Ok, it's been a while but I'm finally back in the reviewers seat. I wish I could have come back sooner but I just couldn't find something short enough to beat... until I realized I've already beat this one a few times. But enough about me this is a game review not a life review. So I guess I'll start with the title. Metal Slug 4. What else can I say... fourth game in the Metal Slug series and like the others it's all fun and guns. Not much else to say about an arcade game so Let's move onto the categories.

Graphics: 7
It's an older arcade game so I know I can't be expecting much but... aside from the monkey and the new characters, this game has absolutely nothing in it that makes it stand out from the other games. You could probably put footage of Metal Slug 1, 2, and 3 next to footage of this and would think they were all of the same game. That being said, there isn't a necessity for 3d effects or awesome design seeing as this was a game meant for sucking quarters and not long time beauty. So this game gets a 7 for doing it's job, even though it doesn't really add anything new to the overall graphics of the series. Now if only I could reach in and take that monkey as my pet.

Sound: 8
The sound is probably the best part of the game. Overall the sound does what is needed, which is to pump you up for killing things and let you know when it's BOSS TIME!!! I'm going to go into more detail now so as per feedback I shall use multiple paragraphs so as not to confuse you guys/gals. (Thanks to all who gave feedback on my first review)

We'll start on the voice acting. Honestly there isn't too much to talk about since the characters themselves do not speak. What we do get is the announcer, which I must say is one of the best parts of the game. I could probably use a loop of him saying "RAWKATE LAWNCHA" as a lullaby. Aside from the announcer we have the screams of the fallen and that's about it. Needless to say I enjoy the voice acting in this game... now if only it had some Crispin Freeman or Steve Blum.

Next we'll talk sound effects, though there isn't much to talk about. The two things you are gonna hear the most are the sound of flying bullets and them third degree burning explosions that we all love. Both are great and sound like they should in order to notify you that "Hey, you just blew that tank up, son." Among other sounds are the moaning of zombies and other assorted enemy sounds. They do their job of telling you what enemy they are so it's all good. Not amazing, but good.

Lastly we have the soundtrack. I can't say it does anything amazing and I can't find any tracks that I'd listen to on their own, but the music is enough to fit with the type of game it is. Unlike something like say House of the Dead with it's "OMG an empty hallway, lets kick it up a notch" kind of tracks, the music in Metal Slug 4 works with both the style of gameplay and the setting of each level. It isn't perfect but it does what is needed so I don't really mind if it isn't amazing. It keeps me pumped up and that's what counts in a constant action shooter.

Addictiveness: 6
Just above average, I didn't find this game all too addicting, but it was worth several completions so I have to give it at least some credit. If you enjoyed the previous titles in the Metal Slug series then this one is still worth the play, so get on down and play it already. Seriously go blow some tanks up and have some fun. You tell me how addicted you are, why should I be telling you about my attachments? Aww well, it's just slightly above average for me so it's nothing too crazy. Let's move on.

Story: 5
Been waiting to talk about this. The story is... virtually non-existent. Okay I guess I'll try to give as detailed an explanation as possible. Okay here goes, you play as one of four hero's (all of whom you may switch to at a new life) and are off to save the world from... well... some odd form of Dr. Wily or something. You will battle many things along the way including zombies, vets, and more soldiers as always. That's about it. Unlike the previous titles with their surprise twist endings, this is all we get this time. As I said virtually non-existent, but that's not too different from most arcade titles so no big difference. I give the story an exact average for having a story typical of an arcade title.

Depth: 6
Not too different from the other titles as I've said many times before however, the addition of new characters and a new gun are enough to allow it to deserve a slightly above average rating. So I guess I should list off some of the new stuff, along with gameplay mechanics and the like. This may be a long one but it's well worth the read if your interested in this game so I suggest getting some popcorn and enjoying it.

As for new additions,  we have two new characters at the expense of two of the older characters. There has also been the addition of the "Dual Machine gun" which is one of the most overpowered weapons in the game assuming you can hold onto it for longer than a few seconds. Lastly the most hilarious of the new additions is the monkey form which is activated by being killed by one of the vets. While in  monkey form you fire a slow firing uzi-like machine gun from one hand and waltz along like a boss. You can also climb on monkey-bars to fight from above. Overall these new additions are enough to give the depth rating a 6 instead of a bold average 5. Now if only you could use an infinite monkey-form cheat code and dance around like the ape you are.

Moving on to game mechanics, I hope to explain everything easily enough to understand for anyone. Alright here we go, first off you can move around like in most games as well as look up for better aim. With button 1 you fire your weapon, and you can adjust your aim by pushing up on the move controls or moving while pushing up. for diagonal aim. Button two jumps. Button 3 fires your secondary weapon (Grenades, Metal Slug cannons, Zombie Blood-Lasers etc...) and button 4... well I can't tell because I've never used it. Sorry for the inconvenience but you will have to figure that out on your own. You may also take control of many Vehicles including the SV-001 Metal Slug. To not know what that is would be to not know the name of the game. Most vehicles have a secondary weapon or "Cannon" that does massive damage and is used with Button 3 as stated before.

That's it. Thankfully I was able to keep it shorter than expected. Okay now to why I gave Depth a 6. Simply, this game has everything that the previous titles in the Metal Slug series as well as some new fun stuff to spice it up a bit however not enough to change the game in any significant way. I gave Depth a 6 because it is only slightly above the average depth of a Metal Slug title. (or any arcade title for that matter)

Difficulty: 5
Anyone who has played this game is thinking "DAMN YOU MUST BE PRO!" but alas, I am actually pretty terrible. I give difficulty a five simply because all arcade games are made to be difficult as a way to gobble up your quarters. To say that this game is difficult is to say a rage game is too hard. Metal Slug 4 is no more difficult than any other arcade title there is. Nothing much else to say about that so lets finish this up.

Overall: 8
I liked this game enough to give it a few goes and beat it a few times. Looking back on everything I've said I can honestly say that this is a great game and one of my favorite arcade titles to date. I give this game an 8 just for being what it is. An extremely fun run and gun based on mindless fun and explosions. If you enjoy games that are about fun and not deep story and dark plot devices then this is the game for you. I recommend this game and all the other Metal Slug games to anyone else willing to give them a try. This is a great game and it's worth your attention. That's about all I have to say about this one so I guess I'll leave off with some end notes.

Firstly I'd like to thank anyone who took the time to read this review. I know it was long so it makes me happy to know that people wanted to continue to hear my opinion. I welcome anyone to give feedback so I may improve the quality of my reviews. I'm still new to doing this but I think I've learned so much already. Thank you in advance for leaving your feedback if you do and once again thank you for reading my review. See you all next time and BAI BAI for now.

I read this review, yeah, it is a long one, but that's what a good review needs a good long review like yours, you did pretty great in this review, you really put a lot of effort in the sound and the depth part and that's great, pretty nice looking.

IgorBird122 : Thanks, I do try my best. I realize that the end was a bit lacking because I got distracted but the rest had my full effort.

TheJJ405 :  No problems, I know some people does mess up a little bit on reviews which is pretty alright, I mess up on reviews sometimes to, just keep it up, looking forward on more reviews.