Just a few quick thoughts about the NES version of 1941 that I've been playing recently.
1941 is an upwards scrolling shoot 'em up, in the style of "Xevious". It's actually a prequel to 1942, and like the original is set in World War 2, in the Pacific theatre. You make short burst missions taking off and landing on an aircraft carrier and attempting to shoot down a series of different planes each following a different attack pattern.
Given the game is nearly 30 years old now, it's not surprising to see that we're a long way from the "bullet hell" shooter that we get today, the limited number of sprites on screen see to that. However, the game is still pretty challenging often due to the limited maneuverability of your plane relative to the opposition, or the fact that some planes take multiple hits to down whereas you remain dead with a single hit. There are powerups, as is a staple of the genre shot patterns adapt or improve or supporting planes to join you. The other staple of getting an extra life at various points scores is there too.
Though without doubt showing the limitations of its age now, "1941" remains a fun game and one that I couldn't stop playing for the sessions I had with it, immediately continuing or restating when I died. I doubt I'll be back to it too often, but it's worth hunting out.