— Review by G. “Heavy” O’Nell, Arcade Esports Weekly
This past weekend, the first officially sanctioned took place in Tokyo, and it defied nearly every expectation. For decades, Metal Slug was considered a beloved co-op relic—a quarter-muncher with beautiful pixel art but no competitive future. After this tournament, it’s time to rethink that. metal slug esports games tournament
The grand finals on Mission 3 (Desert) was a masterpiece. With both teams down to their last life, Neo-Geo’s “EriMain” pulled off a frame-perfect Slug Cannon cancel into a mid-air knife throw, staggering the enemy Fio mid-rocket-launch. The crowd lost its mind. The Misfits tried a desperate “zombie grenade” suicide play, but Warriors’ pivot to save their prisoner-of-war ally (a risk/reward objective) gave them the extra 200 points needed to edge the round. — Review by G
Where to improve: More official Slug-vs-Slug modes, shorter post-death respawn timers, and a ban on that one pixel-perfect glitch that lets you skip the final boss of Mission 5. After this tournament, it’s time to rethink that
“RAWKET LAWN-CHAIR! RAWKET LAWN-CHAIR!”