Metal Slug Anthology

Metal Slug Anthology for PSP is a 2007 portable compilation of SNK’s side-scrolling run-and-gun series. Published by SNK Playmore in North America, with MEGA Enterprise credited in the release metadata, it brings seven arcade-era entries to one UMD: Metal Slug, Metal Slug 2, Metal Slug X, Metal Slug 3, Metal Slug 4, Metal Slug 5, and Metal Slug 6. The North American edition arrived on February 20, 2007, while Japan received the same PSP collection as Metal Slug Complete two days later.

Each game is built around immediate 2D action. Players guide a soldier through enemy-filled stages, moving with the directional controls or analog stick, firing a standard weapon, throwing grenades, jumping over hazards, and using close-range attacks when foes get too near. Weapons and ammunition found during missions temporarily change the player’s firepower, while rescued prisoners can leave behind helpful items. Points, remaining ammunition, grenades, time, rescued hostages, and continues are tracked on screen, retaining the score-chasing structure of the original arcade games.

The anthology traces the changing scope of the series across a decade. The first Metal Slug sends its soldiers after General Morden and lets players take command of the armored Metal Slug tank. Metal Slug 2 expands the roster with Eri Kasamoto and Fio Germi and introduces more unusual vehicles and transformations. Metal Slug X revisits that game with altered enemy placements, weapons, and other changes. Metal Slug 3 adds branching routes, making its large missions worth revisiting, while later installments introduce their own characters, vehicles, scoring systems, and stage ideas.

Metal Slug 4 centers on a cyberterrorist threat and adds the Metalish scoring system, which rewards quick point gathering after collecting emblems. Metal Slug 5 follows the theft of a Metal Slug data disc and gives the returning regular soldiers another mission; it also adds the Slug Gunner vehicle and a sliding move. Metal Slug 6 broadens the selectable cast with Ralf and Clark from Ikari Warriors and changes combat with weapon stock, allowing two acquired weapons to be held, plus a Rush Blaster system that raises score multipliers during sustained attacks. This makes the collection useful both as a series overview and as a way to compare each game’s mechanics.

The PSP release adds options tailored to portable play. Button layouts can be customized, autofire can be enabled for the first six games, and the display can be set to original pixel, full-screen, or 4:3 presentations. Difficulty and continue settings can be adjusted through a player profile, and high scores are stored for each included title. The version also supports saving a game in progress, though Metal Slug 6 is the exception. Its original titles are presented through Neo Geo AES emulation for Metal Slug through Metal Slug 5 and Metal Slug X, while Metal Slug 6 is based on an arcade port.

Rather than limiting the package to the games, Metal Slug Anthology has a Gallery tied to progress across the collection. Completing games earns tokens, with larger rewards on higher difficulties, and those tokens unlock music, wallpapers, skins, concept art, and written commentary. The PSP version allows selected music and wallpapers to be copied to a Memory Stick. These extras, alongside profiles and replayable high-score goals, give the compilation a sense of progression beyond simply selecting one of the seven games from the menu.

Although it can be played alone, Metal Slug Anthology also preserves the series’ two-player spirit through PSP ad hoc wireless play. One player can host and another can join after selecting the same game, turning missions into local cooperative sessions without internet play. From the 1996 original through the 2006 sixth entry, the compilation captures the evolving characters, branching stages, vehicles, weapons, comic military action, and demanding arcade pacing that define this part of the Metal Slug history.