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Metal Slug 4 (Neo Geo)

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Title Screen

Metal Slug 4

Developers: Mega Enterprise, Noise Factory
Publisher: Playmore
Platforms: Neo Geo, Arcade (Neo Geo)
Released in JP: March 27, 2002 (MVS), June 13, 2002 (AES)
Released in US: March 27, 2002


GraphicsIcon.png This game has unused graphics.
DebugIcon.png This game has debugging material.
SoundtestIcon.png This game has a hidden sound test.
LevelSelectIcon.png This game has a hidden level select.
RegionIcon.png This game has regional differences.


Hmmm...
To do:
Add unused graphics from here.

Metal Slug 4 continues the story of the fight against General Morden. Unlike the previous games, which were made by SNK before it went into bankruptcy, this game was made by a third-party developer, Mega Enterprise, and was published by Playmore, who would become SNK Playmore after SNK's resurrection in 2003.

Debug Menu

Mslug4015.png

おしながき

  • メニューを とじる(PAUSEしたまま) - Close the Menu (While Paused)
  • SET DEBUG DIP
  • ステージ セレクト - Stage Select
  • TEST STAGE
  • サウンド テスト - Sound Test
  • リセット - Reset

It is worth noting this Debug menu is shared by Metal Slug 2, X, 3, 4, and 5.

To access the debug mode, open the game in Console Mode and set debug developer mode On at the Neo Geo boot-up screen: this can be done via the Kawaks emulator, the Nebula emulator or using the Neo Geo UniBios.

Start the game, and press COIN up during gameplay twice: after pausing, the debug menu will appear - with options to activate the debug dipswitches (which can be activated separately through other options using Kawaks) and even the ability to play on any regular level, and even some test levels not available in the actual game. There is also a Sound Test screen, and since this version of debug mode is carried over from Metal Slug 3, the Color Test menu is absent.

(Source: http://randomhoohaas.flyingomelette.com/msmia/debug/)

SET DEBUG DIP

Mslug4016.png

  • ムテキ - Invincibility.
  • VIEW INFORMATION - View debug information.
  • イツデモPAUSE - Allows to pause during score tally, cutscenes and credits.
  • VIEW GEO SCROLL A - 1st plane check, shows the walkable ground, makes the foreground choppy as it scrolls when activated. May linger if not turned off properly.
  • VIEW GEO SCROLL B - 2nd plane check, makes the background choppy as it scrolls when activated.
  • VIEW ATTACK RECT - View attack hitbox.
  • VIEW BODY RECT - View body hitbox.
  • VIEW PUSH RECT - View objects that block the players path.
  • ムセイゲン グレネード - Infinite grenades.
  • ムセイゲン POWガン - Infinite ammunition.
  • VIEW PA ポイント - A sprite appears, showing the player's respawn point.
  • Dボタン、テキ ゼンメツ - Press D to destroy all onscreen enemies (no score bonuses).
  • ”PAUSE”ヒョウジOFF - Disables the blinking pause message.
  • BGM OFF - Turns off the BGM.
  • WARN パレット オーバー - Has something to do with the palette.

TEST STAGE

These actually don't seem to be test stages, but just an image gallery with background music.

MS4-test.png

ステージ セレクト - Stage Select

  • FOR 1 まるこ - FOR 1 Marco
  • FOR 2 とればー - FOR 2 Trevor
  • FOR 3 ふいお - FOR 3 Fio
  • FOR 4 なでいあ - FOR 4 Nadia

Selecting any other will cause the game to freeze.

Sound Test

SFX and BGM test screen.

MS4 - SOUNDTEST.png

Reset

The final option in the menu will reset the game.

Unused Graphics

MS4-WarningSet1.png MS4-WarningSet2.png

These 2 tilesets are present in the ROM respectively at 0x2690 and 0x2e00, and are supposed to be used to display the Parental Advisory Warning, but instead other graphics are used, which are totally out of place. (See Region-exclusive Messages)

Region-exclusive Messages

Depending on what BIOS is used, the message shown at startup will be different.

US (MVS) Japan
Mslug4000.png MS4-JPmessage.png
How the screen should actually look like.

The character set normally used on the parental advisory screen was mistakenly replaced with the graphics for the character selection screens and Striker portraits from The King of Fighters 2000, rendering the screen a jumbled mess. This occurs with the MVS BIOS only, as the AES version skips it when booting.