1944: The Loop Master

1944: The Loop Master is the last entry in Capcom's 1942 series, and it is the one with the most elaborate system. Developed by Raizing under Capcom's banner, it runs on CPS-2 and adds a support-fighter mechanic that no earlier game in the line had.

The gimmick is the wingman. Pick up a support icon and a second aircraft flies beside you, absorbing hits and firing alongside your own - a genuine second life with its own hitbox rather than a power-up. The 1943-era health bar returns, so the game can stack dense bullet patterns on top of that without becoming unfair, and the boss design follows the series tradition of enormous warships that occupy the whole screen and break apart piece by piece. It shipped in 2000, thirteen years after the original, as a sort of closing chapter to the sub-series, and it is the entry most players who know the whole line rank first. The screenshots on this page come from the CPS-2 arcade board.

• ▸A support fighter that flies alongside you and takes hits for you
• ▸The 1943-era health bar combined with denser bullet patterns
• ▸CPS-2 hardware - the most detailed graphics in the sub-series
• ▸Enormous warship bosses in the series tradition