1942 (video game)
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| 1942 | |
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 1942 arcade flyer |
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| Developer(s) | Capcom |
| Publisher(s) | Capcom |
| Designer(s) | Yoshiki Okamoto |
| Platform(s) | Arcade |
| Release date(s) | December 1984 (arcade) |
| Genre(s) | Vertical scrolling shooter |
| Mode(s) | Single player, 2 player Co-op |
| Input methods | 8-way Joystick, 2 Buttons |
| Cabinet | Upright |
| CPU | Zilog Z80 (@ 4 MHz) |
| Sound | Zilog Z80 (@ 3 MHz) 2x AY8910 (@ 1.5 MHz) |
| Display | Raster, 224 x 256 pixels (Vertical), 256 colors |
1942 is a vertically scrolling shoot 'em up made by Capcom that was released for the arcade in 1984. It was the first game in the 19XX series, followed by 1943: The Battle of Midway.
1942 is set in the Pacific theater of World War II. Despite the game being created by a Japanese company and staff, the goal is to reach Tokyo and destroy the entire Japanese air fleet (this way the game is historically correct). The player pilots a plane (dubbed the "Super Ace", although its appearance is clearly that of a Lockheed P-38 Lightning), and has to shoot down enemy planes. Besides shooting, the player can also perform a Roll or "loop-the-loop" to avoid enemy fire.
The game was later ported to the NES (developed by Micronics), MSX, NEC PC-8801, Windows Mobile Professional, and Game Boy Color. It was ported by the European games publisher Elite Systems to the Amstrad CPC, ZX Spectrum and Commodore 64. The game was included as part of Capcom Classics Collection for the Xbox and PlayStation 2 in 2005.
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[edit] Gameplay
1942 can be played in either one or two player mode. In two player mode, players alternate turns, each receiving a separate score. Under standard settings players start with three planes. An extra plane is awarded at 20,000 points, 80,000 points, and thenceforth at each following multiple of 80,000 points. The number of remaining planes is indicated by the pale blue plane silhouettes at the bottom left of the screen.
In 1942 the player receives an unlimited number of shots, without having to replenish this in any way, other than reaching the end of the stage. Standard fire-power consists of the plane firing two bullets per shot, which always travel straight ahead of the plane; up to three sets of bullets can be on the screen at a time. A player gets three rolls per plane, reset at the end of each stage - the number of remaining rolls are designated by the red uppercase "R"s at the bottom right of the screen.
There was limited release in the arcades of British holiday parks of a sequel to "1942" - titled "1949". The game followed the same format as its predecessor, with only minor updates being made to the plane and its available ammunition.
[edit] Music
The music of the Commodore 64 version is based on the main verse of Ron Goodwin's 633 Squadron movie score.[citation needed]
[edit] Legacy
1942 was one of Capcom's first breakaway hits, eclipsing the company's preceding three titles (Vulgus, Sonson, and Pirate Ship Higemaru) in popularity. While not as popular as some of Capcom's series that would debut later in the 1980s (Street Fighter and Mega Man in particular), 1942 would become one of Capcom's hallmark games throughout the arcade era.
Although not the first game to receive a sequel (with Pirate Ship Higemaru receiving a Japan-only console semi-sequel, Higemaru Makaijima, in April 1987), 1942 was the first Capcom title to spawn a successful series of sequels, with five titles in the 19XX line released from 1987 to 2000. Additionally, many of Capcom's other vertical shooters featured very similar gameplay to the series such as Varth: Operation Thunderstorm.
1942's longevity has shown through in many re-releases since its introduction, principally in Capcom Generations 1 for the Playstation and Saturn consoles. It was recently featured in the Capcom Classics Collection for the PlayStation 2 and Xbox, as well as Capcom Classics Collection: Reloaded for the PlayStation Portable.
[edit] 1942: Joint Strike
1942: Joint Strike, is available for Xbox Live Arcade and the Playstation Network. The Xbox Live Arcade version was released on July 23rd 2008 while the PlayStation Network version was released on July 24th 2008.
[edit] External links
- 1942 at the Killer List of Videogames
- 1942 at Arcade-History
- 1942 guide at StrategyWiki
- 1942 at GameFAQs
- 1942 at MobyGames
- 1942 at World of Spectrum
- 1942 at the Killer List of Videogames
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