Capcom A to Z: 1943: The Battle of Midway

    

Title: 1943: The Battle of Midway

Release Date: June 1987

Platforms: Arcade game, NES, PC Engine, Xbox, PlayStation 2, PlayStation, Sega Saturn, PlayStation Portable, Xbox 360, Xbox One

Director: Yoshiki Okamoto

Oh boy the next in the series! So this comes after 1942 but before 1941, and then there is a Kai version of this game, etc. etc. Alright let's hop in! 

Background

After the success of 1942 a sequel was doubtlessly going to be made. It definitely feels like a bridge in terms of gameplay and quality between the 1942 and 1941. In this case, the game takes place on the Pacific arena of WWII. The game takes place during the Battle of Midway, which was arguably the turning point for the U.S. forces during World War II. Occurring just 6 months after Pearl Harbor, the Japanese sought an opportunity to effectively cripple the U.S. naval fleet before it became an overwhelming force in the Pacific. Long story short, the Japanese fleet, coupled with quality intelligence from the U.S. forces that an attack was coming, overextended themselves and ended up crippling a large portion of their fleet instead. 

In the game, you play as a fighter plane during this battle (specifically a P-38 Lightning). Your goal is to terrorize the Japanese air and naval fleet, and try to sink an aircraft carrier, down a mega bomber, or destroyer each level, leading up to a final clash with the infamous mega-destroyer, the Yamato (the largest battleship of that era; it was not actually destroyed during Midway but it was a very recognizable ship from that era). Now your level will only end when you destroy your target; if you don't succeed in destroying your target, then the level will "loop" and you have to start the whole level over again. 

 

High Points

• As I said the game does loop in a satisfying manner, and it serves as a nice bridge between the first and the third title. The gameplay retains an arcade vibe, while adding a bit more narrative and bells and whistles of a "level" structure. The gameplay also adds screen clearing attacks, this time based on natural disasters such as lightning storms and tsunamis. Then you actually have some variety in boss battles, so it can actually be a pretty entertaining adventure. 

Low Points

• 1941 was such a fun schmup that these arcadey prequels are tough to continue with. The series is gaining some steam with this entry, but it definitely is not the most fun of the series. It really depends on what era of games you enjoy. 

Legacy

 I would say it is worth checking out once or twice, but definitely not one for the history books.

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Capcom A to Z: 1942

Title: 1942

Release Date: 1984

Platform: NES, Arcade mainly (ton of others later!)

Director: Yoshiki Okamoto

Genre: Schmup

Next up in our stroll through Capcom's catalog of titles, we have the original game in the 19XX series, 1942.

 

Background

This game is one of those Arcade originals; you know the type. The point of the game isn't flashy stages and inventive game design, but a simple presentation, concept, and the goal to wrack up the highest score possible. The game, once again, is set during World War II, but the original game focuses on the Pacific theater of the conflict. The goal of the game is to play as an American pilot of a Lockheed P-38 Lightning (dubbed the "Super Ace") as he flies his way through the Japanese sky-fleet from Midway all the way to Tokyo. 

The game is split into 32 levels, but they are roughly the same levels. Each level plays like a "loop" where it begins and ends on an aircraft carrier (a tactic actually started during the Pacific theater of World War II). In each loop, the player will battle against three enemy types (each modeled after a real Japanese plane, including the infamously fast Zero), and some loops will cap with a boss fight against a mega plane modeled after a Japanese long-range bomber. The game itself will actually loop again once Japan is reached, which is a true arcade staple. 

The game was designed by Yoshiki Okamoto, a Capcom developer of some of Capcoms biggest games from the 80's and early 90s, such as Street Fighter II and Final Fight. This man was also responsible for creating Son Son who still remains one of my favorite characters in Marvel Vs. Capcom 2. 

High Points

• Well this is a true old-school arcade game. The goal here is to top the score board, and in that this game does a great job at making an entertaining experience. The action is fast, the goal is simple, and the game is challenging enough to eat up your quarters. While the narrative is simple, I do like the conceit of slowly drawing closer to your eventual destination of Japan. It gives your player a sense of drive and purpose in such a simple way. 
• The game has a simple but useful power-up system that I really enjoy. It is very much a rudimentary system, but it works for the simplistic game-play. Also, I enjoy that you can do loop-de-loops and barrel rolls to avoid enemy fire. 
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Low Points

• The game loop does get boring pretty quickly. The enemy variety is so limited, and the music really is monotonous (it is a simple military drum beat). The sound design is nice, but even then the sounds become grating after a hearing them for a while. 
• Okay, is it just me or is it weird for a Japanese company to develop a game about an American plane attacking Japanese planes and eventually the Japanese capital during World War II? I mean, one of the striking characteristics about the Pacific theater during World War II were the extensive bombing campaigns that the United States carried out against the Japanese, and I am not even including the dropping of the atomic warheads. It just strikes a weird and curious chord with me. 

Legacy

 Well this game became a huge hit for Capcom, yet it is still a series of games that is definitely overlooked when compared to the rest of Capcom's catalog. I thing the game is best left as what it was: a good early step for the company, yet one that serves better as a building block for not only the other games in the 19XX series, but for Capcom schmups as a whole.  

Capcom A to Z- 1941: Counter Attack

 

TITLE: 1941: Counter Attack

Release Date: February 1990

Platform: Supergrafx and Arcade

Genre: Schmup

Hello! Welcome to a new blog to go along with 16 Bit Chronicles entitled Capcom A to Z, a series where we look at all the games developed by Capcom in alphabetical order. This series is inspired by my belief that, as a game developer, Capcom is second only to Nintendo in contributing to the cultural zeitgeist around video games. They have affected almost every genre of video game with hit after hit, and have s many family franchise staples, like Mega Man and Resident Evil. Plus, it gives me something to give some variety between playing SNES games. First up, we have a game that is part of the 19XX series, what is considered a breakout arcade series for Capcom.

Background

The 19XX series a schmup series that falls short of the bullet hell category set in an exaggerated and fictitious World War II, with more grand and steampunky war machines crafted by the Japanese and the Germans rather than modest warplanes. 1941:Counter Attack is the third game in the series after 1942 and 1943. Like the others, it is a vertical shooter where each stage has several series of "loop sections" where the player must kill a set number of enemies before they can move on. Eventually, each stage caps off with a boss battle against a larger and more imposing aircraft or war machine. Pretty straightforward overall! This was an arcade cabinet first, and therefore it is a game geared to munch on as many quarters as possible. 

 

High Points

•  The game is a pretty solid, if forgiving schmup. The game is quick and responsive, and your impressive firepower for being such a small plane, is very gratifying. The game extends over seven levels, each focusing on a mission to take out one enemy aircraft. I like the focus of this game on the Western Front, as it feels like you are taking on Nazi war machines, which always has a pretty cool vibe (it certainly works for Wolfenstein). Also, as a schmup neophyte, I do enjoy playing a game that is willing to let the high-score board be your challenge rather than the gameplay itself. The game gives you a lifebar rather than a live counter. Your plane can only take five hits before crashing, which, for a schump, is pretty darn forgiving (or at least feels that way). It feels nice not to lose all your power-up progress by dying after each hit. 

 

Low Points

• Not really too much. It is a solid schmup all around and I don't want to waste your time with minor gripes. 

Verdict

A solid game! Enjoy it.