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One of my favorite things in gaming over the last few months has been the Capcom Arcade
Cabinet, this digital compilation of classic Capcom arcade games. It�s been a lot of
fun revisiting stuff like Ghosts �n Goblins and Commando, and not to mention playing ones
like Savage Bees and Section Z for the very first time.
But unfortunately, all good things must end.
And this one�s ending...at the beginning.
That�s right. The fifth and final pack of games for the Capcom Arcade Cabinet is now
available. And this one�s going all the way back to 1984 to bring back SonSon, Pirate
Ship Higemaru...and this shoot �em up classic. From 1984, it�s 1942 in 2013.
Sounds like someone broke the space-time continuum.
So 1942 holds a pretty special place in Capcom�s history. They�d released a couple games
prior to this, but none of them were as popular as 1942. This one took arcades by storm, and
it set the stage for Capcom to do even bigger things later in the decade. 1942 would become
one of their defining arcade releases, and for very good reason. This is still just...an
awesome old-school shooter.
The game takes place, obviously, in 1942...over the Pacific Ocean. Hopefully, you kids know
your history and what was going on around that time and around that place. That�s
actually one of the most interesting things about 1942. See, video games were kind of
a whole new thing, and there weren�t very many of them taking on subject matter as serious
as World War II. Today that�s common, but back then?
It was mostly...aliens.
And hormone-crazed apes.
So the tone and concept of 1942 were certainly noteworthy. But how about the gameplay? Uh,
it�s 1942. Top-down vertical shooter, lots of airplanes...lots of bullets. Planes fly
all around you in formation, so you have to attack and be mindful of your maneuvering.
Now, this was two years post-Xevious, so...the vertical shooter had pretty much established
a formula by this point. And 1942 doesn�t really stray from what you�d expect. There
are power-ups that improve your gun, one of which lets two smaller planes join you in
formation. Of course, one of the more unique things about its gameplay is that...you can
do loops in midair to avoid enemy fire.
Another little thing that made it stand out in 1984.
1942 is a true classic, and it�s one of those games that�s been released on just
about every platform possible over the years. But it is nice to have it as part of this
particular collection. You get it side by side with its Capcom peers, as well as all
those modern arcade cabinet extras...trophies, different game modes, the works.
It�s 1942. And almost 30 years later, it�s still awesome.