May Day May Day!
Overview
1943 is an arcade game based on the battles that made up the Battle of Midway in World War II. Piloting your lone P-38 fighter plane, it’s you against the enemy in a series of heated dogfights. The game is divided into missions. In each, you must battle small fighters, bombers, and transport planes that launch additional fighters. In some missions, attacks also come from heavily gunned warships. At the end of each mission is a final fight sequence in which you must destroy a super-sized bomber, warship, or a series of smaller troop carriers. Destroy the enemy and you advance to the next level,
Graphics 8/10
The graphics in 1943 are a 50/50 proposition. In the main part of each mission, the water is shown only as a blue pat tern with white dots. The enemies are distinct, but there’s nothing fancy. It’s pretty ordinary stuff. At the end of many missions, however, the enemy is vividly drawn against a brilliant blue background. When it finally explodes, it’s very impressive.
Gameplay/Controls 8/10
Bullets are your standard weapons. If you shoot a special POW icon, you can obtain more powerful weapons or additional energy. Special weapons and the P-38’s energy both work on a timer. When the timer for the former runs out, you revert to bullet fire. When the latter goes, the next hit will cause your plane to explode and end the game.
The P-38 runs on energy and its destructive power relies on the use of special weapons. As you play, there are ample opportunities to obtain plenty of each by finding bonuses, POWs, and power-ups. To live through the higher-level missions, you may need to find all items of this type. Grabbing them while dodging enemy fire takes a good eye and first-class arcade skills.
At the lower levels, enemies come down at you from the top of the screen. In the higher levels, there are no such re strictions. Enemies attack from the top, bottom, and sides— all at the same time. A controller with rapid-fire is highly recommended for playing 1943. Even with it, you’ll spend many hours trying to complete certain levels. Without one, your finger will be mighty sore before you get too far.
Sound/Music 10/10
The sound effects and music are first-rate. The machine gunfire and explosions are just what a game like this needs. The "out of energy" music sounds like a
foreshadowing of a sneaky murder attempt.
Replay Value 8/10
You’ll get a lot of play out of 1943. Once a friend thinks he’s figured out a mission, just try and get the controller away from him before he’s had “one last try.” I’m not sure why, but everyone I know finds 1943 a great game for reducing tension. After coming home from school or work, try shooting down up a few hundred war planes and blowing off steam at the same time. LOL!
Overall 9/10
Ain't much more to say except that the ending won't make you go insane like 1942 did. Boy, I wanted to shoot my TV to hell after that mess. XD
- by Tora Kouhi
