Metal Slug: 2nd Mission
Image: Damien McFerran / Time Extension

The Neo Geo Pocket didn't come close to challenging the Game Boy's supremacy in terms of sales, but it did gift the gaming world with many amazing games – and the two Metal Slug games it hosted are right up there.

While the first title, Metal Slug: 1st Mission, is relatively easy to track down on the secondary market these days, its sequel has become one of the more expensive titles on the NGPC and regularly changes hands for hundreds of dollars.

Developed by Ukiyotei (Hook, Skyblazer) rather than SNK (as was the case with the original NGPC Metal Slug), 2nd Mission is a considerable improvement in terms of visuals, sound, scope and size. You can now choose between two playable characters, and completing the game unlocks a third.

Metal Slug: 2nd Mission
Image: Damien McFerran / Time Extension
Metal Slug: 2nd Mission
Image: Damien McFerran / Time Extension

Given that it has since been re-released on modern formats, there's little reason to try and track down an original copy unless you're aiming to collect for the console and you have very deep pockets. Even so, there's something appealing about those dinky plastic NGPC cases, and we maintain that SNK's handheld is still one of the most aesthetically-appealing consoles of all time – plus, that micro-switched joystick rocks.

Do you have this one in your collection? Let us know with a comment.