"Metal Slug 4" isn't necessarily a bad game. I'd even say the core run-and-gun combat of the series manic nature is just as intact here as it's been in the past. Where the game fails though, is its lack of any discernable factor that sets it apart from the previous games. Most of the signature set piece events are gone or not nearly as memorable. It also suffers from a very inconsistent frame-rate. In short, this just feels like going thru the motions. I'd even go so far as to say, comparatively to the games before it, this one comes off as directionless and dull.