19xx, Capcom(Arcade)

Fifteen

Total Cost to finish game $3.75

Officially the final game in the "194x" series by Capcom, this game featured sprite graphics with some cool special effects. Your uber-enemy throughout the game is this SR-71 style airplane that is the master of all the level bosses. Boss encounters range from planes, to trains, then automobiles, ships and tanks. Graphic detail is the height of spritedom on Earth, with clear rich colored objects and some very smoothly animated weapon effects and explosions. Power ups are useful enough in this game that you work hard to stay alive to continue using them. This is a one hit shooter. You get hit, you die. As a result, enemy shot frequency is greatly reduced (except in boss encounters). Still, getting nailed right before you finish a level still feels pretty cheap. This game was a final exam for 194x fans, so the levels were very long and the bosses were incredibly difficult. I spent most of my quarters on boss encounters. The wonderful thing about shooters is that you can always spend yourself out of trouble, unlike some side scrolling arcarde games or fighting games. This game was enjoyable enough that it left you wanting a sequel. Since "1944" came out 5 years later, I guess I played the sequel before the game that preceded it, so I got my wish early. :)