This week on XBox Live Arcade, we welcome Go! Go! Break Steady (800 Microsoft Points), a beat-matching rhythm title with match-three puzzle gameplay. It's the debut title from Vancouver-based Little Boy Games, and apparently players pick a character and solve puzzles to dance to the beat of 20 different songs.

We've also got the Capcom-published, Backbone Entertainment-developed and arcade-inspired 1942: Joint Strike (800 Microsoft Points), a top-down vertical shooter set in a "parallel" WWII era, featuring updated 3D graphics and stylized aircraft.

Both titles hit on Wednesday morning — incidentally, PlayStation Network gets 1942 on Thursday.

1942 Coming in Two Weeks

Capcom's classic arcade shooter 1942: Joint Strike hits the Playstation Network and Xbox Live Arcade in just two weeks, the company announced today.

PS3 owners get the game on July 24, while Xbox 360 owners get it on July 23.

The new 1942: Joint Strike will include 2-player online cooperative play, updated graphics and music by Backbone Entertainment and a new score by Norihiko Hibino, a composer best known for his work on the Metal Gear Series.

1942: Joint Strike takes inspiration and influence from the ‘80s 194X series of World War II-themed vertical arcade shooters. The art, sound and gameplay of the new game take cues from the original 194X games, but will stand out as its own unique entry. Gameplay will resemble the classic 2D style that gamers expect, but the game utilizes a fully 3D engine. Set in a World War II-themed locale, stages, vehicles and weapons have the look and feel of WWII with some stylistic differences.

Capcom had its full suite of Xbox Live Arcade and PlayStation Network titles on hand at Captivate 08, including Super Street Fighter II Turbo HD Remix, Plunder, and Bionic Commando: Rearmed as well as two games I was looking forward to getting time with, 1942: Joint Strike and Wolf of the Battlefield: Commando 3. As a fan of both the 194X series—I started with 1943—and Mercs—Commando passed me by—I was pleasantly surprised to see both pop up on Capcom's release list. Given that we had ample time to play, I spent a respectable time with both.

In fact, I came this close to beating Commando 3 on my third attempt, making it to the final boss solo. While the game supports up to three players at a time, it's not much of a challenge to take down the game's five levels on your own. That's mostly due to potentially too powerful guns, plus copious power ups and screen-clearing attack ammo.

If Commando 3 has a fault, it's that there's not much of a challenge to it, making for occasionally dull play. With familiar Smash TV-style controls and constant flow of bullets (or flamethrowers or rockets), mowing down scores of rebels is easy for any arcade vet.

Can I be the only gamer out there pumped for a return to Capcom's 194X series of vertical shooters? Surely not! I long to return to the heady days of my youth wasted at Chuck E. Cheese, force feeding a 1943 cabinet tokens—then ultimately crushed the heartbreaking by the NES 1942 port. Capcom's seen fit to deploy a quintet of new screens for its Xbox Live Arcade and PlayStation Network sequel, 1942 Joint Strike, a title that fills my heart with POWs. It's still so pleasing that Japan isn't sore enough about all those aerial casualties as to keep Capcom from pumping out WWII-era shmups.

Fans of the 194X franchise of games are going to be excited about this offering from Capcom's Digital Day, 1942: Joint Strike. This new title takes its inspiration from the original games being a top down vertical shooter and long time players will no doubt get a rush of nostalgia playing it. But this isn't your father's 1942. The graphics of course have been completely revamped in HD and while it still retains its 2D gameplay, all the graphics will utilize a 3D engine.

Get all old school top down style with these swanky new screens from 1942: Joint Strike. A few years and some schmancy HD graphics have really treated this franchise well. Alternative universe World War II never looked so good!