1942, 1984 Capcom (20 From 1984 #3)
14Seminal vertically scrolling shoot-em-up that would set the standard for many to follow! Pilot your P-38 Lightning through unfriendly skies as an American trying to take down the Japanese forces during WWII. Yes, this is a Japanese-made game with an American hero, ending the lives of Japanese pilots. Aaaaanyway.. Various power ups will be available to you if you can take down an entire group of red planes that periodically make an appearance; they drop a POW symbol (one of Capcom's most recognizable icons, as well as the yashichi that also appears here) and when picked up you can get extra firepower (double your shots, making a total of 4), option planes (they shoot when you do-- also a staple of shoot-em-ups to come), smart bombs, etc. Besides quick reflexes, you can also be saved by the use of the "LOOP" button-- this lets you do a quick loop during which you are invincible. DON'T forget you have these (though they are limited, you can earn more from some of the POWs)! When quarters get too tight and you're about to be shot/rammed, use the loop to save your bacon. Most of the planes you encounter are small but can kill you just as easily as any other plane with a bullet or collision, and some appear from the top of the screen while others appear from the sides. And don't linger around the bottom of the screen too long, as large planes like to fly up from behind. These large planes take many shots to bring down and scatter a few shots or so down at you. The action gets pretty tight with the different planes coming from different angles, so again-- don't forget your loops! Reaching the battleship/carrier will end a stage and give you a breather-- thank God, since there are 33 stages in all! Continues are granted with another credit, too. If you can reach the end of the game you will get a TEN MILLION POINT BONUS! Wowsers! The only real detriment to this game is the annoying sound effect that plays in lieu of a steady soundtrack-- sounds like crickets chirping or something! Other than that this is a good entry in the long line of WWII-themed aerial battle games by Capcom, including 1943, 1941, etc. See you soon for the last 2 games in my 1984 series, and then it's on to the requests, and perhaps a surprise video or two, then on to 1985!