Platform:
Gameboy Advance version.
Graphics/Sound:
The sprites and backrounds do the series tradition justice, everything looks consistent, and at first glance as amazing as the arcade titles. However, it soon becomes obvious that there wasn't nearly enough room to fit as many details and animations on the GBA cartridge, so it's not quite as good as the arcade games. But …
Platform:
Gameboy Advance version.
Graphics/Sound:
The sprites and backrounds do the series tradition justice, everything looks consistent, and at first glance as amazing as the arcade titles. However, it soon becomes obvious that there wasn't nearly enough room to fit as many details and animations on the GBA cartridge, so it's not quite as good as the arcade games. But I think they still did a great job for the GBA. The sound also suffers a bit from the GBA capabilities, but I don't really want to complain about it.
Gameplay:
The gameplay is much more like the arcade games then the Neo Geo Pocket versions, which seem far more unique. This feels more like a normal Metal Slug game. There is an overworld map similar to the NGP versions but this time it only has 6 missions like the arcade games. In addition there is a lot of badges to collect as "achievements", although that didn't really appeal to me personally, it might be a nice touch to some.
Difficulty:
Now there seems to be only one life but no more one hit deaths, which makes it a bit easier from the feel. Not every mistake is immediately punishing. The end boss is still very hard in my opinion.
Conclusion:
It's a nice entry in the series, and I think it deserves the name Metal Slug. It feels very true to the original, and even with the GBA limitations looks great. It's not as amazing as the arcade games but still well worth checking out.
