1942

1942 is the game that put Capcom on the map. Flying a P-38 Lightning through the Pacific theatre of World War II, you dodge sky-filling enemy formations — the vertical-scrolling equivalent of a bullet-hell avant la lettre — across a long campaign from the Solomon Islands toward Tokyo.

Its one defensive tool is the roll: a barrel roll with brief invincibility that lets you pass through entire squadrons. Enemies fly in scripted patterns, large bombers split into smaller planes when destroyed, and mid-level carrier landing sequences punctuate the campaign. It spawned a whole franchise (1943, 1944, 1941, 19XX) and defined the vertical shooter template for a decade.

• ▸Vertically scrolling WWII Pacific theatre shoot 'em up
• ▸The barrel roll: a brief-invincibility dodge that defines the game
• ▸Scripted enemy formations with bomber splits and carrier stages
• ▸Capcom's first major hit and the start of the 19XX franchise