I know I haven't made much posts since my last one, though lots of crazy s--t happened lately, namely with Notre Dame taking fire damage, and Monkey Punch dead. But of course I'm not in the mood to talk about those two tragedies, namely that I'm more interesting in talking about something that concerns a certain gaming franchise from SNK (the company).
Nowadays, it really seems SNK (Moneymore) on the ball with not only getting more publicity but also making games (what with KOF XIV, SNK Heroines, and the upcoming Sam-sho-spirits) and this time they might make their first non-fighter game since the purchase by 37Games, and that is...*drumroll*...
Metal Slug!
Now, I'm sure that you'd think that me being a long time fan of the MS series would be extremely excited for a new MS game that FYI ISN'T a mobile game (thankfully), to the point of being like that Butts bum who streamed himself crying happy to a teaser of the upcoming Star Wars Episode IX (and in case you ask I don't give a flip about what he thinks, I have no interest in Ep. IX though that's another story for another time). But to be honest, I'm kind of skeptical, nervous even, namely that there are many ways a new Metal Slug game can go, either as a sequel/prequel/interquel ala 8 or a reboot. Mind you, they did talk about rebooting it back in
September, mainly talking about the possibility of a one-hit death like the original had, though frankly I'm more concerned than just that. Oh much more than just a mechanic, so sit down folks, this might be a long story.
Now first off, I don't give a s--t if said mechanic comes back, if it doesn't it doesn't unless it's part of some adjustable difficulty thing, case closed.
Anyway, what concerns me more is what kind of reboot will it be, especially in regards to of course the gameplay and the story, I mention story here given that the franchise notoriously lacks such even though there are a few titles that sort of had one, namely 2nd Mission, 3D, and of course...Attack of all games (much to my dismay but I'll get into that later). It's quite a bummer given the vast amounts of potential the mythos had regarding the backstories of the characters though granted this is a franchise where gameplay matters the most so there's that.
I'm probably going to be the odd guy out and invite controversy but frankly if there's going to be one it will have to be a gritty one, a dark n gritty one. Now I know that phrase "gritty reboot" will probably either conjure up failures like the Fan4stic one or Bomberman Act Zero but I will invoke the success of the Dark Knight Trilogy, namely that the people behind them (Nolan included) TOOK the time and EFFORT to make said reboot WORK. I say this since some numb-nut fanboys n girls will probably autistically screech the idea that a more dark and serious Metal Slug reboot will be bad n s--t but damn it I'll argue otherwise (especially for some folks from Hardcore Gaming 101 who disagree with me on this).
Anyway, I will make it clear I'm for a more serious and mature take on the MS series since that piece of ass Defense came out which convinced me the series is culturally dead (or so I thought given that Attack came around later) and that something needs to be done to make it something again, something to be RESPECTED not sodomized and molested and (in the case of Attack) hypocritically put new characters and s--t in just to make said sodomizing look "okay", you know putting lipstick on a pig or rather making pretty pictures on the rear of said pig after it got raped. I know I sound hyperbolic but that's the best way to describe the latter's business model, since after all it made money thanks to suckers falling for the game's unwarranted charms via waifus and husbandos, not that they don't deserve to be in the series (mostly) mind you. Anywho, outside of the mobage-molesting, I feel merely making 8 even with 3D graphics yet plays in 2D like some of the recent Kirby games would not help given that 7 and XX did poorly commercially, and that said franchise hasn't seen much action lately since then and suffers from being quite obscure and dare I say underutilized in comparison to KOF and Sam-sho Spirits. All this makes me advocate for a gritty reboot to change all of that and get the mainstream gamer crowd to notice; afterall, what better way to get attention than to do something radical (that's in a good way and not like removing sexual themes)?
Though said gritty reboot can't just any gritty reboot but one that can do it justice, namely by emphasizing the war theme like the first game did but in a manner more akin to Metal Gear and Call of Duty (the singleplayer campaigns). And yes that does mean taking the mythos seriously, I mean there's lot of stuff that happened before and during the big conflict between the Government and the Rebellion and I believe the best way for a reboot is to highlight that; not that the reboot needs to have a deep story ala Metal Gear but at least have something for us gamers to GIVE a damn about the conflict. Afterall, the war's like what take place in some vague world superstate in some alternate 21st century that oddly has WWII-esque hardware? Then again some liberties have to be taken and I'll accept that as long as the conflict's still about the Rebels fighting the Government in a "One World Nation" and that much of the same cast is around.
Speaking of the cast, I'd be mighty damned if any of them Attack newcomers don't make the cut, though I'd be lying if I say that I didn't like any of them. Namely Caroline, Simon, Midori, and Vicky are part of my favs (namely due them being very cute and adorable), though the others are at least fine or I just don't care though some have some serious design issues (like Rita and Vita's outfits, are they like trying out for KOF or somethin'?). That and their backstories have a lot left to be desired in general, like where do they come from and what are their likes and dislikes and such? Not that long stories need to be made about them but again they need to have their worth proven, if KOF can have a bunch of characters in it with some wacky wardrobes, then so can MS, though some can use some fitting redesigns (I made a few for Rita and Chunyan that I probably need to upload in a more completed form in the future), but there are other fish to fry.
Back on the setting, I can't help but notice that the games have a s--tty sense of geopolitics. Though funny enough Defense and Attack sort of rectified that with plenty of nations spelled out in the Attack modes, though still that is not enough. I mean I can barely figure what the locations the games are set in outside of those two and funny enough seem to be like modern times with again WWII looking stuff thrown in. Another reminder that this should be one aspect the reboot should address, there's this thing called alternate history which can excuse the fictional setting. In fact, it would help if there was like a backstory of how the world state came into being, though I like to think it would have took a WWIII of sorts (preferably in the 1940's to 1950's in regards to nukes) and an aggressive as hell World Federalist movement to get things going, just like
one of my maps had (but that's another story for another time). Though I wonder how China itself would be handled since SNK is owned by a Chinese company and the last time China (under the CCP) was going to be depicted as villainous, a whole game's setting was compromised to appease the Beijing regime; still at least there might be more Chinese representation this time around but whatever.
Keep in mind that there was a franchise that retconned the setting to be an alternate history one, namely Homefront (the after mentioned game that had an issue with China in case you didn't figure it out by now) with its recent game Revolution that changed it from a "future" history involving a united Korea under the Pyongyang flag to an alternate one where North Korea "loses" the Korean War and yet becomes a corporate-ruled superpower. I covered that in a
post I made almost three years ago and flatly trashed it, but at the very least it's a good example of a series that did at least tried to readjust the timeline so it wouldn't be overtaken by whatever current year-clown world event happens down the line. I mean it's 2019 and there hasn't been any progress toward a world government and good riddance, I do not welcome it nor any other globalist attempt to have something close to that, just no (and that's another story for another time and I do not feel like doing it anytime soon); that and many militaries around the world using some hardware that dates at least back to the 1960's at the least that are upgraded like no tomorrow (especially the Chinook which will make it past the 2020's by the look of things). Nope, nothing like what Metal Slug envisioned geopolitics-wise, and I haven't even touched the supernatural/alien/ASB s--t. Nope all of that needs to go, case closed.
Anyway, another example of a franchise retconning itself well timeline-wise to an extent is Metal Gear, which of course was made to be a "future" history changed into an "alternate history" (I use the words "alternate history" loosely given that it's basically OTL's just with the events MG made thrown in, talk about contrivance). The games may had some great stories (and some duds) but with the timeline being almost exactly like ours just with again the fictional events thrown in sounds like a cheap attempt at being "timely", especially with 9/11 and the Tea Party referenced (though that may have been Reveangence doing that to my knowledge); that and having some secret organization formed in the 1920's with the Philosophers as the "POD" and have s--t go almost exactly like they did IOTL up to 1995 reinforces the contrivance. I know it's not a good example of having a "future" setting made into an "alternate" setting but that and Homefront are just two of them that do just that to a degree and to be fair there are many more examples (especially the Psychotechnic League novels) but I think I made my point; if you want to have the setting taken seriously, at least get a good sense of geopolitics, at least Code Geass for its questionable plausibility issues had a timeline and map of sorts.
As for story, well the gist is that Marco and gang are wrapped up in the vague war(s?) against the Rebellion led by the dissent General Morden and other groups and forces yet we don't get into their struggles and such in regards to their roles; now granted I know story again isn't important but damn it if KOF can put some effort into the story (as s--t as it is), so can MS. Though frankly I rather take a story in Metal Slug seriously, provided if it isn't on a mobile platform, though in the case of this hypothetical reboot, it would have to be a war story of sorts focusing on Marco and many of his comrades. I mean if anyone knows the backstory, Marco clearly has a grudge against Morden after his friends were killed in the Rebel atrocities; sounds like fodder for a Beserk-esque story to me. In addition other characters have interesting backstories as well, Eri for one regarding her being a former spy, Fio in her relationship with her family, and Tarma for well being with Marco. Morden seems interesting too, for he is the guy who started the conflict (sort of, some sources say the conflict started before the Donald came but whatever) with a grudge against the Government's alleged corruption and whatnot, how deep is it is unknown. And of course the various other fellows, ones from Attack included, Red Goblin included. At this point, the key to having at least a good story hinges on developing the roles of the characters involved; after all I'm mighty interested in the conflict itself than the nonsense in KOF regarding the plots of Orochi Rugal Krauser-stein summoning clones of Kyo to impress his gay boyfriend Verse and Samsho-Spirits with Haohmaru fighting with that shirtless chump with red hair and that Akumasu dude.
And as part of taking itself seriously, there might and will be unpleasant things the story will have, war crimes, suffering, the various intrigues within and between factions involved, WMDs, PTSD, moral ethics (and morals), dehumanizing, and lots of deaths, not just of the many Rebels and Regular soldiers but established ones. Though personally I like to think of the Rebels as the objectively evil side that can give the Nazis a run for their money despite implications of them being multi-racial and multi-ethnic (the same way ISIS is), and the Government being the not-evil side but did some questionable s--t. Though again, I'm not sure how well their likeness to the Nazis would fly in reality, it ain't like Miss Black General that's for sure. And speaking of reality, may I stress that the reboot I propose be grounded in realism, more so than MS1 did. Again none of that alien/mummy/zombie crap, just two (or more) human factions at each other's throats just like MS1 and a few others did.
As for graphics; 2D sprite art is out of the question. Last time SNK did upscaled 2D sprites, it nearly went out of business (KOF XIII anyone?) and would have had it not been for 37Games but the rest is history. So 3D is in, and I don't care if anyone brings up the dud that was Metal Slug 3D, the circumstances are quite different, if SNK can make KOF XIV and the upcoming Samsho-Spirits game look good then so can the new MS. Though given the gritty reboot I advocate for is unquestionably in 3D and in 3D the aesthetics will lean towards the photorealistic side while retaining some stylization like how KOF XIV and some fighter games did; I say since I despise the photorealistic look which IMO is insanely unnecessary, same with cel-shading (of which the new SsP game employs to an extent), I rather take the middleman approach personally. Anyway, instead of having cartoony aesthetics, I'd would take a more serious aesthetic with an artstyle more akin to Yukimura Makoto's which again fits with a stylized approach. Though I wouldn't mind having some animu touches here and there just to help make some characters recognizable. Speaking of which, the military hardware will need to be updated to be less WWII-ish (provided that they apply) and more akin to modern military stuff, and I did the math; some of the designs (like the Di-Cokka and the R-Shobu) can transition well into the Cold War era and beyond, though some can be tricky (namely the Big Shiee and the Keesis), and that's even getting into stuff that's constantly introduced with every update in Attack. Still, a great care in how the updated hardware function is needed, especially in regards to physics, in order to fit with the grounded take. Though one thing is for sure, the SV-001 tank can still have the iconic treads and vulcans and whatever turret thing it has.
And of course, the meat and potatoes, the gameplay: now of course the originals were side-scrolling run-n-gun shooters with platforming elements though lately the run-n-gun genre hasn't been much active with just Cuphead of all games picking up the slack. Clearly, it's just not profitable anyone, at least in the mainstream sense; now I know SNK's a niche company and the last thing I want is for them to follow whatever trend is profitable to the series' detriment, especially FPSes (I still remember the COD-shooter trend to this day) but still they need to reinvent the series's gameplay to have it stay relevant. Though granted FPSes in the COD/BF way are not very profitable nowadays with instead TPS battle royale stuff is with Fortnite making the news. Anyway, the reboot would work perfectly with a TPS with a camera style akin to Metal Gear 6 and 7 (Solids 4 and 5 respectively) and that the action, while reliant on cover shooting ala Gears of War, would be slow paced and requires strategy, much like how the first MS game was kind of was going to be in the early stages. And by strategy, I mean more than just spam s--t and occasionally something close to a challenge, rather take advantage of the environment while utilizing the best tools and wits to overcome the enemy; not that the game needs to be like ARMA but challenging enough to get some nerves ticking. And yes there can be an easy mode that is still challenging enough to bear through, and hopefully dice some whiny game "journos" in the process (so much for them wanting the game to "respect" them if they can't respect the difficulty but I digress). Still, the game needs to be a squad shooter ala Ghost Recon, since afterall Marco does lead a squad of sorts and the reboot needs to emphasize that. Run n gun is out of the game, tactical gunplay is the name of the game, you game? no seriously tactics are a necessity aside from the point and shoot routine, sometimes stealth will need to be factored (the element of surprise as tacticians say); not that the game has to be like Metal Gear but at least a robust stealth system. In addition, good use of supporting forces will be a necessity, both land, air, sea, cyberspace, and perhaps space itself, there is a thing called combined arms. That and the mission maps being more akin to being between Medal of Honor: European Assualt where it's nearly open ended and nearly linear yet still allow plenty of replayability akin to how Metal Gear 7: Phantom Pain does (though hopefully not like take MOAR than 24 hours to beat the game); hell the gameplay can be summed up as European Assault-esque with elements of Phantom Pain for good measure. As for health, frankly it'll have to be the regenerating stuff most of the COD games along with others do these days and I'm down with it, though there might be some moments where there might be injures that can't be healed by the regenerating and some item is required, like some fancy nano-medicine to heal broken bones and whatnot. Vehicular usage is still around and will help determine the tide of war though they're not really like powerups as more like tools of war and can be easily destroyed if not handled well, especially by the enemy. No, there wouldn't be bosses, not in the way the originals did, but there will be plenty of individuals to take down, Morden included, and how you dispose of them is up to you. There still will be prisoners and rescuing them is a necessity, though there is a risk of them being killed and some being fakes.
All of these wrapped up would make an epic war fighting experience that while not in 2D can blow the socks off many war-themed games out there and surpass that of the first game, hence why I picked TPS, to homage said game's epic warfighting. In a nutshell, I feel a tactical TPS with many elements of European Assault and the Phantom Pain, combined with a more serious and gritty story with a universe grounded in realism that at least allows some imagination would be the best way to go.
But of course, this is all what I wish the reboot would be like and God knows if SNK will do something like that. Likely not, given how radical it is (which no doubt would rub many fans the wrong way but frankly I don't care), but at least there might be some similarities they might pull off in their own reboot. Then again there might be a possibility they might not and perhaps do some more different than thought. Perhaps the reboot not only might not have the same gameplay nor style but also not have the same cast in the same way Advance Wars Days of Ruin did in regards to have different characters in comparison to its predecessors, despite that game being pretty awesome in hindsight. Or they could pull a Gundam and have an alternate universe where it has some things in common but the setting and cast are different; mind you, there are like a bajillion Gundam universes even though the Universal Century is the main one, and many of them have different hardwares and stuff save for a similar design regarding the protagonistic mecha in them. Speaking of which, there might not be a guarantee that the reboot's Metal Slug tank will even be like it's counterpart, hell it might not even be a tank at all. Neither will the rest of the hardware, if the reboot will still be military themed. Hell, the reboot might have a different theme with military elements thrown in, fantasy, sci-fi, horror, etc. And speaking of difference, there is also no guarantee the reboot will be a shooter of sorts at all, it might be a TPS battle royale mode or even a fighter since the last 2 games SNK came out recently were such; I shudder at the thought of a new Metal Slug game being a fighter, I mean what can you do with it? Having the next game be a fighter would be an insult to the fanbase, probably more so than the two tower defense games were (though to be fair they do have fans...plenty of them...). Then again SNK came up with Defense and Attack and ran with them, though to be fair it did rely on a pool of mostly already made sprites to keep themselves unfortunately going (and funny enough at the time of this writing KOF is getting a tower defense game too even though its getting another non-mobile game but that's another topic for another time). Still, the possibilities are insanely endless but frankly mostly undesirable IMO.
For all I know, SNK might go the way having the setting be about "teh evol Drumpf lookalike runz a Nazi sty-ohl Empire oppressin n exterminatin POCs and teh Resistance gotta punch dem Nazis tuh seyv deh dey", something like the new Wolfenstein games but much more cringey and pandering to the far-left loons. That and having the gameplay be like a lame-ass walking simulator only with "push X to shoot" quick time events to give the illustion of a thrill, just to justify having the "Metal Slug" name on it. Oh and maybe change the character roster to be more "diverse" never mind the idea of just adding non-white and non-cishet folks. Unlikely sure, but given the whole nutty hysteria about a supposed rise in far-right activism, there might be some SJW groups to push for that (afterall failure to do so would be considered "apolitical"); I mean Marco Rossi sure looks kind of "Alt-Right" to them and knowing them they would get offended at that and many other things, I really hate to see the reactions places like ResetEra will make but I'm getting ahead of myself.
Still nothing is guaranteed, and honestly I could have made alot more speculations on what direction a reboot would go but they would take up much more space and be better written on other posts, that and I'm not in the mood to do so. For all we know, the next non-mobile game might not even be a reboot but merely a -quel with 8 on it, but then again Soul Calibur had a "6" that ironically is a reboot of sorts so the same might possibly happen with the MS series. Then again, it might not even materialize at all, just like how the planned crossover with World War Toons turned out.
Other than the last part, the sky's the limit, at least within SNK's limits, but to quote the Genie from Disney's Aladdin, "here's hopin'".
Oh yeah there's talk of more Neo Geo stuff that aren't Neo Geo minis but frankly I don't give a damn.
