1943: The Battle of Midway

"Would've been funny if they reversed the roles in the Japanese version"

That's right.Instead of doing a review of the U.S release of 1943: Battle of Midway, My review is on its Japanese counterpart,1943: Battle of Valhalla.

Too be fair, Its almost exactly like the U.S version. The only amusing difference I found was in the box art. Instead of a P38 lightning chasing down a Japanese Zero Fighter, The P38 is actually being chased by the Japanese plane XD. Aside from that and of course the Japanese text, the games are totally identical. Its actually kind of funny playing a Japanese game where you get to shoot down Japanese planes and ships, and it amuses me even more to find out that there is even a sequel to this game that was never released outside Japan called 1943 KAI.

Graphics: 7/10
Lets face it, Its Nintendo, or in this case the famicom. Even though the 8 bit graphics pail in comparison to the arcade, it still works well with the gameplay.

Music: 8/10
If your no good at top down shooters and you have played 1943 before, chances are that the opening melody has been burned into your brain as well. despite the 8 bit sounds and the annoying tune that plays when your energy is low, the music never gets old and it certainly an improvement over 1942's "beep beep beeep beeeeeep".

Gameplay: 10
On a kickass scale of 1-10, you would have to get another scale because this game ranks up to 20 at least. Being an avid gamer, a top down shooter fan, a history nut, and a WWII fan, This game is like an orgy of my favorite things put together. and the gameplay not that bad either XD! Never has being outnumbered been so fun. Its always a good time to take on The Entire Imperial Japanese Navy with just a fighter plane, and a hell of a lot of ammo. Each hit feels satisfying, The power-ups are fun too use, and when you die its out of your own stupidity.

Overall: 9/10
If your a WWII fan/ gamer whole like tons of action, and just love to blow stuff up, then this game is definitely for you. However, if you are a casual gamer who doesn't much care for history, high difficulty, and has a low tolerance for getting shot down, I suggest you look for a more simple title on the Nintendo Entertainment System or Famicom.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 04/14/09

Game Release: 1943 (JP, 06/20/89)