1943: The Battle of Midway

"Another great flight shooter, superior to the original"

Another classic, if not slightly cliched World War II flight/shoot ‘em up game made by Capcom. Although it was made in 1988 it managed to effectively combine the excellent features of its predecessor 1942 (Capcom, 1985), with added twists and features.

Ratings

Story – 7/10 : Once again the plot is set in the Pacific region of World War 2, and you are again left in the position of being a single American fighter pilot assaulting the brunt of the imperial Japanese navy and air force. This time however, the plot is made much more detailed, which enhances the mood of play, when you have a specific goal to accomplish. This time the battle of the conflict is specified, being The Battle Of Midway. Also, the objective of your individual, fictional campaign is listed, being to protect the main American fleet off Valhalla Island, and assault the main enemy carrier Totaku. Increased characterization of your pilot added further to a high plot rating.

Sound Effects/Music – 8/10 : An astonishing improvement over 1942’s complete lack of music, 1943 features a full score, and numerous interesting sound effects. The sound effects, although not perfect, are well placed and interesting, outfitting a variety of actions, including the use of rolls, special attacks, weapons firing, exploding when one’s health is at zero, completing levels, and creating text. The music is also well composed, and more or less fits every mood, from upbeat melodies at a level’s beginning to foreboding tunes when nearing a level boss. Despite the fact most of the music seems to be modified versions of Megaman (Capcom, 1987) scores, the melodies have their own unique excellence for the genre.

Graphics – 9/10 : As usual Capcom has outdid itself in graphics quality, producing a quality of images surpassing almost all NES releases of that year. Although I personally dislike the colour scheme on the American fighter plane in 1943, the colour, and animation improvements are noticeable, including less ridgedness on the borders of the enemy planes and ships, and a greater attention to detail. Each special weapon also has an individual graphic, which, although having colour similarities are unique in appearance. Developments in 3D graphics are also shown in nearly flawless animation when one’s plane rolls. However, this category loses points with me due to the fact that few improvements have been made in the quality of the backgrounds. Although I realize it is difficult to increase the quality of such a graphic when the format of a game is so similar, the variety of types of backgrounds also did not change, and viewers who played 1942 are left to fly over grounds that many of which look almost rehashed from that program.

Originality – 7/10 : Despite the fact the plot and overall format of this game is almost identical to 1943, I still gave it a high originality. Not because of the finer plot, but because of the creativity used in the special attacks and bonuses available. The game includes over five types of weapons, including health bonuses, many of which are new concepts in shoot ‘em up games, such as Auto and Super Shot. In a historically unsound, yet interesting twist, one can destroy all the enemies of the screen by using weapon and energy reserves to summon enormous bolts of lightning, or twirling storms. In addition, like most excellent video games, numerous extra bonuses are available that attaining will not directly affect your progress in the game. These point-gaining bonuses include things one would not often see when flying over the Pacific Ocean in the mid-1940’s, such as strawberries, cows, and spacemen.

Play Control – 10/10 : Once again NES gamers can experience the enjoyment of an impeccable play control. Each of the actions perform faultlessly and increase the gameplay, as well as the replayability. The control, which has not in the least decreased since the original, is probably once again the game’s best feature, and little more can be said about it, except continued praising remarks.

Difficulty – 7/10 : Just like in play control and graphics, 1943 continues 1942’s legacy of being extremely difficult. It is only a notch less arduous than 1942. The increase in weapons upgrades and attacks makes the game slightly easier, as does the presence of a health meter, rather than the previous, “one shot and you’re dead” method. The technology that most helps lower the difficulty in the game though, is the existence of passwords, so one does not have to finish the game in a one sitting. With the advent of passwords, one would think the game would become considerably easier than its predecessor. However, this was not the case, as due to mammoth portions of enemy planes, bombers, and warship shells being flung toward your position, even veteran pilots will have difficulties not taking enemy blows. Not to mention, at the end of every level a boss (an enemy craft) must be destroyed, which tallies a strength of hundreds of smaller craft. The enemy usually incarnates a form as a bomber or a ship.

Gameplay Variety – 6.5/10 : 1943 is like 1942 in that, it shows very little variety in gameplay. As one passes over used backgrounds destroying familiar enemy planes and ships with only increasing challenge to make each level different, one can realize this. This lack of gameplay variety causes this game to become boring with time also, decreasing the gameplay. Despite this, I still ranked this category highly, due to the fact that the variety of bonuses and weapons was increased in the game (changing conditions in the game), and because it is likely some of the lack of variety was planned. Chances are the creators either wanted a straight foreword shooter without extra options, or did not have the technology to add anything else to the cartridge (you have to give some of these games the benefit of the doubt).

Gameplay/Enjoyment – 7.5/10 : The gameplay factor for 1943 is largely based on working for a higher score, which may causes one to become obsessed with the attempt to raise a personal mark, although most people can enjoy 1943 for its graphics and play control alone. Basically, the gameplay isn’t overly high because one must have a lot of patience to complete the game.

Two-Player Gaming Value – OMIT : I don’t think I should rank this game for a score in this category or take away marks, due to its lack of this function.

Ending – 7/10 : When considering the quality of the rest of the game, the ending is reasonable fair. Although not what will be expected, it is satisfying, and after the destruction of Totaku it basically finishes up the plot in a small sequence, larger than most NES endings for the time period.

Replayability – 7.5/10 : The replayability of 1943 is only slightly higher than 1942. Although the personal competition one faces by trying to get a higher score, and the attempt to see new weapons may make this game interesting, the low gameplay variety and lack of a two-player option makes this game get repetitive and boring with time. I think however, one will experience many hours of excellent gameplay before this sets in, and probably you will wish to play it again.

Overall Score – 7.72/10 (Rounded To: 8) (NOTE: This is an average of all previous ratings except, “Difficulty.”) : Overall, 1943 is an excellent game, and a worthy successor to 1942. However, despite the increase in weapon upgrades, bonuses, and bosses, it did not save the predictable format of the game from becoming any less repetitive. However, due to the personal competition and challenge the game induces, especially by the standards of the age it was made in, I believe it is a must buy, if it is seen available on the open market.

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 03/22/01, Updated 03/22/01