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[IbizaPocholo]

Choplifter wa sa game taht I spent an ungodly amount of time playing on the Master System back in the day.

I always knew I would make this video, even though I know It will not pull in big numbers... I had to make it

Hope I can find some other Choplifter out in the wild

• 00:01–00:34 | Introduction & context
  The documentary introduces Choplifter as a standout title from the golden age of gaming, notable for doing something different rather than copying popular arcade formulas.
• 01:12–02:10 | Dan Gorlin's origins
  Dan Gorlin, originally a music student and former AI researcher, began experimenting with an Apple II with no initial plan to create a commercial video game.
• 02:10–03:15 | Core technical achievement
  Gorlin focused on achieving smooth helicopter movement and scrolling on extremely limited hardware, which became the game's defining technical strength.
• 03:53–04:27 | Influence of Defender
  A casual conversation about Defender inspired the addition of rescuable characters, shaping Choplifter around saving people rather than just shooting enemies.
• 05:06–06:17 | Rescue theme & release
  While not a direct reference, the ongoing Iran hostage crisis may have subconsciously influenced the rescue theme. Broderbund released Choplifter in 1982 for the Apple II.
• 06:17–08:03 | Gameplay fundamentals
  Players pilot a combat helicopter to rescue hostages; losing a life also kills rescued passengers, making the game punishing but highly rewarding.
• 08:35–09:47 | Ports and Sega versions
  The game was widely ported, with Sega's arcade and Master System versions often considered the best due to smoother gameplay and improved visuals.
• 12:06–14:20 | Handheld sequels
  Choplifter 2 and Choplifter 3 attempted to evolve the formula on handhelds but suffered from control changes and design compromises.
• 16:32–17:36 | 16-bit evolution on SNES
  The Super Nintendo entry introduced better graphics and expanded mechanics, though some shooting angles and boss fights felt less refined.
• 18:06–22:37 | Choplifter HD and legacy
  Choplifter HD (2012) modernized the series and served as a strong conclusion, despite later being delisted due to unclear licensing issues.

 

[Fermbiz]

Choplifter for the Sega Master System is my shit! I could never pass the 3rd stage though...

 

[DeepEnigma]

I played this like crazy from the arcade to my C64 as a kid.

 

[StreetsofBeige]

Played it on Apple II. Hard game. Me and my bros never got all 64 people. I dont think any of us even got 60.

 

[AJUMP23]

Run a spell check my man.

Thanks for the Documentary.

 

[nemiroff]

Choplifter was the first cartridge I got for my Vic 20. I remember loving the background parallax (oddly enough it's not showing in the version in this video) .

 

[AndrewRyan]

First time seeing Choplifter was kind of magical. Was at my rich friends house who's dad had an apple ][ with floppy disks (!) and a green phosphorous monitor. The pixels seemed such high resolution att it was mesmerizing.

Found a video but doesn't look so special now

 

[Deerock71]

I thought this game was badass as a kid.

 

[Midway-AGNC-]

Had a blast with Choplifter III for SNES.

 

[Lorianus]

Choplifter II and Probotector were my childhood on my Gameboy.

 

[Kacho]

Choplifter III on the SNES was one of my most played games. It was one of the few games that gave the player agency.