Metal Slug used one of the most arcane black arts of pixel techniques: subpixel animation. Instead of moving whole pixels every frame, inbetween movements are implied by moving the colors of pixels that stay in the same position. It's insanely hard to pull off successfully but it lets you imply fluid animation even at Neo Geo's low screen resolution
One of the most noticable objects that uses subpixel animation is the Metal Slug tank itself, which allows it to look like it's subtly shaking from the engine, even when you're not moving it. (Also makes it look even more alive!)
@@thrillhouse_vanhouten donkey kong country, castlevania I guess? But don't worry, metal slug's sub pixel animation is godlike. Just take a look on this website 2dwillneverdie.com/tutorial/give-your-sprites-depth-with-sub-pixel-animation/ The elephant's animation is amazing, btw.
Metal Slug is really a classic game. Doesn't take themselves seriously, no boring cut scenes, complicated story, fun for beginners, have co-op players mode, and of course all that insanely detailed funny, strange, and cute animation that exceed players expectations. Just like pizza, something that so humble but insanely delicious 😋
@@Icantpickaname12 there's nothing perfect in this world. Let's hope that's not becoming a trend, anyway who came with brilliant idea "oh let's slap long, boring and unskipable cutscenes, everybody will love it" I hated it.. personally, deeply, passionately hate it
@@taufanadikurniawan7170 i know nothing is ever perfect, but I'm just saying that maybe they should've put more work into those MSA cutscenes, the character portraits don't even move let alone any facial expression that relate to the text your reading. like this- marco: i am so sad *default portrait* MS-Alice: good bye *dies* *default portrait but then turns gray and fades* marco: NOOOOOO *default portrait* Only thing i really liked was the music, because metal slug has some good music anyways.
Fun fact, this series originally was supposedly literally just about the titular tank, Metal Slug as the character, no named human protagonists. But the developers decided telling a story of just about a machine, that was possibly sentient, was difficult to tell at the time.
That's pretty much explained why they add the story later but with a remodeled story in MSA _"Instead of just a sentient machine, it's a sentient waifu tank AI"_
@@majorblitz3846 I preferred it as just a machine. Wally did super good. Why are people so insecure that they feel the need to inject the human shape into everything? We're hungry for non-human protagonists! We're ready you don't have to keep changing yourselves! We've been around our own species for millions of years, give me the game about the giant invincible invisible skeleton. I can handle it.
And of course the technology to generate 2D graphics (pixel art or whatnot) was way less demanding and affordable than the ones to create 3D specially when it was starting. Basically they were creating technology, techniques and processes. That is why your comparison makes no sense.
Toack No, it still bears noting because it was that exact point in time that many leaders in the industry insisted on burning the old to make way for the new. See Sony higher-ups’ hostility towards sprite-based games at the time. The hard work and craft of pixel artists is well worth vindicating.
The team that did the King of Fighters games for Neo Geo were brilliant pixel artists as well. Actually, that platform had a LOT of excellent pixel artists and animators.
Metal slug to me is still peak 2d sprite animation, its ridiculous how good this looked back then and is still (in my opinion) the best looking sprites that have yet to be dethroned.
Metal Slug has the best sprite art you will ever see. SNK kept churning out incredible sprite work until the art form became a dead art. With the reintroduction of pixel graphics, I hope we get another Metal Slug someday.
Yeah, it's codenamed Code J. Its a 3D side scroller in the vein of the original Metal Slugs just with RPG elements. They replicated the original animations in 3D pretty well.
The zombie vomit beam is one of my favorite bits of animation in the series too. I think it might have directly inspired the Brimstone weapon in Binding of Isaac - it's a nearly identical beam of projectile vomit blood that shoots across the screen and blasts through pretty much everything in your way.
It just goes to show how much care and effort went into the art and animation of these games. It's unsurprising how they still hold up so well even after 20+ years later, especially when compared to many 3D games during the time.
My Favourite little detail is when the Rebel Soldier with the Rifle reloads between shots, all the motion and how the rifle reacts, you even see the bullet casing beeing ejected.
I agree, that's really a neat - though unecessary, as you said - detail indeed. Also, on top of that, I've noticed that the reload animation occurs depending on the pistol you're using and the number of bullets you shot. For example, playing with either Fio, Eri or Nadia will trigger the reload after six shots, because obviously those gals use revolvers; as for Marco, Tarma and the others, that animation is triggered after 12 shots or so (I don't remember precisely), naturally because of their semi-auto guns and related magazine capacity. These games get more interesting the more you analyze them.
@@NeonLeV95 Wtf I did not know that. Damn this series has been around for almost 25 years (woop woop) and to think that there's still new things to see and learn about this game is incredible. Talk about attention to detail (massive respect for NAZCA and SNK for this amazing gem of a series.)
This is why I love metal slug while all it’s contemporaries continue to age and look worse trying to look cutting edge metal slug is ageless and looks spectacular
I remember seeing a metal slug cabinet in an arcade once. I was completely entranced by the preview gameplay. It was absolutely gorgeous. This game definitely sparked my love for sprite work and animation.
Fun fact about the slug: In MS1-5, the tank uses a average amount of animation frames, but there’s a copy of almost every single frame for a ton of different angles, to at least 90 degrees!
@@விஷ்ணு_கார்த்திக் Well, until you play MS3 onward when Mission 2 is starting to get fucking hard. And then, in MS3, there is a beginner trap in Mission 1.
@@zhaoyun255 True, but for those of us who could 1cc these games on hardest, easy really is easy. it gets to more difficult territory after mvs difficutly. Mainly because of the faster and more bullets, but also because enemies become bullet sponges, which I can't stand. Running out of bullets on hardest difficulty and killing bosses with only a pistol sucks azz.
i agree but it's a coin op game, meaning that with a few coins per day you must need months to complete it. Lets say a 50p coin per day * 180 days = $90. Basically you rent it. And don't forget you rent something more expensive and powerful than your pc back then
Metal Slug is just a joy from start to finish, everything is so smooth and cartoony and we love it for that. Glad to see you like how the 001 reacts and moves as well
I'm going to choose something that's a bit different. While I love all of the animations in Metal Slug, there are three in particular that are just wow next level good. The first killer animation is when enemies jump out of a body of water. The splash of the water looks so good. The second is explosions underwater. Like when you blow up a sub, and it actually implodes. Finally, I love watching the tank roll over cars. The way they give way to the immense weight finally going flat as their windows explode...chefs kiss.
Metal Slug might be an Old game, but the dedication and everything the developers made for that game is no joke. Even the arts itself is too much, plus animated. It even has some secrets. This game will forever be in my heart.
"Metal Slugs feel alive and full of character." But you know what. I like to think that the metal slug IS a character. Frankly, it has more personality than the playable heroes themselves. I adore it to bits. I want a plush of this thing and hug it and see all his parts pop out as if reacting to being squeezed.
@@VideoGameAnimationStudy oh yes you did. I just think that saying that it is a character has the same value as saying that's its full of character, as you stated in your video.
I love it how both Metal Slug and Cuphead are both run and gun games is also one of the best looking and animated 2d sprite based games I ever seen! Studying both these games is a great way to learn animation!
I dont think we gonna ever have a better pixel game when it comes to animation. Its far and beyond anything weve seen. At least for the first 3 games ! Its beyond impressive
This is hands down my favorite artstyle of any arcade game, is so realistic yet cartoony, pretty much anything you can think that is in this game is full of details and beautiful animation, my favorites are the amount of details in the spaceships you can pilot in the final mission of MS3, the trolleys carrying missiles during the Crablops fight in MS7 when you shoot them and the attacks and movements of the Slug Gunner & Black Hound in MS5.
I think the first games where animation really drew me in as a kid was Prince of Persia, and the Earthworm Jim then Cool Spot (7up) and BattleToads. Very exaggerated animation... Another was where Sonic would animate if you just stood there, he'd start making "I'm bored" or "let's go" animations, and he'd animate like he was losing his balance when near an edge.
God damn I haven't even played a MS game, but just from visuals alone, it's genuinely top 5 favourite game aesthetics, the backgrounds are so high quality and faithfully textured, the material of the landscape represented brilliantly with pixels, the sub pixelling on practically everything is obscenely godlike, the actual animations themselves are silky smooth and full of character, fuck dude Imma be real, in regards to really small sprites, i genuinely can't think of another game that tops this
@@TheRealBatabii Yeah, they ruined it by putting in their more recognizable character who is the mascot for their fighting games which is what SNK is mostly known for. What idiots.
I would LOVE a crossover game between Metal Slug and Cuphead, I mean, both are basically the same genre of videogame and also are mainly popular thanks to their beautiful and incredible art style, a videogame crossover where you constantly change between hyper detailed pixelart and old goofy boneless cartoons would be amazing to see.
In games, I personally don't like too much bobbing in running animations. I like that in this game, their body and head are completely still, vertically, so when you move side to side it's very easy to keep track of. Even if the legs flailing in the air look really silly
The amount of love the artists/animators put into this series is just straight up sickening. It's just a complete eye-gasm. You mentioned the 3D iteration, and while I didn't play it myself, it just looked so generic and devoid of..well..anything. There's just so much soul that goes into *good* pixel art and it's almost as much problem solving as anything else when you have 1 pixel that can make or break a pose - it's the limitations that force you to get good right? The metal slug vehicle character treatment reminds me of the early Pixar short "Luxo Jnr" (I'm sure you know it of course) and how they really conveyed that playful, goofy behaviour beautifully while still staying believable to it's physical form (more or less). It's so cool that so many games are coming out that are continuing the artform with some pretty striking presentation, but I can't think of any that have matched Metal Slug for just gratuitous stubborness to be the absolute benchmark 😉👍
The trick used on the boss animations was used in Super Fire Pro Wrestling X Premium as well it helped give the game un precedented animations at a relatively low resource cost
This game really appeals to me as a kid and I sometimes still play it because of the nostalgia. Besides its replayability, the design and animation were amazing, I'm always mesmerized with the bosses' design. I really love the Metal Slug too just like what you said it somehow makes you think that it's alive and how almost every part of it moves in every frame. This will be one of the best classic games, I wish that they would still release titles with the similar design.
In terms of graphics from early arcade games from late 1980s through early 2000s, SNK definitely has a lot more heart and soul with its game franchises. One of the biggest one being the king of fighters series. So many Easter eggs, so much going on with the character dialogues especially facing your rival(kyo kusanagi vs. Iori yagami, Terry bogard vs geese Howard, etc) SO much detail with the stages! Weather it's the climate changing, people passing by, and ofcourse seeing our beloved characters from other snk games in the background watching the beatdowns take place was a nostalgic and iconic treat, SNK Never disappointed me till China took over and are now whoring out our iconic characters to company's like Namco. Never in my years of playing old school arcade games have I ever seen so much going on in one game franchise. Its the little things that make snk stand far away from capcom. Street fighter is amazing. But sadly doesn't hold a candle to SNKs nostalgia. Also snk has an ENORMOUS list of fighting games where capcom had only Street fighter, darkstalkers, the early marvel fighting games, besides marvel vs capcom and the almighty capcom vs snk. Which capcom had the animation rights to CVS 1 and 2. So there went all our Easter eggs. And we looked at our KOF fighters with a somewhat less pixleated animation. Then snk made CVS chaos which had fucking violent ken in it besides shin akuma and our Easter eggs were retrieved being that snk has the animation rights to that one. I'm an old school retro game junkie. Snk is a religion besides being one of the GOATS of the arcade era. RIP old snk. Them damn mongorions a take over my a shitysnk. Lol
considering that during the games creation procress, they had to rely on prototype hardware that once caught on fire due to overwork, you get an idea of how much effort when into it, (the reliance on prototype hardware stems from the sheer volume of work that was being done taking infinitely longer on the standard development hardware for the neo geo)
One of my favorite memories from Metal Slug X was fighting a battleship that was literally dropping tanks on me. Each tank would lurch over the edge, fire once, and then fall to the ground and explode, because the enemy is so desperate to stop me they're throwing all their weapons at me as fast as they can in any way they can, and dropping a tank on my head is as good as anything. That wonderfully represents the fantastic over-the-top opulence of the Metal Slug series and I love it.
There's a reason why Metal Slug 1 and 2 Lagged/slowed down to hell and back on the arcade machines. They were REALLY pushing that processing power to its limits.
I dont think there are many action 2D scrollers that can really go next to Metal slug series. They stand out so much for a reason. The main series that is. One of my favorite arcade games hands down.
Castlevania sotn is another great example, Alucards animations, chef's kiss. As someone who has owned and played the MS games since the first one on my neo geo cd (cdz now, I upgraded back in 97 or so), you guys have no idea how insane this game was on release back in 96 when I got it. Sprites were getting crazy, X-men cota, last blade, samurai shodown 3, darkstalkers, street fighter 3 series etc. I still remember playing this game for the first time and complaining to my other neo cd owner friend why he did't buy real bout 1 or kof 96 (can't remember which one it was) instead of this game. That was untill I played this, it was the shit. Also it's crazy to see how a game a small # of meo geo owners knew and loved became such a known game worldwide. It's not cod level well known, but back in 96 i wouldn't have ever thought it would have this kind of global recognition.
I believe the run animations on the player sprites are a bit stiff due to the way they divided the character into two separate pieces, legs and upper body, which are then combined at runtime. By dividing the character this way, it can perform actions such as shooting or reloading, while standing or walking, without multiplying the amount of unique animations they had to create. But the side effect is that it became a little bit more limited and static in terms of bobbing and moving in order to keep the halves convincingly connected.
The fact I got a PSP to play 3d games and spent most of it on metal slug collection as a graphics minded kid says a lot for me, I don't think I had seen such a beautifully animated sprite game I didn't even feel like I was underusing my PSP at all
Pixel art will never have this sort of quality again and even if it did, I'd still prefer hand drawn HD sprites. If SNK ever remakes the Metal Slug Series with HD sprites and backgrounds, those would probably be the best looking 2D games ever made. At the very least, rivaling Vanillaware.
I like Vanillaware sprites as well, but what I think seperates MetalSlug or titles like SF3 from Vanillaware is, that that Vanillaware often uses software to deform a sprite to create animation, as opposed to redrawing every frame. It's more cost effective, but the animation also looks more artificial, even if (or especially if) it is very smooth.
I disagree that pixel art will never have this quality again. HD sprites can look amazing (Cuphead, Wario Shake It) but pixel art has it's own charm and will likely co-exist alongside HD art for a long time, if not forever. We're seeing a resurgence of pixel art games and it's only a matter of time before artists push the boundaries again. Actually it's already happening.
@@TJ-ck3fp But indie studios use pixel art nowadays mostly to save time and money and pixel art at the level of quality of the Metal Slug series takes a lot of time and money. Owl Boy took ages to develop and it doesn't even come close.
@@FOXDUDETV Yeah that's good point, I see where you're coming from. But this is only the beginning of the resurgence. Owlboy isn't a great example, because I'm pretty sure that game was not being worked on full time for the 9 years(I think?) it took to develop. Noitu Love 2 was made by one guy in about 10 months or so if I remember correctly. Now, NL2 might not be Metal Slug quality, but bear in mind it was made by one guy who had to do the game design and music himself too, it would seem reasonable that a small team could do something similar to Metal Slug in a few years given enough time and money. After all, we eventually got the beautiful graphics of Cuphead, which were probably even more painstaking to create than the Metal Slug animations were. Give it another 10 years or so and I bet we'll start seeing something similar to the level of Metal Slug again.
@@TJ-ck3fp But do we really want that instead of crisp high definition sprites? The only adjective people ever use to describe pixel art is "charming", And I believe people always use that word because they can't think of any other quality the medium of pixel art provides. After all, what is pixel art besides being just low resolution art? Have you ever seen the concept art for Moonlighter? It is also very charming, the only difference being that the concept art is HD and the final product is not. I believe that Moonlighter did itself a disservice by going for the pixelated look. The only pixel art game that I bought at full price in recent years was Dead Cells, because when I look at pixel art games, they just look cheap compared to games like Darkest Dungeon, Mark of The Ninja, Wonder Boy: The Dragon's Trap and the upcoming Streets of Rage 4.
This reminds me of mecha animes. Of how older mecha animations looked so much better than the now 3D mecha animations. Some very high budget 3D animation do show promise in replicating that 2D charm. But that's far into the future for the more average shows.
I think Metal Slug was evidently very influenced by manga and anime like Masamune Shirow's Dominion Tank Police (compare the Metal Slug to the Bonaparte mini-tank) and the organic mechanical tanks and planes from Studio Ghibli's Nausicaa and Porco Rosso, or the Fiat filled streets of Lupin III.
Normally I hate when older people say, "There's just nothing like it/nothing as good as it these days.", but when it comes to pixel animation, I haven't seen anything that tops the Metal Slug series yet. And that's not even nostalgia talking, I've never played a Metal Slug game in my life! You have things that are close nowadays, but they usually use certain tricks or semi-3D elements to make it look like smooth pixel art animation. Metal Slug's art is pretty much all hand-drawn, aside from some of the "bobbing" parts on larger enemies. And that's still really damn impressive. I honestly don't think any pixel animators have put in as much hard work or soul into anything yet. And this isn't to like, bash the modern pixel art/animation, there's still AMAZING stuff out there. Believe me there is. I just think Metal Slug is still the best in quality when it comes to pixel animation. And don't get me wrong, I'm not just throwing away my hope and saying, "Kids these days! Grrrr, get off my lawn!", I'm not even old. I'm absolutely sure there will eventually be a new game some day that has hand-drawn, classic pixel animation that's BETTER than Metal Slug. It could even be in the works as we speak.
Yeah I know what you mean. Don't forget that these were paid jobs for the animators, and most pixel art games are self funded indie games at the moment, so it's all about investment of time, which is expensive. I too think that there's a really special game that could topple the series in the future.
I'll never forget finding a Metal Slug arcade cabinet in the wild as a boy. The fluid animation and sound effects really left an impression on me. I hadn't been exposed to that level of 2D polish before. I've been a fan of the series ever since.
First I seen a video Metal Slug: The Complete History - SGR by Daniel Ibbertson, which is a sight to see a complete review of the series. So it is quite a joy to see this video talking about the sprite animations done in the game, you hit the nail man. The way the game was before after looking it now, really was way ahead of it's time on how much sprite animation and detail it have going on the game. Great video man.
If you love Metal Slug, be sure to check out the old Irem arcade games made by the same staff. In The Hunt and Undercover Cops are two of my favorites, they have the same great pixel animation. You can play them with MAME.
Excellent video! The design of the MS Tank 001 was brilliant in terms of making it cute but cool. Its body which consists of the treads and base make up roughly 1/2 of the character making it chibi when you consider the Turret . The Turret acts like a head with the hydraulics acting like neck muscles. There is also its side "arms" that get blown off as you take damage that sort of flail around in the direction you move in. So you can imagine it as a chibi character that belches out tank rounds and has flailing machine gun arms. Its absurd and I love it
