1942 (arcade game)

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1942<tr><td colspan="2" style="font-size: 100%; text-align: center;">Image:1942 02.png Screenshot of 1942</td></tr>
Developer(s)	Capcom <tr><th style="background-color: #ccccff;">Publisher(s)</th><td>Capcom</td></tr><tr><th style="background-color: #ccccff;">Designer(s)</th><td>Yoshiki Okamoto</td></tr>
Release date(s)	1984 (arcade) 2005 (PlayStation 2, Xbox as part of Capcom Classics Collection)
Genre(s)	Vertical scrolling shooter
Mode(s)	Single player, 2 player Co-op
Platform(s)	Arcade, Amstrad CPC, Commodore 64, MSX, NES, ZX Spectrum, NEC PC-8801, Game Boy Color, PlayStation 2, Xbox <tr><th style="background-color: #ccccff;">Input</th><td>8-way Joystick, 2 Buttons</td></tr><tr><th style="background-color: #ccccff;">Arcade cabinet</th><td>Upright</td></tr><tr><th style="background-color: #ccccff;">Arcade CPU(s)</th><td>Zilog Z80 (@ 4 MHz)</td></tr><tr><th style="background-color: #ccccff;">Arcade sound system(s)</th><td>Zilog Z80 (@ 3 MHz) 2x AY8910 (@ 1.5 MHz)</td></tr><tr><th style="background-color: #ccccff;">Arcade display</th><td>Raster, 224 x 256 pixels (Vertical), 256 colors</td></tr>

1942 is a vertically scrolling shoot 'em up made by Capcom that was released for the arcade in 1984. It was later ported to the NES, MSX, Amstrad CPC, ZX Spectrum, NEC PC-8801, Commodore 64 and Game Boy Color. It was included as part of Capcom Classics Collection for the Xbox and PlayStation 2 in 2005. 1942 is the first game in the 194x series, followed by 1943: The Battle of Midway.

The NES Version was developed by Micronics, a company known for producing shoddy NES ports of video games.

1942 is set in the Asian 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. The player (dubbed the "Super Ace", it's actually a P-38) pilots a plane, and has to shoot down enemy planes. Besides shooting, the player can also perform a "loop-the-loop" to avoid enemy fire.

Destroying a formation of red enemy planes will result in a power-up, there are different types as follows:

Two Machine Guns
Destroy all planes in the screen
Two Side Planes
Bonus Points
Extra Loops
(Rarity) One extra P-38

There are 32 levels, the ending of each finishes with the plane landing upon an aircraft carrier, receiving a debriefing and a briefing for the next mission. Players have to travel through Midway, Marshall, Attu, Rabaul, Leyte, Saipan, Iwo Jima, and finally Okinawa before reaching the ultimate goal, Tokyo. All enemies still displayed when it lands on the carrier will explode and earn the player points. Furthermore, be aware of stages that have the dreaded Japanese Mother Bomber Ayako blocking your way towards your aircraft. You cannot clear the stage unless you shoot down the Ayako in selected stages. Each level increases the difficulty and planes become more aggressive as you move throughout the 32 levels.

[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, principly in Capcom Generations 1 for the Playstation and Saturn consoles and later Capcom Classics Collection for the Playstation 2 and XBox. The Nintendo Entertainment System port of 1942 was released at Nintendo's behest on the Game Boy Advance as part of the NES Classics series (Famicom Mini in Japan).