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There are, in this day and age, two camps pertaining to 2D gaming. The first is the nostalgic gamer, who remembers when everything was better in the old days, and thinks this new fangled 3D stuff is just a fad. The second has since moved on from old school 2D and accepted that change is inevitable. Still, there’s always room for some nostalgia, right? At least that’s what SNK is hoping with its Xbox port of the side-scrolling shooter, Metal Slug 3. This episode, X-Play takes a gander at how well old style gameplay fits in a new style world.

It seems odd to say that perhaps the biggest problem with this otherwise excellent example of its genre is the price tag, but its true. A port of an old console game from an older system seems a dubious choice to bring out at $40, but it’s made even worse when Xbox owners realize that PS2 gamers get Metal Slug 4 and 5 together for the same price. Why SNK isn’t instead choosing to go the route of other retro releases, and give fans compilations of their series is a complete mystery, and essentially makes Metal Slug 3 a specialty game that only diehard SNK fans will buy until it lowers in price.

That said, there’s a lot to like for fans of the side-scrolling shooter. Retro maniacs who used to revel in the adventures of Contra, Megaman, Metroid, and the countless other takes on this relatively simple type of game are sure to find this a nail-bitingly tough, yet satisfying action fix. For all its 2D, low-res cartoon looks and simplistic action, there’s some mildly innovative aspects to the gameplay, and a surprising sense of humor to match the wall-to-wall gunplay.

Plot stays pretty close to the bare minimum, of course. The evil General Morden has, once more, returned from whatever stinking hole he was sent to in Metal Slug 2, and still hasn’t learned his lesson. Yes, it’s the old evil overlord out to take over the world plot, and only four brave soldiers are able to fight him with their trusty standard pistol, grenades, and knife. There’s occasionally even an armed monkey to help you out as well.

You’ll have to fight your way through five death-defying stages. Snow covered mountains, a not-so-deserted island, an underwater weapons factory, the South American desert, and even outer space all await the stalwart warrior. Getting through is far from easy. Mutant crabs, giant bosses, an army of suicidal soldiers, and even the undead will block your way. Thankfully, you can free prisoners who will reward you with powerups and new weapons. Fight off evil with bullets, rockets, grenades, and even tanks, submarines, and robotic vehicles.

One fun feature is that the levels are chock full of alternate routes. At certain crossroad sections in the game, you have the ability enter different sub-levels to progress through the main level. This manages to add some degree of replayability, and helps keep the main levels from getting too stale too quickly.

Visually, it looks just like its Neo Geo counterpart. Somewhere between 16- and 32-bit sprite-based graphics certainly help the game feel ultra-retro, and the game always runs rock solid. Despite a rather heinous amount of violence and exploding bodies, the cartoon look keeps everything from being too extreme. Though the look may be old school, the levels and characters are colorful and diverse, and Metal Slug 3 certainly looks better than it ever did.

One Xbox specific feature is the inclusion of a stats tracker through Xbox Live, although there is no online multiplayer option. Two players can play on the same machine, of course. Overall, if you like this series and this genre, Metal Slug 3 is a fine example. It’s often insanely hard, and just as insanely priced. So spread some salt over this slug until SNK wises up and offers it for a more reasonable fee.