Ask anyone here at QPHQ and they’ll tell you how glad they are 1942: Joint Strike finally came out. Mostly because it means they don’t have to listen to me talk about it anymore.

Developer- Backbone Entertainment
Publisher- Capcom

My first encounter with the 194X series is a distant and blurry one. Sandwiched somewhere between that time a family friend spun around so much he stumbled head first through a cabinet into our entertainment system, and the myriad nights sitting at the table a half hour past everyone else because I refused to eat my greens, I vaguely remember piloting a plane, dodging bullets, and never getting past the second level.

Fast forward about 15 years to a study abroad program in Japan. I was cruising the arcades one night in Jiyugaoka when I spotted a Strikers 1945 machine, I thought I remembered some variation of the game from back in the day. “Why not?” I asked, as I sat down and plopped in a 100 yen piece. I got schooled. I plopped in another 100 yen. I got worked. 10 minutes later I was running to the change machine to try and get more 100 yen pieces before the ‘game over’ timer ran out. Needless to say I didn’t make it. And so began my serious addiction to the 194X series and all its incarnations. So when I heard that a remake of 1942 was coming to XBLA I nearly soiled myself.

1942: Joint Strike has undergone the expected face lift. The game is presented in old-timey film style, and fades in an out of sepia tones as you progress through different sections of the levels. The graphics are very impressive and the sense of altitude (such as diving into a canyon, or flying over cities) is exceptionally well done. Returning fans of the series will be happy to see familiar locales such as the docks and the train yard, as well as slightly familiar bosses with newly incarnated powers.

The addition of a health bar and missile strikes drastically changes game strategy from frantically dodging bullets while trying to stay on your enemys tail to strategically blowing the sh*t out of bigger bombers and helicopters. However, missile strikes will not always target your biggest threat. Sometimes a barrage of missiles will annihilate a crippled tank on the other side of the screen while a gunship and two plane squadrons unload on you.

1942: Joint Strike suffers from the same problem as Capcom’s recent remake of the Commando series. You are given three planes to choose from but one of them is too slow to properly dodge higher degrees of bullet hell, and the other is too weak to withstand the kind of damage one normally takes during the course of a level. Granted these planes are blessed in other areas such as more life and higher mobility respectively, but for some reason these additions just don’t seem to cut it.

The game is also lacking in the power-ups division. Besides your standard blaster there are three guns, each with two degrees of firepower: Gatling gun, spread shot, and laser. If memory serves there are at least four levels of firepower for each gun in Strikers 1945 and while not all power-ups are exactly useful like in Joint Strike (I’m looking at you Spread shot!) it’s at least nice to know you have more options. Of course you can also pick up health, extra planes, bombs and such with some impressive shooting.

The control scheme for these types of games doesn’t transfer very well to the controller either. It’s way easier and more comfortable to sit at an arcade machine with a joystick spaced apart from two buttons. The main difference being you shoot with your middle finger in arcade and your thumb on console. The problem is the thumb is nowhere near as fast the middle finger. You only use your wrist to tap rapidly with your middle finger whereas you have to rotate your whole arm to tap quickly with your thumb. Cut scenes within the levels serve to break up the thumb destroying action, but unless you’ve prepared, you’re going to be hurting after a few sessions with this game.

Online play is excellent if you can find someone who won’t drop out on you once they’ve died. The added “Joint Strikes” add necessary variation to the game play, and let’s face it, this game is more fun with another person anyway. ‘Tis better to give hell than to receive.

Overall, 1942: Joint Strike is a faithful remake of the series that sticks to the proven formula, but comes across slightly less fun on console than in the arcade. At least I won’t have to spend 10 dollars every time I sit down to play it.

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