Invincible whilst sliding? Would that help? I don't think it's the difficulty of the game which is the problem. The problem was the slide instead of the jump! Even with invincibility whilst sliding, there would still be the risk of performing a slide instead of a jump when you are ducking. All the invincibility would do is delay my death for half a second. The game's mechanics doesn't allow a player survive if he chose to slide all the time - at the end of the slide you go back to a standing position, which you will be shot down with ease. A way to solve the problem, would be to change the buttons to perform a slide, or remove the slide. I personally see only disadvantages in performing slides, so I would get rid of it.
I don't really know what the 'flashiness' factor you were referring to in Metal Slug 3. I associate 'flashiness' with graphics and/or special effects, and Metal Slug 3 didn't really have much improvement graphics-wise compared to the previous Metal Slugs. If you were meaning graphics, then it has been topped since 3 - Metal Slug 5 improves with more detailed and smooth character animation. As well as the 'special effects' used ala level 3's boss. I'm sure these graphic improvements were enough to keep the market interested. Well, they would have been good enough for me anyway - just don't affect the gameplay and I won't complain :devil
But I'm pretty sure you were referring to something else in Metal Slug 3...
For me, Metal Slug 3 set the high bar by keeping the original gameplay intact, adding a hoard full of new enemies, adding many alternate routes you can take through the levels, and most importantly, making the levels long and hard. The last level is such a mind blower - the music built the atmosphere perfectly, and the whole feel of following the aliens into their mothership in space got the adrenalin pumping!
Whether SNK Playmore can surpass the high bar set by Metal Slug 3? Sure.. why not? It's the same company, same folks who made the original, so yeah, it's always possible. They just need to take it easy and take some time to reflect on the success of Metal Slug 3.
Metal Slug aside, the other issue you raise it more important regarding the future of video games
series 
The point you were making about how some games improve upon their series by adding something new/ different are valid and are needed (Street Fighter III), and others that don't add anything new are either good (Metal Slug 5) or crap (Tomb Raider x) is true. But it all depends on the foundations of the original. If the original game wasn't really that great (meaning has crap gameplay), then yes - improve the series by adding new/ different elements. Your example was Tomb Raider?
Alright, indeed this series is bland. Aside from the obvious fact that the more you churn out sequels and trilogies to games, the more 'out-dated/ old' the concept appears to be, the real reason why the Tomb Raider series is bland is because it was never that great in the first place
. Back when it was first released, the game didn't really have anything apart from graphics to promote playing it. Nowadays, other games have out-performed it, in terms of graphics and gameplay. Even though recent Tomb Raider games haven't done anything new/ different compared to the original, they still suffer because the gameplay was never that great, and has yet to be improved.
Games such as Metal Slug don't need to improve on the gameplay for the games to stay fun. This is because Metal Slug games have great gameplay! You can play these puppies over and over again.. not for the graphics or soundtrack, but for the gameplay! But when the gameplay is already at a high level, it's risky to introduce new elements to it. Why spoil something that's already great to give the market yet another new toy to play with?
As you now know, I dislike it when games series are "improved" when a new toy is added for the users to play with at the expense of quality gameplay.
Who here hasn't experienced a sequel of a game get bad reviews compared to the original? This is usually just the 'greedy'
P) audience, who demand improvements where their is no room for any. So the game is released on par with it's predecessor, but gets less favoured since the audience
expected some new additions.
There comes a time where developers have to realise that the game is beyond the reach of a gameplay improvement, and turn their backs on the demands of their audience who keep on demanding new additions and improvements to the current gameplay.
And of course, if the game series was crap to begin with, then sure, add as many features as you want... the game sucks anyway - you have nothing to loose
That's my take on it anyway
