GBA can handle it without massive slowdown. Anyway, I would likely completely destroy the system's dpad before even making it to level 5 of Slug 3.

superhitachi4 · Post by **superhitachi4** » Sun Sep 18, 2005 2:13 am

Why was it that SNK had their heads in their asses when it came to porting the Slug series on DC?

Anyway, always happy to see a new Slug port...although, I think the PSP would be a better candidate for a handheld port. (eventhough I don't have a PSP) In any case, I'm glad the games are being ported to *something*, and since I own a GBA, I'll definitely be buying them. It's just too bad that SNK has to deal with the limitations of the GBA, but I'm sure they'll do a great job. They always do.

LoneSage · Post by **LoneSage** » Sun Sep 18, 2005 2:20 am

Playmore should focus less on the GBA market and more on the arcade market. Sure, that doesn't sound too smart fiscally, but when they inevitably port those arcade games to a console, at least the game itself wouldn't be mediocre by then.

I would gladly give up these GBA ports for SNK to focus more on Slug 6 and make it look like it's actually worth two shits.

Specineff · Post by **Specineff** » Sun Sep 18, 2005 9:25 am

Please don't post news without a link.

UnscathedFlyingObject · Sun Sep 18, 2005 7:10 pm

I found the link at www.insertcredit.com/

However, I can't confirm SNK is really porting all of 'em to the GBA. Insertcredit reports the games getting ports but not to what system, and my Japanese is still shite to understand what the link over there says.

Edit: I'm blind. Just read the title on the post "Metal Slug series on GBA." Pity. I'd have liked them on the DS. I think it'd be possible to play two metal slugs simultaneously

.

ThirdStrike · Post by **ThirdStrike** » Sun Sep 18, 2005 7:48 pm

I was posting news from a magazine

There is not always a LINK

News does not start on the internet

FatCobra · Post by **FatCobra** » Mon Sep 19, 2005 9:39 pm

Why does SNK insist on porting Metal Slug games to the outdated piece of crap known as the GBA when there's shiny new hardware like the DS or PSP that can be used instead to better effect?

GaijinPunch · Post by **GaijinPunch** » Mon Sep 19, 2005 10:11 pm

ThirdStrike wrote:I was posting news from a magazine

So they announced it at the SNK Playmore booth at the TGS and then printed it in Famitsu? You also got it mailed to you in in the states in just a day or so. That, my friend, is fucking FAST!!!!

Anyone else sick of Metal Slug yet? I'd rather them make another original than port to any of the new systems, since the resolutions would pose a problem. Then again, I'm only a moderate fan of the series.

Dylan1CC · Post by **Dylan1CC** » Mon Sep 19, 2005 10:52 pm

The GBA? Why not the PSP, for crying out loud??? Talk about a case of misplaced resources.

FatCobra · Post by **FatCobra** » Mon Sep 19, 2005 11:37 pm

Dylan1CC wrote:The GBA? Why not the PSP, for crying out loud??? Talk about a case of misplaced resources.

Isn't there a MAME emulator out for PSP that can play Metal Slug games?

Kiel · Post by **Kiel** » Tue Sep 20, 2005 7:31 pm

FatCobra wrote:
Dylan1CC wrote:The GBA? Why not the PSP, for crying out loud??? Talk about a case of misplaced resources.
Isn't there a MAME emulator out for PSP that can play Metal Slug games?

There is a NGCD emulator but I think it doesnt support sound for the Slugs.

Kiken · Post by **Kiken** » Tue Sep 20, 2005 8:19 pm

Kiel wrote:
FatCobra wrote:
Dylan1CC wrote:The GBA? Why not the PSP, for crying out loud??? Talk about a case of misplaced resources.
Isn't there a MAME emulator out for PSP that can play Metal Slug games?
There is a NGCD emulator but I think it doesnt support sound for the Slugs.

Even then, only Metal Slug and Metal Slug 2 are available on Neo CD... and they aren't 100% accurate MVS/AES ports to begin with (more like 95%).

iatneH · Post by **iatneH** » Tue Sep 20, 2005 8:24 pm

In response to that, Kiken, I don't think the Slugs on GBA will come close to 95% either...

GaijinPunch · Post by **GaijinPunch** » Tue Sep 20, 2005 10:07 pm

I'm still very curious as to which issue of Famitsu this was printed in (that couldn't be linked).

Kiken · Post by **Kiken** » Wed Sep 21, 2005 1:33 pm

iatneH wrote:In response to that, Kiken, I don't think the Slugs on GBA will come close to 95% either...

All in all, I think the Slugs on GBA will closely resemble Metal Slug Advance, quality-wise (which puts them at about 70% or so of the arcade, not bad for a portable). Which isn't terrible... I'm just wondering how the shift in resolution will affect game-play. I guess we'll find out soon since Metal Slug is due out in a month or two...?

It will also be interesting to see what additional modes they include with the GBA ports (most likely just the art gallery and combat school).

Dylan1CC · Post by **Dylan1CC** » Tue Sep 27, 2005 1:20 pm

Last night with some help from a Next Level forum member, I finally got Neo Geo CD emulator running on my PSP. The only game I can fit on my 256 memory card for now (unless I wanna dump all my MP3s) is Metal Slug and man, does it look and play incredible. The speed is very fast on both 266 and 333 mhz mode. I decided to download the emulator after SNK announced Metal Slug 1-3 for the underpowered GBA in a "hrm" moment.

Anyways, I am never updating my firmware, ever.

After I get a bigger memory card I am gonna track down MS2 and Puzzle Bobble. I'll also say that this emulator has totally sold me on a Neo Geo CD system. It will be the next old school system I buy for sure.

Andi · Post by **Andi** » Tue Sep 27, 2005 1:37 pm

This seems like a weirdly ambitious project for SNK/Playmore. I didn't think that Metal Slug Advance sold all that well. And why wouldn't they just release MS1 and see if it does well before deciding to release the others.

iatneH · Post by **iatneH** » Tue Sep 27, 2005 4:46 pm

Indeed the NGCD emulator for PSP runs surprisingly well!

I have a MVS though so I'm not too interested in buying a NGCD, although I DO like the controllers very much... If it costs $30 to buy a controllers separately, but a NGCD with two controllers only costs $90, I might consider it...

dave4shmups · Post by **dave4shmups** » Tue Sep 27, 2005 5:46 pm

Well, the first Metal Slug is coming out on for the GBA in December, and I have very little doubts that the GBA will handle it without any issues at all. The GBA, is afterall, a 32-bit system, people forget that. It could probably handle 2 and X pretty well, and that's just fine with me, because I can get the rest of the series for my XBOX.

UnscathedFlyingObject · Tue Sep 27, 2005 5:56 pm

People forget that the GBA is a slightly souped up SNES.

dave4shmups · Post by **dave4shmups** » Tue Sep 27, 2005 6:03 pm

UnscathedFlyingObject wrote:People forget that the GBA is a slightly souped up SNES.

Then how could it do the original Doom flawlessly? It has two 16-bit microprocessors which cycle together; a lot of the games look 16-bit, but the actual hardware is 32-bit, AFIK.

UnscathedFlyingObject · Tue Sep 27, 2005 6:06 pm

It's not a SNES it's a "slightly souped up SNES." The SNES had a version of DOOM but that didn't run perfectly because it wasn't souped up.

Edit: *edited out touché statement* Nonetheless,

The GBA is still a souped up SNES.

Dylan1CC · Post by **Dylan1CC** » Tue Sep 27, 2005 8:25 pm

iatneH wrote:Indeed the NGCD emulator for PSP runs surprisingly well!

I have a MVS though so I'm not too interested in buying a NGCD, although I DO like the controllers very much... If it costs $30 to buy a controllers separately, but a NGCD with two controllers only costs $90, I might consider it...

I want one, there is just something cool about the system. Plus it has Pulstar.

sethsez · Post by **sethsez** » Tue Sep 27, 2005 9:25 pm

UnscathedFlyingObject wrote:How come most SNES to GBA ports have something messed up?

How come most classic compilations on the PS2, Gamecube and Xbox have things messed up despite being a MUCH larger leap then the one from SNES to GBA?

Poor programming, a lack of care put into the port, and inherant differences in the hardware that has an inevitable effect on the final product.

As a piece of hardware, the Atari 2600 is horribly awkward. The PS2 is superior in every possible way. However, an Atari collection on the PS2 is never going to be 100% "perfect" because that perfection relies on the game running on the original hardware. You can't judge hardware based on ports from older systems.

captain ahar · Post by **captain ahar** » Tue Sep 27, 2005 9:45 pm

sethsez wrote:You can't judge hardware based on ports from older systems period

emphasis added