1942
Reviewed by Adrian N.
In 1985, a little game came out called 1942. Made by "Captain Commando"
(now commonly referred to as "Capcom", this was the game that
started the whole "shoot-em-up" genre. True, there were other top-screen
shooters made that decade (Galaga immediately comes to mind.) However,
this was one of the more popular games, mainly due to the fact that
people could play it at home for as long as they liked. Well, at least
until that pesky thing called "sleep" takes over.
Graphics: 2.8 out of 5
The airplane graphics and the carriers are pretty good for a Nintendo
game. It lost a lot of points because of the background. In some parts,
the BG color is so bright or such a strange color that it kind-of hurts
to even look at it. I like the fact there are more than 2 kinds of different
looking enemies. Hmmm.....if the propellers aren't spinning, how is the
plane staying up?
Music and Sound: 1.5 out of 5
The sound effects are average. The usually collection of bleeps and pops.
Nothing really special about it, but then again nothing really bad either.
I would have scored this game more points in this category, but it has
no music!!! Every half a minute or so, a collection of "dings" is repeated
monotonously and in the same order. It's enough to drive you nuts!
An interesting part is that you can hear the gun-fire of aircraft off the
screen. (Pretty spiffy.)
Game Challenge: 3.7 out of 5
The first couple of stages are all very easy to beat. The stages after
the first boss get a lot harder, and you'll die more than twice on a
particular stage. The game is hard, but the number of continues that
you are offered brings down the difficulty.
Game Play-Fun: 4 out of 5
The game keeps track of your score, so you can show off if you want to.
It's also very addictive, and you'll find yourself playing more stages than
you planned to. Once you get all the power-ups, the game is even better.
Frustration
1942 can get irritating at times. If you die at a certain place where it's
almost impossible to survive without escort fighters, guess what? You'll
have to start at that place with nothing. Absolutely n-o-t-h-i-n-g.
Also, the (ahem) wonderful background colors are sometimes the same
as enemy fire, so you'll die without knowing what hit `cha.
Replayability: 3.9 out of 5
The sheer number of stages that you have to go through guarantees you'll
be playing this game for more than half an hour. You'll also play it a lot
after you beat it to try and beat your score.
Game Value: 4.3 out of 5
Considering that you can buy this game at around 5 bucks, it is definitely
worth the price. ....That is if you can find it in the first place. Different
game stores charge different prices, but you can expect to pay 5-12 dollars,
depending on where or who you get it from.
Overall: 4 out of 5
This is a good, fun game to play. And because of it's arcade-like quality,
this game will still be fun years from now. Some different scenery, and
maybe a 2-player simultaneous option would be nice though.