Metal Slug 3

Metal Slug 3 is the largest, strangest and most complete game in the series. It has branching routes, a zombie stage that changes how you fight, underwater and space sections, and more vehicles than any other entry.

The branch system is the structural addition: several stages fork into two or three different routes, each with its own enemies and its own boss, so a full playthrough is a decision about which version of the game you want to see. The zombie stage is the one everyone remembers - infected enemies turn you into a zombie, and while you are one you cannot fire normally but your charge attack is a screen-wide blood blast that is genuinely devastating. Vehicles include the Slug Mariner submarine, the Elephant Slug, the Drill Slug and the Ostrich, and the campaign runs from a jungle through a snowfield, underwater and finally into space for a final boss that is pure series excess. It is the entry most fans consider the peak, and the reason is that every idea the series had is used at least once.

• ▸Branching routes with genuinely different stages
• ▸The zombie transformation with a screen-wide charge attack
• ▸Slug Mariner, Elephant Slug, Drill Slug and more
• ▸A final act that moves to space