Released date: 4/18/1996 (USA), 4/19/1996 (JP)
Original System: Neo-Geo MVS
Developed by: Nazca Corporation
Published by: SNK
Metal Slug is an action run-and-gun arcade game for the 24 bit
Neo-Geo arcade system. It's known for it's frenetic, over the top action
and highly detailed and animated sprite art.
Developed by Nazca Corporation, a group of developers who made shooters for
Irem, they had released a game called In The Hunt prior to Metal Slug, which featured
a submarine. The team wanted to take the ideas and concepts
shown off there and utilize them in a game about controlling a tank.
Metal Slug pushed every aspect of the Neo-Geo system to its limits. It featured
massive amounts of sprites on screen at once as the player is barraged by enemies
and bullets from every direction. Effects and explosions fire off with fluid animation
and crunchy sound effects.
The game also featured massive machine and tank bosses to take on, often filling up
half the screen or more. Arcade gamers hadn't seen graphics and gameplay like this
yet and were enthralled by the spectacle.
At the time of its release
Sega wanted to go all out with Sonic's debut title, hiring musician Masata Nakamura
from Japanese pop band Dreams Come True. He composed catchy, pop style tunes that took
advantage of the advanced sound capabilities of the Sega Genesis to deliver a soundtrack
with fully synthesized instrumental sections. Many of the themes he wrote, like the Green
Hill Zone theme, would go on to define the sound of the series for decades.
Sonic's very first appearance in public media was not his game, in fact. He was first featured
on a playbill for the band Dreams Come True to announce their new tour, using Sonic as their
de-facto mascot almost a year before Sega would officialy reveal him.
This being Sonic's first outing, Sonic Team went through many different changes before
landing on the final design for Sonic. Concept drawings were passed around featuring different
animal and human characters.A hedgehog was chosen for its ability to roll into a ball and he
was made blue to match Sega's logo.
At different points during development, Sonic was going to have a human girlfriend named
Madonna and he was even going to play guitar in a rock band with other animal characters.
Sega decided those concepts were too intense for a kids game in American and were cut from
development.
Overall, Sonic the Hedgehog was a huge hit, selling over 2 million copies worldwide by the end of 1991. The game went on to influence a plethora of other mascot style platformers and helped Sega gain an edge over Nintendo who had all but captured the home video game market. It became so successful that Sega decided to package it for free with the Sega Genesis knowing consumers would buy the whole console just to get their hands on Sonic.