In the wide spectrum of games that I’ve thus far reexamined in a modern context, none have yet to have their roots in the arcade. I suppose I grew up long after arcades had died in the slow march of technological and consumer evolution, but a new form of this antiquated model is starting to appear once again with free-to-play and microtransactions. And just like how those business models are focus their efforts on getting you to pay just a little more money to succeed, so did the arcade machines.
Now to be fair, I’ve introduced myself to Metal Slug, by 2D powerhouse SNK, on the PlayStation 1. The local Round Table Pizza that had a Metal Slug machine closed its doors years ago and I can’t think of any other places to go to even try to find another one. But Metal Slug X still plays with the same model intact, just without the need to constantly feed quarters, so today I’ll be talking not only about Metal Slug itself, but also about that old, yet beloved form of game design and how it can be applied to the modern FTP format.
