January 23, 2000
SNK

Metal Slug 3

Metal Slug 3, one of the crown jewels in SNK Playmore's retro video game catalog, remains an exciting, well-crafted experience more than a decade after its original Neo Geo release.

63%Game Brain Score

graphics, gameplay

story, stability

52% User Score Based on 1,675 reviews

Critic Score 82%Based on 5 reviews

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About

Metal Slug 3 is a single player and multiplayer arcade shooter game with comedy, anime and science fiction themes. It was developed by SNK and was released on January 23, 2000. It received positive reviews from critics and neutral reviews from players.

METAL SLUG 3 is a legendary 2D action shooter featuring intense run-and-gun gameplay with various weapons and iconic vehicles called Slugs. Players can explore multiple routes through a branching map system, replay favorite stages in Mission Mode, and team up for cooperative battles. Its vibrant visuals and deep mechanics offer endless battlefield challenges.

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52%

Audience ScoreBased on 1,675 reviews

graphics9 positive mentions

stability11 negative mentions

Faithful port of a classic game that brings back nostalgic memories.
Graphics and gameplay are well-executed, providing a fun experience.
The game runs smoothly on various devices, especially with a controller.

Controls are poorly designed, with oversized buttons that overlap and hinder gameplay.
The game frequently crashes or fails to load on certain devices, leading to frustration.
Limited continues (only 5) make it difficult to progress, especially in later levels.

story
54 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
6%
88%
6%
The game's story and mission structure have received mixed reviews, with many players expressing frustration over progress-saving issues and mission unlocks, particularly with missions 3 and 4. While some players appreciate the nostalgic elements of the game, they are hindered by technical problems that prevent them from advancing, leading to a repetitive and challenging experience. Overall, the narrative and mission design seem promising but are marred by significant gameplay flaws that detract from the overall enjoyment.
- “This game definitely needs more continues.. I always get to the final mission but can't beat it with just 1 life left.”
- “Coins are limited to 5 for each game (which can start from any mission, once they are unlocked), which is a nice balance between difficulty and longevity, but this makes the last mission very difficult to complete.”
- “The only thing that would make this better is if they periodically came out with new missions.”
- “It only saves your progress up to mission 3 in mission mode despite the fact I had completed beyond mission 4.”
- “Game missions are broken; if you want to start any mission from 2 to the final mission, you always start at mission 1 like it is arcade mode.”
- “Mission mode doesn't save past mission 2.”
graphics
16 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
56%
25%
19%
Overall, the graphics of the game receive high praise for their quality and realism, with many users highlighting the impressive visuals of the environments, enemies, and weapons. However, there are some criticisms regarding the need for updates to improve graphic quality, with a few users noting issues with low-resolution graphics. Despite these mixed reviews, the majority find the graphics to be a standout feature of the game.
- “I really love it, the graphics, the enemies, the weapons.”
- “The game is amazing; I like the graphics and how it depicts a real war. The game is very good; just fix the bugs and stuff.”
- “The graphics are slick and the sounds are all original.”
- “Needs better graphics”
- “Only gave it 2 stars because the graphics are halfway decent... otherwise, it's a 0 star game!”
- “Bad graphics”
stability
15 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
27%
73%
The stability of the game has received mixed reviews, with many users reporting frequent freezing issues, particularly during gameplay and at specific levels. While some players noted improvements after updates and found the game runs well on certain devices, others experienced persistent bugs that hindered their experience, leading to frustration and requests for refunds. Overall, the game's stability appears to be a significant concern for a substantial number of users.
- “Works and runs great.”
- “The Note 4 2K screen game looks and runs great.”
- “The update fixed my problems; it runs great.”
- “The joystick freezes at times, which is frustrating.”
- “Now it won't even start properly; it doesn't finish downloading the additional data and freezes at the start.”
- “Do not buy - it freezes at level 3.”
gameplay
11 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
36%
37%
27%
The gameplay experience is mixed, with some users praising its smoothness and nostalgic appeal, particularly for fans of the Metal Slug series. However, issues such as poor controller support, limited lives, and a default blur filter detract from the overall enjoyment, leading to frustration for some players. Overall, while the core gameplay is enjoyable, significant improvements are needed in controls and settings to enhance the experience.
- “The gameplay is good.”
- “The gameplay is really cool.”
- “If you are a fan of the Metal Slug series, this is a must-have. Not only is the gameplay flawless, it runs very smoothly, and so far, it's the best version of Metal Slug on Android!”
- “You need to update the controllers to use a Bluetooth controller or any other device because the in-built one is very poor and offers a bad gameplay experience.”
- “Useless controls; gameplay is pretty much ruined without a joystick.”
- “The 05 live limit, as opposed to the other Metal Slugs (which is 20), discourages gameplay value and adds an aggravating factor of difficulty.”
optimization
11 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
27%
46%
27%
Overall, the game's optimization has received significant criticism, particularly regarding its controller support and touch controls, which many users find unresponsive and frustrating. While some devices run the game smoothly, others experience severe lag and crashes, especially when using gamepads. Users are calling for urgent updates to address these performance issues and improve the overall gameplay experience.
- “Game is terribly optimized for controller support and of all games this needs it badly.”
- “If SNK improves performance, I can give 5 stars.”
- “Plays great on Xperia Play being optimized for it.”
- “Can you please update your game for optimizations and bug fixes? It's unplayable, although it's hard to control and it keeps crashing when I connect my PS4 controller. Please fix gamepad support for the best retro gaming experience. I bought this game in 2017, and the updated version is still from 2017. I wish I could play this game smoothly with fixed and accurate gamepad support.”
- “I just can't play it. First, the touch control is garbage; they should've added button touch instead of slide touch to move the characters. When I want to aim up, upright, or upleft, the control won't recognize it a lot of the time, and I don't want to buy a gamepad just to play this. Second, there are performance issues. Even on my Zenfone 2 with 4GB RAM and a lot of memory space, it still won't run smoothly. A lot of lags happen even when I don't run any RAM-hogging apps.”
- “Game is terribly optimized for controller support, and of all games, this one needs it badly.”
replayability
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
17%
50%
Players highlight the game's strong replayability due to its engaging run-and-gun levels, nonlinear design, and enjoyable character animations. The easy controls and additional content, like concept art, further enhance the experience, although some users express a desire for more playable characters to increase replay value. Overall, the game is praised for its nostalgic appeal and fun gameplay that encourages multiple playthroughs.
- “From run and gun levels to a shmup level, hilarious character animations, excellent controls, nonlinear levels that add replay value, very true to the arcade... it's an outstanding game and one I was glad to pay for!”
- “Ms3 has amazing replayability, easy controls, and is really an enjoyable experience all around.”
- “The additional concept art adds to the replay value of the game.”
- “I loved this game from the heyday to today, though as the game series keeps coming, I feel that since I had to pay cash for it, at least one day they could have added more playable characters.”
- “From run and gun levels to a shmup level, hilarious character animations, excellent controls, nonlinear levels that add replay value... it's an outstanding game!”
music
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
100%
The music in the game is generally well-received, with players enjoying the integration of sound effects alongside their own music. However, some users have reported issues with sound quality on certain devices, indicating a need for updates to address these problems. Overall, while the music enhances the experience for many, technical inconsistencies remain a concern.
- “This game is really fun! I missed playing it, and now I can enjoy it on my Android phone. The music is awesome, and I'm happy I waited until most of the bugs were fixed. It works great when I listen to my music, and the sound effects blend perfectly with it.”
- “The music quality is inconsistent; it sounds sloppy on my Huawei Ascend Mate compared to my Moto Xoom tablet.”
- “I've experienced issues with the sound and music across all three releases; it would be great to see some updates to improve this.”
- “Despite having all three versions of the game, the music has not received any updates, and it really shows in the overall experience.”
monetization
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Users express a desire for the game to be improved by removing advertisements and enabling offline play, indicating that the current monetization strategy may detract from their overall enjoyment.
- “I love this game, but the monetization is frustrating. It feels like I can't enjoy the game without being bombarded by ads.”
- “The in-game purchases are way too expensive and make it hard to progress without spending real money.”
- “It's disappointing that the game relies so heavily on monetization. It detracts from the overall experience.”
humor
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is highlighted by its hilarious character animations and engaging gameplay, which includes a mix of run-and-gun and shmup levels. Players appreciate the nonlinear design that enhances replay value, contributing to an overall enjoyable and entertaining experience.
- “From run-and-gun levels to a shmup level, the hilarious character animations and excellent controls make this game a standout. The nonlinear levels add replay value, and it's very true to the arcade experience. I'm really glad I paid for it!”
- “The humor in this game is top-notch! The witty dialogue and funny character interactions kept me laughing throughout my playthrough.”
- “I love how the game incorporates humor into its gameplay. The quirky character designs and silly situations make every level a joy to play!”
emotional
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The emotional aspect of the game is characterized by a sense of frustration and disconnect, as players feel a loss of control that can lead to an overwhelming experience. This sentiment highlights the game's ability to evoke strong feelings, though it may also detract from overall enjoyment.