Chopper Rescue
by AIM
Productions, Price: $14.99
Reviewed November 2003 by Tony Peak
Chopper Rescue could be thought of as an
updated clone of the classic Choplifter. Same concept, same
gameplay, new look. Choplifter was one of my favorites back
in the day, but we’ve came a long way since then. So
when I first heard of Chopper Rescue, I immediately wondered
if the facelift would be enough to give the game new life.
Gameplay is pretty much as you remember
it. Fly the chopper from base, bomb some bunkers, pick up
the hostages and fly back. Along the way you’ll have
to dodge tanks, jets, rockets, turrets, and blimps. Yes,
blimps. Honestly, much of it seems quite silly and out of
place against the smooth rendered CG (computer generated)
background images.
The controls work well enough, but they’re
not exactly easy. One pilots the chopper with the d-pad,
while using taps on the upper right corner and lower right
corner to turn and shoot. It works but since you have to
rapid tap to shoot, it’s a pain. I really would have
liked to see more improvements on the formula… like
a button that lowers a rope ladder and a button that fires
missiles.
The graphical update is good, but not great.
The backgrounds are really nice CG images, and the chopper
and hostage sprites look nice enough. The menus are clean,
and the theme is carried well. However, things let rockets,
jets, and worst… blimps, really stick out like a sore
thumb. It’s like it was a last second decision to include
them. Sound on the other hand is very impressive all around.
The military chatter over the radio is both funny and very
convincing. It’s an impressive touch that took me completely
by surprise. Sure, they tend to repeat themselves too much,
but it’s forgivable and not very annoying.
The game is still a bit too simple, and
at times silly, to recommend with any real enthusiasm. None
the less, sometimes simplicity in a Pocket PC game is a bonus.
The game has a time killer feel to it, and would work well
to fill 5 to 10 minute stretches. It’s decent entertainment
without too much work required.
Playing Hints and Tips
-Make good use of turning to easily bomb
the bunkers and dodge.
-Land quickly by holding down, but watch that ground.
-Blimps can be dangerous to shoot down, it may be best to simply avoid
them. |
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