Let's
get all this sorted before we start. 1942
was Capcom's first version, then came 1943,
a reworking as 1943 Kai,
and finally 1941. Each one added extra bolt-ons and ever increasing
amounts of sprites onscreen, with bigger and better baddies. 1941
is the final instalment (disregarding the arcade 19XX
which I hadn't seen at the time of writing this!).
The
PC Engine SuperGraphx hosted a perfect version of 1941, but as you
may or may not know, trying to play it on MagicEngine is slightly
difficult - no sprites! It's only now, with Callus coming to our
rescue, that we can play it properly. I remember playing 1942 on
my old Commie64 aeons ago, and I loved it then. Swirling fighters,
looming bombers, and bullets a-flying... and things haven't changed
since. Some people might wish for super effects and CD-music, but
this old-school shmup epitomises what a shooter stood for: plain
old blasting fun, where skill alone dictates progress and the rewards
are hard-won.
This
reminds me of a thought I had a while ago. I was wondering why we
play games nowadays. Back in the days of the prehistoric machines,
I played a game because of the immediate pleasure I got from beating
the machine, getting the highest score in the arcade, and the sheer
exhilaration of the joystick-pumping dexterity required to win.
It's
not often I see games like this today: what are the rewards now?
To see the graphics on the next level, and to watch out for the
next amazing special effect and set-piece? Waiting 60 seconds for
the next level of 'action' that requires the manual handy because
there're too many controls to remember!! Are we playing demos or
games? Personally, give me Scramble before Wing-Commander, and Mario
(NES) before Pandemonium.
I
don't need a plot, FMV or cutting edge 3D multi-aliased-transparent-mip-bip-blapping,
and a team of fifty people working on one game - all this extra
clutter gets in the way of the flow of a good game, stifles any
raw enjoyment that might be left in there. That's not to say modern
games are all pish: Doom got it right, Quake (imho) didn't. Ridge
Racer was ace, Need for Speed was mince. Mario 64 is unbeatable;
Gex2, Rascal, Croc, Jersey Devil all missed the point. Neither Doom,
Ridge nor Mario 64 needs a complex plot, or hours of Hollywood 'film'
- you pick em up, you play em, and you have fun. They are GAMES
in the true sense, not one of these entertainment-multimedia-showcase
titles. What do you think - am I talking bollocks or sense here...
Oops.
Got distracted. 1941 eh? Smart wee game, give it a blast!
1941
- CAPCOM
