What can be said about this absolute gem? The perfect Metal Slug title if there ever was one. Metal Slug 3 accumulated every piece of flawless design the team has concocted since the birth of this franchise and crammed it all tightly into an incredible experience that only cost a bucko 25 cents to try out, and probably half their college fund to finish! Unless you're trying to legitimately understand the game and the challenges it throws at you.

With that said, many consider the difficulty curve to be steeply unforgiving. I definitely thought so back when it was new, but absolutely adore it now. And the variety in presentation and artistry at display is simply stellar, this title contains some of the greatest sprite art in game history!

It's almost poetic that SNK shortly filed for bankruptcy and dissolved the original Metal Slug team shortly after this game's launch. I can just imagine the game developers readying for this production--fully aware of their fate regardless of the success this game could bring-- and thinking "This is our last show . . . let's give them one they'll never forget." And by god, they brought the HEAT for this. I still can't believe how much was stored for one of the greatest arcade experiences of all time.