The year was 2008, the golden era of "abandonware" forums and sketchy mediafire links. You’re scouring the internet for a way to play the arcade classics without burning through a roll of quarters. That’s when you see it: a thread titled "METAL SLUG COMPLETE COLLECTION FOR PC WINKAWAKS 165 HOT."

System Requirements:

/XX) are generally not included in this specific emulator bundle because they run on different hardware (Atomiswave or handhelds) that WinKawaks does not support. Key Features of WinKawaks 1.65

  1. Game > Region/Dipswitch.
  2. Set Machine Mode to Arcade.
  3. Set Mode to Asia/Japan (usually runs faster than Europe/US).
  4. Enable Free Play or Allow Cheats.

provides several technical advantages over original arcade hardware: Enhanced Compatibility : Version 1.65 added drivers for specific ROM sets like Metal Slug 2 and fixed various graphical issues. Cheats and Hacks

Note: Metal Slug 6 is technically not supported on standard WinKawaks 1.65 as it ran on different hardware (Atomiswave). If you see a "complete" pack for Kawaks, it usually stops at MS5.