As an old-school gamer – and an avid fan of shooters, no less – you couldn’t tear me away from 7-11 when Sega released its Choplifter arcade game. Based upon a previously released computer game, the arcade version was even better, with its improved visuals and simplified – yet still challenging – gameplay. The Master System version wasn’t half bad either…but we haven’t heard back from the franchise ever since, save for a somewhat decent SNES sequel. But that changed this week with the release of Choplifter HD, InXile’s revamp of the 80’s classic. And it might have a few flaws that keep the chopper from making an entirely smooth landing, but there’s no question that these guys fully understand and appreciate the nature of the original game. And having them add their own touches, well, that’s just icing on the cake.
Let me explain how Choplifter works. The game gives you goals, both offensively and strategically. Sometimes it’ll ask you to clear an area of enemies so you can return to base knowing that it’s clear. Other times, you’ll be called upon to fly in and rescue people behind enemy lines, including a reporter and hostages that are unable to escape on their own two feet (though they can run to the chopper okay – lazy bastards). Anyway, along with flying in and picking up folks by landing in the right spot, you can also shift your whirlybird in three different directions – left, right and facing the screen – to shoot down enemies. You’re packing plenty of gunpower between an assault cannon and missiles, but if you manage to run out, you can always head back to base and refill. (You’ll need to do this if you’re low on fuel anyhow.)
So your objectives are clearly marked on a cool little HUD on the bottom of the screen, so you know which enemies you have to kill and how many hostages are left on the map. However, what the game doesn’t show you is how cheap enemies can be at times. You could be sitting there picking up hostages and not realizing that a turret is pounding away at you, to the point that you’re flying back on fumes to avoid turning into a huge pile of wreckage. You might also be hit in the air by guys that have more aim than they’re letting on. This happened in the original game as well, but you’d think that InXile would’ve lightened up a slight bit with an easier difficulty setting. Oh, well, it is Choplifter, after all. What’s more, the missions ramp up wildly. With over 20 missions to choose from, you’ll find some that are easy to coast through, while others are downright impossible.
This featured review concludes on the next page, please click Page 2 below to read our final thoughts on Choplifter HD for Xbox Live Arcade.
