Metal Slug Anthology

Metal Slug Anthology is a 2007 compilation that brought the first six entries of SNK's legendary run-and-gun series Metal Slug to Wii, including the original arcade Metal Slug and the sequels Metal Slug X, 2, 3, 4, and 5. Alone or with a second player, the player advances as a fighting soldier through hordes of enemies, tanks, helicopters, and giant bosses, collects weapons such as the flamethrower or rocket launcher, and can also ride the iconic SV-001 tank that gave the series its name, whose controls temporarily change the pace and style of play by turning the character into an armored, heavily armed unit for a while.

On Wii, the compilation offered an accurate port of the original arcade versions without major changes, so the game retained its hand-drawn pixel art with rich animation, over-the-top comic-book humor, and dense, energetic chiptune soundtrack typical of SNK's 1990s output. The controls stayed true to the classic scheme of movement, jumping, and shooting, supplemented by grenades for wiping out whole groups of enemies, playable with both a classic gamepad and the Classic Controller, appreciated especially by players who grew up on arcade machines and game halls full of coin-op cabinets, where this series was among the most popular titles of the 1990s.

Metal Slug Anthology let Wii players experience the whole saga at once without having to hunt down individual arcade cabinets or older console ports, and reviews praised it mainly for its faithfulness to the originals and the generous content of six games in one package. The series' difficulty, typical of the run-and-gun genre from the 1990s, remained uncompromising here too, so the title appeals especially to players seeking an old-school challenge who are willing to invest time in memorizing individual levels. Even today it remains one of the easiest ways to play the classic Metal Slug games in their original form on Wii.