1944: THE LOOP MASTER
Developer: 8ing/raizing Year: 2000 Genre: Shoot-’em-up
Unlike every other game in the series, 1944 was developed by shoot-’em-up specialists, 8ing/raizing. It remains very similar to earlier games in the franchise, but feels a little more bombastic, thanks to some excellent bosses and a selection of ridiculous over-the-top explosions.
It’s largely business as usual, though, which means choosing a World War 2 plane and shooting down as many enemies as possible, which remains as satisfying in The Loop Master as it was in the original 1942. There’s a handy charge button, which enables you to become invincible for a short amount of time and it’s also possible to attract wingmen that will increase your overall firepower, but are more susceptible to being shot. You’ve also access to a bog-standard bomb button, which fills the screen with multiple Tomahawk Missiles, while your craft features a health bar that decreases with every hit you take.
The biggest change to the series though is the move to a horizontal screen layout (the game still scrolls vertically), which not only gives you more room for manoeuvring, but also allows 8ing/raizing to show off some truly spectacular looking bosses. It remains the last arcade game in the series, as 1942: Joint Strike was released on Xbox 360 and PS3.