Metal Slug is one of my all-time favourite arcade franchises for its frenetic and gleefully over the top run and gun action. As a kid, I was always powerless to resist the allure of the ‘Big Red’ Neo Geo cabinets when they housed a title as timeless as Metal Slug – Super Vehicle-001! Aside from the moreish gameplay and excellent graphics, a lot of Metal Slug’s overall quality is to do with its music, so in this episode, I delve into the soundtracks of the series to enjoy the fine musical chops of the games’ composers, including Takushi Hiyamuta and Toshikazu Tanaka.

Listen:

https://ia601407.us.archive.org/24/items/fsvep30/fsvep30.mp3

Metal Slug (1996, SNK Neo Geo) ‘Operation Explanation, Ranking’ by Takushi Hiyamuta and JIM

Metal Slug (1996, SNK Neo Geo) ‘Stage 1’ by Takushi Hiyamuta and JIM

Metal Slug (1996, SNK Neo Geo) ‘Stage 3’ by Takushi Hiyamuta and JIM

Metal Slug 2 (1998, SNK Neo Geo) ‘Prehistoric Site’ by Takushi Hiyamuta

Metal Slug 2 (1998, SNK Neo Geo) ‘Metamorphosis’ by Takushi Hiyamuta

Metal Slug 3 (2000, SNK Neo Geo) ‘Marine Diver’ by Takushi Hiyamuta, Yoshihiko Wada, Rich Horiuchi, Q_Jirou and Maitaro

Metal Slug 3 (2000, SNK Neo Geo) ‘The Midnight Wanderer’ by Takushi Hiyamuta, Yoshihiko Wada, Rich Horiuchi, Q_Jirou and Maitaro

Metal Slug 4 (2002, SNK Neo Geo) ‘Let’s Run Through! (Stage 1 ‘City’)’ by Toshikazu Tanaka

Metal Slug 4 (2002, SNK Neo Geo) ‘Show Spirit (Stage 2 ‘National Border’)’ by Toshikazu Tanaka

Metal Slug 5 (2003, SNK Neo Geo) ‘Windy Day’ by Toshikazu Tanaka

Metal Slug 5 (2003, SNK Neo Geo) ‘Zoom Down’ by Toshikazu Tanaka

Metal Slug (1996, SNK Neo Geo) ‘Final Scene 1P’ by Takushi Hiyamuta and JIM

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