FAQ And Walkthrough - Guide for 1942: Joint Strike

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1942 Joint Strike
FAQ/Achievement Guide V1.0
Written by Paul Acevedo
Created on: 07/30/08
Updated on: 07/30/08

Contents:
1.  Introduction
2.  Version History
3.  Controls
4.  Planes and Joint Strikes
5.  Items
6.  Gameplay Tips
7.  Levels and Bosses
8.  Achievements
9.  Unlockables and Glitches
10. Special Thanks
11. Contact Information


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1. Introduction
--------------------------------------------------------------------
This FAQ and Achievement Guide covers 1942: Joint Strike for Xbox 
360. Most of this guide's information applies to the Playstation 3 
version as well.

The 19XX series began with the arcade game 1942, released by Capcom 
in 1984. The two-player alternating vertically-scrolling shooter
took place in a World War II setting. Players controlled the
Super Ace plane (based on the Lockheed P-38 Lightning) through
32 levels, taking place in 8 unique areas. That was honestly way
too many stages for a shooter. Four of the game'slevels featured 
a recurring boss plane. The arcade game was a big hit and ports 
appeared on the NES and many other systems.

The first sequel 1943 followed in 1987 in arcades and 1988 on NES.
It introduced a life-meter and multiple special attacks, which 
drained the life meter. The Yaschichi item appeared here with the
same function as in Joint Strike. The laser weapon debuted in 1943
but as a limited-use weapon. This game also received an upgraded
version known as 1943 Kai, which whose only console port was on the 
PC Engine (and later Xbox and PS2 as part of Capcom Classics 
Collection).


1941 is the third game in the series. The Mosquito plane first 
appeared here, as the second plane during two-player simultaneous 
play. 1941's console ports are limited to the PC Engine and 
Xbox/PS2/PSP as part of the Capcom Classics Collection.

19XX, which abandoned the WW2 setting, came to arcades in 1996. 
This seems to be the game that Joint Strike is most closely based on. 
All 3 planes - the Lightning, Mosquito, and Shinden, as well as 
the 3 main weapons and the end-of-level rank and scoring systems 
seen in Joint Strike are present in 19XX. No console ports exist.

The final arcade game in the series, 1944, came out in 2000. It's
the only other game besides Joint Strike that is not developed by
Capcom, as 8ing/Raizing did the work. 1944 saw no console ports 
either.

1942: Joint Strike is either the sixth official game in the series
or a remake of the first game. I think of it as a sequel. Joint
Strike is one of the few vertically-scrolling shooters to utilize
a widescreen format, which looks great on HDTVs. Like Commando 3, 
Joint Strike was developed exclusively for the Xbox Live Arcade 
and Playstation Network downloadable services by Backbone 
Entertainment. It features the same number of stages as Commando 
3 and reuses bosses, just like in that game. Both games were 
probably developed on the cheap, but they genuinely play like their
classic counterparts and are a lot of fun.


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2. Version history
--------------------------------------------------------------------
07/30/08  Version 1 FAQ created.


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3. Controls
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Xbox 360 Controls:

Left Stick: Movement
D-pad: Movement
A Button: Fire (hold for charge shot)
X Button: Missile/Joint Strike
B Button: Missile/Joint Strike
Y Button: Bomb

Playstation 3 Controls:

Left Stick: Movement
D-pad: Movement
X Button: Fire (hold for charge shot)
Square Button: Missile/Joint Strike
Circle Button: Missile/Joint Strike
Triangle Button: Bomb


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4. Planes and Joint Strikes
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Planes:

Lightning
---------
-Health: 8      Speed: 8       Power: 8       Missile: 6
-Lightning is the most balanced plane.

Mosquito
--------
-Health: 10      Speed: 7       Power: 10       Missile: 8
-Mosquito is the best plane for beginners due to its copious health.
 Fast maneuvers will be hard to pull off though.

Shinden
-------
-Health: 6      Speed: 10       Power: 7       Missile: 8
-Advanced players will love this plane due to its excellent
 maneuverability. The low health will make harder difficulty levels
 more challenging, but health powerups are pretty common in this 
 game.


Joint Strikes: These are only available in multiplayer and replace
               the standard missiles. 

Shot Link
---------
This shoots a fireball at the other player. It's lousy.

Chain Lightning
---------------
Shooting lightning at the other player may look cool, but you can't 
fire regular weapons while it's in effect. It's super-sucky.

Clash Blast
-----------
The only decent Joint Strike (which still isn't as good as single-
player missiles, the Chain Blast drops a bomb between both players.
The farther away they are, the larger the blast radius. Regular
weapons still function too.


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5. Items
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Red plans drop items when destroyed. If the red planes appear in a
group, you must destroy the entire group to make the item drop.


Weapons: 
-------
The weapons powerups cycle through the various possible weapons, so 
you can powerup the weapon of your choice while avoiding the others.
Each weapon can be powered up once by collecting the same weapon 
again. After that, collecting the same weapon just nets you
1000 points.

Machine Gun (red)
 -The machine gun is the default weapon. It's nothing special.

Spread Shot (green)
 -The spread shot is good when powered up, but weak otherwise.

Laser (blue)
 -This is hands-down the best weapon in the game. It hits all enemies
  in a vertical line simultaneously and does tremendous damage 
  against bosses. Don't bother with the other weapons unless you want 
  an increased challenge.

Limited Weapons: 
---------------
These last for a limited time whether fired or not, and then get 
replaced with your regular weapon. The powerups cycle between both 
special weapons.

-Rockets (green item with blue border)
 -These take down large plans in one or two hits. 
  You should try to get them.

Special Machine Gun (red item with brown border)
 -Much faster than rockets, but it won't get you out of a jam as 
  easily.

Health and Bombs:
----------------
The regular health power up and bomb up cycle between each 
other.

Health Refill (green plus)
 -Refills part of your life. I dislike math.

Bomb Up: (red B)
 -Adds one bomb to your inventory.

Other Items:
-----------
These don't cycle between anything, so just pick them up.

Medals:
 -Bronze gives you 300 points, silver awards 500, and gold doles out
  a glorious 1000 points.

Yaschichi:
 -This red and white item completely refills your health. Aah!

1up:
 -More lives are always nice.


--------------------------------------------------------------------
6. Gameplay Tips
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Scoring System: 
--------------
You receive points multipliers depending on your proximity to enemies
when they are destroyed. Many large enemies can be killed before they 
even fire, so definitely want to get close while taking them down.
The points multipliers apply to bosses too, so try to get close when 
they're about to die. 

Just remember, points are usually not more important than avoiding 
hits! Stay towards the back if you're having trouble of your life
is low.

Difficulty Levels:
-----------------
The only difference between difficulties is your starting number of
lives. 

Penguin:      9 lives
Slick Sleeve: 5 lives
Dragon Fly:   3 lives
Wing King:    1 live


-Every plane begins each life with 2 Missile/Strikes and 3
 bombs, regardless of the difficulty.

-The charge shot is the same no matter what weapon you have and 
 usually not bothering with, especially since the game automatically
 discharges your charged shot right before boss battles.

-You receive a 1up at every 500,000 points. Getting S-ranks on the
 bosses can help with this.

-Your rank at the end of each level is determined by your shot 
 accuracy in that level. The rank stars you earn contribute to your
 total rank, which rewards you with score bonuses at the end of 
 the game.

-You cannot continue and there are no unlockables, blast it.


--------------------------------------------------------------------
7. Levels and Bosses
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Level 1:
-------
-You can get a Yaschichi on the left side of the screen near the 
 middle of the level, so don't worry if you take a few hits early on.

Boss 1: Bodan (Length: 88m Weight: 18t Speed: 462km/hr)
-------------
S Rank Time: 0'00-0'13      A Rank Time: 0'14-0'25
-You only need to hit the center of Bodan to defeat it. Dropping a
 few bombs right at the beginning will take out the guns on the side
 and make things easier, but you can still get an S-Rank using one 
 bomb or less.


Level 2:
-------
-Near the end of the level, right before you reach the ruins and the 
 clouds, there is a building on the left side of the screen that drops
 medals when shot. It eventually explodes.

Boss 2: Dagmor (Length: ?m Weight: 122t Speed: ?km/hr)
-------------
S Rank Time: 0'00-0'26      A Rank Time: 0'27-0'35 
-You may want to kill yourself at the start of level 2 so that you'll
reach Dagmor with 3 bombs and fully powered weapons. Unleash all of
your attacks on the turret and don't worry much about dodging. You
might die once here, but that just gives you more bombs and missiles
to hit it with. 


Level 3:
-------
-You can score a 1up from a plane shortly after the last barrage of 
 helicopters, near the end of the level.

Boss 3: Poseidon (Length: 251m Weight: 3500t Speed: ?knots)
-------------
S Rank Time: 0'00-1'11      A Rank Time: 1'12-1'20 
-From stage 3 on, it's a good idea to suicide at the beginning of
 the level to fill up your bombs. 
 Poseidon comes in 3 sections.
-Don't use any bombs on the first section - its shots are dodgeable
 if you're careful.
-Use one or two bombs on the second section, 
 but only when you're about to be hit by fire. Then concentrate 
 your shots on the back center section while dodging the 
 occasional attacks.
-Use your bombs right away on the third section and don't worry
 about evasion. You can sometimes sit on the center of the turret 
 without taking damage from its bullets. You'll probably die at 
 least once here. Just make sure you pick up the laser before you
 resume dropping all of your bombs.


Level 4:
-------
-Right before the train, a landing strip on the left-side of the
 screen will drop unlimited medals when shot.
-It's better to avoid the train's bullets if you can than to waste
 bombs on it.

Boss 4: Dagmor Sigma (Length: ?m Weight: 122t Speed: ?km/hr)
-------------
S Rank Time: 0'00-1'02      A Rank Time: 1'03-1'16
-This fight is much like level 2's. Use all of your bombs right
 away. Then you need to worry about hitting the turret while dodging
 as much as possible.
-When it fires a steady stream of missiles, you can use the laser 
 to destroy them without taking damage if you move carefully.
-The flamethrower attack kills you quickly, so either dodge it
 (the slow method) or fly through it quickly without letting up on
 your attack.


Level 5:
-------
-Just after the beginning, you can get a 1up from an enemy on the
 left side of the screen.

Boss 5: Bodan Epsilon (Length: 88m Weight: 18t Speed: 462km/hr)
-------------
S Rank Time: 0'00-1'05      A Rank Time: 1'06-?
-Stay near the center and attack away, dropping bombs when the shots
 are too hard to dodge. Several of Epsilon's attacks are easy to 
 avoid.
-If you have enough lives for it, feel free to suicide and get 
 some bombs back after you've lost the level 2 laser. Victory!

The Ending:
----------
Is even lamer than Commando 3's, but at least it has music.


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8. Achievements
--------------------------------------------------------------------
These are listed according to their difficulty and how many players
are required to unlock them. All Achievements but Blitz can be 
unlocked on any difficulty level. All Achievements can be unlocked 
in local multiplayer or online. However, if one player dies before
the end of the game, that player will not earn any more Achievements
for the remainder of the game.

For the majority of the Achievements, you should play on Penguin
difficulty in single-player. Multiplayer is harder because the 
bosses have more life and you can't both be the Mosquito.


Single- or Multiplayer:

Tiger: 30 Points
-----
Get 30 medals. You can do this in the first level or 2.

Sharpshooter: 10 Points
------------
Finish a level with 90% or higher accuracy. Just try not to miss.
If you're having trouble, play with two players and have one person
do most of the shooting.

Lightning Rod: 6 Points
-------------
Beat the game using the Lightning. Play on Penguin difficulty
if you need to.

Mosquito Wing: 7 Points
-------------
You'll probably use the Mosquito when going for the Blitz 
Achievement, so you could get both of those at once.

Shinden Striker: 7 Points
---------------
It's harder to beat the game with the Shinden. Try playing 
multiplayer and letting the other person be the Mosquito. 
That person can balance out the Shinden's weaker fire, and the 
Shinden should make sure to pick up Health powerups.

Shooter: 30 Points
-------
It would be really hard to beat the game with less than 200,000
points.

Combat Ace: 40 Points
----------
You actually need to be good in order to get beat the game with
over two million points. Get enough A and S Ranks on the bosses
and it will be in the bag. I even managed to do this in 
multiplayer with both players, since the end of level bonuses are
the key to getting your score that high.

Fangs Out:
---------
Beat all bosses with A Rank or higher. Once you know the proper 
boss strategies, it's hard not to get S Ranks in single-player.

Padlocked: 25 Points
---------
Get all S Ranks on the bosses. Remember to play with the Mosquito
and use all of your bombs and missiles early in the boss fight.
Fire at the center of each boss with the laser weapon. Never
worry about hitting miunor targets. Whenever you die, make sure 
you pick up the laser again before using your next set of bombs.
If you have enough lives to do it, you can kill yourself and get
a new set of bombs to attack with. It should never take more 
than two or three lives to defeat a boss in single-player.

Blitz: 10 Points
-----
The hardest Achievement... You'll want to know the levels pretty well
by the time you go after this. It's much easier to get in single-
player. Do not sacrifice your lives for bombs like you would do 
when going for S Ranks on the bosses. You might still pull some 
S Ranks off anyway if you've become skilled enough.


Multiplayer Only:

Concerted Combat: 10 Points
----------------
The Joint Strike attacks may be annoying, but it's not hard to hit
30 enemies with them. You can get this in the first level with very 
little effort. It will unlock for both players at once.

Wingman: 15 Points
-------
Both players must survive to level 4. Just play on Penguin 
Difficulty and try not to suck - you should make it.


--------------------------------------------------------------------
9. Unlockables and Glitches
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Unlockables:
-There are no unlockables. I know, they should have thrown in a
 fourth plane or something.

Glitches:
-The Xbox 360 version has some bad net code, so during online games,
 the players may lose sync - especially in the second or third levels.
 When this happens, if you manage to finish the level, sync should
 be restored on the next level.


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10. Special Thanks
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Thanks to the following Achieve360points.com forum users:
 -Wolfclaw X for the boss rank times and strategies
 -Ayepecks for various gameplay tips


--------------------------------------------------------------------
11. Contact Information
--------------------------------------------------------------------
I'd love to receive your suggestions and questions. I can be slow
to answer my FAQ email, so use Xbox Live messages if you are in a 
hurry. Please do not send me a friend request without introducing
yourself first!

Email: eastfaqs at gmail dot com
Xbox Live Gamertag: EastX
Sega Saturn Net Link Handle: Eastman

1942 Joint Strike copyright 2008 Capcom

This document is copyright 2008 by Paul Acevedo. It may not be posted
anywhere but gamefaqs.com, ign.com, and achieve360points.com without 
permission. Winners don't do drugs.

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