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== Gameplay ==
[[File:ARC Metal Black.png|thumb|left|Apartheid, the first boss of the game, showcasing an example of 'beam-dueling' in ''Metal Black''. The blue beam on the left is the player's beam.]]
''Metal Black'' is a scrolling shooter game where players assume the role of rogue pilot John Ford taking control of the CF-345 Black Fly space fighter craft across six increasingly difficult rounds to combat against the Nemesis alien race and save humanity.<ref name="MBASICM115">{{cite magazine|author=Yanma|url=https://archive.org/stream/micomBASIC_1992-01#page/n228/mode/1up|title=Super Soft 大特集: NEW VIDEO GAME - メタルブラック|magazine=[[:ja:マイコンBASICマガジン|Micom BASIC Magazine]]|issue=115|publisher=[[:ja:電波新聞社|The Dempa Shimbunsha Corporation]]|date=January 1992|pages=229–231|lang=ja}}</ref><ref name="WFT164">{{cite magazine|last=|first=|url=https://retrocdn.net/index.php?title=File%3AFamitsu_JP_0164.pdf&page=112|title=Arcade Windows 3.0|magazine=[[Famitsu]]|issue=164|publisher=[[ASCII Corporation]]|date=February 7, 1992|page=112-113|lang=ja|access-date=May 30, 2020|archive-date=September 6, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200906222104/https://retrocdn.net/index.php?title=File%3AFamitsu_JP_0164.pdf&page=112|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="MBhg101">{{cite web|last=Taborda|first=Zillion|url=http://www.hardcoregaming101.net/metal-black/|title=Metal Black|publisher=Hardcore Gaming 101|date=July 31, 2017|access-date=2020-05-29|archive-date=June 7, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200607182427/http://www.hardcoregaming101.net/metal-black/|url-status=live}}</ref> The gameplay is unique in that there are no alternative weapons or bombs;<ref name="MBASICM115"/><ref name="WFT164"/><ref name="MBhg101"/> the only power-up players grab through rounds are the Newalone molecules scattered by Nemesis. Colleting it increases the ship's beam level, serving as the only defense mechanism. The more Newalone molecules players collect, the stronger the ship's firepower becomes.<ref name="WFT164"/><ref name="MBhg101"/>
When reaching a mid or max beam level, players can unleash a large beam to obliterate enemies caught within range and cause a lightning that briefly shocks the screen, destroying enemies around the ship.<ref name="MBASICM115"/><ref name="WFT164"/><ref name="MBhg101"/> Enemies also have beam levels of their own, most notably the bosses, who in turn eat as much Newalone as they can to unleash their own beam.<ref name="MBASICM115"/><ref name="WFT164"/><ref name="MBhg101"/> If the players and boss' large beams are fired simultaneously, one overpowers the other depending on how high each level is, starting a "beam duel".<ref name="MBASICM115"/><ref name="WFT164"/> When "beam dueling", players must quickly tap the fire button to keep the opposing beam at bay, accumulating into a destructive energy matter that changes color based on which wielder's beam is stronger.<ref name="MBASICM115"/><ref name="WFT164"/>
== Development ==
{{Expand section|date=October 2020}}
''Metal Black'' was developed under the working title "''Project Gun Frontier 2''" by most of the same staff behind ''Gun Frontier'', including its [[Video game designer|designer]] Takatsuna Senba and [[Video game producer|producer]] Takamasa "Tarabar" Hori but its actual connection to the latter is faint at best.<ref name="MBt-1008dx">{{cite web|last=Senba|first=Takatsuna|url=http://www6.ocn.ne.jp/~t-1008dx/MB.html|title=METAL BLACK (c)タイトー|publisher=T-1008 STUDIO|date=5 October 2006|access-date=2020-05-29|language=ja|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150307170355/http://www6.ocn.ne.jp/~t-1008dx/MB.html|archive-date=2015-03-07|url-status=dead|df=dmy-all}}</ref><ref name="STGv7">{{cite magazine|last=|first=|title=[GUN FRONTIER/METAL BLACK/DINO REX] Sound Tracks for Digital Generation|magazine=Shooting Gameside|volume=7|publisher=Micro Magazine|date=31 May 2013|pages=70–72|lang=ja|isbn=978-4896374193}}</ref> According to Senba, development began as ''Darius 3'' under the initial internal name "''Darius Part 22''" and the original plan was to announce it in a two-screen cabinet similar to ''[[Darius II]]''.<ref name="MBt-1008dx"/><ref name="Continue">{{cite magazine|title=仙波隆綱 - 「メタルブラック」を作った男|magazine=Continue|volume=1|publisher=[[Ohta Publishing]]|date=June 2001|lang=ja|isbn=978-4872335910}}</ref><ref name="FC2">{{cite web|last=Senba|first=Takatsuna|url=http://t1008.blog.fc2.com/blog-entry-9.html|title=メタルブラック2画面について|work=仙波隆綱公式ブログ|publisher=[[FC2 (portal)|FC2]]|date=28 September 2020|access-date=2020-11-01|lang=ja|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201101202530/http://t1008.blog.fc2.com/blog-entry-9.html|archive-date=2020-11-01|url-status=live}}</ref>
== Release ==
''Metal Black'' was released in arcades on November 1991.<ref>{{cite magazine|author=Yanma|url=https://archive.org/stream/micomBASIC_1991-12#page/n253/mode/1up|title=Super Soft Hot Information: Video Game! (ビデオゲーム) - メタルブラック|magazine=[[:ja:マイコンBASICマガジン|Micom BASIC Magazine]]|issue=114|publisher=[[:ja:電波新聞社|The Dempa Shimbunsha Corporation]]|date=December 1991|page=254|lang=ja}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|last=Akagi|first=Masumi|url=https://archive.org/stream/ArcadeGameList1971-2005#page/n45/mode/1up|title=タイトー (Taito)|work=アーケードTVゲームリスト 国内•海外編 (1971-2005)|edition=1st|publisher=Amusement News Agency|date=13 October 2006|page=44|isbn=978-4990251215|language=ja}}</ref> Prior to launch, it was showcased in a playable state to attendees at the 1991 [[Amusement Machine Show]].<ref>{{cite magazine|last=|first=|title=29th Amusement Machine Show - AMショーで話題のTVゲーム画面: メタルブラック (タイトー)|magazine=[[:ja:ゲームマシン|Game Machine]]|issue=414|publisher=[[:ja:アミューズメント通信社|Amusement Press, Inc.]]|date=1 November 1991|page=10|lang=ja}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine|author=C.LAN|title=特集記事 – これが '91 AM ショー だ！: ゲーム紹介 – メタルブラック|magazine=[[Gamest]]|issue=66|publisher=[[Shinseisha]]|date=December 1991|page=115|lang=ja}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine|author=Yanma|url=https://archive.org/stream/micomBASIC_1991-12#page/n218/mode/1up|title=Super Soft 大特集: 第29回AMショー・レポート – 年末年始の注目アーケード・ゲームを完全チェック！|magazine=[[:ja:マイコンBASICマガジン|Micom BASIC Magazine]]|issue=114|publisher=[[:ja:電波新聞社|The Dempa Shimbunsha Corporation]]|date=December 1991|pages=219–220|lang=ja}}</ref> The game ran on Taito's F1 System hardware, using expansion chips that allowed special graphical effects.<ref name="MBhg101"/> A version named after Hori titled ''Metal Black: Tarabar Edition'' was created for internal use at Tatio and not released for arcades, featuring only three stages and different music, as well as a new "extra stage" and more difficult enemy patterns.<ref name="MBhg101"/> On January 21, 1992, an album containing music from the game was co-published exclusively in Japan by [[Scitron]] and [[Pony Canyon]].<ref>{{cite magazine|author=|title=広告 - ポニーキャニオン: メタルブラック CD|magazine=[[Gamest]]|issue=68|publisher=[[Shinseisha]]|date=February 1992|page=131|lang=ja}}</ref> The title was later ported to the Sega Saturn by Ving and published only in Japan on May 24, 1996 under the "''Arcade Gears''" budget line.<ref name="MBhg101"/><ref>{{cite encyclopedia|url=https://sega.jp/fb/segahard/ss/soft_licensee2.html|title=セガサターン対応ソフトウェア（ライセンシー発売）- 1996年発売|encyclopedia=SEGA HARD Encyclopedia|publisher=[[Sega]]|date=2020|access-date=2020-05-29|lang=ja|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200320230509/https://sega.jp/fb/segahard/ss/soft_licensee2.html|archive-date=2020-03-20|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite encyclopedia|url=https://sega.jp/fb/segahard/ss/soft_licensee4.html|title=セガサターン対応ソフトウェア（ライセンシー発売）- 1998・1999・2000年発売|encyclopedia=SEGA HARD Encyclopedia|publisher=[[Sega]]|date=2020|access-date=2020-05-30|lang=ja|archive-date=March 20, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200320230605/https://sega.jp/fb/segahard/ss/soft_licensee4.html|url-status=live}}</ref> It has since been included as part of the ''[[Taito Legends 2]]'' compilation for [[Microsoft Windows]], [[PlayStation 2]] and [[Xbox (console)|Xbox]] in 2006.<ref name="MBhg101"/> In 2012, a compilation album containing its soundtrack, as well as the music from ''Gun Frontier'' and ''[[Dino Rex]]'' was released by SuperSweep in Japan.<ref>{{cite web|last=|first=|url=https://www.famitsu.com/news/201212/19026262.html|title="スーパースィープ"の12月新譜ゲームミュージックCD＆イベント情報|work=[[Famitsu]]|publisher=[[Kadokawa Corporation]]|date=19 December 2012|access-date=2020-05-30|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170831133610/https://www.famitsu.com/news/201212/19026262.html|archive-date=2017-08-31|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://sweeprecord.com/gun-metal-dino-massage/|title=『GUN FRONTIER／METAL BLACK／DINO REX』Sound Tracks for Digital Generation～GameMusic Discovery Series～仙波 様よりメッセージいただきました。|work=SweepRecord|publisher=SuperSweep|date=31 December 2012|access-date=2020-05-30|language=ja|archive-date=July 8, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190708112615/https://sweeprecord.com/gun-metal-dino-massage/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://sweeprecord.com/srin-1101/|title=『GUN FRONTIER／METAL BLACK／DINO REX』Sound Tracks for Digital Generation ～GameMusic Discovery Series～|work=SweepRecord|publisher=SuperSweep|access-date=2020-05-30|language=ja|archive-date=May 31, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200531153128/https://sweeprecord.com/srin-1101/|url-status=live}}</ref>
== Reception ==
{{Video game reviews
|Allgame = (AC) {{Rating|2|5}}<ref name="AGARCmb">{{cite web|last=Knight|first=Kyle|url=http://www.allgame.com/game.php?id=10514&tab=review|title=Metal Black (Arcade) - Review|work=[[AllGame]]|publisher=[[All Media Network]]|accessdate=2019-04-10|archiveurlarchive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141116022402/http://www.allgame.com/game.php?id=10514&tab=review|archivedatearchive-date=2014-11-16|url-status=live}}</ref>
|Fam = (SS) 20/40<ref name="WFTSSmb">{{cite magazine|url=http://www.famitsu.com/cominy/?m=pc&a=page_h_title&title_id=14849|title=NEW GAMES CROSS REVIEW: メタルブラック|magazine=[[Famitsu]]|issue=389|publisher=[[ASCII Corporation]]|date=May 31, 1996|page=30|access-date=2019-04-10|lang=ja|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130526073834/http://www.famitsu.com/cominy/?m=pc&a=page_h_title&title_id=14849|archive-date=May 26, 2013|url-status=live|df=mdy-all}}</ref>
|rev1 = ''Fun Generation''
|rev4Score = (SS) 65%<ref name="XLSSmb">{{cite magazine|last=Hartwig|first=K.-D.|url=https://retrocdn.net/index.php?title=File%3ANextLevel_DE_1996-08.pdf&page=64|title=Test - Saturn - Metal Black|magazine=neXt Level|issue=4|publisher=X-plain Verlag GmbH|date=August 1996|page=64|lang=de|access-date=May 30, 2020|archive-date=September 6, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200906222105/https://retrocdn.net/index.php?title=File%3ANextLevel_DE_1996-08.pdf&page=64|url-status=live}}</ref>
|rev5 = ''[[:ja:ゲーマガ#SEGA SATURN MAGAZINE|Sega Saturn Magazine]] (JP)''
|rev5Score = (SS) 7.33/10<ref name="SSMjpSSmb">{{cite magazine|last=|first=|url=https://retrocdn.net/index.php?title=File:SSM_JP_19960614_1996-09.pdf&page=231|title=Sega Saturn Soft Review - New Release Title Check! - メタルブラック|magazine=[[:ja:ゲーマガ#SEGA SATURN MAGAZINE|Sega Saturn Magazine]]|issue=23|publisher=[[SB Creative|SoftBank Creative]]|date=June 14, 1996|page=229|lang=ja|access-date=May 30, 2020|archive-date=July 16, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200716223914/https://retrocdn.net/index.php?title=File:SSM_JP_19960614_1996-09.pdf&page=231|url-status=live}}</ref>
|award1Pub = ''[[:ja:マイコンBASICマガジン|Micom BASIC Magazine]]'' (1992)
|award1 = Video Game Grand Prix 6th <small>(Arcade)</small><ref name="MBASICM129">{{cite magazine|author=Yanma|url=https://archive.org/stream/micomBASIC_1993-03#page/n211/mode/2up|title=Computer Entertainment Side: 決定! 1992 ビデオゲーム・グランプリ|magazine=[[:ja:マイコンBASICマガジン|Micom BASIC Magazine]]|issue=129|publisher=[[:ja:電波新聞社|The Dempa Shimbunsha Corporation]]|date=March 1993|page=228-229|lang=ja}}</ref>
}}
In Japan, ''Game Machine'' listed ''Metal Black'' on their February 1, 1992 issue as being the thirdteenth most-popular arcade game at the time.<ref>{{cite magazine|last=|first=|title=Game Machine's Best Hit Games 25 - テーブル型TVゲーム機 (Table Videos)|magazine=[[:ja:ゲームマシン|Game Machine]]|issue=419|publisher=[[:ja:アミューズメント通信社|Amusement Press, Inc.]]|date=1 February 1992|page=25|lang=ja}}</ref> According to ''[[Famitsu]]'', the Saturn version sold over 7,839 copies in its first week on the market.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://sites.google.com/site/gamedatalibrary/game-search|title=Game Search|website=Game Data Library|access-date=2020-11-01|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190424035430/https://sites.google.com/site/gamedatalibrary/game-search|archive-date=2019-04-24|url-status=live}}</ref> Four reviewers of ''Famitsu'' gave the Sega Saturn version a score of 20 out of 40.<ref name="WFTSSmb"/>
{{clear}}
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