Epic battles. Lots of explosions. Massive boats. Do they all sound your type of thing? Well if so, 1942: Joint Strike is just what you need in your life. This arcade revamp is all about big weapons, over the top bosses and awesome explosions. Just what we’ve come to expect from Capcom. All you need to know is how to shoot. No real skill required, but damn is it fun.
1942: Joint Strike is a vertical scrolling shooter, similar to the likes of Galaga. You play as one of three planes. Each craft has it’s own stats which help you in battle, for instance, one has more health but is less powerful than the rest. Your aim is to fight through the hordes of enemies, dodging the may bullets that fill the screen each second and reach the final huge boss at the end. It is a tough game, as with many games of this kind. This isn’t helped by the fact there is no level select screen, or continues after you lose all your lives, until you have beaten the game. Which is hard…Very hard.
Just because it’s hard doesn’t mean it’s fun. Joint Strike is a brilliant remake of the arcade classic and the core gameplay is still as fun and as addictive as the original that kept you shoving your pennies in the machine. The problem is though; it’s too short. It’s only around 30 minutes to maybe 1 hour and a half long if you attempt to beat it in one sitting. But that amount of time is well spent shooting the heck out of those planes with over the top weaponry. The unfortunate thing is, once you’ve beaten the game, the fun sort of wears off.
If you have another friend who is up for some major destruction, the co-op mode is fantastic. 1942 feels like it was made with the co-op in mind. The Joint Strike of the title is a special power that you and your co-op partner can use to cause massive havoc on screen. Each plane has it’s own version of the Joint Strike which can lead to some interesting results.
The graphical overhaul of this arcade classic really does make 1942 look great. Not brilliant, but great. There are a few areas that could use a bit of improvement, but the explosions and huge bosses look pretty neat.
1942: Joint Strike is a heck of a lot of fun. Especially with a co-op partner. It’s big fault is that it’s too short. If you aren’t accustomed to vertical shooters then it may take you a little longer, but an average gamer can probably get through the levels in about an hour/hour and a half. With not much in the way of replay, no customisation and fun that wears off pretty quickly, Joint Strike doesn’t really warrant a purchase for 800 MS Points. It’s a barrel of fun and if it was 400 MS Points I would gladly recommend it. But as it stands, Joint Strike is not worth the points.