1942 is considered one of the defining games of the vertically scrolling shooter genre. Among Capcom’s earliest games, 1942 was one of the most successful. The subject of the game isn’t hard to figure out. You play an American pilot pitted against the whole of the Japanese Air Force during World War II in the titular year. Following the format established in Xevious, enemies come out in periodic waves, taking shots at your before turning around and attempting to escape with their lives. Larger air craft that required more shots appeared less frequently and added to the challenge by blocking the shots that you fire at crafts higher up on the screen. Besides shooting, the player can also perform a ‘loop-the-loop’ to avoid enemy fire. 1942 incorporates a few power-ups that help increase your plane’s firepower, while occasionally increasing your exposure.
1942 was picked up for distribution on several popular European home computers by Elite Systems, and re-licensed for distribution by Encore. ASCII Corporation brought 1942 to home computers in Japan by porting the game to the MSX1 computer system, and later releasing a graphically updated version for the more capable MSX2 computer. Capcom personnel ported the game to the Famicom/NES system which sold very successfully. While 1942 was not the first Capcom game to receive a sequel, but it was their first game to spawn a series, including the more successful follow-up, 1943. 1942 has also been subsequently released on several Capcom compilation titles for many later-gen systems.