I'm sure many have played at least one game in SNK's awesome shoot 'em up franchise, Metal Slug. But did you know that SNK also created a game that's similar, yet at the same time quite different? They did, and it's named Top Hunter.
You play as the titular Roddy or Cathy (or both simultaneously with a friend) and make your way through a number of stages, starting with four elemental planets, forest, fire, ice and wind, each with two "sections". Each planet is quite beautiful, with, for example, the fire planet having enormous streams of glowing lava in the background, the forest stage having a blowing leaves and the ice stage having a lot of reflecting ice.
The gameplay's standard stuff - make your way to the end defeating the bad guys: yyou can jump on them Mario style or beat them up and throw them. There are a few guns to pick up, and you can also jump into a combat robot, similar to Metal Slug's... well, metal slugs!
It's not just normal, weak grunts headed your way though. Sometimes the enemies hop into their own combat robots or assault you with stronger weapons! Every stage also has a number of minibosses (a buff pirate returns on every planet), and a boss showdown at the end. There are numerous traps, such as boulders, falling walls and firebreathing statues, that will take off a large chunk of your health, so caution is advised! The bosses are usually not too hard and you will figure out how to beat them almost immediately.
A major feature of every stage is that it has two lanes to walk on - one in the foreground and one in the back. This way you can quickly jump to safety on the other side if something nasty's heading your way. Be warned though, because enemies can jump after you most of the time! During boss fights there is usually only one lane. You will have to solve some very small puzzles in some stages, but usually this is nothing more than pushing over a wall or grabbing onto a switch.
The music is quite cheerful, but altogether, nothing very special. You won't really notice it during all the action anyway! The game is not very tough, but remember to watch out for stuff that takes away a ton of health!
If you want a taste of Metal Slug-like action (of which all games were released in a collection on Wii already - so they may not be coming to VC soon), look no further than Top Hunter. Play it with a friend for maximum enjoyment. Or play it alone – it’s still pretty good.
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1. Hilanderous
31 Oct 2007, 18:03 GMT
I loved this game as a kid! While there are a few guns that can be picked up, it is more a beat 'em up. What's fun is that you can pick up and throw almost everything and a the characters have a broad move list which include an Haduken like move. The difficulty is toned down from that of Metal Slug, but the boss fights can get pretty intense. All and all a fun game that is a blast with two players!
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2. thatweirdguyoverthere
13 Dec 2007, 01:15 GMT
Wow. Considering when it came out, this game has some NICE graphics.
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3. Dahak
15 Dec 2007, 08:21 GMT
Very cool game, a Neo-Geo game that non-fans would probably like. As mentioned, great graphics (on par with Metal Slug) and a bizarre soundtrack that almost sounds like Gentle Giant.
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4. Aldo
15 Dec 2007, 16:41 GMT
Download it today!!!
Brilliant Game!!!!!
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5. jamiie
30 Dec 2007, 21:12 GMT
Great game! Way better than the last 2 Metal Slug Games.
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6. me
31 Dec 2007, 17:44 GMT
how is the co-op in this game.
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7. Richard
03 Jan 2008, 08:50 GMT
Really fun game. It's not as easy as Metal Slug. If it is a breeze to play though just adjust difficulty settings. Warning this game is addictive !
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8. butanebob
30 Jan 2008, 23:33 GMT
sigh I really miss my MVS cabinet, i have this but it's stuck back at my parents house. Awesome little game!
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9. mario221
02 Feb 2008, 19:55 GMT
great game
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10. Nigel
06 Feb 2008, 01:51 GMT
This is a cool game. I've only played it solo, but I'm assuming it's a blast with someone to play with. There aren't enough 2-player-simultaneous games out there on the VC.
4.5!
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11. Villain
12 Feb 2008, 09:39 GMT
SWEET arcade action that comes highly recommended. One of the few "plane-switching" action games (a la Fatal Fury) that actually works. It's not very similar to Metal Slug gameplay-wise, but the graphics and comedy is the same. Some of the 2D backgrounds is completely stunning! Beautiful 2D, although with not as much animations as in Metal Slug. But you must remember, this was a fairly early Neo Geo game. Heck, KOF94 was released back in those days!
The co-op works real nice. If you want, you can work your way forward, one in the foreground and the other in the backgrounds.
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12. Manicfatty
14 Feb 2008, 20:54 GMT
I loved this game on the NG CDZ, and it was in my regular play rotation when friends would come over. I was so stoked to see it on the VC so early. And then I tried to play it. I was wondering if anyone else had any trouble playing it on an HD LCD TV. The game is squashed, flickers and is broken. It's unplayable. I haven't hooked my Wii up to my ED TV yet, buit this sucks. Any clues? It's the only VC game that does this, including other Neo Geo games.
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13. dimlylitmonkey
06 Apr 2008, 02:25 GMT
I haven't been too keen on this so far. The controls somehow don't feel as responsive as Metal Slug or Mario, the music is annoying and although the graphics are well drawn, the character designs are instantly forgettable. I just feel that what seem to be the two main gameplay elements, platforming and brawling are weak, and when mixed together still don't make a satisfying experience.
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