SEGA's 8-bit 1985 arcade remake of Chopifter is IMHO absolutely one of
the finest classic games ever made. Sega made a visual & audio
turbocharged arcadeversion of the1982 Apple ][ classic game. Arcade
Choplifter just screams quality. Play it any way you can; the real
arcade machine, or through MAME emulation, but *do* play it. See how
good it looks, especially compared to the Apple ][ original. See how
well it plays, concidering the time the remake was released. This
mid-80s remake of Choplifter blows the hell out of the original
Apple ]
[ computer version, as well as any other computer or console release.
Well, okay the Apple ][ is still CLASSIC, still the best of all the
computer releases. The only other Choplifter that comes close to
SEGA's arcade Choplifter is SEGA's own conversion on the Master
System.
I've been having so much fun with this game, even in 2007.
even though the audio-visuals had been massively improved over the 8-
bit computer renditions, the arcade Choplifter is still an 8-bit game
because it runs on SEGA's 'System 2' board.
http://www.system16.com/hardware.php?id=694
System 2 used standard Z80 CPUs, but plenty of custom ICs to provide
the exellent graphics & audio. System 2 seems to be, basicly, an
"industrial strength" super-charged Master System. It allowed lots of
color and smooth scrolling for an 8-bit machine--as well as parallax
scrolling, which seems like it was easy to acomplish (even NES and SMS
had parallax in some games). Because of this,
Choplifter arcade has more 3D scrolling depth to it than any other
version.
It controls beautifully too! the game is difficult but not cheap or
cheezy at all. Rescuing those little bastards...ahem, I mean hostiges,
couldn't be more fun :)
The original 1982 Choplifter on Apple ][ was written by Dan Gorlin.
His name appears on the title screen of the arcade as well as the
Master System and NES versions.
Choplifter of the Master System is a decent translation of the arcade,
but as I said, play the arcade because it is the BEST Choplifter ever
made. It's far better than
Choplifter 3 on SNES too .....Arcade Choplifter is so damn good, it's
currently my favorite 8-bit game.
What strikes me is, Choplifter is said to be the first computer game
to get made into arcade game.
I have put together some links with info, pics, mentionings of SEGA's
1985 arcade rendition, as well as Choplifter in general:
http://www.arcadeflyers.com/flyers_video/sega/16132801.jpg
http://www.arcadeflyers.com/flyers_video/sega/16132802.jpg
great reviewhttp://tinyurl.com/yu6x3q
"Forget the overly-complicated sequels. Forget the weaker console
ports. The only serious versions of Choplifter is the original Apple
II one and the brilliantly updated arcade one. Dan Gorlin and
Broderbund's Choplifter 1 is a cool action shooter, and Sega's arcade
adaptation of it is even better, because of the new level design and
the revamped visual and audio effects. Fans remember this as an
addictive quarter-sucker for very good reasons."
"Sega gives a major overhaul to the original version's graphics,
bringing out some really colorful and pretty stuff in the arcade port.
The characters are animated well in a cartoon-like manner, and you can
see all the little details from glowing fires to the hostages waving
their hands while jumping up and down. The backgrounds are nicely
textured, and they even use multilayering and parallax effects to add
a better sense of depth to the game."
"OVERALL: Excellent (9/10)
Like the Apple II version it's based off of, the arcade Choplifter 1
offers simple yet highly enjoyable action, and the new level design,
graphics, and audio certainly help. Rescuing hostages has never been
more fun, so throw on that helmet now and go check this out."
http://www.gamefaqs.com/computer/apple2/review/R22313.html
http://www.classicgaming.com/rotw/choplifter.shtml
"Choplifter is also an oddity because it's one of the few games that
was ported from a home computer to the arcade (usually it's the other
way around)."
http://www.dadgum.com/halcyon/BOOK/GORLIN.HTM
"How did the "Choplifter" coin-op come about?"
Dan Gorlin: "That was a straight licensing deal with Sega. They did
all the design and artwork themselves and were kind enough to put my
name on it, but I had nothing to do with it really. I thought they did
a great job of enhancing it,"
http://tinyurl.com/2xj562
http://groups.google.com/groups?selm=37d34c27.179080339%40news.involv...
http://www.atarihq.com/features/choplift.html
http://tinyurl.com/2csx4k
http://tinyurl.com/2fnrgf
http://tinyurl.com/286rxn
"Choplifter" was successful enough that Sega bought it, upgraded it
and made it one of the first games to go from the home computer market
to the arcade. More complex, the arcade game added chopper fuel
units, 8 hostages max onboard, 20+ of 24 must be saved per level, and
themes per each level. They added speech "Don't Leave" and screams
when killed.
http://www.cooganphoto.com/gravitar/1982.html
"Broderbund Software, Inc. releases CHOPLIFTER, by Mr. Dan Gorlin, for
Atari 8-bit computer systems. This version of the game is directly
transferred from the Apple II. CHOPLIFTER will become the first
computer video game to be released as an arcade game by Sega."
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Choplifter
http://www.answers.com/topic/choplifter
http://www.klov.com/game_detail.php?letter=C&game_id=7333