__  __ _____ _____  _    _       ____  _    _   _  ____
        |  \/  | ____|_   _|/ \  | |     / ___|| |  | | | |/ ___|
        | |\/| |  _|   | | / _ \ | |     \___ \| |  | | | | |  _
        | |  | | |___  | |/ ___ \| |___   ___) | |__| |_| | |_| |
        |_|  |_|_____| |_/_/   \_\_____| |____/|_____\___/ \____|


(Tarma told me to view this guide in WordPad.)

=============================================================================
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

                   [Game]      :     Metal Slug
                   [Guide]     :     FAQ/Walkthrough
                   [System]    :     Arcade
                   [Author]    :     Kertra
                   [E-mail]    :     kertra <at> servihoo <dot> com
                   [Version]   :     Final
                   [Date]      :     March 12, 2003

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
=============================================================================

© 2002-2003, Kertra. All rights reserved.

This FAQ is for personal use only. Do not distribute it or use it for
profitable purposes. If you want to post this FAQ on a website, contact me
before doing anything and send the URL of your site. Plagiarism is a crime,
just ask. I have no objection on my FAQ being posted on someone else's site
but you must give credit where it is due.

Also, please keep in mind that under no circumstances, are you allowed to
make any changes to this FAQ! It must remain as it is and moreover, you are
not allowed to rip off part(s) of this FAQ to put in another FAQ. No
banners or advertisements are to be attached to it and it must remain in
its original form (NO HTML!). Moreover, the site must be a non-commercial
and non-profitable one.

This document is protected by US Copyright Law, and the Berne Copyright
Convention of 1976. I'm well aware of my rights and will not hesitate to
take legal action against you if you don't follow these guidelines. If you
wish to take some info from this FAQ to include in a more elaborate one,
write to me first and tell me what it is all about and I'll think about it.


The Metal Slug series © SNK of Japan.


+-=+-=+-=+-=+-=
  CONTENTS
+-=+-=+-=+-=+-=

I. Introduction

II. Controls

III. Weapons

IV. Power-ups

V. Items

VI. Walkthrough
   a) Mission 1
   b) Mission 2
   c) Mission 3
   d) Mission 4
   e) Mission 5
   f) Final Mission

VII. Hints & Tips

VIII. Frequently Asked Questions

IX. Revision History

X. Credits


-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-=
I. INTRODUCTION
=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=-


Howdy and welcome to my Metal Slug FAQ. Yeah, I know, Metal Slug is a very
old game, so why bother write a FAQ for it when the game now comprises of
4 titles? Well, the FAQs which are already available for it have been written
long ago and seem to be incomplete. I've always been a huge fan of the Metal
Slug series and I have also written one for Metal Slug X (which is crap ;
don't read it unless you volunteer to suffer from severe brain damage) for
the PlayStation. So, I'd figure out I'd try and see whether I could do a
better job with the game that started everything.


Last note : The FAQ was originally done by playing at the Arcade and was then
           re-checked with the Neo-Geo cart. This doesn't really change
           anything since Arcade and Neo-Geo games are just the same. I
           have also played the Saturn version of the game a couple of times
           and it's the same, so the FAQ applies to it too (but, obviously,
           you need to adapt the controls).


-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-=
II. CONTROLS
=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=-


Here's a representation of the controls on any cabinet.

  ub    u    uf
     \  |  /                                A        B
      \ | /
  b --- n --- f
      / | \
     /  |  \                                D        C
  db    d    df


=== BASIC ===

b - Moves character to the left, i.e. goes back
f - Moves character to the right, i.e. forward
d - Character crouches or goes down stairs
u - Character aims up
df - Moves character forward while crouching
A - Shoot
B - Jump
C - Throw Bomb
D - No use


=== ADVANCED ===

~ When you see the slug, jump onto it (i.e. press appropriate direction
 & B) to enter it so you may control it. The controls are the same as
 for the character when you are in the slug with the nice exception
 that the slug can also fire diagonally. Thus, all diagonals can be used
 by the slug.


~ Press d + B to get out of the Metal Slug whenever you want or when the
 vehicle is about to explode.


~ While in the slug, press A + B to use the frontal attack. Once you do
 this, Eri will jump out of the slug and it'll crash forward for heavy
 damage. This cannot be done when the Metal Slug loses its gun though
 (i.e. it is already on the verge of explosion).


~ Hold df to have your character crouch and move forward. This will be
 required in certain parts of the game.


~ [Thanks to Tw1light for the following info]: You can still use your normal
 bombs while in the slug. To do so, press d+C and your character will throw
 one of his bombs. The advantage of this is pretty obvious -- less recovery
 time. However, don't forget that ammo boxes will still go towards your
 cannon stock. As a result, you can only throw the number of bombs you
 had before you got in the slug.


=== CHARACTERS ===

~ Player 1 is Marco while player 2 is Tarma. Note that if you decide to
 press the 2P Start even when playing alone, you'll be playing as Tarma.
 By the way, you'll notice that the dialogues I added feature Tarma and
 the general walkthrough will mention Tarma. There are 2 reasons to this:
 a) I tend to play as player 2 ; b) Tarma is my favorite character (in this
 game only, I like Eri most out of the entire series). Besides, this is my
 FAQ, so I don't really see what you can do about this. :)


-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-=
III. WEAPONS
=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=-


Weapons play a very important role in Metal Slug. Since it is a kill-em-all,
this is pretty obvious. Your character starts with a mere pistol but he can
grab various weapons which will help him in his quest. All of these weapons
have limited ammunition though, the pistol is the only gun that has
unlimited ammo. So, you have to be pretty careful and avoid losing your
ammunition and making the weapons last as long as possible. I truthfully
don't see you tackling a level boss with a mere pistol! ;)


-----


Key

Weapon : Name of the weapon.

Icon : The letter which which they're represented in the game.

Ammo : The number of bullets you get when you first grab the weapon.

Description : A description of the weapon and its pros and cons.


-----


Weapon : Pistol

Icon : N/A

Ammo : Infinite

Description : The pistol is your default weapon. It cannot fire diagonally.
             You can consider it an automatic since there is no reload
             and it is very quick. Also comes with unlimited ammunition.
             However, the strength of one bullet is weak and you'll find
             it hard to tackle an entire level with just a pistol.


-----


Weapon : Heavy Machine Gun

Icon : [H]

Ammo : 200

Description : The weapon you'll learn to love! The Heavy Machine Gun is,
             just as the name implies, a machine-gun with quick and strong
             fire-power. It is very helpful when you are surrounded by
             enemies since there is no reload. You can also fire diagonally
             by holding a horizontal/vertical direction and quickly moving
             over to a vertical/horizontal direction. This causes Eri to
             fire in that diagonal direction but only a few blasts. The
             Heavy Machine Gun isn't particularly effective against heavy
             machinery though.


-----


Weapon : Shotgun

Icon : [S]

Ammo : 30

Description : The Shotgun is, without doubt, the strongest weapon in the game.
             However, this is meant for close situations only (if you don't
             know that, where have you been all this time? :)). It will
             fire a huge blast which will kill and destroy anything that
             is in its limited range. One blast is enough to take out a
             turret. Even a group of 8 soldiers can't do anything against
             your Shotgun. Shields will similarly be literally blown away.


-----


Weapon : Rocket Launcher

Icon : [R]

Ammo : 30

Description : The Rocket Launcher fires rockets (duh...what were you
             expecting?) which are about 1.75x stronger than the Shotgun.
             They have limited homing ability but it seems this applies
             only to heavy machinery. You can fire 2 rockets in quick
             successsion but after that, you have to wait for the weapon
             to reload. This weapon is best used against tanks, turrets
             and machinery in general. It is not so helpful when you are
             dealing exclusively with a crowd of soldiers.


-----


Weapon : Flame Shot

Icon : [F]

Ammo : 30

Description : Fires a flame shot that has full-screen range. The Flame Shot
             cannot be fired diagonally though. However, it is extremely
             powerful, hence why the ammo is so limited. When using the
             Flame Shot, it is always better to let all the enemies group
             together before firing at them. Only one blast of the Flame
             Shot will kill everyone, so using a blast against a lone
             soldier is just a waste of ammo. The shot doesn't evaporate
             upon hitting one opponent though, it will go on and travel
             the whole screen, but note that that doesn't apply in some
             situations.


-----


Weapon : Bomb

Icon : N/A

Ammo : 10

Description: These bombs come out quickly but you can never throw more than
            2 in quick succession. The bombs come out at a slight angle such
            that you need to be a distance away from the foe when you throw
            them or they will just bounce and explode for nothing. Use
            against group of enemies and vehicles in general. Also good
            against bosses since they are quite powerful.

-----


-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-=
IV. POWER-UPS
=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=-


The power-ups are, obviously, related to the weapons and there are just a
few of those in the first Metal Slug but they come in really handy.


-----


Name : Metal Slug

Purpose : The vehicle the game is about. This beauty is a tank with cutesy
         firepower and will really help you across the game. Its gun can
         shoot in diagonal directions. As a matter of fact, since it's
         more of a railgun, you can shoot wherever you want as long as
         you're pressing the proper direction. The Metal Slug can also fire
         cannons which are about 3.5x stronger than normal grenades. It is
         a bit slow to fire those though and it needs to recover after
         one cannon. It is thus impossible to throw 2 in quick succession
         (which you can do with mere bombs). The Metal Slug can also jump
         but obviously, its range is pathetic. Soldiers with only knives
         cannot harm the slug; they will jump onto you, but you really do
         not have to worry about them. It will also crush cars if you just
         move on them. Note, though, that the Metal Slug, being a vehicle,
         cannot turn around (this is a 2D game, pal!). That's not much of
         a problem since it has a rail-gun but don't count on your cannon
         to take enemies who are behind you, you will have to rely solely
         on the gun here.


-----


Name : Gas

Purpose : For use when you are controlling the Metal Slug. The Gas will
         fill the tank's lifebar. If you take one without having the slug,
         it will net you 1000 points. But it will usually be found in a
         location where you'll be controlling your vehicle.


-----


Name : Bullet Box

Purpose : An bullet box gives you 100 rounds in the case of the Machine Gun,
         and 10 bullets if you're carrying a Rocket Launcher, a Flameshot
         or a Rocket Launcher. It doesn't do anything if you have only your
         pistol.


-----


Name : Ammo Box

Purpose : Gives you 10 bombs. Ammo boxes are not really plentiful though.
         If you're controlling the slug, you will get 10 cannons (better
         choice!).


-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-=
V. ITEMS
=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=-


Since this is an Arcade kill-em-all, your purpose, aside from beating the
game, is to have the best score possible. Thus, getting all the items you
can is important. Here is how much points each item give you. I found it
more suitable to do a chart with increasing points so you can know right
away which item gives the most points.


                   |¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯|¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯|
                   |    Points     |     Item      |
                   |               |               |
                   |¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯|¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯|
                   |       10      |     Coin*     |
                   |               |  Rotten food  |
                   |               |     Turd      |
                   |_______________|_______________|
                   |               |               |
                   |      100      |      Cat      |
                   |_______________|_______________|
                   |               |               |
                   |      500      |     Bread     |
                   |               |     Fish      |
                   |               |     Frog      |
                   |               |     Letter    |
                   |               |     Medal     |
                   |               |     Snake     |
                   |_______________|_______________|
                   |               |               |
                   |     1,000     |    Chicken    |
                   |               |      Gas**    |
                   |               |    Mushroom   |
                   |               |      Nest     |
                   |               |      Pig      |
                   |               |  Politician¤  |
                   |               |    Tin can    |
                   |_______________|_______________|
                   |               |               |
                   |     5,000     |     Doll      | --
                   |               |   Teddy Bear  |   \
                   |_______________|_______________|     These items have
                   |               |               |     varying points
                   |     50,000    |     Doll      |   / [info by Rich].
                   |               |   Teddy Bear  | --
                   |_______________|_______________|



* In the case of coins, the first you take is worth 10 points. As you
 manage to take more while the score is still flashing, you'll get double
 points of the previous score.

** When item is taken without Metal Slug.

¤ Rich pointed out that the politician will sometimes be worth 0 points. I
 think this happens if you 'grab' him while in the slug (which is why I
 expressedly said in the walkthrough to get him first and THEN, to jump
 into the slug). Perhaps the same counts that you're running over him
 when you do so.


~ A knife attack is worth 300 points while weapon attacks are worth 100
 points, Thus, if you are playing for score, try to get as many close
 attacks as possible.

~ Running over soldiers while in the slug gives only 10 points instead of
 the 100 you would get if you took the time to shoot them.

~ One rescued hostage at the end of a mission gives you 1,000 points.

~ More than 10 rescued hostages nets a bonus 10,000 points.

~ If you still have the Slug at the end of a mision, you'll get an
 additional 10,000 points.


-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-=
VI. Walkthrough
=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=-


There are 6 missions in the game. Besides the usual walkthrough, I will also
point out any hidden items, hostages...Well, everything about the game!

(Mid-bosses' and bosses' names have been made up by myself. Name are [almost]
always based on aforementioned opponents' appearance. Golden World has
sent in the real names but huh, I'm keeping the ones I made up because
I'm not a big fan of the real names. Anyway, the real names will be listed
below the ones I made up! :))


-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
a) MISSION 1
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------


Tarma : "Time to kick some ass!"


" " " " " " " " " " "


After dropping down, go to the right and kill all the soldiers you encounter.
Shoot the crate besides the big rock and take the Heavy Machine Gun. Quickly
jump over the rock and kill the 2 soldiers before grabbing the pig. If you
take too much time, both soldiers will flee, so be quick in jumping over
the rock. Thr pig nets you 1000 points.

Continue to the right until the platform ends. At this point, a guard will
come jumping in like a kamikaze but he's easy to avoid. Dispose of him
and move along, taking care of the other soldier who comes down the side of
the toppled submarine.

Move forward and kill the other soldier. There is a hostage on a ledge near
the submarine. To free him, jump onto the first ledge and then onto that
one so you can use your knife to free him. You can also just shoot at him
from below but the hostage will remain on the ledge and you'll thus miss
the medal he leaves.

There is also another hostage to the right on a lower ledge. Move along
and drop down to that ledge where you can use your knife to free him. Take
the Heavy Machine Gun he leaves and quickly kill the soldiers who throw
bombs at you. Drop to the ground and take the Flameshot from the crate if
you wish. My advice here is to leave the Flameshot if you have the Heavy
Machine Gun since you should have a lot of ammunition for that weapon right
now. It'd be pointless to exchange these for just 30 shots of thz Flameshot.

Continue to the right and kill the soldiers that come running at you.
Beware of the bombs they throw at you though. Move forward and you'll see
yet another hostage on a ledge. Jump onto it and free the hostage who will
reward you with a Heavy Machine Gun (another reason why you should have
left the Flameshot, you'll have a lot of ammunition which should be very
helpful now!).

Move forward and take the fish and a Blackhawk will show up. It's easy to
take it with the Heavy Machine Gun. Just aim up and avoid its rockets and
you'll do fine. Once it's destroyed, take the letter and continue to the
right. Jump over the rock and shoot the crate for a teddy bear. Don't forget
about the soldier at the top of the screen.

At this point, scuba divers will suddenly jump from the water and will throw
missiles at you. Jump to avoid these and dispose of the scuba divers as soon
as you can. If you take too much time, they will throw rockets but these
can be destroyed (but this is a bit tough!). Destroy all the barrels you see
on the platforms too.

When you see a big rock dangling, there is a nice trick to kill the 2
soldiers below while conservaing your ammo. Jump onto the platforms until
you reach the one next to the rope holding the rock. Shoot at the barrel
and it'll explode, releasing the rock at the same time. The rock will then
fall onto the 2 soldiers who will be crushed. :)

Keep jumping onto the platform sand kill the soldiers that come out of the
hut. Next, drop down into the water and take the Heavy Machine Gun and
jump onto the ledge near you for another Heavy Machine Gun. Move forward
and let Eri drop into the water again. Grab the bombs and shoot the fish.
Kill all the soldiers around you before jumping into the slug. Now that you
have the slug, things will be much easier.

Go up the wooden ramp and shoot up at the ledge where the soldier is. This
will cause the whole hut to be destroyed and a Blackhawk will appear. Your
slug should destroy it without any difficulty. Move to the right and take
the Gas which will replenish your tank's health. The wooden structures can
all be destroyed, so shoot at those and watch your score go up!

Move forward and kill all the soldiers who move dangerously around you.
There is no need to kill those who are just standing around or who cannot
shoot at you but doing so will increase your score. Next, move forward and
shoot the Explosive Barrel and everything will explode. Move back a little
and you will be able to claim another Gas item which will replenish your
tank's health if you still have it. Then, move to the right.

You'll see a hostage dangling. To free him, place yourself below him and
shoot at him. He'll thus drop onto you and will leave his reward as soon
as he touches you. If you shoot at him just as you enter the screen, the
soldier will walk forward as soon as he drops down and you'll have to chase
him for the item. And this isn't really easy to do because of the green
tanks which show up.

Whatever you decide to do, proceed forward and destroy the tanks. Move up
the ledges and kill all the tanks that show up. Once you are onto the
top ledge, don't move forward just yet. Instead, place yourself under the
rightmost waterfall. Shoot up and after a while, 2 soldiers will drop down.
They will drop onto you and you won't even have to chase them.

Once you're done, move forward and you'll see a plane along with some
soldiers and 2 hostages. Try to free both of them. If you are in the slug,
you'll have to leave it to rescue the uppermost one or you can just leave
him for afterwards. But I don't consider doing so because you may
accidentally free him while fighting the boss and may find it difficult to
get to him. Finally, move forward and you'll have to face the level boss,
i.e. the Wrecked Plane.


" " " " " " " " " " "


Level boss: Wrecked Plane
(Official name: The Bomber)

Thankfully, the plane cannot fly and this battle is very easy if you know
what you're doing. The 2 hostages you have just freed also means that you'll
have a nice weapon and a bunch of bombs to use against the Wrecked Plane.

The Wrecked Plane doesn't have a lot of attacks. The moving gun will fire
huge balls of energy at you and these are quite easy to avoid by moving a
lot and by jumping or crouching. It can also fire a huge beam at you but
you can tell when it's about to do so since it changes and need to charge
for about 3 seconds. Jump over the circular platforms and you'll easily
avoid it.

Soldiers can also show up from time to time, so try to kill these as quickly
as possibly before they become annoying. They will jump down at you and
use knives if you give them too much time. If you're lucky enough, they
will leave weapons or bombs when they die and you can use those to quickly
destroy the boss.

Keep shooting at the gun when you are not busy avoiding its attacks and you
will be able to quickly dispose of the first boss. It is also better to
jump onto the higher platforms when it uses its beam attack since this
is harder to avoid. Once the gun is destroyed, all the platforms will
explode as well as the wrecked plane.

 ____________________________
/ Alternate strategy by Rich \___________________________________________
| ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯                                            |
|  If you have the tank, you can just crouch next to the weak spot and    |
|  constantly throw grenades (refer to 'Controls' and 'Tips' sections     |
|  for more info about this). It takes about 14 grenades and a very       |
|  time to dispose of the Wrecked Plane but obviously, check beforehand   |
|  that you do have the given amount of grenades. Note that you get less  |
|  points of you use this cheap strategy though, so if you are playing    |
|  for score, don't do this.                                              |
|_________________________________________________________________________|


" " " " " " " " " " "


Total number of hostages : 10


" " " " " " " " " " "


Tarma : "What? Is that all the General can do!?"


-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
b) MISSION 2
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------


Tarma : "Ha! Eat my shotgun blast!"


" " " " " " " " " " "


As soon as you drop down, move to the right and kill all the soldiers. If
you fall in the gap, just kill the soldiers on the lower ledge and jump
up again. Just don't stay there or you'll miss the hostage that comes next.
Continue to the right and you'll see him above you. Place yourself just below
him and shoot at him such that you'll get your reward quickly, a letter.
Then, shoot at the flags and the clock for more points. You only have your
pistol right now, so blast away gleefully.

Walk along the railway and jump over the first electric barrier. If a
soldier tries to crawl underneath kill him before jumping (sometimes, they
will just get up and get electrocuted by the barrier :)). Crawl under the
second and grab the doll at the same time. When you come to the third
barrier, you can either jump over it or crawl underneath -- doesn't really
matter.

Once you're done, kill the soldier that parachutes down with a bazooka.
Kill the other one to the right and you'll be rewarded with a Flameshot.
As soon as you grab it, a lot of soldiers will parachute down with bazookas.
Luckily, you can quickly take care of those now that you have the Flameshot.
Just don't waste your precious ammo by shooting like a madman or you may
lose a life here.

Once you've killed all of them, you'll be able to go forward again. However,
stop by the track switch first. Stand on its right and shoot at it and
you'll get 5,000 points. Move on to the right once you're done here.

As you come to the bridge, you'll see a fish on it. Don't be too quick
though or you're just going to lose a precious life. Take all your time and
as you go up, a scuba-diver will appear in the water and will shoot up,
destroying that portion of the bridge. So, jump over the gap and move on
(shoot down at the soldier if he is still on-screen while you're at it).
Shoot at all the lampposts for more points too.

 __________________________
/ Useful tip by Chang Zhou \_____________________________________________
| ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯                                              |
|  If you want to grab the fish on the bridge before it explodes, go up   |
|  to it as quickly as possible and jump towards the lamppost as soon as  |
|  you have it. I have been able to do so too but it's also very tough.   |
|  Chances that you'll be caught off-guard when the bridge collapses are  |
|  high, so you'd be better just forgetting about it.                     |
|_________________________________________________________________________|


 ____________________
/ Useful tip by Rich \___________________________________________________
| ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯                                                    |
|  To get the item by the first set of stairs that happens unreachable,   |
|  let the soldier shoot the bridge as explained above but don't jump     |
|  over it. Instead, hold left ad you fall down and you'll land near it.  |
|  Grabbing it is a piece of cake. The doll/teddy bear that is sometimes  |
|  seen by the electrical barrier may be here if it didn't show up there. |
|  Did I just hear 'POINTS!!'?                                            |
|_________________________________________________________________________|


You'll now see a hostage dangling up but the same thing will happen here
too, i.e. a scuba-diver shows up and destroys part of the bridge (always the
part that has no support). So, don't be too quick, jump over the gap, and
rescue the soldier for a nice Rocket Launcher. Jump over the next gap
(creation of another scuba-diver) and keep moving to the right.

Use your Rocket Launcher to destroy the yellow tank. Don't worry too much
about ammunition since it'll leave another Rocket Launcher itself once it
disappears. Just crouch to avoid its projectiles, the yellow tanks are
really easy enemies.

Rescue the next dangling hostage above the boat. After taking the Rocket
Launcher, you now have to take care of the boat. There are truthfully quite
a lot of ways to destroy the boat while ensuring that you are safe. My
favorite one is just to jump onto the boat and to stand to the right of
the deck, but not too much otherwise you will drop in the water as soon as
the boat is destroyed. Try standing right next to the cabin such that Eri
will use his knife on any soldier that tries to escape.

Once the boat is destroyed, it will sink but a weapon will also appear on
it and a soldier will try to prevent the boat from sinking -- it's really
hilarious!! At the same time, a couple of others will jump into the water.

If you decided to destroy the boat from the bridge, it is very difficult
-in fact, it is impossible- to get that weapon because the boat quickly
disappears. That's why I recommend you use my strategy since you can easily
grab the weapon before jumping onto the bridge again. You can then kill
the busy soldier and the ship will definitely become Titanic (just watch,
it sinks in the same way :)).

Once you're done with the first boat, move to the right and repeat with
the second boat. Just the same stuff again! Once you're done with this
second one, a third one appears from the left. Drop onto it and you should
know the song by now! (This really seems like a very easy sub-boss to me.)
After you sink this one, you'll finally be able to move on.

Kill the crawling soldiers with your knife -there is really no need to spend
your ammo on them- and move along the bridge until you reach the end where
you can rescue the fourth hostage. At this point, bazooka and shielded
soldiers will come running in from both sides and you need to quickly
kill them before they surround you.

After they've been killed, an 88 tank will show up. Approach it, crouch and
shoot at it to destroy it. Don't forget about the soldier who jumps out of
it! Next, shoot at the hut and it'll explode too, allowing you to move on.
If you want, shoot down at the green patch below you for some points and
another 3 soldiers [thanks to Rich for pointing this out]. Then,go down the
wooden stairs.

You'll see 3 soldiers and a hostage on the roof. Shoot at all three and the
hostage will drop down and reward you with a heavy machine gun. At the same
time, a rail-tank will crash in and you'll now have to deal with this quite
weak sub-boss.


" " " " " " " " " " "


Mid-boss: Crazy Rail-tank 02
(Official name: Rail Tank)

Luckily, you have the Heavy Machine Gun which you just got from the hostage.
The Crazy Rail-tank is a bit slow and that's what really makes it so easy.
Its projectiles seem to take a lifetime to come out, so just shoot up with
that Heavy Machine Gun and you'll destroy it without any problem.

Some shielded soldiers will also show up from the left but if you're quick
enough, you won't get even a glimpse of their shield. If you don't have
the Heavy Machine Gun (how the hell did you achieve that?), go up the stairs
and use your bombs at it but you risk getting hit though. Once it receives
enough shots, it'll drop down and you can move on.

 ____________________________
/ Alternate strategy by Rich \___________________________________________
| ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯                                            |
|  The shotgun will make this battle a breeze if you use Rich's strategy. |
|  Just shoot at it from below. There is no need to jump if you use the   |
|  shotgun. Another possible thing is to grab the Heavy Machine Gun after |
|  unloading a few rounds and finish it off, which means you'll have the  |
|  gun to kill the bunch of soldiers you'll be facing next.               |
|_________________________________________________________________________|


" " " " " " " " " " "


After having sent Crazy Rail-tank to the garage, proceed to the right and
kill the shielded soldier who walks straight into you. Now, don't just
walk on. Instead, jump forward. If you timed it well, you'll jump near a
lying soldier while a bazooka shot travels across the screen. You can then
kill him. (Or you can jump on the stairs while aiming down.)

Go up the stairs and kill everybody around you while avoiding their bullets
or whatever it is they are using. One of them will roll bombs down. I
suggest you just keep jumping in place to avoid them since the soldier
will retreat after a while. Of course, you can kill him if you wish but
this is not so evident. Move to the right and jump into the tank. Something
will fly above you but you can't destroy it, don't bother!

Now that you have the slug, shoot joyfully at anybody who's stupid enough
to be off-screen but still, better watch out for their attacks. And drool
at the background if you can, that's a work of art! Soldiers will come
up the ladders and are really easy to kill here. Release the 4 hostages
and a plane will now fly beneath you. Keep shooting at it and it'll
eventually be destroyed.

Now, you'll have to deal with a coupe of planes and these don't pose much
of a problem if you still have the tank. Mash the A button and they will
drop down while their pilots cry out in agony. Keep an eye open for any
soldier though. They will still appear from time to time. Eventually,
you'll be able to move on.

The 2 soldiers you encounter next leave bombs which is a good thing since
you'll need those soon. There's also a Gas item at the top which will
replenish any health you lost while facing the planes. The tank will
automatically move forward once you reach here, so you can take a brief
rest and watch your next opponent fly quickly above you.


" " " " " " " " " " "


Level boss: Aero 29
(Official name: Jumbo Jet)

Heh, things get harder now. See those 3 platforms? Whenever the arrow flashes
below either of them, it means that platform will soon be raised. You can
use the platforms to be on the same level as Aero 29 or simply to make your
life easier. 2 platforms can raise up simultaneuously and if you wish, you
may also use these to protect yourself from Aero's attacks.

Aero 29 (doesn't this name seem to come from a certain Final Fantasy? :))
can fire rockets at you but these can be destroyed. They are easily avoided
too, but it also depends how they're fired. If Aero launches them towards
you, you're in big trouble. Sometimes, the rocket will just fly above you
and you can just keep firing up all the time.

A Caporal will also show up from time to time and will fire rockets at you.
Try to kill him immediately. His gunfire can destroy your tank before you
realize it and you'll have a tough time if you only have your mere pistol.
Aero can also launch mines and these will bounce a few times à la D12 ("I
said, bounce, bounce, c'mon, bounce!") before exploding. These are tough
to avoid since there are so many of them and you can predict where they'll
end up but they are not that damaging.

If you lose the slug, stand on the right-hand platform and keep throwing
bombs at Aero 29 for major damage. Once it is destroyed, a plane will fly
by and the General will jump onto it and escape...But, that's OK! We don't
like easy stuff! :)

 ____________________________
/ Alternate strategy by Rich \___________________________________________
| ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯                                            |
|  If you have the slug, just go to the extreme right and keep shooting   |
|  for very cheap play (you'll be below it). When the platforms start     |
|  being raised, get on one and use both the gun and the cannon for       |
|  major damage. When the General shows up to fire rockets, duck under    |
|  any raised platform or move about to avoid them (if you are out of     |
|  slug, no need to duck -- just get below the platform).                 |
|_________________________________________________________________________|


" " " " " " " " " " "


Total number of hostages : 12


" " " " " " " " " " "


Tarma : "Heh, 2 bosses aren't enough for me!"


-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
c) MISSION 3
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------


Tarma : "Let's get jumping!"


" " " " " " " " " " "


Note: If you drop down and fail to land on a ledge in this mission, say
good-bye to a life.


Jump onto the right ledges and rescue the hostage by the signpost. He'll
reward you with a nifty Heavy Machine Gun, so don't forget to thank him
by crying out loud "Everybody in here is in big, big trouble!". This will
have the owner of the arcade throw (or kick) you out, which is a good thing
since what awaits you now is hell!

If the owner decided not to throw you out (he could be deaf, who knows?),
continue jumping up the ledges. They aren't slippery in the least despite
the snow. How come? When you reach the one with the signpost which points
to the left, take the mushroom (1000 points), crouch and shoot at the
shielded soldier who shows up on the left ledge. Once he goes to join his
ancestors, you may jump onto that ledge.

Jump onto the wooden platform now and 2 soldiers will show up to prevent you
from rescuing the hostage. Kill them and quickly rescue him to take the
reward. Paratroopers will now appear with bazookas in their hands, so just
keep shooting to have them drop down as soon as they appeared. When they're
all dead, a blackhawk comes in and you should know what to do by now...Just
don't be stupid enough to have Eri walk on air. ;)

Don't worry, the platform which is lowered once the Blackhawk is destroyed
cannot kill you. So, just stand beneath it and shoot at the soldier standing
on it. You may then jump onto it. Be quick in doing so though because if you
miss the first time, you'll have to wait for it come down again and will
thus lose a bloody lot of time.

Jump to the left after killing the soldier when the platform reaches the top.
Again, be quick because the platform goes down again and you don't have a lot
of time. Keep going up until you see an Explosive Barrel and a big wall in
front of it. You can't jump to that ledge yet and shooting at the barrel
from where you are will take too many bullets and too much time.

Instead, jump onto the highest platform. See the circle with an arrow on it?
Jump and shoot at it. This causes the wall to be raised. Shoot as required
and from where you are, jump to the right ledge. Don't worry about the
soldier that may be there, you'll land next to him and you can use your
knife to kill him. Then, shoot at the barrel and everything will explode.

Jump up and take the Heavy Machine Gun and the bullets. Afterwards, you'll
see a soldier who is rolling bombs. Now, you will also notice him going
away after some time but he'll be immediately replaced by another soldier.
Jump to that ledge, avoid the bomb and kill the soldier. Wait where you
are and the others will come running in. They are easy to kill.

Grab the bullets. Jump onto the ledge by the tree and grab the nest item.
Then, jump to the left. Soldiers will be pushing huge snowballs above you.
You can kill them from below but what will that change?! The snowballs will
keep moving using their own momentum. There's also no point in shooting at
them other than from behind since they are protected by the snowballs. So,
you'll have to quickly jump and avoid the snowballs until you land safely
on the wooden platform. Here, grab whatever is in the crate (most of the
time, a frog) and watch as Lt. Mad-Bullet makes his entrance.


" " " " " " " " " " "

Mid-boss : Lt. Mad-Bullet
(Official name: Allen O'Neil)

Lt. Mad-Bullet is really funny. He'll keep making some funny comments
while he attacks you. He can throw grenades and can fire his big gun but
thankfully, he cannot do both at the same time. Note, however, that he
has the ability to shoot diagonally, so don't think crouching will save your
ass here. It won't!

Don't ever get close to him! Like Eri, he has a quick, close attack with
the exception that Lt. Mad-Bullet uses a sickle (well, kinda) and it has a
huge range. Of course, you can jump across ledges and quickly use your
knife but don't do that too often.

He keeps moving all the time, from left to right, and will jump onto all the
edges. Keep moving too but don't get close to him. Shoot at him whenever you
can but if you feel that it would be too risky, concentrate on escaping
instead. You don't want to lose those 2 hostages.

If you can, try to get beneath him when he's on a ledge and throw bombs at
him. Lt. Mad-Bullet gets red as he gets low on health and thus, you can
tell when the battle is about to end. Once he has taken enough, he cries
out "See you in hell!!" and disappears. You may now proceed to the right.


 ____________________________
/ Alternate strategy by Rich \___________________________________________
| ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯                                            |
|  Get underneath him and keep shooting up. Constantly run left and right |
|  when Mad Bullet throws his grenades. This strategy can work wonders    |
|  because from time to time, our red friend will stay on a ledge for     |
|  one hell of a time, which makes this strategy fine.                    |
|_________________________________________________________________________|



" " " " " " " " " " "


Jump up and get another nest item. Rescue the hostage by the tree and he'll
reward you with a Rocket Launcher. Take out the tank with a few rockets
and shoot up to kill the soldier who constantly throws bombs at you (where
the hell does he get those, anyway?!). Go through the doorway and you'll
see a couple of soldiers having lunch. Blast them all and you'll be able to
take the chicken as an item. Free the hostage and take all the items. To
get the crates above, simply shoot (you should either have a Shotgun or
a Rocket Launcher now) at the ledge and the items will drop down.

Kill the soldiers that appear from the right. Move forward and kill the
soldier on the small barrel. There's a really hilarious moment here too but
I won't spoil the fun. Destroy the 3 big tanks (very easy with the shotgun,
otherwise use your bombs). Crouch to avoid their gunfire and you'll do
fine. Don't forget that a soldier with a Rocket Launcher will get out of
each vehicle once it's destroyed, so you need to kill these too.

There is also another soldier by a window above the third tank. To save ammo
with the Shotgun, stand below the one with the Rocket Launcher and blast away.
They will both die due to the huge blast. Another soldier shows up as soon
as they are no more but the poor lad just stays there and doesn't do anything,
so he's not much of a threat.

Move forward and concentrate on the Explosive Barrel. Don't forget to free
the hostage first and be sure to take the reward before he disappears.
Once the barrel explodes, the tank will be destroyed too and the whole
building will crumble while all the soldiers scream at the top of their
lungs.

You will not see Tarma after this happens since he's behind the débris but
an arrow will show where he is. Jump to safe ground and continue to the
right. When you see the Metal Slug, get into it and destroy the green
tank. Go down the stairs and you'll need to destroy another tank.


 ______________________
/ Useful tip by CODY_2 \_________________________________________________
| ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯                                                  |
|  According to CODY_2, 3 hostages may also show up where you get the     |
|  slug and this seems to be random. I never got them though, so if       |
|  someone else actually did, please let me know.                         |
|_________________________________________________________________________|


When this is done, you can either go up the stairs or continue down but
as you can see, there is a hostage below the bridge. He is near the tree.
To continue down without going taking the stairs onto the bridge, hold down-
forward. Shoot at the tree and it'll fall to reveal another hostage who
was hidden behind it. Rescue both hostages and take the rewards before
dealing with the 2 enemy tanks.

Once you're done, continue to the right and kill all the soldiers that show
up. Don't forget that the big trees can be shot too. Destroy the couple of
tanks before moving on. Rescue the lonely hostage and grab the reward.
And the level boss will now show up.


" " " " " " " " " " "

Level boss : Big Tank 94
(Official name: Boss Tank)

Wow, talk about a huge machine! In this battle, you'll be on a ledge while
Big Tank 94 moves below you. It can throw mines on the ledge and these are
relatively easy to avoid if you know what you're doing. However, the mines
do not explode straight away. They explode after some time and you have
to be careful not to get close to them. If you walk on them, they will
obviously explode.

The weapons which fire the mines can be taken down seperately. So, you'd
better concentrate on those first. Destroy both of them and you won't
have to worry about mines anymore. But that doesn't mean Big Tank 94 doesn't
have other attacks, of course! It can shoot rounds and rounds of bullets
using its double railgun. When this happens, jump and make sure you remain
between the 2 guns where you won't be hit.

When fumes appear by the middle compartment, make sure you are not in the
direction where it is pointing as soon as a small light appear. It will
fire a blast of energy and if you get caught in it, say good-bye to all
the soldiers you rescued throughout the mission. Avoid these attacks and
keep shooting at it as much as possible. This battle will last a while
since Big Tank 94 is a solid vehicle, so be prepared to move a lot.

Hostages will also appear from time to time by just dropping down (from
Heaven? :)). That's a good thing because I really don't see anyone winning
with a mere handgun. If the battle takes a while, 5 hostages will drop down.
That also seems to be the maximum number, so if you were intent on rescuing
hostages, hurry up once they've all appeared. Grab the bombs they leave
and throw these to destroy this tough boss!

 ____________________________
/ Alternate strategy by Rich \___________________________________________
| ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯                                            |
|  Taking out both turrets causes the tank to use its main weapon more    |
|  frequently. So, some of you may consider to leave one of the turrets   |
|  to make your life slightly easier. If you have the slug, just take     |
|  both out and use the hop-out technique.                                |
|_________________________________________________________________________|


" " " " " " " " " " "


Total number of hostages : 15


" " " " " " " " " " "


Tarma : "Three ain't enough, boy."


-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
d) MISSION 4
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------


Tarma : "Mortar grunts? Breakfast!"


" " " " " " " " " " "

 ______________________
/ Useful tip by CODY_2 \_________________________________________________
| ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯                                                  |
|  When you begin, don't move to the right yet. Instead, wait until the   |
|  timer reaches 30 seconds and 3 planes will fly by and drop 3 hostages. |
|  The 30 seconds isn't fixed (the crazy author of this guide once had    |
|  to wait for just 10 seconds) but that's the usual time taken.          |
|_________________________________________________________________________|


Walk forward and you'll see a hostage. Shoot at the walls around it and
rescue the hostage. Some soldiers will also run in, kill them all. Next,
there will be a bar and a soldier will fires bomb from the top. Kill
the soldier first and shoot the wall until it crumbles. When you go foward
a little, you will see that there is an item (this can either be a politician
or a monkey) and the Metal Slug above. There is also an Explosive Barrel
on the ground and a couple of soldiers. And finally, a hostage is dangling
above.

Kill the soldiers and shoot their lunch (it disappears). Do NOT shoot the
barrel. Instead, jump on it and then, jump onto the ledge with Metal Slug.
Grab the item first and rescue the hostage. Finally, jump into the slug
and fire at the barrel so everything will explode.

Move forward, killing the shielded soldiers. Very easy with Metal Slug!
Next, keep moving and you'll have to face a LOT of soldiers who jump at
you from nowhere. Eventually, you will see another Explosive Barrel with
a rocket-shooting soldier on it and there will also be a Heavy Machine Gun
and a hostage above. Shoot the barrel and go up the stairs to rescue the
hostage and take the weapon.

 ____________________
/ Useful tip by Rich \___________________________________________________
| ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯                                                    |
|  By going up the stairs and shooting up at the big curtains, 3 hostages |
|  may drop down. However, they may not appear. And if they do appear,    |
|  those that you can get during the boss fight will not be there. Random |
|  process? Seems very likely but if you think you know what determines   |
|  it, let me know.                                                       |
|_________________________________________________________________________|


Keep on the storey and go to the right. The scene will change now. Kill the
soldier and take the bombs/cannons. At this point, tanks will show up on
the cliff. To destroy them, shoot at the cliff and it will crumble, thus
causing the tank to crash down. Also make sure you aren't below the tank
when it crashes down. Another one will show up afterwards but once it is
destroyed, you can move on.

Move on and collect all the items you see, while taking care of the numerous
tanks. You will also encounter soldiers who come from both sides, so kill
them all. Don't forget the mortars too as these can be a pain in the ass
if you overlook them.

You'll eventually be able to grab a Rocket Launcher. With it, you can take
care of the spike tank. Rescue the hostage above and he'll reward you with
some bombs. Continue to the right and you'll see another spike tank with
the Metal Slug immediately behind it. With the Rocket Launcher, you can
easily destroy the vehicle and you can then claim the Metal Slug.

Now, don't move yet. Instead, fire straight forward and you'll destroy the
turret. Also, notice that there is a hostage in a cave just below you.
When you drop down, go the left again and you'll be able to rescue him.
Destroy the other 2 turrets (one down and one up) and kill any soldier who
shows up. There is also a Heavy Machine Gun.

 ______________________
/ Useful tip by CODY_2 \_________________________________________________
| ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯                                                  |
|  Keep shooting at the cave with the hostage and 3 more will come out.   |
|  They don't all come out at the same time though, so just unload your   |
|  gun until all of them show up.                                         |
|_________________________________________________________________________|


Continue to the right and you'll have to kill a soldier who will constantly
throw grenades at you and destroy the 4 turrets. The lower ones will leave
a medal and a Shotgun. Move along and kill the next lone soldier you see.
There is also a Gas item and next, take care of the new turrets. One shotgun
blast is enough to take care of a turret.

Climb the ledge and destroy the turret at the top. It'll leave a Heavy
Machine Gun. Rescue the hostage and he'll reward you with an item. When
you come into a new area, there will be 2 hostages. Free them and the
level boss will show up.


" " " " " " " " " " "


Level boss : Double Tank
(Official name: Super Tanks)

2 big tanks will show up, one on the platform and one of the ground. They
have awesome weapons and there is even a soldier on each who sports a brand
new bazooka. The rockets can be destroyed, so if one comes your way, face
it and blast it to hell. Crouch to avoid the beams and keep shooting at
the tank all the time.

It is advisable to concentrate on the lower one first. Avoid all the attacks
and keep firing at the lower tank all the time to destroy it as quickly as
possible. Note also that you can jump onto the tank to reach the upper ledge.
This will allow you to avoid being crushed by either tank when it moves
about.

The soldier will also fire rockets at you, so try and kill him first. Once
the lower tank is destroyed, you can just shoot at the upper one from below.
Or, if you are feeling strong, jump onto the ledge and blast away with all
your might! Also, shoot at the bottom-left corner or the top-right corner
and 3 hostages will appear. They will reward you with weapons and bombs.

 ____________________________
/ Alternate strategy by Rich \___________________________________________
| ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯                                            |
|  If you still have the slug and you remain against either tank's front, |
|  the latter will stop moving. The thing to do next is pretty obvious.   |
|  Use this against the lower tank, crouch (hold db) and give it all you  |
|  have. Once the lower tank is no more, shoot up at the remaining one.   |
|_________________________________________________________________________|


" " " " " " " " " " "


Total number of hostages : 20


" " " " " " " " " " "


Tarma : "That's what makes a legend...Well, a future legend!"


-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
e) MISSION 5
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------


Tarma : "Hmm, reminds me of home..."


" " " " " " " " " " "


When the mission starts, a woman will run from the first house and she's
followed by a soldier (uh, what does he want with her? :)). Kill the soldier
and no, the lady cannot be killed. Once the first soldier is killed, continue
shooting at the house. The doors and the windows can be shattered. However,
shoot at the attic first and a hostage will drop down. Grab the item and
move on to the next house.

At the second house, shoot at the first window and a cat worth 100 points
will drop. Next, kill the soldiers with the bazooka and the shield and
blast the house to hell. Once this is done, a hostage will appear. Rescue
him and grab the reward. Continue to the right and shoot the car to increase
your score.

Note that all the vehicles can be used as jumping platforms here. So, if you
need to jump really high, you can just use them. You may afterwards destroy
them, when you don't need them anymore. Shoot the first tree you see several
times and 2 hostages will drop down. Each one will leave a coin.

In the third house, the middle window releases a Rocket Launcher. Again,
destroy the whole house so all the soldiers hiding in it die. Continue to
the right and of course, the house and the car can be destroyed (the house
will leave a couple of weapons, bombs and also items! :)). Next, you'll
see a shelter and a hostage above. Shoot the shelter so no one can come out
of it and surprise you, then free the poor hostage.

The next house leaves three items when it's destroyed. Thus, don't shoot
at the car yet. Instead, destroy the house and you will then be able to
jump on the car to grab the items. You can then shoot the car, killing any
soldier who is near it at the same time. Also, shoot at the tree a few
times and 2 hostages will drop down.

As you move forward, you'll shout in glee "Baha!" as you see Metal Slug
on a ledge. But you must first kill the green tank below it, a few grenades
will do. Jump into Metal Slug and grab the additional bombs while you're
at it. Kill the annoying soldiers who shamelessly jump onto the slug. Are
the completely crazy or what?!

Rescue the dangling hostage and destroy the shelter. The hostage will give
you more bombs. Note that you'll need to catch the hostage since he goes
to the left once he is freed. The next big complex cannot be destroyed, no
need to try. There is a hostage who leaves a medal between the cars. Note
that, with Metal Slug, you can run over the cars and crush them. Move right
and kill all the soldiers that appear.

When you see an old woman holding a cat, planes will fly in and will drop
missiles on you. Concentrate on avoiding or destorying the first ones. Then,
quickly destroy the planes as they show up again. Kill the soldiers as you
go to the right and destroy the shelter. Here, a Blackhawk will show up and
you'll have to destroy it too. The copter, combined with all the soldiers
around you, is tough to take out. Be careful!

Next, throw a few grenades in the truck and the soldiers will be killed.
Shoot at the soldiers above you since they will try to use heavy artillery
against you. Then, shoot the wall and you'll be able to move on. Kill all
the soldiers as you progress and jump into Metal Slug.

Just as you did previously, take out the soldiers. However, an enemy tank
will also show up from the left and you need to deal with that too. When
it's finally destroyed, bomb away the wall and continue to the right. Rescue
the hostage directly after the wall. Damn, a lone hostage amidst so many
soldiers?! Where is the world coming to?! The hostage will quickly walk to
the right (he drops down due to a gap), so be quick to catch him and grab
the reward. Watch out for the soldiers on motorcycles while you're here,
they can get very annoying.

Further on, is another hostage who rewards you with a Heavy Machine Gun. As
you free him, you'll notice a lot of dogs and animals run from right to left
(and -how many times will I have to say it?- , no, you cannot kill them!).
Now, this doesn't mean anything good but you have no choice but to go
forward. Shortly afterwards, you will see missiles above. Continue to the
right and the boss theme will play. Ready?


" " " " " " " " " " "


Level boss: Rust Tank 05
(Official name: Armored Carrier)

Yeah, it's that same boss which appears in every Metal Slug and this is its
first [normal] form. The top part will fire projectiles which travel in a
weird circular way. These are not so hard to avoid, you just have to get
used to their trajectory. Also, don't let the front of Rust Tank 05 touch
you since there are spikes. You'll automatically lose a life.

This boss will also move back and forth as it fires at you. Retreat to the
edge of the screen to avoid its heavy artillery. Yes, this boss has good
weapons! It can fire missiles which can track you down and rockets too.
Luckily, all of them can be destroyed but they come in huge numbers and
destroying them isn't so easy.

After a while, the machine will solely rely on the four legs for support
and a turret will appear below. This turret will fire some gas (big range
but thankfully, not full screen) every now and then. Your best bet is to
stay near the edge of the screen so you don't get engulfed by the blast.

Concentrate on shooting the turret first. When it is destroyed, 3 hostages
will be released. They will walk underneath the machine. Join them there
and touch them to get the rewards which comprise a Heavy Machine Gun. Once
you've grabbed the items and weapons, just stay beneath Rust Tank and shoot
up at it. When the missiles and rockets come your way, a few blast from the
Heavy Machine Gun should deal with those.


" " " " " " " " " " "


Total number of hostages : 13


" " " " " " " " " " "


Tarma : "Sigh!"


-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
f) FINAL MISSION
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------


Tarma : "I'm getting closer, General Morden! Better watch out!"


" " " " " " " " " " "


At last, the final mission! Howdy ho, comrade!! And get that gun blasting!!

As you drop down, you will see 3 Metal Slugs cross the bridge. When you can
at last move, don't go forward yet. Move to the left and look at the trees.
You'll notice that there is a patch of light green leaves. Shoot at it a few
times and a hostage will drop down. He'll give you a medal. There is also a
hidden soldier hanging below you. Jump and shoot down to kill him. You need
to shoot several times because the first shots are needed to clear away the
leaves.

Go on the bridge to the right and kill the soldiers on the cliff. A couple
of soldiers will also try to take you by surprise from the left. Turn around
quickly and unload a few bullets in their army suit. You will then face
a tank. At the same time, a bunch of soldiers will come down the cliff in
groups of 4 and you also have to deal with some who come from the left.

Kill them all and use grenades to destroy the tank quickly. Don't take too
much time or you'll get surrounded by enemies. Also, sometimes, a soldier
will come flying in towards the screen. It's really funny and is worth a
look. I think it's a random stuff though. You'll also notice a big rock
above the tank. Throw a couple of grenades to blow it up and a hostage
will drop down. Be quick to get to him or he'll go away and you will have
to survive without the Shotgun or Flameshot he would normally have left
behind for you.

When you can move to the right, do so. Enemies will flood in from every
possible side. Use your grenades when you're surrounded to keep yourself
safe and fend off the soldiers as quickly as possible. You will also have
to destroy a tank, a couple of grenades will take care of it.

When you reach the bridge, you can take the top one or the bottom one. It
doesn't really matter which one you take since you can jump from one to
the other most of the time. But it's always better to take the upper one
when you start. Kill all the soldiers when you see them and blow the two
pipes. This will cause part of the bridge to break and you can then rescue
the hostage.

You will have to deal with normal soldiers, bazooka soldiers and planes for
some time. Make short work of all the soldiers and blast the planes whenever
possible. Shielded soldiers show up occasionally. Get as close to them as
you can and slash away with your knife. Don't let them shoot. Sure, you
can crouch to avoid the bullets but with all the on-going hell, you will
very likely die.

As you go forward, you will see several soldiers, one green tank, another
big one and 2 hostages. Rescue the 2 hostages as soon as possible and blast
away with your weapons. Take out the big tank with your grenades and crouch
to avoid its shots. Phew, this mission really is hard (any level!!).

Further to the right is an item and another big tank. Destroy everything
and drop down by shooting the pipes. You will then be able to grab the snake
item. You'll be literally sandwiched at this point. Soldiers, tanks, and
even some in wanna-be carriages. I sure hope you have a good weapon, otherwise
get that quarter ready! :) You will have good weapons actually, the left-most
tank leaves a Shotgun or a Heavy Machine Gun when it's destroyed.

After you have been able to survive through this hell, on to the right again
and you'll come across 4 hostages. There are 2 on the upper platform and 2
down. Rescue the 2 lowers ones first. As soon as you take the coin left by
the second one (the first hostage will just flee after the usual salute),
the General shows up in his copter and blow everything up.

Eri will fall onto a boat and if you listened to me,  1 or 2 hostages will
land beside him. It's random, so just pray that both decide to land on
the boat but most of the time, there will only be one. If you rescued the
top hostages first, the bottom ones will drown. So, I hoped you listened to
me. Once on the boat, free the hostage(s) and grab the item(s).

Now, since there are no enemies to kill yet, look around you. Yep, you see
well! That is a machine-gun and it is just waiting for you. To control it,
simply jump onto the raised level. As soon as you do so, several planes will
appear and will launch rockets at you and circle on the screen to confuse
you. Destroy the rockets first and shoot the planes as they perform their
gimmicks. Rely on the machine-gun here, you won't last long with your own
weapon.

<----- oo|   CONTROLLING THE MACHINE-GUN   |oo ----->

Only the left and right directions are used and these are reversed. So, if
you want to move to the right, hold the left direction and vice-versa.
If you need to use grenades or just want to leave the machine-gun, press
the jump button and your character will land back on the deck.


 ____________________
/ Useful tip by Rich \___________________________________________________
| ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯                                                    |
|  Each time, you jump from the machine-gun, you are invincible for a     |
|  brief amount of time. This information speaks for itself, just take    |
|  advantage of it in tough situations and maybe you'll survive. :)       |
|_________________________________________________________________________|


Next, paratroopers will come and more planes will fly below you before acting
like complete jerks. The problem is that the paratroopers use their weapons
as soon as they appear and you cannot really avoid them while controlling
the machine-gun. So, you may need to use your weapon and your bombs again.
Concentrate on killing the paratroopers first and then, control the gun again
to destroy the planes.

When the Blackhawk appears, leave the machine-gun alone and use your Heavy
Machine Gun (if you still have it) to destroy it. It is insanely difficult
to destroy the Blackhawk with the gun because of all the rockets. Don't
even think about it! Planes will also appear but they will just release
rockets before quickly going away.

Eventually, you will also come to a platform with 2 soldiers. The Blackhawk
may or may not be here, it all depends on how you are playing. If it is
still here, concentrate on destroying it before rescuing the couple of
hostages. Be quick to get to them or they will just walk towards the edge
of the ship and they will just drop into the water. A vehicle will also try
to throw steel pipes on you to kill you. Anyway, if you take too much time
to destroy the copter, it'll automatically go away but think of all those
points you'll be losing...

As the screen moves to the right, there will be an Explosive Barrel and a
soldier but, most of all, the presence of a certain Metal Slug above. Jump
onto the barrel (DO NOT SHOOT AT IT YET) and jump onto the ramp where you'll
be able to get in the slug. From where you are, just shoot down at the barrel.
Here is the nice part: when everythings goes WHAM, press left and the slug
will land on the boat. Now, isn't that nice? You'll be able to rely on the
slug as soon as you have to leave the boat!

You can use the tank to destroy the rockets and the planes that show up next
but that's not a good idea. Doing so means Metal Slug is vulnerable and you'll
lose precious life. Use the machine-gun instead. There will be another couple
of dangling hostages next and a second Explosive Barrel. Release the hostages
and you will have to deal with more paratroopers as well as those bike guys.

Don't use the machine-gun. You will have a Heavy Machine Gun thanks to one
of the hostages, so use that instead. This part is tough, make sure you
aren't touched or you'll have to rely only on your pistol. Then, shoot the
barrel. Shoot everything and your score will go ka-boom!

From now on, scuba-divers will occasionally appear with rockets on their
backs. Kill them as soon as possible and they won't even be a threat. The
ship will then come to a halt. Jump into the tank if you still have it or
if you were dumb enough to lose it, jump onto safe land. There will be 2
items to collect. After collecting them, move into the water and you'll
get more items. These will always vary, so I can't tell what you will get.
It can be coins, 100-point items or even 5000-point ones. Anyway, you
cannot tell what item it is because of the water.

 ____________________
/ Useful tip by Rich \___________________________________________________
| ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯                                                    |
|  Notice that weird cloud just before the beach? Well, shoot up at it    |
|  (any weapon) and 2 hostages will drop down (from Heaven?).             |
|_________________________________________________________________________|


When you're done, move to the right and rescue the dangling hostage. As you
move on, there will be another hostage but a Blackhawk invites itself over
first. Take it out before rescuing the hostage. He will reward you with
bombs. Then, proceed to the right and kill the soldier who rolls bombs
onto you. At this point, the soldiers will run down the stairs at the top
and will jump with their knives out. Don't try to kill them with your own
knife. Considering how many you'll have to face, that's just a sure way
to lose.

Instead, don't even care about them! Just keep moving all the time. Don't
try to turn round and kill a jumping soldier because another one might
suddenly appear and you won't be able to avoid him. As you come to the
tower, kill the soldier above you and jump to shoot down at the hostage.
You need to do so now, otherwise you will not be able to rescue him. Once
he can move, he goes to the right. Do so too, go down the stairs and claim
your reward. (Note that, at this point, a soldier will come running in with
a mine but he'll fall and will leave just as he came.) Go the right and
the General will show up in his copter.



" " " " " " " " " " "

Final boss : The General
(Official name: Hhuey Twin)

General : "Hahahahahahaha!"
Tarma : "Finally, we meet!"
General : "Our first meeting will also be your death! Hahahahaha!"
Tarma : "Think again, Morden!"

While the copter itself can shoot rockets mercilessly, the General opens
the door and presents you his bazooka. Obviously, he wants to have his share
of fun too but there is a way to prevent him from shooting too. Simply go
onto the paltform and fire at the General. What happens is that your shot
registers against both the copter and our dear friend.

The copter will still flash red but at the same time, the General will double
in pain every now and then and will thus be enable to use his weapon. Of
course, you still need to kill the rockets which are a threat to you and
the General will take the opportunity to send a homing grenade your way.

From time to time, the copter will also quickly fly from one edge of the
screen to the other and will release an array of bombs as it does so. The
only way to survive during this attack is by destroying the bombs that
drop on your location. If you have a strong weapon, blast away. If not,
throw a couple of grenades.

After some time, the General will seem to be stronger than ever and shooting
at him no longer works. You can now shoot at the copter itself. Scrap the
General, he really seems strong now! Don't forget to avoid the General's
assault though. Hostages will also appear from time to time and they'll give
you the best weapons so you can retaliate. However, they only appear if
you really are taking too much time.

Keep all this in mind, blast away, watch the ending (for the record, this
Metal Slug is the only one that has a proper ending -- and it's fun to watch
too!). Then, let the world know about your achievement by crying out "DIDN'T
I SAY EVERYBODY HERE WAS IN BIG, BIG TROUBLE?!!". Also, when the General
leaps from the copter when it explodes, run to him and use your knife. Man,
this game is really funny!! :)


" " " " " " " " " " "


Total number of hostages : 25

[According to CODY_2, a hostage is supposed to drop down every 10 seconds,
so that would make a net total of 25 hostages if you were to rescue all of
them. I tested this fact a few times and it sure is true but sometimes,
the first 2 hostages take a bit longer to show their asses.]


" " " " " " " " " " "


General : "What? How could you beat me?"
Tarma : "My son is Solid Snake. What were you expecting?"
General : "Noooooooooooooo!!"
Tarma : "Baha!"

2 days later.
Los Angeles, 19:55.

General : "Ressurection!"

Ready for Metal Slug 2?

PEACE FOREVER!


-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-=
VII. HINTS & TIPS
=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=-


Here are some general tips to assist you further in your bloody quest.


~ When you drop down at the start of a mission, press B to make the parachute
 disappear, thus allowing your character to drop down more quickly.


~ Don't waste ammo like an idiot. Metal Slug requires some thinking and
 shooting like a maniac is not the best way to play this game.


~ Don't waste special weapons on shields. Shielded soldiers will toss aside
 their shields when they need to fire, so shoot at them only at this
 instant. Or use your knife if you manage to get close enough.


~ Use your knife against lone enemies. No need to waste 10 rounds of your
 Heavy Machine Gun on a single bastard!


~ When Metal Slug is dangerously low on health (but not that low so you are
 forced to leave it), use the frontal attack for major damage.


The following tips have been sent in by Rich:


~ Most enemy tanks and machines, except for with the front ends and pointy
 parts, are harmless. As Marco or Tarma, jump on them and he'll constantly
 bounce on top of them.


~ Whenever you jump out of the slug, you are invincible for a brief amount
 of time. Obviously, this is a cool advantage and it can save your ass in
 a lot of occasions. Specially against the blue mortars since you can't
 avoid them. Note, however, that there is no invincibility time when you
 jump back into the slug.


~ There is apparently no 'reload time' when you throw grenades or rockets.
 The rate depends on how many of either are currently on-screen such that
 if you are close to an enemy, the rate will be negligible. You may use
 this trick against some bosses and in any other situation to pass through
 unscratched.


~ Those score-maniacs will be particularly pleased to learn that you get
 a shit-load of points by killing all those jumping/flying soldiers who
 are such a nuisance. So, if scoring is your cup of tea, linger around
 during these points and stock up.


~ Soldiers can jump onto the Metal Slug while you're controlling it. They
 are a threat if you stand still but as you move about, you'll eventually
 shake them off, whether they like it or not. They have 3 attacks whenever
 they are on your slug:
 1) hammer off your vulcan,
 2) toss a grenade into the tank
 3) hug the main cannon to prevent you from using it.
 In this last case, shoot 3 times and the soldier will be blasted off in
 pure Metal Slug-style.


-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-=
VIII. FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=-


Here are the questions that I asked people back when I played MS for the
first time. Later on, other people would ask me the same questions, so I
guess these should belong in the guide since you're probably asking
yourself the same questions. Others have been made up by myself because
so you just don't take any necessary opportunity to annoy me with senseless
e-mails.


-----


Q : Are hostages' rewards random?

A : In most cases, the rewards left by the hostages have already been fixed.
   But, concerning items, these may change and it's all random. It also
   happens that the item depends on when and how you saved that hostage.
   Eg. at the start of mission 6, if you decide to rescue the hostage before
   killing the hidden soldier, the reward changes and most of the time, you
   will get an item worth 500-1000 points. However, if you kill the soldier
   first and then rescue the hostage, you'll always get a medal.


-----


Q : Are the other items fixed?

A : The majority of the items throughout the game are definite but some may
   vary between 2 given items. I have already stated where this happens in
   the walkthrough.


-----


Q : What about the hostages' names?

A : Now, that's really funny! I originally thought that the hostages had
   been given definite names. I actually planned to work on a section
   listing their names. I thus played, noted down the name, and played
   again. I was expecting the names to come out in random order but it
   still seemed normal to expect the same names to pop up, right...?
   Actually, I got whole new names each time!! I don't know how the hell
   Nazca managed that but the fact is that each time, new names appear.
   I  suppose the game just sorts out names when you beat the bosses. :)


-----


Q : What happens when I take weapons while in the slug?

A : The weapons will still be registered and you will be using the last one
   when you lose or leave the slug. Moreover, all the features still apply,
   i.e. taking a Bullet Box increases the ammo, etc...The only change is
   that grabbing Ammo Boxes while in the slug increases your cannon stock,
   but never your normal bombs stock.


-----


Q : What is the highest score in this game?

A : Around 1,750,000. That's the most I saw (personally, I can only manage
   up to 1,310,740) and that was 4 years ago and the guy was a pro. That
   freak apparently knew the game by heart!


---


Q : What are the full names of the characters?

A : Marco Rossi and Tarma Roving. The general's real name is Morden.


---


Q : Will you be writing a guide for Metal Slug 3/4?

A : No.


---


Q : Can I post your guide on my website?

A : If you want to host this FAQ, your website must be free. Read the
   legal disclaimer found at the top and e-mail me to ask for permission.
   Send a link to your website so I can check it too.


---


                  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *


Well, that was all the guide needed. I hope this was of a help to anyone
and that you enjoyed reading it. Of course, I'm not perfect and I may
have missed some stuff or omitted to mention something important. If you
feel that something is missing or just want to offer some criticism, e-mail
me but please put Metal Slug as the subject. Failure to do so means your
e-mail will be ignored. Thanks!


                   *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *


-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-=
IX. Revision History
=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=-


· Version 1.00 (2/20/02) - FAQ completed. Possible release on GameFAQs.


· Version 1.10 (2/21/02) - Added Characters subsection.


· Version 1.15 (3/9/02) - Mission 2 update.


· Version 1.20 (3/12/02) - Added a nice tip contributed by Tw1light. Various
                          typos also corrected.


· Version 1.35 (3/20/02) - Updated most sections with info sent in by Rich.
                          Lots of new stuff added. FAQ section now sports
                          one new question which anybody who wants to
                          host this guide should check.


· Version 1.40 (3/22/02) - FAQ section updated.


· Version 1.50 (3/23/02) - Updated hostages' numbers in Missions 3, 4 & 6
                          thanks to CODY_2.


· Version 1.60 (4/11/02) - Real boss names added courtesy of Golden World.


· Version 1.70 (4/29/02) - Edited some notes. E-mail change.


· Final Version (7/14/02) - Final update.


· Final Version (3/12/03) - Brushed up some sections. Lookin' good, lickin'
                           fine.


-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-=
X. Credits
=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=-


Well yeah, I did play the game a dozen times, type all this stuff up on my
computer, played again, checked stuff, nearly destroyed my Neo-Geo but
this guide wouldn't have been possible without all the people listed here.

-- Nazca
  For creating this game which just rules the genre. Trust me, there is
  no other game (in the genre) that comes even halfway close to Metal Slug.

-- SNK
  For porting it to the Neo-Geo and for ensuring that the series never
  died. Not only that but instead of just rehashes, they actually improved
  upon the sequels (and I can't say the same about other companies! *points
  to Capcom, Acclaim...*).

-- Jeff "CJayC" Veasey <www.gamefaqs.com>
  For providing us gamers with such a cool site and for posting this guide
  (and all my others) on it.

-- Chang Zhou
  For pointing out how to get the item on the exploding bridge during the
  second mission.

-- Tw1light
  For pointing out how it's possible to use normal bombs while in the
  slug.

-- Rich
  For a sheer amount of info: new notes, tips, alternate strategies
  against bosses, other miscellaneous stuff, pointed how some items have
  varying points. Thanks a bunch, dude!

-- CODY_2
  For sending me the definite hostage records for all the missions. Pointed
  out other stuff still concerning the POWS.

-- Golden World
  For sending in the official boss names (taken from the PSX version).
  Thanks, man!

-- Douglas Elder and Chris Hallam
  I verified some info in their respective guides (both available at
  GameFAQs).

-- AdrenalineSL and AstroBlue
  For their cr33x0rs!!

-- You
  Well, thank you for reading my work! How about you beat the game without
  using a single credit now (on highest difficulty too!)? :)


You can find my other FAQs along with my reviews here:
http://www.gamefaqs.com/features/recognition/8556.html


© 2002-2003, Kertra. All rights reserved.
"Cao Cao's invasion is merely an excuse to attack us."
~The most hilarious quotes are in Dynasty Warriors 3!

                               - EOF -

You are viewing proxied material from gopher.endangeredsoft.org. The copyright of proxied material belongs to its original authors. Any comments or complaints in relation to proxied material should be directed to the original authors of the content concerned. Please see the disclaimer for more details.