"What do you mean I have to shoot-down 'Ayako' 15 times?"

Let me go back to the days where video games were brand new to me. So new that we had turbo controllers that used EVERY button not just one. So new that you needed that to beat games. Remember those days? I do! So in the memory of those games, I went back to my past and pulled out 1943: The Battle of Midway one more time to see how well it ended up being.

Concept:

Take your typical rail/top-down scrolling shooter and put a few additional things to make it feasible to play (meaning you don't have to have the talents of a level 100,000,000 Kingslayer to play). Add in some power-ups, a few tough bosses, and a lot of here-and-there hidden items and this is what you get. And it's a great way to do it. By far one of the best concepts in shooter history! 10/10

Controls:

No problems for the most part. Shoot, move, pause if you need to, and then throw a last-moment lightning bolt to your enemies in order to stun them (even though this takes off a bit of damage from you as well). If they weren't perfect, this game would be bad from the beginning. 10/10

Graphics:

This game has the same problem a lot of early NES games had: Way too much of the same color. Mostly it's ether orange or green. Most of the enemy planes are green, and at times in some levels almost everything else is orange. I do like however, that each time you blow up something, it literally blows up, or there's a crater left where it once was. But it's not eye-candy at all. 4/10

Sound:

This is where the game does weaken a bit. Yes, there are some good bits of music to this game, but there's only 3 main ones, and 4 boss ones. They're ether ok, or just epic, but for the most part they're repeating over and over. I like the clings of metal as a sound effect, but again you'll be hearing that each blow to the enemy. If it didn't repeat, it'd be great. 7/10

Story:

This takes place during WWII, where the Japanese and Americans were fighting in the Pacific for control. Midway is a island area where these battles got red-hot. Sure enough, you're a fighter pilot that's going into enemy onslaughts left and right to win. I do have one major issue with this: Apparently, as you read in the title of this review, they seem to LOVE building Ayako planes. But where's your other fighter pilots and battleships? I love the idea of putting this into WWII but make it seem less like an one-man army, no matter how heavy the losses were. 4/10

Replay Value:

In theory, there should be tons of it. A shooter should always give you a challenge. However this is one of those that doesn't change at all. It's straight-forward to the point that mastering it will bore you to death. When you beat it, that's it. Done yet again. I wish there were more to it, but nope. Still, if you haven't beaten it, it's a drug you must take until you do. 3/10

Fun Factor:

Ok, in the basic terms, this game may not be so great. But there was something of a pride factor in playing this game. Telling your friends you were able to smash a stage that they couldn't even touch. The fact is, I was enjoying the dog-fighting from beginning to end. It's not the best game on paper, but shooters don't have to be. There's a lot of power-ups and things you can do to keep you happy, so have at it! 9/10

Challenge:

And more than likely, most of you reading this haven't beaten it. Up until a few days ago I haven't beaten it, and it took me 20 years! No kidding, this game is the edge of your seat tough if you can stand the insanity having to go though with it. The password system saves people pain, something that I think Capcom started with this game (thank God). It's balanced out though the many stages. Of course, you have to earn your final stage win, but all in all, a tough, but not impossible, game to play. 10/10

Fandom:

There's a slight problem with the fandom: Hardly anyone really puts this as the stand-out game in the series. All people point to 1942. Fair? Nope. I think this game was tons better and more original than this game, or the sequels 19XX and 1944, and those only game out in arcades. If you want to see the best in the series, it's here. So do yourselves a favor and youtube and eBay it to no end! 8/10

Over-all Rating:

I know this game is older than most people want to go back to, but I liked it. I'm not even going to try and hide the flaws in this game. It doesn't make the game less playable or worse, it just makes it more of an eye-sore or ear-rattling kind of affair. Not on the Wii but you should be able to eBay it if you want. It's worth checking out, if not for some one-way fun.

The best thing in Midway outside of the Monsters, well kind of. 74 out of 100.

Reviewer's Score: 7/10, Originally Posted: 12/07/10

Game Release: 1943: The Battle of Midway (US, October 1988)