Game of the Month - 1943 - Review

Damien C

I am so incredibly delighted that this month 1943 will get the coverage it deserves. Everyone knows I am a big fan of shoot-em-ups, and I honestly think that none of them, especially 1943, get enough recognition. Most of them get no recognition at all. In this age of 64-bit high-resolution 16-million color 3D-rendered graphics and multi-disc FMV RPG epics, shooters are becoming less and less common and less and less entertaining.

Let's take a trip back in time, back to 1987 (on or around 198X I can only assume) back when 256 colors were all the rage and all you needed to 0wn at arcades was 25¢ and some quick reflexes. Back when games where you blew stuff up were still all the rage. Enter the immortal 1943, by Capcom.

In this sequel to what is recognized by many as the father of the modern shoot-em-up, 1942, you fly a United States P-38 Lightning during the Battle of Midway in the Pacific Ocean during World War II. The NES version's graphics, sound, and music are obviously not as good as the arcade version, but more than stands out among NES shooters. It is a vast improvement over 1942 in all areas.

Graphics are fairly close to the original, with the obvious color and sprite limitations of the NES. They get the job done, however.

The music is straight from the arcade version, and although I think one song is missing, it is still great music and fits the World War II theme perfectly. I guarantee you'll find yourself humming the title screen music or the stage 1 music to yourself sooner or later.

The gameplay is everything you'd expect from a Capcom shooter: it starts out rather docile, but quickly becomes fast and furious, requiring you to dodge enemy fire and shells while taking out scores of Japanese fighters and bombers. The weapons are identical to the arcade version with the exception of the Shot Gun, which is vastly improved to provide more destructive power (it more closely resembles the 1943 Kai Shot Gun). The power-ups are all there, although they seem to have different effects. For instance, the cow and barrel simply give you points in the arcade version, whereas in the NES version they give ammunition and energy, respectively.

Naturally, no NES game is without it's flaws. Don't even think about playing this game without a turbo controller, unless you want a severely damaged wrist. I was a little annoyed that there is no password for the final level. This game has the same problem that shooters like Gradius have; once you lose your power ups, it's very hard to get them back and get back up to full fighting efficiency. One other little thing bothered me: the names of the battleships/carriers were changed. I liked how in the arcade version it was historically accurate, with the names the carriers (Kaga, Akagi, Hiryu, and Soryu) and the command battleship (Yamato)*.

So if you're a big fan of games where you shoot stuff or a big World War II fan, give 1943 a whirl. But remember to pick up the turbo controller.

-Damien C.
2/26/2001

* Included is an IPS patch which may be used as a ROM hack of 1943 entitled "1943 DX." It makes the names of the ships historically accurate and replaces the number fonts with the ones from the arcade version.