1941: Counter Attack (Arcade)

1941: Counter Attack
Developer: Capcom Publisher: Capcom Platform: Arcade (CPS-1) Released internationally: Spring 1990 This game has unused graphics. This game has unused music. This game has debugging material. This game has regional differences.

1941: Counter Attack is the third (technically fourth) game in the 19xx series. Get revenge against someone for something. Game doesn't really have a plot, but it does have planes and bullets.

Debug Functions

To enable various debug fuctions, set dip switch C3 (Free Play) to "On." This will change the function of certain other dip switches:

• DIP SWITCH A1-A3: Changes the starting level. This is in little-endian format: For instance, if Dip Switch A1 and A2 are both set, the game starts at stage 03, "The City".
• DIP SWITCH A4: Makes both players invincible. Note that using a Mega Crash will still take a health point away from the player.
• DIP SWITCH A8: Runs the game at 1/4 speed.

(Source: Original TCRF research)

Unused Graphics

Graphics for a grid overlay for use in a stage viewer. This game doesn't seem to have a stage viewer, though. Not anymore, at least.

Filler tiles in the object graphics bank. "あ" is just "A", doesn't really mean anything. 空 is the kanji for "Empty".

An odd filler tile in the Scroll 2 graphics. 7の十くら means "About 7/10", which is about where it appears in the Scroll 2 bank.

(Translation: divingkataetheweirdo)

A Scroll 3 filler tile. That guy is drinking a beer or holding a microphone or flipping you off. It's a little hard to tell.

(Source: Original TCRF research)

Unused Music

Opening

Sound Code 4A, This song is only played when the player appears at the beginning of the level, and cut off after less than 2 seconds.

Staff Roll

Sound Code 57, This song can only be heard in the following Japanese version of the ending comic, other versions are not used for obvious reasons.

Sound Code 59.

Region Differences

Gameplay

Charged shot

In the international version, the time required to hold down the button to trigger the Charged shot has been reduced.

Missile

The frontal firing missiles were replaced by Mega Crash Attack and Super Shell's charged attacks in the international version.

Side Fighter and After Image

In US and World(900227) version , Side Fighter and After Image allows for launching Missile and Super Shell attacks, and can follow players to launch attacks while the walls are spinning.

Mega Crash attack

In the Japanese version, when you throw a bomb, the plane will do a somersault first, and then explode in all eight directions. In the US and World(900227) version, there is no somersault animation, and it becomes a counter-clockwise gradually diffused burst.

Item

The red enemy formation is significantly increased compared to the Japanese version, and the blue POW item has been added, which adds two points to the vitality meter.

Stage Order

The "World(900227)" and "USA" versions change the order of the first three stages:

Japan + World(Without Build Dates)	US + World(900227)
Stage 1: The Atlantic Stage 2: Sea Base Stage 3: Fortified Zone	Stage 1: Sea Base Stage 2: Fortified Zone Stage 3: The Atlantic

The Japanese order makes the most sense in terms of difficulty progression. The change was most likely made to make the game more profitable.

Stage Intro

In the Japanese game, the message above appears before the first stage starts. It translates to "Above the North Atlantic Ocean - 200,000 Feet".

(Translation: divingkataetheweirdo)

In the "World" and "USA" versions, however, a stage list appears before each missions starts, with the picture and name of the current stage boss.

Ending

The Japanese version displays this comic after the credits run, and if the player(s) got through without dying, an extra comic is displayed after that. They are read from right to left.

-Oh! Check out that hottie!
-It's attackin' time!

-Hey, girl!
-Come have fun with us!

-Get real!
-Ga-ga-goo-goo!

-ACK!

-You're dead!

(The joke here is that the "hottie" is a young mother whose baby is a missile.)

-Oh! A foreigner!

-Let's mess with him!
-Yeah!

-Hey, you!
-You're a foreigner, aren't you?!

-Uhh...

-WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING?!

(Basically, the joke is that they bullied a foreigner only to realize that the foreigner's mom is also there and is really big & scary.)

(Source: Original TCRF research)

(Source: Tomato (Translation))