1944: The Loop Master is the fifth game in the 1940 series, and the first one to not be developed by Capcom, which was responsible for the game's publishing and distribution. It was developed by Raizing/Eighting and released in 2000 for the CPS-2 Arcade board. It never received home ports.
Story
On the year 1944 AD.
The world was in the midst of a big war.
As a decisive battle weapon and a huge group of ships trying to reach the pole of completion, the fate of the encounter of the aircraft, which had been poised for rapid changes as new weapons, dyed the Pacific Ocean red with flames.
Here, far away from where the battles took place, there were men fascinated by these weapons. These souls kept on fighting, seeking for a naval battlefield in the Southern Ocean, but ended lost forever. Diving into this permanent battlefield, two brave men bring the ultimate conclusion.
P-38 Lightning, and Zero Fighter.
When silver wings slice open the air and draw an arc, the scarlet color of the sunset is reflected in a grand cross, leaving an empty void behind...
Setting
This title takes the setting back to the Pacific Front of World War II after the departure from 19XX: The War Against Destiny, though featuring a unnamed fictional army instead of the Imperial Japanese Navy. Players control the Lockheed P-38 Lightning and the Mitsubishi A6M Zero, notably the first and only time in the series where the player controls the Japanese fighter.
Gameplay
1944 is a return to the series roots, adapted to a more modern style of gameplay. The fuel gauge is back, though it never depletes automatically. There is only one weapon available, a fast firing forward shot, but despite this there are a handful of offensive options available to the player. By destroying parts of the scenery the player can pick up golden icons, which when collecting a certain amount allow the player to pick up the Side Fighters, which can be accumulated and replaced automatically whenever one is lost. Bombs once again have their own stock, calling forth Tomahawk Missiles which create a powerful screen-clearing blast when used. If the player has no bombs left, he can sacrifice the side fighters for a small concentrated explosion.
The main gameplay mechanic in this game involves the new charged attack: by holding the shot button, a gauge on the bottom of the screen will fill up, and when full the player fighter will fly higher up, unleashing a strong bullet barrage down and becoming invincible for the duration of the attack. After the attack is finished the gauge will enter a cooldown period, during which the player is unable to charge.
Items
- Shot Up: Powers up your main gun.
- Gold: Adds one gold to your stock.
- Strawberry: Adds two golds to your stock.
- Large Gold: Adds ten golds to your stock.
- Side Fighter: Calls two side fighters or add them to the stock.
- Bomb Up: Adds one bomb to the stock.
- POW: Restores a small amount of the power bar.
- Bamboo Sprout: Restores a medium amount of the power bar.
- Giant POW: Restores a large amount of the power bar.
- Dragonfly: 100000 points.
- Holstein: Restores a medium amount of the power bar. 100000 points.
- Mobi-chan: Raises the main weapon to the max. 100000 points.
Missions and Bosses
| Mission | Name | Boss |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Deep Blue | High Speed Destroyer "Nagi" |
| 2 | Iron Beast Warcry | New Type Heavy Tank "Chouto" |
| 3 | Jungle Fight | Prototype Attacker "Akane" |
| 4 | The Rock Fortress | Cruising Tank "Noroshi" |
| 5 | Eagle Territory | Intercontinental Bomber "Kyuoh" |
| 6 | Devil Mountain | Special Attacker "Haruka" |
| 7 | Nightmare Valley | Anti-Submarine Battle Cruiser "Kai" |
| 8 | Fields of War | Multi-Cannon Tank "Ishizue" |
| 9 | Muddy Interceptor | Middle Class Bomber "Akatsuki" |
| 10 | Storm Fortress | Super Gigantic Battleship "Kaijin" |
| 11 | Oil Legion | Anti-Aircraft Battleship "Yu" |
| 12 | Leviathan's Mouth | Twin-Bodied Transporter "Take" |
| 13 | Battle of Green Field | Gigantic Fighter "Arashi" |
| 14 | The Last Duel | Railed Tank "Goku" |
| 15 | Bell of Triumph | Moving Fortress "Apparetoride" |
Videos
