Capcom sure has been having a blast releasing some remakes of classic arcade shooters recently, haven't they? Next off the development line is 1942: Joint Strike, the new (re)incarnation of its classic WWII Pacific Theater shooter series. Like Wolf of the Battlefield: Commando 3, 1942: Joint Strike should satisfy the old school shooter fans out there with some tight graphics and killer gameplay. Read on for the full review.

As many have come to expect from games in this genre, your first decision is between three planes. They have names, but at this point does it even matter? Take your pick between the average, healthier but slower, or faster but not as healthy options and your sorties will begin shortly. Xbox 360 Achievement point whores may want to finish the game with all three at some point in order to satisfy their needs to be a completion elitist. Capcom didn't try for much creativity in the weapons department either, as you can expect to see your typical compliment of machine gun, spread and laser weaponries. Throw in missile and bomb attacks and you have your fairly common, yet wholly unrealistic, World War II fighter plane.

But who cares about originality anyways? If you've even downloaded the demo by this point then all you care about is the shooting, right? Right. Well as a shooter, this game is exactly what you'd think it would be: an exercise in memorization and reflexes. And at that, it's not half bad. I am not an incredible gamer by any stretch, but it offered me a challenging and fun time for several hours... and I was playing on the lowest level. Hardcore shooter fans should find enough lasting challenge to give them their 10 bucks worth. The game is a bit on the short side however, but with the different planes and Joint Strike combinations there should be enough to keep you coming back at least a few times.

Oh, speaking of Joint Strikes. In the multiplayer mode your missile attacks are replaced with Joint Strikes, attacks that utilize both planes. While an interesting novelty at first, I found these attacks to be distracting, as the often required precise positioning between the two players. In fact, for me the second plane was just a damn distraction the whole time! Others may disagree, but I prefer to fly the unfriendly skies solo.

In conclusion, 1942: Joint Strike is another decent budget game release from Capcom. It's Capcom, so you know it's not going to be crap, but it's also a budget game, so you know it's not going to be amazing. If you played and enjoyed prior 19xx games then you should have a decent time with this one. As always, you don't have to take my word for any of this. They make the demos free for a reason, so go try it out.

1942: Joint Strike is available now for Xbox 360 (800 Points) and PLAYSTATION 3 ($9.99)

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1942: Joint Strike Image Gallery