METAL SLUG 3

Groupie Guy
（Caricature by AKIO）
One look at this guy and you can guess how tough game planning is!

　An interview with the developer of the dot image artistry in "Metal Slug 3"!

　Head planner Groupie Guy gives you the lowdown on all the trials and tribulations in making "Metal Slug 3" (See caricature.)!！

　...Dang! This picture looks just like me!!! (Ha ha!)

Questions and insults by Zuminao.

A question about you Groupie Guy:

Q.What did you supervise this time around in "Metal Slug 3?"

A.	Uh...the planning.


Simply put...（-_-;）　...But, seriously, I know it is the really tough! (Heh, heh.)

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Q.Specifically, just what kind of work does that involve?

A.	Well, it's making spec sheets for enemy characters, maps, and stuff from various planning proposals; smoothing things over with other departments; setting things up and making adjustments; supervising location tests; crashing out -- stuff like that.


In a word, "planning." It's no picnic, pal... 　You are great! Well, really tough work!!! 　By the way, would "crashing out" fall under "planning?"

Q.Got me. What games have you been involved with in your career so far?

A.	At SNK, I've worked on the "METAL SLUG" series. 　Also... a touch of "Samurai Spirits Bushido Retsuden."


Wow, that's surprising. I thought you were just a Metal Slug devotee. 　By the way, just who did you touch in "Samurai Spirits Bushido Retsuden?" （Heh, heh...)

Q.Uh, moving on. Who's your favorite character in "Metal Slug?"

A.	The shotgun. 　Not it's look, but the functions it's got. I also like the "Demon Warrior medal" in the CD version.


Hmmm. You've got quite an encyclopedic knowledge of the game, don't you? 　I could of sworn you were a Ｆio fan....

Q. What are you in to these days?

A.	A: Sleeping. 　Also, when I went fishing with my friend, he was really into the pond. Get it? Into the pond. Splash!


Yeah, I got it. Read a lot of Oscar Wilde, do you? 　I wish I shared your piercing wit. By the way, Natural high! Natural high! Sleeping is totally boss, eh? 　(Especially those dreams about me, the sole male, among a tribe of Amazons...)

A question about THE GAME

Q.What's changed since the last Slug?

A.	I'd sum it up this way: Warp Gates. These appear in game stages and let you explore a variety of hidden battlefields. Also, there's a whole potpourri of stages with radically overhauled player commands.


You mean that you never get tired of the game, no matter how many times you play it, and it's really awesome and keeps fans coming back for more? Once they begin to play, they won't be able to stop until the next millennium, yes?. And personally I thought the zombie characters were a real pain at first, but once I got used to them, I knew the undead were where it was at.

Q.A camel, an elephant -- what creatures will be showing up in "Metal Slug" next?

A.	"Human". Or maybe a real "slug"? 　If you have any input, log us on, dude!


Well, I could just compromise... how about a "human slug"？　Or may be a "Slug human?!!! (Got any other bright ideas!!)

Q.When "Metal Slug" comes to mind, one's gotta think, Kick-butt 2D graphics. But are these hard to create?

　When "Metal Slug" comes to mind, one's gotta think, Kick-butt 2D graphics. But are these hard to create? Because we naturally demand that images have to look good and characters must move dramatically, we have certain standards for that stuff, so all we do is color in the dots, as it were. Actually, figuring out how to approach the problem of "expressing this or that visually" is the biggest headache, I think.


I see. 　Being a pro is no picnic, buddy-boy. 　　The whole game is made up of these images of teensy-tiny dots, and presenting machines as living beings this way is no mean feat.

Q.What was the part of "Metal Slug 3" that gave you the biggest headaches?

A.	Let's see, I had to come up with ideas for the map, bosses, enemy characters, decide on the placement of these elements and adjust playing difficulty...everything was a Herculean effort.


And you gotta leave 'em laughing, right, Groupie Guy?! Hey, I'm making serious, cerebral stuff here. But seriously, leaving the jokes behind, the act of making something from nothing is really a trial, but the joy you get when that something sees the light of day is a real rush.

Q.Were there any major incidents making this game?

　Because Metal Slug puts hardware like the CPU, display systems, and sound CPU to the limit, our machinery blew up while debugging the game. Conventional hardware couldn't handle the power Metal Slug packed, you see. ...That's a joke, of course. There was just a short in the wiring in a worn-out board we were using.


Whoa. Wish I could've seen that.... 　Ah, no biggy. A squeeze of the fire extinguisher...baddabing, baddaboom...and it was all over.

Q.Can we look forward to another Metal Slug?

A.	It's not in my hands. I leave it up to--sob--all our fans.


What a good answer!! 　It is your word magic!!

Q.Finally, tell me what'll people love about "Metal Slug 3!"

A.	The game's just about squaring off against boneheaded computer enemies! So you can go nuts and free yourself of the tension and pent-up rage that's getting you down.


But hey, kids, don't take out that pent-up rage out on the machinery and destroy cabinets or consoles. Got it? Good.

　Thanks for your time, Groupie Guy!!
　

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