The game was announced last fall as an Xbox LIVE title. Why's it M.I.A.? According to Ignition Entertainment, "It is still happening, but I believe that's scheduled to be a 2010 title." Sit tight!

What Happened To Metal Slug 7 For Xbox Live Arcade? [Siliconera]

It arrives strictly for the Nintendo DS — an Xbox Live Arcade version is due later — doing little to take advantage of the platform's unique hardware. What it does bring are seven new stages, three new Metal Slug vehicles and six familiar run and gun soldiers to choose from.

Is Metal Slug 7 the luckiest of entries? Read our review to find out.

Loved
Consistently Gorgeous Presentation: The Metal Slug series has traditionally wowed with its amazingly detailed sprite work, its over-the-top animation and effects providing almost as much entertainment as the run and gun gameplay. Metal Slug 7 doesn't disappoint, with lovingly crafted characters, vehicles, bosses and backgrounds. It's a visual feast, even at such a tiny screen size.

Tried And True Gameplay: SNK Playmore may get some grief for not spicing up the Metal Slug recipe enough with the seventh core entry in the series. Fortunately, Metal Slug 7 does more right than it does wrong in attempting to keep the series fresh — even if some of the more amusing added flavors from previous Slugs are missing.

Combat School Mode: There really isn't much meat on these bones for anyone who won't obsess over collecting every prisoner of war or single-credit play throughs. But Combat School — a series of challenges with specific requirements and graded performances — gives one something to do once they've seen everything in Main Mission mode. Chatting with your drill instructor Cynthia provides literal seconds of "enjoyment."

Hated
No Multiplayer: Metal Slug 7 doesn't take advantage of the DS's wi-fi capabilities for multiplayer, making the game strictly a single player affair. Granted, having two people on the wee LCD screen amid all the explosive pomp may make for massive confusion and double the deaths, but we'd have loved the option.

Really Doesn't Exploit the DS: It's not just the multiplayer via wi-fi, it's everything. No Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection support for leaderboards and stat-tracking, pointless touchscreen interface, no shouting into the microphone to switch weapons. Okay, that last one would be a horrible idea, but Metal Slug 7 feels a bit out of place on the Nintendo DS.

For better or worse, Metal Slug 7 is a capable, familiar entry in the twelve year old series. It's squarely aimed, like most SNK Playmore stuff, at a small subset of fans of old-school gameplay. The new Metal Slug vehicles, particularly the Metal Gigant, are a blast to pilot and add a much needed dose of variety for anyone already six Metal Slugs deep. The graphics remain top notch and the gameplay is still solid.

Fans will likely be satisfied, but anyone who hasn't yet gotten on board with Metal Slug by this point might not see what the fuss is about. But I'm more interested in ever in picking up the Xbox Live Arcade version, just to see these mechanical wonders at full-screen.

Metal Slug 7 was developed by SNK Playmore and published by Ignition Entertainment, released in North America on Nov. 18 for the Nintendo DS. Retails for $29.99. Played through single player Mission Mode, completed multiple Combat School mode challenges.

Confused by our reviews? Read our review FAQ.

This was in the press release and attributed to the President of Ignition Entertainment Ajay Chadha: "Truth be told, I have a pink DS and was embarrassed to play it in public. Now with Metal Slug 7 loaded, I have no qualms." Excellent.

SNK Playmore Corporation and Ignition Entertainment Announce Metal Slug 7 for Nintendo DS™

Glendale, CA - June 27, 2008 - Ignition Entertainment, a UTV Enterprise and worldwide publisher and developer of videogames, in conjunction with SNK Playmore announced today that Metal Slug 7 for Nintendo DS™ will be released this fall.

Developed by SNK Playmore Corporation and published by Ignition Entertainment, Metal Slug 7 follows in the footsteps of its predecessors by continuing to deliver the high-energy and frantic, fast-paced 2-D shooting action that the franchise has always been widely renowned for.

Players will join Marco, Tarma, Eri, Fiolina, Clark and Ralph as they prepare to take on Modern's Forces across 7 new missions that will bring them from Garbage Island to the Fortress of Ruins and beyond. Aside from featuring 7 brand new and fully detailed missions and six playable characters, Metal Slug 7 will also feature a host of new weapons, colossal new bosses, new Slugs to pilot and new gameplay modes for added replay value.

"Truth be told, I have a pink DS and was embarrassed to play it in public. Now with Metal Slug 7 loaded, I have no qualms," said Ajay Chadha, President of Ignition Entertainment. "Needless to say, and in all seriousness, we are very excited to announce our partnership with SNK Playmore USA to give both core and casual gamers a whole new insight into the unique, all-action, eye-popping world that is Metal Slug."

First released in 1996, the Metal Slug series has continuously dazzled legions of fans with its awesome variety of frenetic action and superbly balanced, non-stop gameplay. Its unique art style and memorable boss battles have been hailed as sheer artistry and have been acclaimed by game fans of all genres.

For more information on Ignition Entertainment or SNK Playmore USA please visit www.ignitionusa.com or www.snkplaymoreusa.com.

Official Metal Slug 7 website coming soon!

© SNK PLAYMORE
"METAL SLUG" is a registered trademark of SNK PLAYMORE CORPORATION.
ABOUT IGNITION ENTERTAINMENT LTD.:
Ignition Entertainment Limited is a UTV Media Communication company. Ignition was created by a core team of gaming industry veterans with the purpose of building upon their successful track record to develop and publish within the international games industry. You can find more information about Ignition Entertainment Ltd. at www.ignitionusa.com.

ABOUT UTV SOFTWARE COMMUNICATIONS LTD.:
UTV Software Communications Ltd. is India's foremost Media & Entertainment Company with leadership position in four Verticals that includes Motion Pictures, Broadcasting, TV Content and Interactive (i.e. Animation and Gaming). Listed on the Mumbai Stock Exchange with the Motion Pictures business listed on the AIM, London Stock Exchange. Walt Disney Inc. holds a strategic stake in UTV. It has subsidiaries with offices across India, the UK and USA. More information on the group is available at www.utvnet.com.

ABOUT SNK PLAYMORE CORPORATION:
Headquartered in Osaka, Japan, SNK PLAYMORE CORPORATION (SNK) develops, publishes and distributes interactive entertainment software in Japan, North America, Europe and Asia. Founded in 1978, SNK is one of the largest privately held interactive entertainment content providers in the world. Known for such franchises as THE KING OF FIGHTERS, METAL SLUG, and SAMURAI SHODOWN SNK continues to be an industry leader by focusing on their rich arcade history. More information on SNK PLAYMORE CORPORATION can be found at www.snkplaymore.co.jp SNK PLAYMORE USA is a wholly owned subsidiary of SNK PLAYMORE CORPORATION with offices in Wall, NJ. It handles operations in North America including publishing, marketing, development and localization. More information on SNK PLAYMORE USA can be found at www.snkplaymoreusa.com.

The real treat however was a little surprise waiting on a DS in the corner, Metal Slug 7! I hot footed it over to the corner of the room and practically wrestled the girl playing it to the ground in my attempt to check out the game. It looked great, played better and had everything you could possibly want from a Metal Slug game. So if you are ready for a new Metal Slug experience, look no further than Metal Slug 7, coming soon to a DS near you.