Metal Slug 4
Introduction
Metal Slug 4 was developed by Mega Enterprise and Noise Factory and published by SNK Playmore, released for the Neo Geo MVS arcade system in 2002 as the fourth mainline entry in the run-and-gun series. Unlike the previous three games, which were developed primarily in-house at SNK, Metal Slug 4 was outsourced to the Korean studio Mega Enterprise working alongside Noise Factory, a change in direction that produced a game generally seen as a noticeable step down in animation quality and creative ambition from Metal Slug 3’s high point. Players once again control soldiers of the Peregrine Falcon Squad, running and gunning through familiar wartime environments against the rebel Ptolemaic Army and a returning cast of alien threats, joined for the first time by a new rideable slug vehicle and additional two-player content built around the series’ established formula. Its reduced budget and shortened development cycle were evident in comparatively simpler backgrounds and fewer new enemy types than fans had come to expect, and Metal Slug 4 is generally regarded by longtime series followers as one of the weaker entries, though it retains the core run-and-gun action that had defined the franchise since its debut.
