Metal Slug II is a great game but it had it's problems, not the least of which was horrible slow down. This version is much better and fixes a lot of the issues people had with the second game. Having said that, this game still offers something to those who may already have Metal Slug II, which in my mind justifies a purchase. But if you're only going to get one, this is definitely the one to get. A lot of the people complain about these Metal Slug games, not realizing that the emulation is actually spot on. Of course the downside to that is performance related issues are also emulated, so it doesn't really matter if you have an 8 core @ 5GHZ and a 1080, you're not going to be running this game at 60fps. But in truth, this is part of the charm. Think of the slowdown as bullet-time - that's really the purpose it serves when things are going haywire and projectiles are coming at you from every angle. I recommend a joystick for these games, or at the very least a gamepad. Anything with Xinput will be recognized immediately, and you can easily assign the buttons as you see fit. Playing with a keyboard might work but I do not recommend it at all. If you really want to play Metal Slug as it's intended, I recommend getting a Hori Mini 4 or Qanbi Carbon joystick. Also, be sure and go into your Nvidia or AMD control panel and set scaling to 4:3 so that you can the native experience. In short, these are very fun games. Taking the time to get good at them and finally being able to breeze through the game on a single credit is a uniquely rewarding experience. I recommend these games, Metal Slug X and Metal Slug III speficially, to fans of Contra, or the action shooter or bullet hell genres. These games are quite fun.
This is an older game, and admittedly, it's not so easy on the eyes. But it has a distinctive art style that is dark and vibrant, and even after so many years, the visuals are redeemed by this factor alone. I recommend setting your video card settings to maintain the original aspect ratio. Even with the black bars on the side, it's worth it. The game wasn't intended to be played stretched. I also recommend using forced anti-aliasing. The gameplay itself is somewhat hard to describe. There really isn't anything like it. If I had to try though, I would say it's a bit like Heroes of Might and Magic II, combined with a dark fantasy turn-based RPG. It's simple - much simpler to pick up and play than Heroes, but at the same time, it's every bit as deep...as crazy as that sounds. Try it and you will see what I mean. The story isn't great, but it's more than serviceable. I enjoy the story better than any of the HoMM stories (which isn't saying much), and it really sets the stage well for Disciples II. The story really suits the visual style - dark game, dark story. Good stuff. But the gameplay is where this game shines, though. I am not really that good when it comes to writing reviews, and I don't want to take up anymore of the reader's time, but I can't recommend this game enough. Both this game and the sequel are incredible. Highly recommended.
I recommend this game. It is an amazing 4X game that is not overly complicated. Anyone can learn it in an evening, and yet it takes hundreds of hours to master. Most people prefer the sequel, Galciv 2, and for good reasons. In this game you are limited to only humans, and the playing field is 2D. But to be honest, I LIKE the top down 2D view, and I actually think the UI is BETTER than it's sequel, although I am the minority on that. It's not as good as Galciv 2 or MoO 1/2, but it still deserves 5 starts - it's an excellent 4X title in it's own right and the closest thing to Civ 2 in space you will ever see. I highly recommend it.
