Xbox LIVE Arcade Review: 1942: Joint Strike

The World War II shooter is back! But how does a game with the title 1942 fare in the year 2008?

by nestlekwik

With Capcom’s string of retro goodness being brought to the Xbox 360 in a truly updated fashion, the company’s World War II arcade bullet fest makes its return. Almost 25 years after 1942 first hit arcades, Joint Strike returns the series to its roots and is another example of why Capcom is one of the very few masters of the Xbox Live Arcade domain.

There’s really not much to explain about 1942. Enemies appear; you shoot enemies; you dodge their bullets. There’s nothing complicated about the formula, but that’s exactly why it has worked for decades and the additions and tweaks Joint Strike made to the 1942 series create a very accessible and challenging action game for the Live library.

The replayability of the title is extremely deceptive at first as players who tear through the game on the easiest difficulty may not find much more to do with the game. At the surface, the game is extremely short, weighing in at five stages. However, players can create a number of different experiences by mixing the game’s four different planes (one plane is hidden in the game) with a number of different difficulties and playing with a teammate opens up more attack options. It’s impossible to experience everything in a single play through, so players that put the controller down after downing the final boss will miss a little bit of the game’s depth. If players are willing to devote the time to the title, they’ll find unique ways to play through the short game a number of times.

The graphics might be a tad small, however, they are extremely detailed and small touches such as bellowing smoke from a player’s damaged planes provide suitable visual cues. Audibly, the game is fantastic with a host of familiar music and sound for fans of the series, all while retuning the sound to bring the game up to date. Thankfully, the control is tight and players have much more at their disposal than hammering on a single button to fire. Players will need those tools in order to tackle this very challenging game.

Even on the easiest difficulty, 1942: Joint Strike isn’t a walk in the park. That being said, the game does a good job of walking the fine line between challenging and insanely stupid hard. The four-star difficulty will challenge vets of the bullet hell genre, but any player should be able to find a difficulty at which they can still fully enjoy the game. The genre is a little more niche while compared to Capcom’s other upcoming Live efforts, but there’s still a little something for everyone for anyone who likes balls-to-the-wall action. While the game is short, the online play could be better and more options and variation such as the escape sequence after the first boss would have been extremely welcome, you still get a good retro punch for your money.

GemuBaka Final Review Score: 4 of 5