History ShoutOut / MetalSlug

* The meat eating plants look like the evil plants from The Little Shop of Horrors.

!!''Metal Slug 2''

* There is an enemy on level 4 that looks like the brain eating bug from ''Film/StarshipTroopers''.

* The final level features small alien grunts who bear a striking resemblence to the tripod aliens from the musical version of ''War of the Worlds'', which are themselves based on the description from the novel. (Yes, it did have a description for them. The only-showing-the-Tripods bit came from later adaptations)

* Hyakutaro Ichimonji's name is a play on [[Series/KamenRider Hayato Ichimonji]].

* Hyakutaro Ichimonji's name ia a play on [[Series/KamenRider Hayato Ichimonji]].

* The boss of the fifth mission, "[[MeaningfulName The Union]]", bears a HUGE resemblance to the 4th boss of ''VideoGame/RType''. Both are made of three separate parts, each with a [[AttackItsWeakPoint weak core that the player had to shoot]]. See the similarity [[https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/MetalSlug7rtype.jpg here]] (the [[AttackItsWeakPoint cores]] are circled). Not surprising, as the founders of ''VideoGame/MetalSlug'' broke off from Creator/{{Irem}}, the company who created ''R-Type''.

* The BGM for the first level is known as ''Blue Water Fangs'' aka ''[[Literature/TheIslandOfDrMoreau''.

* The spider mech in the third level of ''VideoGame/MetalSlug 2/X'' is an outright parody of the ''VideoGame/MetalGear''.

* The Venusian flying saucers are cute versions of the [[https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/f/ff/George_Adamski_ship_1.jpg/220px-George_Adamski_ship_1.jpg ones]] claimed by the ufologist George Adamski to come from Venus back in TheFifties.

* One of the POWs in stage 3 is named Pvt. [[Manga/JoJosBizzareAdventure Joestar]].

* In one of mission 4's secret paths there's enemies that look like Manga/{{Nausicaa|OfTheValleyOfTheWind}}'s Ohmu. They are not as benevolent as in the movie.

* Also in the final level, the Martians have elite guards who look like Daleks of Series/DoctorWho fame.
* The BGM for the first level is known as ''Blue Water Fangs'' aka ''[[MadDoctor The Island of Dr. Moreau]]''.

* The Tarman zombie is lifted wholesale from ''Film/ReturnOfTheLivingDead''.

* In level ''2'' the boss drops a series of large black slabs with writing on them that some might say looks like the monolith from ''Film/TwoThousandOneASpaceOdyssey''.

* The boss of the fifth mission, "[[MeaningfulName The Union]]", bears a HUGE resemblance to the 4th boss of ''VideoGame/{{R-Type}}''. Both are made of three separate parts, each with a [[AttackItsWeakPoint weak core that the player had to shoot]]. See the similarity [[http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/MetalSlug7rtype.jpg here]] (the [[AttackItsWeakPoint cores]] are circled). Not surprising, as the founders of ''VideoGame/MetalSlug'' broke off from Creator/{{Irem}}, the company who created ''R-Type''.

* The spider mech in the third level of ''MetalSlug 2/X'' is an outright parody of the ''VideoGame/MetalGear''.

* The boss of the fifth mission, "[[MeaningfulName The Union]]", bears a HUGE resemblance to the 4th boss of ''VideoGame/{{R-Type}}''. Both are made of three separate parts, each with a [[AttackItsWeakPoint weak core that the player had to shoot]]. See the similarity [[http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/MetalSlug7rtype.jpg here]] (the [[AttackItsWeakPoint cores]] are circled). Not surprising, as the founders of MetalSlug broke off from Creator/{{Irem}}, the company who created ''R-Type''.

* The submarine paths are most likely a reference to earlier game ''VideoGame/InTheHunt'' (see SpiritualSuccessor below), right down to the part where you have to dodge lava. Another In The Hunt reference can be found in MS2, the China stage, where you have to avoid missiles coming up from the ground: in ITH the submarine had to endure a similar stunt. The visuals are pretty similar, too.

** To ''Film/IndependenceDay'' in ''MetalSlug 2''; the mothership is destroyed by a lone pilot who flies into the WaveMotionGun's core, just like in the movie.
** The spider mech in the third level of ''MetalSlug 2/X'' is an outright parody of the ''MetalGear''.
** See the part about Ralf above.
** In ''MetalSlug 3'' level ''2'' the boss drops a series of large black slabs with writing on them that some might say looks like the monolith from 2001ASpaceOdyssey.
** Also in ''MetalSlug 3'' there is an enemy on level 4 that looks like the brain eating bug from Starship Troopers.
*** And in one of mission 4's secret paths there's enemies that look like [[NausicaaOfTheValleyOfTheWind Nausicaa's]] Ohmu. They are not as benevolent as in the movie.
** And the meat eating plants from ''MetalSlug 3'' look like the evil plants from The Little Shop of Horrors.
** The final level of ''MetalSlug 3'' features small alien grunts who bear a striking resemblence to the tripod aliens from the musical version of War of the Worlds. Which are themselves based on the description from the novel. (Yes, it did have a description for them. The only-showing-the-Tripods bit came from later adaptations)
*** This appears to be an ongoing theme with Japanese-designed Martians. Google around.
*** The final boss of ''3'' looks similar to [[Film/ETTheExtraTerrestrial E.T.]], though appearance is about where the likeness stops.
** Also in ''MetalSlug 3'''s final level, the Martians have elite guards who look like Daleks of Series/DoctorWho fame.
** The BGM for the first level of MS 3 is known as ''Blue Water Fangs'' aka ''[[MadDoctor The Island of Dr. Moreau]]''.
** The boss of the fifth mission of Metal Slug 7/Metal Slug XX, "[[MeaningfulName The Union]]", bears a HUGE resemblance to the 4th boss of ''VideoGame/{{R-Type}}''. Both are made of three separate parts, each with a [[AttackItsWeakPoint weak core that the player had to shoot]]. See the similarity [[http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/MetalSlug7rtype.jpg here]] (the [[AttackItsWeakPoint cores]] are circled). Not surprising, as the founders of MetalSlug broke off from Creator/{{Irem}}, the company who created ''R-Type''.
** The submarine paths in MS3 are most likely a reference to earlier game ''VideoGame/InTheHunt'' (see SpiritualSuccessor below), right down to the part where you have to dodge lava. Another In The Hunt reference can be found in MS2, the China stage, where you have to avoid missiles coming up from the ground: in ITH the submarine had to endure a similar stunt. The visuals are pretty similar, too.
*** The Slug Mariner's color scheme is one to ''VideoGame/InTheHunt''.
*** Also, the Slug Mariner looks suspiciously (and ironically) based on a little HELICOPTER (complete with vulcan cannon,but not placed the same way as the aforementioned Slug) from Battle Chopper, another game by Irem.
** The Ptolemaic Army in ''5'' is said to be modeled after the [[VideoGame/CommandAndConquer Brotherhood of Nod]].