Strikers 1945 Plus is a simple 2-D vertically scrolling arcade shooter from the mid-90’s. Downloadable only through the PSP store, players choose a plane and shoot down anything that moves while avoiding sprays of bullets. Collect power ups to increase your firepower as you mow down the enemies for a high score.

Play control is easy to grasp, just one button to shoot (hold down to charge), and another to fire your limited supply of screen clearing bombs. Two can play together via ad-hoc wireless play.

For a little more than ten bucks, Strikers 1945 is a pretty decent download, but the game could’ve used a few more options and tweaks. There are several screen viewing size options, but none that let you tile the PSP on its side to view the action from an arcade screen ratio. Even though you get unlimited continues, maybe some selectable difficulty modes would’ve been nice so you’re not dying quite AS often. And it’s a bit short. Fans of arcade classics may still enjoy it, though. And heck, any game that lets you pilot a plane called the “Flying Pancake” can’t be ALL bad!

Kid Factor:
Strikers 1945 Plus is rated E for Everyone with an ESRB descriptor of Violence. Even though you shoot down planes, tanks, battleships, and fortresses, there are no grisly death scenes, just exploding vehicles. Reading skill isn’t necessary, but some kids might get frustrated at the insane difficulty. But luckily there are unlimited continues so they can keep on trying right where they left off.

Tags: Game Reviews