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[The Mighty Schwein]

Eh, from my experience it isn't that bad at all. Sure it happens, but it hardly takes away from the game.

How long has it been since you played the original? After catching your post I played the PS2 version and then went to AES version thinking I'd have to try to get the slowdown to come into play by killing a lot of enemies at once as it's been a long time since I played it. But, the slowdown is everywhere. Any time more than one enemy dies or something explodes (generating many smaller debris sprites) it's slowdown city.

I could cite a dozen things in the first level alone, the game never really stopped slowing down through out the entire first level after getting off the parachute screen.

And, of course, no it doesn't really take away from the game. The game is still plenty playable. However, if you play another slug and then go to it you just can't help but notice it.

 

[Hitokage]

I didn't say it wasn't noticable, just that it wasn't a big deal to me.

Anyway, gave Metal Slug 3 a whirl with my Hori RAP... there's no perceptible lag between me pressing a button and the character firing or jumping, and I can't really tell if there's any delay between my stick "clicking" a direction and getting a response, but at the same time I can't say for certain there's zero lag whatsoever.

I'd like to fiddle with it more but sleep is starting to become more enticing.

 

[The Mighty Schwein]

Well, it's good to know I'm not the only one who isn't noticing any of that supposed input lag.

 

[Daigoro]

awesome. thanks for the write up!

 

[dhowerter]

The Mighty Schwein -

Hi Thanks a LOT for that writeup, I was starting to get really worried about the "controller lag" in the PS2 MSA.

BTW I hope you don't mind, but I created a topic about your comparison post at the Metal Slug Anthology PS2 forum over at Gamefaqs. There is just so much negativity there about the ps2 version, I wanted to put some people's mind's at ease just like you did mine

Here is a link if you want to reply to anything anyone says there about your post

http://boards.gamefaqs.com/gfaqs/genmessage.php?board=935569&topic=34459955



The Mighty Schwein / ALL -

Oh btw one last thing: Do you (or anyone else) have a Sony made PS1 Digital Only controller (the original ps1 controller with no analog sticks) you can test with Metal Slug Anthology PS2? Or if you don't have one of those, does MSA PS2 work with a PS ONE Dual Shock?

(some ps2 games REQUIRE you use a ps2 Dual Shock, so I just wanted to check on MSA
PS2)

 

[Hitokage]

The Hori Real Arcade Pro doesn't work with games that require a Dualshock2(like MMAC, wtf), so a ps1 controller should work too.

 

[Hitokage]

Ok, just went through all 7 games, and noticed that MS6 uses a different sound effect for the pistol than the main games, making it so that if you went by what you heard, the shot effect happens sooner in response to a button press... but with the sound muted and going back to MS1, I couldn't tell any lag between the button press and the frame of animation that exposes the hip when the arm is raised to fire.

Also went back and forth between MS3 on ps2 and MS3 on my ibook using the same controller(my RAP)... and I couldn't tell any difference in the response timings.

Then again, I've never been one for frame-by-frame reflexes, and this is hardly objective in the first place.

 

[HyperZone<3]

Ok, just went through all 7 games, and noticed that MS6 uses a different sound effect for the pistol than the main games, making it so that if you went by what you heard, the shot effect happens sooner in response to a button press... but with the sound muted and going back to MS1, I couldn't tell any lag between the button press and the frame of animation that exposes the hip when the arm is raised to fire.

Also went back and forth between MS3 on ps2 and MS3 on my ibook using the same controller(my RAP)... and I couldn't tell any difference in the response timings.

Then again, I've never been one for frame-by-frame reflexes, and this is hardly objective in the first place.

so it appears that Playmore didn't **** it up, and the older games run smoother now?
(Mr. Burns voice)
Ex-cellent.

Gash dang. If this ain't the best news I've heard in many a day. I can stand a little loading if it means everything else is kosher. I am quite gladdened by such positive news. Thanks.

 

[Hitokage]

so it appears that Playmore didn't **** it up, and the older games run smoother now?
(Mr. Burns voice)
Ex-cellent.

Gash dang. If this ain't the best news I've heard in many a day. I can stand a little loading if it means everything else is kosher. I am quite gladdened by such positive news. Thanks.

I wouldn't rule out the possibility that conditions exist that do cause whatever people were talking about... but hey, it works OK for me, MS2 excluded.

 

[Deleted member 12837]

A little off-topic here, but does anyone know how much better the PSP versions run using custom firmware to boot them from a memory stick and running at 333 mhz? I'm not talking about piracy here, I mean buying the game and ripping them to a stick to reduce load times.

 

[Prof Frink]

A little off-topic here, but does anyone know how much better the PSP versions run using custom firmware to boot them from a memory stick and running at 333 mhz? I'm not talking about piracy here, I mean buying the game and ripping them to a stick to reduce load times.

I been running my version off the mem stick and the load times are fine and at 333Mhz the games all run fine.

 

[pancakesandsex]

Picked this up, gave MS 2 and MS 6 a whirl and found no issues with either game. Although is seems it loads on the char select screen when you select different guys, which causes a "flash" of a dimmed screen with a loading marker, so it looks like flickering at first, which i thought was wierd. The loading is fast though, so unless you keep going back and forth abnormally you wont notice.

 

[Hitokage]

Picked this up, gave MS 2 and MS 6 a whirl and found no issues with either game. Although is seems it loads on the char select screen when you select different guys, which causes a "flash" of a dimmed screen with a loading marker, so it looks like flickering at first, which i thought was wierd. The loading is fast though, so unless you keep going back and forth abnormally you wont notice.

It's more pronounced in MS3.

 

[pancakesandsex]

It's more pronounced in MS3.

Still not anything to complain about IMO. Doesnt affect play one bit

 

[Deleted member 12837]

I been running my version off the mem stick and the load times are fine and at 333Mhz the games all run fine.

Fine as in reduced or fine as in virtually no load times at all? I've been hearing reports of waiting a full minute for the game to actually boot up and get to the menu screen.

 

[The Mighty Schwein]

The Mighty Schwein -

Hi Thanks a LOT for that writeup, I was starting to get really worried about the "controller lag" in the PS2 MSA.

BTW I hope you don't mind, but I created a topic about your comparison post at the Metal Slug Anthology PS2 forum over at Gamefaqs. There is just so much negativity there about the ps2 version, I wanted to put some people's mind's at ease just like you did mine

That's great! I definitely don't mind that you posted it over at gamefaqs, in fact thanks for that. I hope it convinces at least a few people.

 

[dhowerter]

The Mighty Schwein -

BTW, some people at the-nextlevel.com forums are saying now that the controller lag depends on if you play MSA on a older fat ps2 or a new slim ps2. When you did the test, which were you using?

If you were using the fat one during the test, could you test the slim one for controller lag please? -_- (I'm gonna be getting a slim at some point)

.

 

[Hitokage]

The Mighty Schwein -

BTW, some people at the-nextlevel.com forums are saying now that the controller lag depends on if you play MSA on a older fat ps2 or a new slim ps2. When you did the test, which were you using?

If you were using the fat one during the test, could you test the slim one for controller lag please? -_- (I'm gonna be getting a slim at some point)

.

I use a slim ps2.

 

[The Mighty Schwein]

yeah myself and hitokage covered that in this thread as I thought maybe that did have something to do with it.. However, I use an old fat PS2 and he uses the newer slim one. So I don't know, could it apply only to certain models?

 

[Oneself]

I will get my copy tomorrow and I'll try to clear things up. I got a launch day fat PS2, a slim one and a PS3. I'll tell you guys if there's any difference...

 

[Hitokage]

Ok, put in a dualshock2 again... MS3 is as responsive as ever.

 

[Prof Frink]

Fine as in reduced or fine as in virtually no load times at all? I've been hearing reports of waiting a full minute for the game to actually boot up and get to the menu screen.

There fine the loads off the UMD are awful it take about a minute to get into the game but off the memstick is 20 secs tops.

 

[J_Mourinho]

With the greatest respect to Schwein's post I don't think S-Vid vs Component is a very good comparison.

I've got the my AES hooked up via RGB scart along with my PS2 and the colours and definition are noticably better on the Neo hardware (mainly thanks to the naff filter SNK Portmore decided to use in the Anthology pack).

One of the very first things I noticed when I played MS3 was the input lag and its something which isn't there in the standalone Japanese PS2 release.

 

[pancakesandsex]

I use a slim ps2.

I'm on a fat an noticed no lag in the games people reported problems in, or any other

 

[Oneself]

Comments based on MS1-MS4 and MS6. I still have to try MS2 to see if there's control lag...


Ok! I got the game a couple of hours ago and I'm happy to report that whether you use a slim PStwo, a fat PS2 or a PSTriple, there's absolutely no control difference.

And about control lag... I didn't notice any. I even compared Anthology's versions with the stand alone MS4&5 (PS2) to see if there was a difference. To my surprise, I prefer the "in between parts/levels" 1-2 sec. loading times of Anthology to the "streaming" of MS4&5 ports; that way, the scrolling doesn't hitch in-game. Another cool thing about Anthology is that there's virtually no slowdown! Though, Anthology doesn't look as sharp as the standalone versions and the sound isn't as "crystal clear". But thank God for the auto-fire option. All in all, a very solid collection!

PS: It looks fantastic on PS3 through HDMI.. the shitty BC clears the jaggies and it still looks sharp! Except Outrun, it's the first time a PS2 game looks better on my PS3 BTW..

 

[HyperZone<3]

this thread needs retitling to "Metal Slug Anthology PS2: SNK Eventually Delivers"

 

[Hitokage]

I wonder if it has anything to do with whether or not you have a second controller or memory card plugged in.

 

[CO_Andy]

But thank God for the auto-fire option. All in all, a very solid collection!

PS: It looks fantastic on PS3 through HDMI.. the shitty BC clears the jaggies and it still looks sharp! Except Outrun, it's the first time a PS2 game looks better on my PS3 BTW..

Thank you, good sir, it's a definite purchase for me! Auto-fire or bust; it's the only way i'd ever touch this game.

Also, huzzah for PS3 BC!

 

[Hitokage]

Thank you, good sir, it's a definite purchase for me! Auto-fire or bust; it's the only way i'd ever touch this game.

Weak. Metal Slug doesn't even have you hit it that rapidly unless you're on the pistol.

 

[pancakesandsex]

can anyone reccomend a reasonably priced currently available arcade stick for this and fighting games.

 

[HyperZone<3]

I wonder if it has anything to do with whether or not you have a second controller or memory card plugged in.

It probably has something to do with Gamefaqs being populated by whiny bitches, or they are playing "advance" or "press release" copies of the game.

I'll trust my fellow GAF-ers over any Faqer.

 

[CO_Andy]

Weak. Metal Slug doesn't even have you hit it that rapidly unless you're on the pistol.

How dare you! Skill shouldn't ever be determined by rapid button mashes.

 

[snorggy]

anybody in canada able to locate this game? i resorted to calling EB and they haven't gotten ANY in yet. double you tee eff.

 

[Fatghost]

anybody in canada able to locate this game? i resorted to calling EB and they haven't gotten ANY in yet. double you tee eff.

Amazon.ca has it in stock, I got an email saying they've sent mine today.

 

[dhowerter]

Oneself / ALL -

Ok! I got the game a couple of hours ago and I'm happy to report that whether you use a slim PStwo, a fat PS2 or a PSTriple, there's absolutely no control difference.

That is good

"And about control lag... I didn't notice any. I even compared Anthology's versions with the stand alone MS4&5 (PS2) to see if there was a difference. To my surprise, I prefer the "in between parts/levels" 1-2 sec. loading times of Anthology to the "streaming" of MS4&5 ports; that way, the scrolling doesn't hitch in-game. Another cool thing about Anthology is that there's virtually no slowdown! Though, Anthology doesn't look as sharp as the standalone versions and the sound isn't as "crystal clear". But thank God for the auto-fire option. All in all, a very solid collection!"

Well that's good to know. MSA probably doesn't look or sound as "sharp" simply because the games are actually emulated AES/MVS ROMs - except for MS 6 maybe; I'll live



ALL -

Couple questions (anyone can answer):

1. Btw, does the MS 4/5 USA PS2 pack have auto-fire? You (oneself) seemed to hint it didn't have it ;-D ("Thank God for the auto-fire option.." (in MSA)


2. Also, since these ARE the emulated Neo ROMS, would any CODES that worked on the Arcade (MVS) or home (AES) carts work on these versions of the games?


3. Finally, is there any way to SAVE YOUR PROGRESS through each game in MSA PS2? For example. if you had just gotten to level 3 in metal slug 5, any way to save so you can resume on lvl 3 later? (after turning off the ps2 first of course)

.

 

[Oneself]

Question about Canada: I'm in a small town between Montréal and Québec and we only have 2 videogame stores but both had multiple copies of the game.

I just played MS2 & MSX. Both run definitely with less slowdown.. There is still some choppy parts, mostly noticeable in MS2's 3rd&4th stages, but it's still much smoother than the original anyways.

Glitches: If you play on a widescreen TV, you'll notice that there's a flashing white vertical line in the lower right corner of the screen.
As some of you reported, there's a split second of loading when you switch between characters (both at the character select screen and in-game).. most of the time it will darken the screen for that particular split second.
In MS6, when your character falls in parachute at the beginning of a stage, there's some weird "tearing" effect on the sprite. I don't know if it was like that in the arcade though.

1. Btw, does the MS 4/5 USA PS2 pack have auto-fire? You (oneself) seemed to hint it didn't have it ;-D ("Thank God for the auto-fire option.." (in MSA)

MS4&5 pack doesn't have the auto-fire option. Also note that in Anthology, auto-fire works for every games except MS6 (but don't worry, it doesn't require fast button mashing, it's already kinda semi-auto)

3. Finally, is there any way to SAVE YOUR PROGRESS through each game in MSA PS2? For example. if you had just gotten to level 3 in metal slug 5, any way to save so you can resume on lvl 3 later? (after turning off the ps2 first of course)

Uhm, I'll try it tomorrow if nobody answers that one.




Edit: hit flashes are in too.

 

[Hitokage]

How dare you! Skill shouldn't ever be determined by rapid button mashes.

The heavy machinegun and other automatics use a Star Fox-like burst fire, where you hold it down for a second or so at a time then release to hold it down again, and mashing it is counterproductive. The pistol is a mashing weapon though, but really, aside from the traincars in MS2, rapid button mashing isn't required.

 

[dhowerter]

Heh OK, I'll wait for the answer about the saving


BTW does anybody know if the standalone Japanese PS2 Metal Slug 3 had auto fire?

.

 

[Hitokage]

Ok, just played through Metal Slug 4 for the first time...

Wtf is with the soldier spam? Were they that desperate to milk quarters from people?

 

[The Mighty Schwein]

Heh OK, I'll wait for the answer about the saving


BTW does anybody know if the standalone Japanese PS2 Metal Slug 3 had auto fire?

.

Pretty sure there is no way to save your progress. All that is saved is your high score. It would be nice, but it's not such a big deal though since each game probably take ~45 minutes to play through if you don't die a lot.

Ok, just played through Metal Slug 4 for the first time...

Wtf is with the soldier spam? Were they that desperate to milk quarters from people?

Metal Slug 4 is a strange case, it was devved by Brezza and I personally consider it the hardest metal slug though I haven't put much time into 6 yet (which seems hard too). I think it mostly has to do with that goofy scoring system though.

Speaking of MS4's difficulty I've never beaten the end boss without dying, what a pain. ;(

 

[Fatghost]

Got my copy yesterday, been playing it on my PS3.

Plays pretty good, I'm still kinda pissed off about the loading in MS3,4 and 5 considering the perfect PS2 ports already out.

Otherwise pretty awesome.

 

[ThirstyFly]

Got mine yesterday too. Played all the various games for about 2 hours total and am really bothered by the lag. I'm not one to play fighting games counting frames or anything, nor can I single credit any of the Metal Slug games, but the lag really got to me. Does anyone else think the lag feels worse in Metal Slug 1 than the others, or is that just me?

At least they got Metal Slug 6 right. Shame it's so ugly, but that's not the port's fault.

 

[Boerseun]

In other news, apparently Crapmore is bringing the Art of Fighting Collection to NA (Who the **** likes AOF? Seriously) while NGBC and KOF XI continue to rot in JP/EU.

Art of Fighting 3 was one of the most graphically impressive games released on Neo Geo. It played well too.

 

[Hitokage]

Metal Slug 4 is a strange case, it was devved by Brezza and I personally consider it the hardest metal slug though I haven't put much time into 6 yet (which seems hard too). I think it mostly has to do with that goofy scoring system though.

Speaking of MS4's difficulty I've never beaten the end boss without dying, what a pain. ;(

Just played through MS6 tonight... hello Contra.

 

[ThirstyFly]

Okay, I give up. How the hell do you do the Ikari Warriors special moves in MS6? I've checked the instruction manual, FAQs and every button combo I could think of. Nothing works.

 

[drohne]

the special move is the up + the 'special' button (i think r1 by default) + shot. ralf does a rapid punch, and clark does a throw that only works on human enemies at very close range.

 

[ThirstyFly]

Whenever I tried that, all the did was their special close range attack (Ralf's punch and Clark's weird looking kick). So I've got to hit all 3 buttons at once?

Maybe there's something wrong with my R2 button (I remapped it). I'll switch back to default settings and try again later, thanks.

 

[drohne]

i just hold up and special while tapping shot. the moves you're referring to are special + shot, so i don't think the button is the problem.

 

[ThirstyFly]

Okay, that did the trick, thanks. Clark's throw is pretty lame, but Ralf's punch is awesome.

 

[drohne]

the thing with clark's special is that it can get you tons of bonus points (though i've yet to find out exactly how), and gives you a period of invincibility after you do it.