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FAQ / Strategy Guide
Version 1.0
written by Heronblade, aka Robot
January 10, 2011
8bitcity.blogspot.com
visit 8-Bit City!
===============================================================================
TABLE OF CONTENTS
===============================================================================
1. Introduction and Mini-Review
2. History
3. Controls and Cabinet
4. Tips and Tricks
5. Enemies
6. Powerups
7. Ports and Versions
8. Stages and Bonuses
9. Achievements
10. Contact Info
11. Copyright and Legal Info
===============================================================================
1. Introduction and Mini-Review
===============================================================================
Welcome to the first 1942 Arcade FAQ/Walkthrough! 1942 is a classic and one
of my favorite games, so I couldn't sit by idly while it existed with no
GameFAQs representation. This game seems to attract a lot of negative
criticism. The most likely explanation being that some gamers might be
initially revolted by the sound and less-than-excited about the graphics.
The sound is terrible, mute the game by any means necessary!
The graphics, however, display much skill and charm, especially in a market
saturated by space shooters (1984).
Although the gameplay could be considered "repetative" by modern vertical-
scrolling shooter standards, compared to Galaga and Xevious, 1942 can
easily hold its own in comparison.
Most importantly, what 1942 has that other, flashier shooter do not is game
balance! 1942 provides gamers with a consistent challenge, adjustable
difficulty, and 32 levels of the Pacific Theatre.
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2. History
===============================================================================
1942 was released in 1984 by Capcom for the arcades across the world.
It is the fourth shooter created by Capcom, the previous three being:
Vulgas, Son Son, and Pirate Ship Higemaru. Unlike the others, 1942 was an
instant classic. Most children of the '80s and '90s will remember seeing
1942 and 1943 machines populating most larger arcades.
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3. Controls and Cabinet
===============================================================================
Joystick: Manauvre your P-38 Lightning "Super Ace"
Button 1: Fire machine guns
Button 2: Do a barrel roll (well, a "loop-the-loop").
1942 supports both right and left-handed gameplay.
1942 runs on a Z80 Zilog 4 MHz chip
224 x 256 Resolution (Vertical Orientation)
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4. Tips and Tricks
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-Set the cabinet or settings to give you as many fighters as possible when
learning the game. It takes a lot of time to get a Game Over.
-Stay away from the bottom of the screen, bombers often travel up!
-Use the loops on the Huge Bosses!
-Don't stay stationary
-Anticipate enemies flying onto the screen and ALWAY FIRE THE MACHINE GUN!
-Practice using the loops when you foresee an impossible situation.
-Don't ignore the small fighters when bugger prey flies on screen, the
little planes can kill you just as effectively (if not more-effectively).
===============================================================================
5. Enemies
===============================================================================
Small Green Plane (Zero): 30 Points
-------------------------------------
These guys aren't too much trouble, but they can provide a serious problem
in large swarms. They move similarly to Galagans, looping randomly.
Small Grey Zero: 50 Points
----------------------------
Easiest enemy in the game. They fly right at you, making it quite easy
to destroy wave after wave of them.
Small Red Power-Up Zeros: 100 Points
-------------------------------------
You'll also receive a 500 point bonus for killing all of them, and 1000
more when you grab their POW.
Small Green Fighter Jet: 150 Points
------------------------------------
These planes did not exist in 1942, but they will fuck your game up
nonetheless. The fly in from the side, barrel roll a few times, then
Kamakaze into your P-38. Not to mention the cost of creating a Jet Fighter
fighter in the early '40s only to crash it to stop a single plane...
Small Green Plane (with strange wings): 70 Points
--------------------------------------------------
I'm not sure what aircraft these guys are supposed to represent, but
they act similarly to the regular green Zeros. They feel only slightly
less dangerous, but are worth more points for some reason.
Small Lonely Green Zero: 5,000 Points
---------------------------------------
These guys fly in from the bottom, and look very strange when they do so.
Don't let him fly away, he's worth tons of points!
Medium Green and Yellow Planes (Aichi D3A): 1,000 - 1,500 Points
-----------------------------------------------------------------
If you don't destroy them, you still get 100 points per shot landed, so
never give up! At first, the medium planes tend to loop around the
screen, but later on they like to fly up from the bottom of the screen
and then fly right off the top while firing at you. They come in
1, 2, or 3 Propeller varieties. In WW2, these planes sunk more allied
ships than any other, but not all of the medium planes are modeled
after the D3A.
Large Green Bombers (Nakajima B6N): 2,000 - 9,000 Points
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Novice players might confuse these planes for the bosses of 1942.
Almost, but not quite. The bombers fly up from the bottom of the screen
and attack the player with a tail gun. You'll receive 2,000 Points
for the first one you destroy and an additional 500 Points for every
successive bomber destroyed. You can earn up to 9,000 Points for
the big bombers!
Large Gray/Yellow Bombers (Nakajima B6N): 2,000 - 9,000 Points
--------------------------------------------------------------------
The palette-swap of the large bomber fires significantly more bullets.
Super Boss Plane (Ayako): 20,000 - 50,000 Points
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Warning! Huge Battleship Approaching!
You'll fight these badasses every eight stages (26, 18, 10, 2).
Each one requires five increasing shots to defeat (35, 40, 45, 50).
Use your loops!
===============================================================================
6. Power-Ups
===============================================================================
White/Red POW - Destroys all enemies on the screen.
Brown/Orange POW - Summon 2 wingmen to provide support fire!
Grey/Black POW - Double your P-38's firepower.
Red/Red POW - Only gives you 1,000 points :(
Orange/Brown POW - Stops small enemy fire temporarily.
Yellow/Brown POW - Extra Loop
Shuriken - Destroy the strange green plane, and he'll drop this
special Capcom item, worth 5,000 points.
===============================================================================
7. Ports and Versions
===============================================================================
-Ported the Playstation 2 as part of Capcom Collection Vol 1. in 2005
-Ported to the Nintendo Wii in Japan on December 26, 2010
-Scheduled for release in NTSC and PAL regions in 2011
-Home versions exist for the following systems:
-NES, 1985
-Commodore 64, 1986 (Europe)
-Game Boy Color, 2000
-MSX, 1986 (Japan)
-MSXII, 198? (Japan)
-Sinclair ZX Spectrum, 1986 (Europe)
-Amstrad CPC, 1986 (Europe)
In 2007, Capcom "updated" 1942 and released 1942: Joint Strike for the
XBOX 360. Instead of a remake, it's really an entirely new (and fun!) game.
===============================================================================
8. Stages and Bonuses
===============================================================================
The stages names don't really affect gameplay, but were real battles.
32 - 29 Midway
28 - 25 Marshall
24 - 21 Attu
20 - 17 Rabaul
16 - 13 Leyte
12 - 09 Saipan
08 - 05 Iwojima
04 - 01 Okinawa
[ % AND POINT UP STAGES ]
In levels, 29, 25, 21, 17, 13, 9, 5, and 1 the small planes will not fire
at you, so take advantage of them and rack up a high score. The medium
and large planes, however, still fire regular shots.
Your Destruction Percentage effects the bonus you
receive at the end of a level.
100 % 50,000 Points
95 - 99 % 20,000 Points
90 - 94 % 10,000 Points
85 - 89 % 5,000 Points
80 - 84 % 4,000 Points
70 - 79 % 3,000 Points
60 - 69 % 2,000 Points
50 - 59 % 1,000 Points
00 - 49 % 0 Points
Beating the game awards 10,000,000 Points ! ! ! ! !
===============================================================================
9. Achievements
===============================================================================
The game does not have achievements, but here are some milestones and
recommendations that compliment the game design:
[ ] Beat the first level without dying
[ ] Achieve 40,000 Points
[ ] Achieve 100,000 Points
[ ] Achieve 500,000 Points
[ ] Achieve 1,000,000 Points
[ ] Achieve 10,000,000 Points
[ ] Beat the first Super Boss
[ ] Beat all Bosses
[ ] Complete the game
[ ] Beat the first Super Boss (on 1 credit)
[ ] Beat all Bosses (on 1 credit)
[ ] Complete the game (on 1 credit)
[ ] Beat the first Super Boss (on 1 life)
[ ] Beat all Bosses (on 1 life)
[ ] Complete the game (on 1 life)
===============================================================================
10. Contact Info
===============================================================================
Did you enjoy this guide?
Do you have a 1942 strategy, tip, or bit of trivia that belongs in the guide?
Do you have any interesting stories about playing 1942 in an arcade?
Did you complete a difficult achievement?
I welcome all feedback and comments on this FAQ!
Email me at
[email protected], just put 1942 in the subject!
Be sure to visit 8bitcity.blogspot.com for more 1942 Info,
including a history of the entire 194X series and 1942 artwork!
===============================================================================
11. Legal and Copyright Info
===============================================================================
This guide is intended for publication on GameFAQs.com, Gamespot,
and 8-Bit City. It may be duplicated and distributed for free, but
only the above sites may host this document. The author reserves all
rights. Please do not edit the guide if you distribute it.
Thanks for reading! Good luck getting those 1942 high scores!
Visit 8-Bit City for Video Game Reviews, Pixel Artwork, and more!
Version 1.0, January 10, 2011
http://8bitcity.blogspot.com
