Metal Slug: Super Vehicle-001

Metal Slug: Super Vehicle-001 is the first and most beloved entry in SNK's run-and-gun series. Marco Rossi and Tarma Roving of the Peregrine Falcon squad fight the Rebel Army — and eventually the alien Mars People — across six missions packed with hand-drawn animation, comedic detail and a punishing one-hit-death difficulty.

Its namesake is the Metal Slug tank itself: rescue POWs to earn items, and eventually you commandeer the slug vehicle for devastating cannon and machine-gun power. Weapon pickups — Heavy Machine Gun, Shotgun, Flame Shot, Rocket Launcher and the enemy-only Laser — change your playstyle stage by stage, and the hostage-rescue score system rewards playing dangerously.

• ▸Hand-drawn pixel art and animation still considered benchmark quality
• ▸Six missions with distinct set-pieces, from jungle bridges to alien motherships
• ▸POW rescues that score points and hand out weapon upgrades
• ▸Rideable Metal Slug tank with cannon, machine gun and self-destruct