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Illustration of 1943: The Battle of Midway: Mark II

1943: The Battle of Midway: Mark II

Overview

Story & Game Mechanics:

1943: The Battle of Midway Mark II is a vertical scrolling shooter released by Capcom in June of 1988 in Japan as 1943: Kai. An update of 1943, it is the third game of the 19XX series. The title translates to "1943 Modified - Midway Naval Battle". The game was officially only released in Japan, though a North American localization surfaced in recent years.***

Game play changes from 1943 include:

1.1. the biplane being replaced by a P-38;

1.2. the level count reduced from 16 to 10;

1.3. weapon selection available now includes 'wingmen' option and laser;

1.4. laser special weapon no longer requires a hidden code;

1.5. every weapon can now be individually powered-up by picking up the same icon twice; and

1.6. increased difficulty.

Graphical changes from 1943 include:

2.1. new soundtrack, with different beat and tempo;

2.2. more over-the-top weaponry and less realistic planes; and

2.3. altered background colors (some stages have a red sea).

Development History & Unanswered Questions:

The lead developer was Yoshiki Okamoto. The game ran on the "Captain Commando Hardware" dual Z80 CPU platform similar to what was used on Commando and Black Tiger.

***It is not clear whether the western localization (Mark II) was programmed internally by Capcom, but evidence surfacing in the last decade seem to suggest it. The western localization was previously believed to be a hack.

The original 1943 arcade game had a 90 day warranty and often had a defective TMM2063 RAM module. US venders returning malfunctioning PCBs back to Japan for repair more than likely would have received reliable 1943 Kai PCBs with a US localization of 1943 Kai (1943 Mark II) because trouble-shooting and repairing PCBs would have been cost prohibitive.

Supporting this:

3.1. A Capcom PCB of 1943 Midway Mark II was found and dumped in 2016;

3.2. The diagonal "The Battle of Midway" logo that was unique to this version was used in a prototype, suggesting the programmer was a Capcom employee; and

3.3. An unused "Mark II" place holder was found in the official 1943 Kai ROM.

All of this suggests that a USA localization program likely existed out of necessity, even if there was never an advertised release.

Developers
Capcom
Publishers
Capcom
Platform
Arcade
Genre
Shooter
Alternate Names
  • 1943 Kai: Midway KaisenJapanFlag of Japan region

Media

Advertisement Flyer - Front

1943: The Battle of Midway: Mark II - Advertisement Flyer - Front (Japan) - 800x1008
Japan -  800 x 1008
1943: The Battle of Midway: Mark II - Advertisement Flyer - Front (North America) - 1080x1479
North America -  1080 x 1479

Arcade - Cabinet

1943: The Battle of Midway: Mark II - Arcade - Cabinet (Japan) - 460x900
Japan -  460 x 900
1943: The Battle of Midway: Mark II - Arcade - Cabinet (United States) - 1108x2367
United States -  1108 x 2367
1943: The Battle of Midway: Mark II - Arcade - Cabinet (United States) - 1652x3507
United States -  1652 x 3507

Arcade - Circuit Board

1943: The Battle of Midway: Mark II - Arcade - Circuit Board (North America) - 2266x1688
North America -  2266 x 1688

Arcade - Control Panel

1943: The Battle of Midway: Mark II - Arcade - Control Panel (null) - 361x121
361 x 121
1943: The Battle of Midway: Mark II - Arcade - Control Panel (United States) - 2311x919
United States -  2311 x 919
1943: The Battle of Midway: Mark II - Arcade - Control Panel (United States) - 2334x861
United States -  2334 x 861

Arcade - Marquee

1943: The Battle of Midway: Mark II - Arcade - Marquee (Japan) - 500x160
Japan -  500 x 160
1943: The Battle of Midway: Mark II - Arcade - Marquee (null) - 3840x1240
3840 x 1240

Box - 3D

1943: The Battle of Midway: Mark II - Box - 3D (Japan) - 582x889
Japan -  582 x 889
1943: The Battle of Midway: Mark II - Box - 3D (North America) - 582x889
North America -  582 x 889

Clear Logo

1943: The Battle of Midway: Mark II - Clear Logo (Japan) - 1230x314
Japan -  1230 x 314
1943: The Battle of Midway: Mark II - Clear Logo (North America) - 1236x535
North America -  1236 x 535

Fanart - Background

1943: The Battle of Midway: Mark II - Fanart - Background (null) - 1920x1080
1920 x 1080
1943: The Battle of Midway: Mark II - Fanart - Background (null) - 1920x1080
1920 x 1080

Fanart - Box - Front

1943: The Battle of Midway: Mark II - Fanart - Box - Front (North America) - 438x600
North America -  438 x 600
1943: The Battle of Midway: Mark II - Fanart - Box - Front (North America) - 716x1000
North America -  716 x 1000
1943: The Battle of Midway: Mark II - Fanart - Box - Front (null) - 1569x2139
1569 x 2139

Fanart - Cart - Front

1943: The Battle of Midway: Mark II - Fanart - Cart - Front (North America) - 436x533
North America -  436 x 533

Screenshot - Game Over

1943: The Battle of Midway: Mark II - Screenshot - Game Over (null) - 224x256
224 x 256

Screenshot - Game Title

1943: The Battle of Midway: Mark II - Screenshot - Game Title (North America) - 224x256
North America -  224 x 256
1943: The Battle of Midway: Mark II - Screenshot - Game Title (Japan) - 224x256
Japan -  224 x 256

Screenshot - Gameplay

1943: The Battle of Midway: Mark II - Screenshot - Gameplay (null) - 224x256
224 x 256
1943: The Battle of Midway: Mark II - Screenshot - Gameplay (null) - 224x256
224 x 256

Screenshot - High Scores

1943: The Battle of Midway: Mark II - Screenshot - High Scores (North America) - 224x256
North America -  224 x 256
1943: The Battle of Midway: Mark II - Screenshot - High Scores (Japan) - 224x256
Japan -  224 x 256