Whilst sitting around the camp fire talking about the good old days of arcade gaming, one can almost guarantee that the game 1942 will crop up in conversation with nostalgic verve. A simple vertical shooter, 1942 saw the player take on a highly motivated enemy, intent in blowing their lone plane out of the sky. Capcom have extended the successful 19xx franchise on a  number of occasions over the subsequent years since the originals release - here we look at the most recent iteration, 1942: Joint Strike on Microsoft’s XBLA.

Retro releases on the 360 to date have been primitive. Titles such as Galaga and Pacman (Championship Edition withstanding) have done very little to rejuvenate interest in retro titles, most of which are older than a large proportion of 360 owners. With 1942:JS, Capcom have taken their well known and respected franchise and built a sequel from the ground up for the next generation systems.

On first playing Joint Strike I can honestly say I was truly disappointed. The game, in widescreen 16:9 mode, did not feel right. The graphics felt too sharp and shiny; the sound and musical effects over produced. This was not the 1942 I fondly remembered. 

A few goes later, and viewing the game on its own merits, Joint Strike’s charms start to surface, revealing a pretty good vertical shooter - albeit with a few niggles.