Metal Slug 2

The very first screen of Metal Slug 2 is a parade of detail: soldiers march, explosions tear apart the scenery and you claw your way through a flood of enemies with both exaggeration and endearing brutality. This run and gun gem from SNK is still a benchmark of the genre and one of the most beautiful titles ever to appear on the Neo Geo.

Metal Slug 2 was created at SNK as a sequel to the successful original and came out on both the arcade and home Neo Geo system. Genre-wise it's a classic side-scrolling shooter where you fight your way through levels left to right with a foot soldier, collecting weapons, freeing prisoners and hopping into the iconic Metal Slug tank and other vehicles. Visually the game excels with detailed pixel art animation that ranks among the best of its time.

The series became famous for its sense of humor and over-the-top action. Your character comically fattens up after eating food, enemies react in an exaggeratedly theatrical way, and every level is packed with hidden details and easter eggs. Metal Slug 2 added new vehicles, transformations and more varied environments, though the second game is also known for the Neo Geo hardware noticeably slowing down at times on crowded screens.

The cultural significance of the Metal Slug series is beyond dispute. It became synonymous with the run and gun genre, and to this day developers and fans alike cite it as the pinnacle of hand-drawn pixel art animation in action games. Sequels and remakes appeared on a range of platforms and the series' characters found their way into other SNK titles.

Metal Slug 2 is a joy to look at and to play, especially in two-player mode, when the on-screen chaos multiplies. It's a monument to honest craft from a time when visual impact was decided by the animator's hand, not the power of a graphics card.

Why play: A gorgeous, witty and jam-packed run and gun classic that still defines what top-tier pixel art in action should look like.