1943: The Battle of Midway

"One of the harder NES games"

A hard, yet addicting NES game, is based on the crucial World War 2 Battle known as ''The Battle Of Midway'' that the USA fought against Japan in 1943. The objective of this game is pretty straightforward. Send a single lone plane smack dab into the midst of thousands of enemies across hostile territory to seek and destroy the base known as ''Totaku'' You are the pilot of the Hawknest, a potent little plane with 2 guns with infinite ammo. Your objective is simple. Rip the enemies apart, and survive. Now for the review.

Gameplay-7
Fun, yet basic, you simply dodge enemies while blowing them out of the sky. You aren't totally minimalist here, you can expend some of your life energy to use a lightning attack to attack all enemies, collect power ups to increase energy,Pts, or gain and obtain energy for special weapons. A good tip is to hold the B button to charge your guns. Then release it. For when you need power more than rapid fire.

Graphics-7
Well it's a rather old game, so it's not going to be spectacular, but it sure is good for a game of it's time. A bit on the pixellated side, the graphics are pretty smooth for their simplicity.

Sound-7
There isn't much sound, but it's good sound. The music certainly made this game better.

Control-10
Well since it's mostly moving and shooting, I don't think you'll need 20 page instructions for this. You can figure out the controls on your own. That's what I did.

Playability-10
Rated ''E'' for everyone. Though it sadly doesn't have a 2P battle mode so I can beat your 2 year old in combat.

Replay Value-5
There isn't much to do after you have beaten the game, but the addictive nature of this game, and the need to continue over and over again, will keep you coming back for more.

Challenge
Very Very High! This evens the odds of 1 plane versus a couple thousand. That's right, you're cannon fodder. Be prepared to be brutally shot down in flames.

Buy? Rent? Borrow? Burn?
I suggest rent or borrow, but I'd buy this game for a small sum of money. Then again I already have since I'm writing this review.

Saving
Passwords. Save them!

Player Info
You're stuck in the middle of the battlefield by yourself this time.

Overall-8
A great game overall. It's great for a few plays now and then. Who knows maybe it will pique your interest to know more about the real Battle of Midway. Replay value is questionable, though. Keep that in mind.

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 02/20/03, Updated 02/20/03