There was quite a lot of commentary when it was announced SNK Playmore was working on a 3D version of the classic 2D Metal Slug series. Well, the 3D title is out in Japan, and GameSpot has a hands-on mini-review of the title.

The initial summaryof the PlayStation 2 title is, well, predictable: "If the thought of taking this classic side-scroller into 3D is enough to raise your blood pressure a few points, you'll be glad to know that the game does at least retain the same attitude and focus on frenetic shooting, knifing, and exploding that the series is known for. That said, it does suffer from some of the same pitfalls that so many games have stumbled into before when trying to make the leap to 3D."

The preview concludes: "Based on our short time spent with Metal Slug, it looks like the first 3D game in the series is a decent effort. It maintains the focus on firepower and over-the-top action, and the tone of the game is entirely Metal Slug. There are no announced plans as of yet to release Metal Slug in the US, but if you're a diehard fan and are curious to see what the game is like, this would make a decent import. All the dialogue and menus are in English."