Released in 2000 for the CP System II (CPS2) arcade board, 1944: The Loop Master marks the fifth installment in the Capcom 194X series. Developed by Raizing (Eighting), the game returns to the historical setting of World War II after the more sci-fi-themed departure of its predecessor, 19XX: The War Against Destiny. 

The Storyline

The game’s narrative is set in 1944 AD, during the height of a global conflict. 

• The Conflict: The world is locked in a massive war where naval and aerial supremacy are the ultimate goals. The story focuses on a “permanent battlefield” in the Southern Ocean and the Pacific Front, where new weapons are dyeing the ocean “red with flames.”
• The Protagonists: Two “super ace pilots” take to the skies to defeat a massive fictional army.
• The Aircraft: For the first time in the series, players can control a Japanese fighter. The selectable planes are:
  • Lockheed P-38 Lightning: A staple of the series.
  • Mitsubishi A6M Zero: A new addition allowing players to pilot the iconic Japanese fighter.
• The Mission: Players must battle through 15 stages, facing off against massive “Iron Beasts” and naval armadas to bring the war to a “final conclusion.”