SNK announces line-up

Metal Slug Advance, Samurai Shodown 5 console versions and double packs confirmed for PS2 and Xbox to boot.

News by Tom Bramwell Former Editor-in-Chief

Updated on 9 May 2004

SNK Neo Geo USA is planning a big E3 showing this year including a number of new and previously unseen titles - and for the company's fans, it's difficult to know where exactly to begin. Beat-'em-up fans will want to celebrate the announcement of Samurai Shodown 5 and Samurai Shodown 5 Special for PS2 and Xbox (arcade versions of which will be playable alongside early PS2 code), but shoot-'em-up fans will be relishing the chance to go hands on with Metal Slug 3 on Xbox and Metal Slug Advance on Nintendo's GBA handheld.

SNK has also confirmed that both the recently announced double packs (King of Fighters 2002 & 2003, and Metal Slug 4 & 5) will likely be on-hand, and that both are now set to appear on PS2 and Xbox, rather than just the PS2 as was previously thought. Rounding off the list is KOF: Maximum Impact, the King of Fighters series' first 3D instalment, which is due out in September in the States featuring a mixture of old and new characters, and SNK Vs. Capcom: SVC Chaos, which is Xbox exclusive.

The Metal Slug titles are bound to attract a lot of interest of course, particularly the GBA version, which will consist of five new missions and four mini-game stages set in areas ranging from underground dungeons and ruins to limestone caverns and the requisite lava-ridden zones. SNK is also touting 100 Metal Slug E-cards to help get through the game, and all this should be on the shelves of US retailers by August.

Meanwhile, Metal Slug 3 will remain true to the arcade version, with new features including Xbox Live leaderboards and original missions tacked on to keep the fans happy after they clear it. All in all, it sounds like a decent line-up - expect to hear more from the show floor next month.

SNK Neo Geo USA (Booth #546, South Hall)'s E3 line-up in full: