1942 is set in the Pacific Theater of World War II, and is loosely based on the Battle of Midway. Despite the game being created by Japanese developers, the goal is to reach Tokyo and destroy the Japanese air fleet; this was due to being the first Capcom game designed with Western markets in mind. It went on to be a commercial success in arcades, becoming Japan's fifth highest-grossing table arcade game of 1986 and one of top five highest-grossing arcade conversion kits that year in the United States. It was ported to the NES, selling over 1 million copies worldwide, along with other home platforms.
This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (November 2020)
The player pilots a Lockheed P-38 Lightning dubbed the "Super Ace". The player has to shoot down enemy planes; to avoid enemy fire, the player can perform a roll or vertical loop. During the game, the player may collect a series of power-ups, one of them allowing the plane to be escorted by two other smaller fighters in a Tip Tow formation. Enemies included: Kawasaki Ki-61s, Mitsubishi A6M Zeros and Kawasaki Ki-48s. The boss plane is a Nakajima G10N.
The game has "a special roll button that allows players to avoid dangerous situations by temporarily looping out of" the playfield.[7] In addition to the standard high score, it also has a separate percentage high score, recording the best ratio of enemy fighters to enemies shot down.[1]
Development
The game was designed by Yoshiki Okamoto. The game's main goal was to be easily accessible for players. This is why they decided to use a World War II theme. 1942 was also the first Capcom game designed with Western markets in mind. That was why they decided to have the player pilot an American P-38 fighter plane, to appeal to the American market.[8] The game is loosely based on the Battle of Midway, which was a turning point in the Pacific War when the Americans began defeating the Japanese.[1]
Ports
The game was released to the MSX, NEC PC-8801, FM-7, and Sharp X1. It was released to the Famicom in 1985 in Japan and North America in 1986. The Famicom version was developed by Micronics.
A Game Boy Color version was also released in North America in May 2000 and the PAL region in the year 2001.
This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (August 2017)
In Japan, Game Machine listed 1942 on their January 1, 1985 issue as being the fourth most-popular arcade game for the previous two weeks.[16] It went on to be Japan's seventh highest-grossing table arcade game during the first half of 1986,[17] and the overall fifth highest-grossing table arcade game of 1986.[17][18] In the United States, it was one of the top five highest-grossing arcade conversion kits of 1986.[19] In the United Kingdom, it was the top-grossing arcade game on the Euromax arcade charts for five months in 1987, from July[20][21] through November.[22][23][24]
The NES version sold over 1 million copies worldwide.[25]1942 was Capcom's breakaway hit, eclipsing in popularity the company's preceding three titles: Vulgus, Sonson, and Pirate Ship Higemaru.
Mike Roberts reviewed the arcade game in the May 1985 issue of British magazine Computer Gamer. While noting the game's scenario was "an odd subject for a Japanese arcade manufacturer" to take up, he said it has "very nice graphics" especially the "graphically excellent loops" and had an "original" gameplay feature in the form of the percentage high score.[1] Retrospectively, Brett Alan Weiss of AllGame called it "a fondly remembered" shooter and praising the special roll button, "perfectly balanced gameplay, colorfully detailed graphics," and "nifty" power-ups, making "the game a true classic."[7]
Legacy
1942 was the first Capcom title to spawn a successful series of sequels, with five titles in the 194X line released from 1987 to 2000. Many of Capcom's other vertical shooters featured very similar gameplay, such as Varth: Operation Thunderstorm.
^Akagi, Masumi (13 October 2006). アーケードTVゲームリスト国内•海外編(1971-2005) [Arcade TV Game List: Domestic • Overseas Edition (1971-2005)] (in Japanese). Japan: Amusement News Agency. p. 112. ISBN978-4990251215.
^Hower, Daniel; Jacobson, Eric. . Archived from the original on 2014-07-08. Retrieved 2015-01-13.
^"The Arcade PCB by Williams Electronics, Inc. (EXPORT VERSION)". Gaming History.
^"Cor Blimey! The Budget Bit!". Zzap!64. No. 52. August 1989. p. 57.
^"1942". Commodore User. No. 38 (November 1986). 26 October 1986. pp. 40–1.
^"Game Machine's Best Hit Games 25 - テーブル型TVゲーム機 (Table Videos)". Game Machine (in Japanese). No. 251. Amusement Press, Inc. 1 January 1985. p. 37.
^ ab"Game Machine's Best Hit Games 25: '86 上半期" [Game Machine's Best Hit Games 25: First Half '86] (PDF). Game Machine (in Japanese). No. 288. Amusement Press, Inc. 15 July 1986. p. 28.
^"Game Machine's Best Hit Games 25: '86 下半期" [Game Machine's Best Hit Games 25: Second Half '86] (PDF). Game Machine (in Japanese). No. 300. Amusement Press, Inc. 15 January 1987. p. 16.
^"Coin Machine: AMOA Announces Awards Nominations" (PDF). Cash Box. August 23, 1986. p. 38.
^"Arcade Action: The Top Ten". Computer and Video Games. No. 71 (September 1987). 15 August 1987. p. 132.
^"Arcade Action: The Top Ten". Computer and Video Games. No. 73 (November 1987). 15 October 1987. p. 138.
This audio file was created from a revision of this article dated 5 May 2010 (2010-05-05), and does not reflect subsequent edits.
March 12, 2023
1942, video, game, 1994, video, game, 1942, pacific, 1942, vertically, scrolling, shooter, game, made, capcom, that, released, arcades, 1984, designed, yoshiki, okamoto, first, game, 194x, series, followed, 1943, battle, midway, 1942north, american, arcade, fl. For the 1994 DOS video game see 1942 The Pacific Air War 1942 is a vertically scrolling shooter game made by Capcom that was released for arcades in 1984 Designed by Yoshiki Okamoto it was the first game in the 194X series and was followed by 1943 The Battle of Midway 1942North American arcade flyerDeveloper s CapcomPublisher s Capcom Arcade WW CapcomNA Romstar 4 NA Williams Electronics 5 Ports Elite Systems C64 Digital Eclipse GBC Designer s Yoshiki OkamotoComposer s Ayako MoriPlatform s Arcade Arcade Nintendo Entertainment System MSX Amstrad CPC Commodore 64 ZX Spectrum NEC PC 8801 FM 7 Sharp X1 Game Boy Color PlayStation Sega Saturn PlayStation 2 Xbox PlayStation Portable Windows Mobile ProfessionalReleaseNovember 30 1984 Arcade JP November 30 1984 2 EU May 1985 1 NA July 1985 3 Famicom NESJP December 11 1985 1985 12 11 NA November 1 1986 1986 11 01 Game Boy Color NA May 2000 May 2000 PAL 2001 2001 Genre s Scrolling shooterMode s Single player multiplayerArcade systemCapcom Z80 6 1942 is set in the Pacific Theater of World War II and is loosely based on the Battle of Midway Despite the game being created by Japanese developers the goal is to reach Tokyo and destroy the Japanese air fleet this was due to being the first Capcom game designed with Western markets in mind It went on to be a commercial success in arcades becoming Japan s fifth highest grossing table arcade game of 1986 and one of top five highest grossing arcade conversion kits that year in the United States It was ported to the NES selling over 1 million copies worldwide along with other home platforms Contents 1 Gameplay 2 Development 3 Ports 4 Reception 5 Legacy 6 References 7 External linksGameplay Edit Arcade version screenshot This section needs expansion You can help by adding to it November 2020 The player pilots a Lockheed P 38 Lightning dubbed the Super Ace The player has to shoot down enemy planes to avoid enemy fire the player can perform a roll or vertical loop During the game the player may collect a series of power ups one of them allowing the plane to be escorted by two other smaller fighters in a Tip Tow formation Enemies included Kawasaki Ki 61s Mitsubishi A6M Zeros and Kawasaki Ki 48s The boss plane is a Nakajima G10N The game has a special roll button that allows players to avoid dangerous situations by temporarily looping out of the playfield 7 In addition to the standard high score it also has a separate percentage high score recording the best ratio of enemy fighters to enemies shot down 1 Development EditThe game was designed by Yoshiki Okamoto The game s main goal was to be easily accessible for players This is why they decided to use a World War II theme 1942 was also the first Capcom game designed with Western markets in mind That was why they decided to have the player pilot an American P 38 fighter plane to appeal to the American market 8 The game is loosely based on the Battle of Midway which was a turning point in the Pacific War when the Americans began defeating the Japanese 1 Ports EditThe game was released to the MSX NEC PC 8801 FM 7 and Sharp X1 It was released to the Famicom in 1985 in Japan and North America in 1986 The Famicom version was developed by Micronics A Game Boy Color version was also released in North America in May 2000 and the PAL region in the year 2001 The European games publisher Elite Systems later released versions for the Amstrad CPC ZX Spectrum and Commodore 64 The music of the Commodore 64 version is based on the main verse of Ron Goodwin s 633 Squadron movie score 9 with arrangement by Mark Cooksey 10 Reception EditReceptionAggregate scoreAggregatorScoreArcadeC64GBCiOSNESGameRankings53 11 Review scoresPublicationScoreArcadeC64GBCiOSNESAllGame 7 12 TouchArcade 13 Zzap 6487 14 Commodore User9 10 15 Computer GamerPositive 1 This section needs expansion You can help by adding to it August 2017 In Japan Game Machine listed 1942 on their January 1 1985 issue as being the fourth most popular arcade game for the previous two weeks 16 It went on to be Japan s seventh highest grossing table arcade game during the first half of 1986 17 and the overall fifth highest grossing table arcade game of 1986 17 18 In the United States it was one of the top five highest grossing arcade conversion kits of 1986 19 In the United Kingdom it was the top grossing arcade game on the Euromax arcade charts for five months in 1987 from July 20 21 through November 22 23 24 The NES version sold over 1 million copies worldwide 25 1942 was Capcom s breakaway hit eclipsing in popularity the company s preceding three titles Vulgus Sonson and Pirate Ship Higemaru Mike Roberts reviewed the arcade game in the May 1985 issue of British magazine Computer Gamer While noting the game s scenario was an odd subject for a Japanese arcade manufacturer to take up he said it has very nice graphics especially the graphically excellent loops and had an original gameplay feature in the form of the percentage high score 1 Retrospectively Brett Alan Weiss of AllGame called it a fondly remembered shooter and praising the special roll button perfectly balanced gameplay colorfully detailed graphics and nifty power ups making the game a true classic 7 Legacy Edit1942 was the first Capcom title to spawn a successful series of sequels with five titles in the 194X line released from 1987 to 2000 Many of Capcom s other vertical shooters featured very similar gameplay such as Varth Operation Thunderstorm It was re released in Capcom Generations 1 for the PlayStation and Saturn consoles It was featured in the Capcom Classics Collection for the PlayStation 2 and Xbox as well as Capcom Classics Collection Reloaded for the PlayStation Portable The arcade version was added to the Wii Virtual Console in Japan on December 21 2010 the PAL and North American regions in January 2011 It was also re released for Windows Mobile Professional 1942 Joint Strike was released for Xbox Live Arcade and PlayStation Network in 2008 1942 First Strike was released for iOS in 2010 The game series has sold a total of 1 4 million units worldwide as of December 31 2019 and stands as Capcom s 18th best selling franchise 26 References Edit a b c d e Roberts Mike May 1985 Coin Op Connection Computer Gamer No 2 United Kingdom Argus Press pp 26 7 1942 Registration Number PA0000291862 United States Copyright Office Retrieved 10 August 2021 Akagi Masumi 13 October 2006 アーケードTVゲームリスト国内 海外編 1971 2005 Arcade TV Game List Domestic Overseas Edition 1971 2005 in Japanese Japan Amusement News Agency p 112 ISBN 978 4990251215 Hower Daniel Jacobson Eric The Arcade Flyer Archive Video Game Flyers 1942 Romstar Archived from the original on 2014 07 08 Retrieved 2015 01 13 The Arcade PCB by Williams Electronics Inc EXPORT VERSION Gaming History CAPCOM Z80 BASED HARDWARE System 16 a b c Weiss Brett Alan 1942 Review AllGame Archived from the original on 2014 11 14 Retrieved 23 April 2021 Developer Interviews Capcom and the CPS 1 Gamest Vol 4 no 11 November 1989 September 30 1989 p 10 Review for 1942 Arranged Remixed tunes by Sabal Do Ghym MIRSOFT Archived from the original on 30 October 2016 Retrieved 4 January 2017 Game music base database of Games Games music and soundtracks mirsoft info Archived from the original on March 5 2016 1942 for Game Boy Color GameRankings CBS Interactive Archived from the original on 2019 12 09 Retrieved September 25 2018 Miller Skyler 1942 Legacy AllGame Archived from the original on December 11 2014 Retrieved August 21 2017 Musgrave Shaun March 17 2017 1942 Mobile Review Whoa Oh We re Midway There TouchArcade Retrieved September 25 2018 Cor Blimey The Budget Bit Zzap 64 No 52 August 1989 p 57 1942 Commodore User No 38 November 1986 26 October 1986 pp 40 1 Game Machine s Best Hit Games 25 テーブル型TVゲーム機 Table Videos Game Machine in Japanese No 251 Amusement Press Inc 1 January 1985 p 37 a b Game Machine s Best Hit Games 25 86 上半期 Game Machine s Best Hit Games 25 First Half 86 PDF Game Machine in Japanese No 288 Amusement Press Inc 15 July 1986 p 28 Game Machine s Best Hit Games 25 86 下半期 Game Machine s Best Hit Games 25 Second Half 86 PDF Game Machine in Japanese No 300 Amusement Press Inc 15 January 1987 p 16 Coin Machine AMOA Announces Awards Nominations PDF Cash Box August 23 1986 p 38 Arcade Action The Top Ten Computer and Video Games No 71 September 1987 15 August 1987 p 132 Arcade Action The Top Ten Computer and Video Games No 73 November 1987 15 October 1987 p 138 Arcade Action Archived 2015 01 17 at archive today Computer and Video Games December 1987 Arcade Action The Top Ten Computer and Video Games No 74 December 1987 15 November 1987 p 139 Arcade Action The Top Ten Computer and Video Games No 75 January 1988 15 December 1987 p 151 Kent Steven L September 6 2001 The Ultimate History of Video Games From Pong to Pokemon and Beyond The Story Behind the Craze That Touched Our Lives and Changed the World New York City New York Three Rivers Press p 351 ISBN 978 0761536437 CAPCOM Game Series Sales Retrieved February 15 2020 External links Edit Japan portal 1980s portal Video games portal World War II portal1942 at the Killer List of Videogames 1942 at Coinop org 1942 at SpectrumComputing co uk1942 at Lemon 64Listen to this article 4 minutes source source This audio file was created from a revision of this article dated 5 May 2010 2010 05 05 and does not reflect subsequent edits Audio help More spoken articles Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title 1942 video game amp oldid 1137964741, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
