Metal Slug is a side-scrolling shooter, much like Ghoul-n-Ghosts or Gunstar Heroes. Four characters are available, but they don't differentiate themselves apart from their looks and animations. Each game tries to tie in a little story, but it really just boils down to shoot the bad guys, avoid the bombs, and save the hostages. It's all done in a very playful, cartoony style that works quite well.

If you've ever played any kind of shoot-em-up, then you know there's not much more to expect. Avoiding bullets and bombs while constantly spraying your own fire across the screen pretty much sums up the game play. Again, if you've ever played a shoot-em-up, you know this isn't a detriment to the game either. There are patterns to figure out, some platforming sequences to maneuver, and always big boss battles to conquer. It's twitchy, mindless fun, and that's why so many people like it.

This package however doesn't sit well with me on multiple levels. One, the games are very short, even short by shooter's standards. Two, unlimited continues magnify the shortness. I had to force myself to not take another continue after, let's say three times. Otherwise, you just march through the game like you never died on the way there. But even I caved in, "just one more continue," all the way to the end of the game. Then I realized I didn't enjoy it at all because I never had to work on a particularly difficult part to pass it. If you have the determination to stop continuing and play the game correctly, you may have a better time with it, and I applaud you. Three, we got two old school side-scrolling shooters and that's it. SNK holds a dear place in my heart. Believe me, I want to see them succeed, but these two games are not worth $40. The other classic packages I mentioned earlier contain more than a handful of games (for $20), and in the case of Midway, they are new classics that still have a lot of gameplay left in them. If these Metal Slug games were packaged with a little Art of Fighting, Magician Lord, and World Heroes we might be talking.

The graphics are hard to look at, but you should know that going in. Smaller crappier TVs help out here, but I happened to be playing on my HDTV where pixels will scratch your eyes out. Regardless of looking outdated, there's still a lot to enjoy here. The animation has always been a strong point with this series. The arterial blood spray is in, and all the upgraded weapons and vehicles look great. Metal Slug 5 treats you to zombified characters that have a blood puking special move, and it's hilarious.

Like I said before, it gives me a warm fuzzy to go back and play games like these, but like any other classic games, it just can't hold my attention. My buddy and I started blasting through the game on co-op, but that session didn't last long. Soon we were back to playing Mortal Kombat: Shaolin Monks. I might stick around longer if there were more games to play. As it is, this "collection" isn't worth the money.