It seems like Metal Slug Anthology has come out on just about every console known to man, even though it really has only been released for three systems. But for true Metal Slug fans who haven't yet picked up the game, the wait was well worth it, as the PS2 version of the game delivers the best overall performance - and closest to the arcade itself - of any of the game's versions.

Metal Slug Anthology features every Metal Slug game that was playable in the arcades, from the original all the way up to Metal Slug 5. Tagging along this time is Metal Slug 6, which is made available for the first time in this compilation and doesn't feel at all out of place among its fellow Metal Slug games, even though the plot does differ from past Metal Slug games, but in a good way.

The box of the PS2 Metal Slug Anthology promises an arcade-perfect port of each title, and SNK does not fail to deliver that promise. Looking at Metal Slug Anthology on my TV screen makes me feel like I'm looking at the screen of an actual Neo-Geo cabinet. There's no problem with the PS2 pulling off the graphical power needed for each Metal Slug game, and the sprite animation looks crisp, even on a regular TV set. All of the original sounds and background music from the arcade versions have also made the journey, and there are no issues with them.

The non-stop loading that plagued the PSP version of this game is nowhere to be found, and other than a short five second or so wait between each mission, there are no problems with in-game loading times to be seen. Each of the seven games flows flawlessly with no slowdown problems other than the ones that were a part of their arcade counterparts. All of the hacking, slashing, shooting and exploding that defines the Metal Slug series is here, and it's all done as you'd expect it, with Metal Slug 6 as no exception.