Choplifter

Choplifter (stylized as Choplifter!) is a 1982 Apple II game developed by Dan Gorlin and published by Brøderbund. It was ported to other home computers and, in 1985, Sega released a coin-operated arcade game remake, which in turn received several home ports of its own. While many arcade games have been ported to home computers and consumer consoles, Choplifter was one of the few games to take the reverse route: first appearing on a home system and being ported to the arcade.

Overview

In Choplifter, the player assumes the role of a combat helicopter pilot. The player attempts to save hostages being held in prisoner of war camps in territory ruled by the evil Bungeling Empire. The player must collect the hostages and transport them safely to the nearby friendly base, all the while fighting off hostile tanks and other enemy combatants. According to the backstory, the helicopter parts were smuggled into the country described as "mail sorting equipment."

Although the Iran hostage crisis ended the year before the game was released, Gorlin has stated "the tie-in with current events was something that never really crossed my mind until we published."

Choplifter II

Choplifter II (チョップリフターⅡ) is a shoot 'em up video game, developed by Beam Software and published by Victor Interactive Software, which was released in 1991. It was the first Choplifter title for the Game Boy handheld.

Summary

The gameplay revolves around piloting a rescue helicopter into hostile territory and rescuing hostages. Enemies like birds, fighter jets, and even ammunition fired from various weapons can harm the player's helicopter. Saving more hostages than the scenario requires will allow players to collect extra points. However, losing a lot of hostage will lead to a loss of continues; regardles of how many lives the player has during that time. This is to simulate a mission failure and/or becoming a SNAFU.

A version of Choplifter II with enhanced graphics appeared as Choplifter III on Game Boy and Game Gear, and an original sequel of the same name appeared on Super NES.

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Choplifter III

Choplifter III (チョップリフターⅢ) is a shoot 'em up video game for the SNES, which was released in North America, Europe and Japan in 1994.

Summary

In Europe, a remake of Choplifter II was released under the same name, and later ported to Game Gear. Despite the confusing name change, these are not conversions of the Super Nintendo game. It was the third Choplifter title starting with the original Apple II game released in 1982. The gameplay revolves around piloting a rescue helicopter into hostile territory and rescuing hostages. The player's task is made more complicated by the limited number of hostages the helicopter can carry as well as increasing difficulty throughout the four chapters of the game. Each chapter is set in a different environment, starting off with jungle, then desert, sea and finally city.

The game also has a number of minibosses spread throughout the campaign.

Reception

GamePro gave the game a mostly positive review. Commenting on the beautiful graphics and addictive gameplay, they summarized that "this fast, great-looking game shouldn't be overlooked by fans of Desert/Jungle Strike."Electronic Gaming Monthly gave it a 7.8 out of 10, commenting "Fans of military simulators will definitely feel at home with this one."