1943: The Battle of Midway is the sequel to Capcom‘s 1984 arcade hit, 1942, and it really takes this WWII-themed bullet hell shooter to another level. It was first released into arcades in 1987.

The most obvious new addition is the introduction of a two-player cooperative mode, which is superb fun to play even now. Both players fly a P-38 Lightning and must blast everything that moves, and collect anything that looks like a power-up.

Other cool new additions include: a much-expanded “POW” power-up system, with various fire modes; low flying sections over battleships; and even a huge tidal wave that will damage enemy ships!

1943 is definitely a step-up from its predecessor, and it’s stood the test of time well. Spending an afternoon with a friend, blasting through the entire game, would not be wasted time…

The next game in the 194X series is “1943 Kai” for the PC Engine, which is an enhanced version of this game (with new levels and music). After that there is: 1941: Counter Attack (1990), 19XX: The War Against Destiny (1996), 1944: The Loop Master (2000), 1942: Joint Strike (2008), and 1942: First Strike (2010).

More: 1943: The Battle of Midway on Wikipedia