[Hands-On] "Get To The Choppa!"
Raise your hand if you have been waiting 30 years for Choplifter HD!
Published: November 7, 2011
Is it as hard for you to believe that video games existed 30 years ago as it is to me? Hell, I PLAYED games back then and I still can't really believe in it. Way back before the days of iPads and even Macs, Apple churned out an awful lot of Apple II PCs that filled the computer labs of high schools everywhere. Surprisingly, despite having anywhere from 0 to 4 colors, these systems were the cream of the crop and were the birthing place of early classics like Jordan Mechner's Karateka and deep RPGs like Bard's Tale. The Apple II was also usually the lead development platform of early publishing powerhouse Br0derbund, the guys behind games like Lode Runner and the original Spelunker. Many of their games took place in the fictional land of Bungeling Bay, and the original Choplifter centered around the story of 64 United Nations delegates taken hostage by the Bungelings. For those of you (and I assume it's all of you) that don't recall the original game, check it out:
Yeah, this game was cutting edge at one time.
No one was as surprised as us when we found out that inXile Entertainment (who brought us the recent Hunted) were bringing back that venerable classic in the form of Choplifter HD, putting some shiny new touches on this oldie. The original game tasked would-be rescue pilots to land in hot extraction zones and scoop up the escaped hostages (you'd sometimes have to break them out of their locked barracks), then return them safely to your base.
Based on our experience with a preview build inXile sent over (for the PC, but we are assured the PS3 version will be identical), not a whole lot has changed from that formula. You'll find yourself in four different hotspots, responding to distress calls from wayward souls ranging from news reporters to folks fleeing from a virus. Heck, there are even the almost required zombies to deal with (they'll latch on to your chopper, necessitating that you wiggle around a bunch to toss them off). Of course, no one is going to make it easy for you to grab these guys, so the forces of evil try to stop you at every turn with weapons ranging from guys running around with guns to mobile rocket launchers to enemy aircraft.
The game remains deceptively simple, as you fly over a 2D world with some fairly gorgeous backgrounds, shooting to the left or right with either your standard gun or a homing missile. You'll bob and weave to avoid enemy gunfire while keeping your eyes peeled for hostages that need rescuing, at which point you'll put down and wait for them to clamber aboard before taking off again, heading for the base at the end of the level. You're also able to turn directly toward the screen and fire at enemies in the foreground (like Shadow Complex) and the further you get into the game, the more threats you'll be dealing with simultaneously.
Choplifter HD will feature of 30 missions with tense action and some surprising humor throughout (much of the game has a news reporter providing narration, and the reporter plays up his role while diminishing the importance of the pilot), and in our time with it we felt like it really captured the spirit of the original game which should provide a decent rush of nostalgia to older gamers. Yet it seems to stand well enough on its own to merit consideration from those that have no idea what sort of pedigree the Choplifter franchise has. Retro-classics have been the rage for the last few years, and Choplifter HD looks like it will continue that tradition with aplomb. Keep your eyes peeled for the full game sometime this fall on the PSN.
Yeah, this game was cutting edge at one time.
No one was as surprised as us when we found out that inXile Entertainment (who brought us the recent Hunted) were bringing back that venerable classic in the form of Choplifter HD, putting some shiny new touches on this oldie. The original game tasked would-be rescue pilots to land in hot extraction zones and scoop up the escaped hostages (you'd sometimes have to break them out of their locked barracks), then return them safely to your base.
Based on our experience with a preview build inXile sent over (for the PC, but we are assured the PS3 version will be identical), not a whole lot has changed from that formula. You'll find yourself in four different hotspots, responding to distress calls from wayward souls ranging from news reporters to folks fleeing from a virus. Heck, there are even the almost required zombies to deal with (they'll latch on to your chopper, necessitating that you wiggle around a bunch to toss them off). Of course, no one is going to make it easy for you to grab these guys, so the forces of evil try to stop you at every turn with weapons ranging from guys running around with guns to mobile rocket launchers to enemy aircraft.
The game remains deceptively simple, as you fly over a 2D world with some fairly gorgeous backgrounds, shooting to the left or right with either your standard gun or a homing missile. You'll bob and weave to avoid enemy gunfire while keeping your eyes peeled for hostages that need rescuing, at which point you'll put down and wait for them to clamber aboard before taking off again, heading for the base at the end of the level. You're also able to turn directly toward the screen and fire at enemies in the foreground (like Shadow Complex) and the further you get into the game, the more threats you'll be dealing with simultaneously.
Choplifter HD will feature of 30 missions with tense action and some surprising humor throughout (much of the game has a news reporter providing narration, and the reporter plays up his role while diminishing the importance of the pilot), and in our time with it we felt like it really captured the spirit of the original game which should provide a decent rush of nostalgia to older gamers. Yet it seems to stand well enough on its own to merit consideration from those that have no idea what sort of pedigree the Choplifter franchise has. Retro-classics have been the rage for the last few years, and Choplifter HD looks like it will continue that tradition with aplomb. Keep your eyes peeled for the full game sometime this fall on the PSN.
