Along came 1943, three years after the release of 1942, and features the same action and same goals as the first one did. Piloting a fighter plane, you fly deep into enemy territory and start firing away, ticking off whatever comes across your path as well as collecting bonuses that pop up from different places when you hit them correctly! Along with this, is the new feature of different weapons that you'll find through successful battle, and although they last for a limited time, they are worth the use? As the series rolls on though, you’ll find that there was another version of 1943 that was more or less a hybrid type of game that improved on the ideals that this particular title represented. With the constant action and the need to know how to move through the various screens of fighter jet destroying game play, this title could honestly be the start of the challenge that was so sorely missed in the previous titles. Visually appealing in all respects, you’ll find that until you work into the other 1940 games, there is nothing better than this one just yet!
As before, you're looking at sky full of fighter planes, and no place to go but right through them. You'll uncover bonuses and new weapons as you progress, both of which heighten your score, and give you maximum destruction power! Something new to the series is the flip maneuver, which allows you to avoid a screen full of shots with a simple press of the button. You'll see that the boss fights are still pretty much the same, having to face off against heavy battleships in a strafing run in an attempt to sink it. The challenge that you find throughout the game comes in with the different stages and you’ll find that with the different types of fighter planes that you have to face off against, there are several different strategies that you may have to undertake in order to get anywhere! This is not to say that the game is easy to defeat, because it’s not and you may end up spending some money in the process just to make it towards the end of the game.
It's the same control setup that 1942 had with a simple change. Hitting the start button allows you to back flip through a hail of enemy bullets without taking any damage! Now it is possible to let them all come at you, and then simply to that and skate right through with your plane intact. The new weapons require nothing special, only the presses of your firing button, so the fact that the game controls are familiar is a definite plus! The control is all still here, including the roll option, which will ultimately save your skin from getting blown out of the sky! The easy to learn, but hard to master back and forth will take practice when it comes down to the heavy fire that blazes across the screen, so learn and master ways around the incoming fire, and you'll do fine! Gamers who have any sort of experience in this type of game play will find that the game really isn’t all that hard to figure out and play with. Beginners may have some trouble in the later stages when it comes down to actually making it through the incoming enemy shots, but it’s nothing that a little practice and some patience can’t accomplish with some time thrown in for good measure.
Slightly upgraded from 1942, this sequel offers a little more in terms of upbeat music to go along with the action on screen. Explosions still rock through the speakers, and the gunshots seem to have taken on a shaker type of sound to them. Stage music is still looped, but at least it's a somewhat different theme, which is an improvement! The audio of the game is something that hasn’t changed overall from 1942. With the same damned music that stuck in your head from the first game, you’ll find that it has been recreated and spruced up just slightly for 1943! The sound effects are also of the same origin, in which your planes exploding and the machine gun fire is all blaring and blazing through your television speakers. What would have been nice to see, is some variation on the game music, because once you’ve heard that damned March of Midway tune, you can’t get it out of your head for weeks.
This is where the game starts getting better in terms of visuals and plane designs, but still needs room for improvement. Planes move fast, are relatively detailed and fit the updated concept of the game! The game levels are still a little on the drab side, but the constant speed of the action takes away from noticing the fact that the levels have nothing really to offer! With more lush environments that you fly through and the huge bosses at the end of the stage, you’ll find that plenty of detail and time was placed in this title than was in the previous! This goes to show that the series does have the ability to create games with improvements, and you’ll see that with the various speeds of the game as well as the different enemy types. One gripe that I personally have with the game, and that most people will see is that the game really doesn’t variate from one stage to the next! This is something that is noticeable, but it really depends on how much of a stickler for detail and variation you really are in the long run. Special effects are limited to the planes exploding and even that really isn’t much of a leap from the first title, so be prepared to see more of the same but with slightly better color.
Still a quarter muncher in the later levels, 1943 steps up the difficulty in the boss battles and even in the first few stages. Even though the game seems easy enough with the new flip option, you have to becareful because if you're caught with your pants down, you'll find yourself looking at a continue screen more than you will the game! 1943 is the second installment to a good series that seems to be getting better with each passing sequel. Out of all of the 1940 games that I've played, this one ranks third in terms of fun and innovation, showing that improvement isn't just a word in the dictionary, but an actual concept! Worth a couple of bucks to play, 1940 series players would do well to continue their gaming here before moving onto the next couple of entries.
7/10
//KasketDarfyre
