• Metal Slug: Super Vehicle 001
• Metal Slug 2
• Metal Slug X
• Metal Slug 3
• Metal Slug 4
• Metal Slug 5
• And the all new Metal Slug 6

For those not in the know, the Metal Slug franchise has managed to rise itself to cult status and over the 10 years that it has been around has managed to prove 2D side scrolling shooters can survive. The problem with this is that the game is really a love/hate kind of game. Either you will become fully addicted to the hand drawn look, the mature themes, the gore and the heavy artillery found inside, or the gameplay mechanics will feel a little outdated and you'll pass it by without a second thought. But whether you love it or not, it's hard to criticise how great the game looks and how well everything seems to be executed.

For an anniversary package one would expect the title to be filled with unlockable extras and displayed in a way that makes it look like SNK Playmore really appreciated the profits Metal Slug has given them and the fans that have made staying in the business possible. Instead, what we're given is a title with the bare bones, not that seven arcade perfect ports is bare bones.

The main menu system is extremely lacking and on first glance you may simply bypass it with a press of the A button as if it were merely another logo, and once you start the original Metal Slug you'll be wondering how you find your way to the other titles. The main menu is a static screen and pressing left or right will slide the picture over to indicate the next in the series.

It isn't only the menus that seem a little flakey (no IR pointing with the Wiimote for menus), but the unlockables also seem a little worse for wear. Once you manage to fight your way through one of the games you are awarded with credits you can spend on bonus galleries of concept art as well as an interview with the creator.

Sadly, the interview isn't in the form of a movie, or even a slideshow with audio. Heck, it doesn't even have pictures to go with text. Instead it ends up looking like someone simply copied and pasted from an office e-mail. Not the best way to thank your fans, and it would have looked less cheap to simply not have it in the title at all.

Controlling the games in the arcade involved a couple of buttons - one for grenades and another for shooting - and the arcade stick, and just to ensure that anyone can find a suitable control scheme, the guys at SNK Playmore have inserted seven different ways to play.

Most of these are abysmal and you'll only test for a minute or two before moving onto either holding the Wiimote like a SNES controller or by plugging in a GameCube controller. While these may be the best control schemes they still have their flaws. The GameCube controller prevents you from using the D-pad - much to the dismay of Metal Slug fans everywhere - and the sideways Wiimote style involves a quick shake to lob off grenades.

Other terrible control styles include using the nunchuck only, holding the Wiimote vertically as if it's an arcade stick and using the Wiimote sideways but tilting the controller to move your character. Not only do these control systems not work, but the mere thought of them is ridiculous.

But that is where the complaints end. The games themselves - once you have chosen the best control style - play amazingly, and while the earlier games look dated, Metal Slug 6 looks amazing.

Every game follows the same formula. Go from left to right saving POWs and shooting and evading enemies by use of a multitude of weapons, grenades and vehicles. Chances are, if you like one, you'll love them all, and the best thing being that a second player can jump in at any stage to help you fight through the hordes of bad guys.