Developed by Capcom in 1996 on the CPS-2 board, 19XX: The War Against Destiny picks up the vertical-scroll formula of 1942, 1943, and 1944, but with more detailed graphics, more elaborate boss fights, and a weapon-upgrade system built for quick coin-drop runs. It's part of one of the longest-running sagas in vertical arcade shooters. For fans of the subgenre, it remains a very polished design exercise: readable bullet patterns, a well-calibrated difficulty curve, and that particular satisfaction of weaving through bullet storms that defines the classic shmup.
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