Gigantic sequel piling content, varied fronts and new vehicles. Slightly slower than the first but stunning. Inseparable from the Metal Slug legend.
Your verdict
Category
Action4 players12+
Co-op
Description
Marco, Tarma, Eri and Fio battle Morden and aliens in this second Metal Slug featuring new weapons and hilarious transformations. Published by SNK, released in the US in July 1998. Run and gun with four playable characters, mummy or obese transformation from damage, monumental alien bosses. US edition.
Metal Slug 2 review
MAX
Art direction
★★★★★
"Iconic"
MAX
Music
★★★★★
"Legendary"
1/5
Story
★★★★★
"Anecdotal"
Pixel art of extraordinary finesse, hilarious animation and backdrops teeming with detail: every screen overflows with life and humour. The graphic density and the readability of the action stand as an absolute benchmark of the run-and-gun. This virtuosity of hand drawing has never been equalled on the platform.
Broader and more varied, the second entry enriches its heroic march with oriental themes, comic passages and epic build-ups. The music embraces the excess of the transformations and bosses with an infectious fervour. This sonic generosity, brilliant and funny, confirms the series' unique musical identity.
Gameplay
"Excellent"
Fun
"From the very first seconds"
The sequel cranks everything up: more enemies, lunatic vehicles and zany transformations that make you howl with laughter mid-firefight. The action stays wildly snappy and the animation, even more detailed, brims with details to spot. Two-player, it's an avalanche of gleeful chaos. More generous and funnier, a run'n'gun that pushes excess to the sublime.
SNK US July 1998 edition of the Neo Geo CD port of Metal Slug 2, the direct sequel by Nazca and then SNK after the team's acquisition. The US CD cartridge is noticeably scarcer than the Metal Slug 1 run due to the imminent end of the Neo Geo CD commercial cycle and keeps the full CD-Audio soundtrack. This US version is highly coveted by Metal Slug enthusiasts for the Nazca continuity before the transition to Metal Slug X and the Brezza Soft branch.
Memorable bosses
More teeming still, this sequel tips into delirium: mummies, flying saucers and a Martian invasion from which a giant flying mechanical crab erupts. The guardians grow in scale and surprise, mixing heavy artillery with extraterrestrial creatures. Still carried by virtuoso animation and ravaging humor, these battles renew the formula without losing an ounce of its swagger.
Better with friends
A sequel to the cult run-and-gun, more generous in weapons, vehicles and zany situations to face two-player. Mutual aid stays queen: covering each other, sharing the loot and surviving the swarms together multiplies the laughs and shared tension. Packed with detail and humor, it chains spectacular waves and makes every co-op game an intense moment you want to restart at once.
A cult cover
The four heroes pile into a hilarious battlefield where mummies, soldiers and machines jostle in the same drawn frenzy. The density of the action and the snapping colours promise an escalation of gags and pixels. Busier than the first, this hand-drawn melee keeps all the vitality of SNK's cartoon war.
Is Metal Slug 2 still worth playing in 2026?
Metal Slug 2 supersizes everything: new vehicles, zombie and mummy transformations, larger levels and a wider roster. The mind-boggling sprite count brings the hardware to its knees, and slowdowns become frequent, especially on Neo Geo CD with its loading. Yet the visual writing is so successful that everything is forgiven. The X release will fix the technical issues. For retro run and gun fans, still an essential experience today, and the bedrock of an absolute arcade masterpiece dynasty.
