P47 - Classic Inspection


P47 - Freedom Fighter
Arcade: Jaleco 1988
Home Conversions: Firebird 1989

In the midst of Spitfires, Messerschmitt's and Hurricane's, there was one world war 2 fighter, nicknamed the 'jug' (short for 'Juggernaut') that packed an almighty punch. The Jug entered the war in 1943, piloted by the 78th and 56th Fighter Group of the 8th Air Force, with a kill ratio of 8 to 1... changing history forever.

WOT? NO SPACE SHIPS?

When playing these types of SHMUPS as a kid, I had no idea of the historical significance of it all. Back in the day, it was just a really good shoot-'em-up, that moved at pace and looked really good. Although highly inaccurate  the game follows the real life struggles of the American fighter, as it prowled above the skies of Northern France, Egypt and North Africa.

How does it play

 P47 is a horizontal scrolling shoot-'em-up (No need to fill out any forms), with bags of pace, outstanding graphics and rigorous gung-ho game-play. All stages feature continuous horizontal scrolling, with zee-Germans coming at you from the top and far right of the screen. The idea is simple, shoot them before they shoot you.

Extra weapons are handed out, by shooting (War never made sense) allied helicopters. At the end of each level, there's a horrible Nazi baddie to take care of, before proceeding to the next level. On level two, you're flying high above the clouds, whilst trying to cause as much damage as possible.

Best bits

The action isn't without its problems, and on various levels you have zero defense against the incoming rockets, having to rely solely on messy evasive maneuvers.  On the plus side, the graphics are nothing short of amazing, and really push the 8-bits to he max. Another plus side is that you get to bomb the crap outta the ground targets, and sink one of the biggest on-screen destroyers I've ever seen.  

Verdict

All versions are authentic, with the Amstrad version delivering well within the machines capabilities. The Amiga, PC-Engine and ST efforts are equally as good, if not better, but can easily produce bigger and better screens, and animate much faster than what's on offer here. For me, when you find a game that graphically looks the part, and sounds the part... it's a bit of a luxury to find it plays the part. This is without question, one of the better SHMUPS to appear.



Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Amstrad CPC 8-bit exclusive games

Image
Have you ever wondered what Amstrad CPC games were exclusive to the Amstrad CPC? The list below is what I know of, some of the games below are truly awful, but then again, there's quite a few games I wouldn't have missed for the world. This is by no means a definitive list of exclusives, and in most cases, you can find these games on the Amiga, ST and Consoles, but you won't find 'em on the ZX Spectrum or C64 (That's if I've done my homework correctly).  There's some real classic amongst this lot, Bumpy is brilliant, as is Bactron and D.Day is a masterclass in arcade strategy. I also found a game I never knew existed in 'Dempsey and Makepeace' a classic cop series set in the 80s. But the jewel in the crown for me is Get Dexter. Star Driver needs to be checked out if you've never played it, it scrolls along like a mode 7 game, the scrolling technique from the SNES, and if you think you're ready for a challenge, try Builderland, it needs...
Read more

AMSTRAD CPC - TO SCROLL OR NOT TO SCROLL

Image
I used to think it was strange that Commodore 64 and Speccy owners always claimed that their respective machines were far superior to the Amstrad CPC? I mean, c’mon, had they seriously never seen or played the likes of Wec Le-Mans, Robocop, ChaseHq, Sorcery+ and Rainbow Islands on the CPC? The C64 versions of Chase HQ, Continental Circus and Wec-Le-Mans look, and churn along, like a badly curled poo! For sure, there are plenty of examples of this being the case with the CPC (Out Run), and likewise with the Speccy. But I don't want to get too lavatorial or reduce this article into 8-bit zealotry. Instead, I’d simply like to air my frustrations and thoughts in order to quantify and better collect all the facts. Undoubtedly, the Amstrad is the machine of personal choice for me, it left me with some of the best and worst memories (Green Beret), and it was, and still is, a very pleasant machine to program and play games on. One of the biggest complaints I hear ab...
Read more

Donkey kong Jr - Zx Spectrum

Image
Just a few thoughts on the tribute game made with AGD, for the Sinclair ZX Spectrum. It's great and everything, but I'm confused? I'm still a massive fan of the original Donkey Kong arcade-style platformer from the 1980's. It is said to be the game that launched the career of Shigeru Miyamoto, but more importantly, Mario and Donkey Kong. The game went on to give Nintendo international stardom, with Miyamoto creating a legacy so powerful, that Nintendo and Japan should pray daily for his continued existence. However, Donkey Kong Jnr wasn't a great sequel, in fact, Miyamoto himself thinks it's a weaker game. It sold well, but so did the USGOLD home conversion of Outrun, so sales don't really mean diddly squat, in regards to us gaming enthusiasts. I did like the way this game reversed the characters roles, with Kong now caged and Mario becoming the antagonist. The game featured a good premise as well, instead of ...
Read more