Metal Slug
Ranked 3 of 3 shoot 'em ups by recommenders
People recommend it as a peak 2D action game with fascinating stages. Critics note it is hard to play, though infinite lives can be set.
People recommend it as a peak 2D action game with fascinating stages. Critics note it is hard to play, though infinite lives can be set.
6 people gave an opinion
- recommend it
- 6
- criticize it
- 0
- approval share
- 100%
Recommended in 4 of 13 months
- November 2025: not recommended
- December 2025: not recommended
- January 2026: not recommended
- February 2026: not recommended
- March 2026: recommended
- April 2026: not recommended
- May 2026: not recommended
- June 2026: not recommended
- July 2026: recommended
- August 2026: not recommended
- September 2026: recommended
- October 2026: recommended
- November 2026: not recommended (month in progress)
Why it doesn’t carry the badge
- 6 people recommend itNeeds 10 or more, not met.
- Nobody criticizes itNeeds 2 to 1 or better, met.
- Recommended in 4 of 13 monthsNeeds 4 or more, met.
The same three rules apply to every product, and the badge can’t be bought. How the badge works
What people say about it
The reasons people give, with the number of comments that give each one. Open a reason to read what they said.
Why people recommend it
Each mark is one comment
Peak of 2D action games
“2D action games peaked with Metal Slug.”
Comment from 26 Oct 2026 in “IBM CEO says open weight models are now good and cheap on-prem” Fascinating stages
“I always was fascinated by the stages in King of fighters and Metal slug.”
Comment from 25 Sep 2026 in “2DWillNeverDie” Infinite lives option
“It's a bit hard to play but you can set infinite lives”
Comment from 10 Mar 2026 in “Ask HN: Favorite Non-Spammy iPhone Games?”
What people warn about
Each mark is one comment
Hard to play
“It's a bit hard to play but you can set infinite lives”
Comment from 10 Mar 2026 in “Ask HN: Favorite Non-Spammy iPhone Games?”
Other shoot 'em ups people recommend
The two most recommended other shoot 'em ups, with the same counts for each, so you can compare like for like. The tick on each bar marks the 2 to 1 line the badge needs.
| Product | Recommend | Criticize | Approval | Months | Owned | Badge |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Silpheed (Sega CD) | 13 | 5 | 72% | 3 | — | — |
| Earthion | 13 | 2 | 87% | 1 | — | — |
| Metal SlugThis page | 6 | 0 | 100% | 4 | — | — |
What people said
3 of the 6 comments that mention it, newest first. Each links to the original comment.
“2D action games peaked with Metal Slug.”
“I always was fascinated by the stages in King of fighters and Metal slug.”
“It's a bit hard to play but you can set infinite lives”
Counts come from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026. How we count. Report a mistake.