izigame.me

I want to relive those moments. But not like this.

Pros, Cons, Issues, Analysis and Verdict further down.
Some were getting ready to dive into the pool. Others were playing cards under the canopy of secular oak trees. There was always someone ordering fried fish, and you could catch its aroma wafting from the little restaurant on the side. But people like me stayed glued to the screens under the veranda, in a modest open-air arcade room. Amid the innocent laughter and the rhythmic clatter of foosball, there was the constant barrage of gunfire, punctuated by a booming voice that simply declared...
“HEAVY MACHINEGUN"

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3367641328

🟩 Pros

The undisputed champion of run 'n' gun titles, the game that put its signature on Contra's tombstone, has finally landed on Steam. Relive the explosive frenzy you cherished back in the day, or, if you're new, experience the arcade revolution right at your fingertips.
Stunning, near-unrivaled pixel art, crafted with meticulous attention to detail and animation. Back when colors popped and developers weren't afraid of using saturation, we had these little games offering big experiences, ones that did the best job at transporting players inside their vibrant and soulful worlds.
The music, like the graphics and gameplay, truly benefitted from the limitations of the era. When creative minds are faced with boundaries, they often work hard to push those limits and still deliver something extraordinary. With only a handful of audio channels and single-digit bits at their disposal, composers managed to create unforgettable tracks nonetheless. That's because, back then, there were no quick fixes or shortcuts. You had to know your craft and there was no way around that. That was the case and it shows on Metal Slug's OST, which will forever be remembered for being packed with bangers.
New features like Steam Achievements, Trading Cards, Online/Offline Multiplayer, Leaderboards, all add replayability, breathing fresh life into a classic experience.

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3367641287

🟥 Cons

This port however, is simply atrocious. It’s as if someone took the backside of a macaque, slammed it onto a keyboard, and there you have it: an official port that is worse than any unofficial one. Lag spikes plague the game at any resolution, and severe input delay ruins the flow of gameplay. Now; I'm not the type of guy who throws a tantrum whenever his beloved 120 FPS, which he can't even perceive, takes a nosedive and verges on the double digit. I'm not that obsessed that, in my subconscious mind, I count the fractions of a second between me pushing a button, and a bunch of pixels on the screen changing color. However, it is precisely because I'm not that kind of guy that I can feel something really wrong with this sad excuse at emulation; something so poorly thought and executed, that even I am left aghast with it. And that's the sole, yet gigantic reason why I cannot recommend a staple of my childhood.




🟨 Bugs & Issues
🔧 Possible Fixes



- Severe lag spikes and input lag experienced by many players, me included.
- Music isn't as crispy as I remember it; probably one of the many victims of poor emulation.
- The leaderboard is infested with cheaters, so maybe compete against your friends, not globally.


- Playing at 800x600 resolution, 4:3 aspect ratio, may fix some of the lag (and for the love of god, disable the default video filter while you're at it. That thing will smear the pixels and turn everything into a smudge of vomit).
- If that doesn't work, you could try right-clicking the game in your library, select "browse local files", then right-click the .exe. Go into properties, then the compatibility tab. Here, "change high DPI settings". Put a checkmark on "override high DPI scaling behavior".




https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3367641248


💭 Final Considerations

The trilogy bundle, on discount, will cost roughly three bucks. Considering that, back in the day, it would be the equivalent of three to six "continues" (each continue consisting of three lives), it is still worth considering. However, you will most likely need to turn a blind eye to Dotemu's glaring incompetence; which is unfortunate, because I usually admire this studio.


📝Verdict

You want virtually the same accuracy as it was back then, meaning almost identical feeling of gameplay, graphics, and music? Go with MAME. Do you want to play with your friends or challenge yourself with achievements? By all means, buy this. You may be one of the lucky few who can't see the problem with this eyesore.

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Memox Reviews, the only curator who doesn't kiss anybody's arse.

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