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This is exciting. The Metal Slug games for the SNK Neo Geo stand out as arcade classics and the best examples of the run-and-gun genre of the 90s. Now the spiritual successor, Black Finger Jet that was announced at last year’s Tokyo Game Show has been steadily gathering names from past Metal Slug titles and adding them to its team for the forthcoming arcade shooter.
From a personal point of view the original Metal Slug is one of my favorite games ever, and watching the update and teaser trailer released by the developer today has got my interest well and truly piqued.
Those following the project might already know that pixel artist, Kuichin, who worked on Metal Slug 2/3/X as well as the equally amazing In the Hunt horizontal shoot ‘em up and gold game Neo Turf Masters had joined the team, having worked for Irem, Nazca (the original Metal Slug developers) and SNK itself, which is now owned by a Saudi investment fund.
More exciting still is the news that original Metal Slug programmer Shinichi Hamada is also on board and the teaser trailer for the game is clearly showing their influences.
The devs at Konachi Studio are promising a big reveal trailer at this year’s Tokyo Game Show too, which begins on 26th September so we don’t have too long to wait before getting our eyes on much more of the game.
Although Black Finger Jet can be wishlisted on Steam there is no indication as yet of a release window, although more could come on that next week in Tokyo.
The source material, Metal Slug and its sequels, remains hugely popular today with a legacy of many clones. Versions for the Sega Saturn and PlayStation 2 cemented its position in many a games library and the Steam versions make it easy to access on a PC.
A spin-off of the Metal Slug series – Metal Slug Tactics is also in development and is slated for release in Q4 this year.
