"Gather 'round, and I'll tell ya how I single handedly defeated the nazis"

If there's one genre the N.E.S. milked to death it was the shooter. Back then the games must have sold like mad, because almost every self respecting company put at least one if not two or three shooters during the life span of the N.E.S.

Capcom was no exception. Following the release of their 1942 shooter, Capcom brought us the sequel, cleverly titled 1943. While the vast majority of shooters featured a certain spacey intergalactic warfare feel to them, what with the spaceships and all, 1943 allows us to take the role of a WW2 fighter pilot.

This leads to some of the games good points as well as some of its bad points. The realism in this game is surprising high in some points. For starters, you are only given one life with which you have to destroy as much the opposing force as possible. Also, you are allowed to make adjustments to your P-38 to improve your attack, defense, special attack, etc. This adds a bit of customization. It's not much, but it's a welcome addition.

Not all is good in 1943, however. The graphics really failed to impress me. The backgrounds are generally nondescript and poorly detailed and the sprites are just as plain. My biggest problem with this game, however, is the fact that one man is thrown against an entire army. Yes, that's right, you, in your P-38 have to take on a whole smorgasbord of enemies. It works as a video game, but it's ridiculous from any other standpoint.

1943. A solid title at the end of the day.

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 11/01/99, Updated 11/01/99