I've played a little bit of Air Rescue in MAME when I was trying to remember the name of Apache 3. It seemed neat at least. The Master System wasn't coming anywhere close to handling this arcade game (though they did try with couple of the super scaler games), so it was probably wise to take this 2d demake route and go with something resembling Choplifter, which was obviously the inspiration for the arcade Air Rescue too. Of course, they already had experience porting Choplifter to the arcade and SMS, so why not? Yeah, it's not nearly as *cool* as the arcade game, but it looks like it might be more actual fun. I can't deny that the arcade version looks and sounds massively better; however, the SMS version flattening the concept and throwing it on its side makes it also an interesting game on its own. Actually, I have to say that this got me thinking about Choplifter: I haven't played played it in a long time (even though I though about playing some of it and Choplifter 3 when you covered that game) but used to love it...AND loved playing the M*A*S*H game on the TI-99/4A with dad (it was on the 2600/VCS too I know because my cousin ended up with that version though not until later in the 80s). For the non-surgical part of the game, they took the concept of Choplifter, rotated the view to be from an angle so that you could go into the background, but made it even simpler too. I would have loved to have seen an updated M*A*S*H game on stronger hardware that expanded on that concept (mainly because I love the show if for no other reason ha).
The arcade version seems like one of those games that would have been impressive and cool when it came out but now looks really dated. Not to say that the SMS game isn't also dated but personally I found that to be way more fun since it looked and played much closer to Choplifter which is a game I love. Wow I haven't thought of that M*A*S*H game in so long. I used to play that a lot on the 2600 in the days when that was our only console. I can't even remember how it looked but if it was ported to even something like the Colecovision that would have been cool.
Lol yeah I had no idea going into this game. I recorded the SMS port and then when I booted up MAME and started the arcade game I stopped and then looked at an article and video just to make sure I was playing the right game.
A rare occasion when "less advanced" doesn't mean "worse of two". I mean, the arcade original looks great with the digitized 3D-models of those army guys, but the game itself feels really strange - from the point of view to the gameplay itself. And the SMS one just took the premise only and made a completely different game, way more interesting. Actually, yes, I know it became some kind of Choplifter clone, but as far as I can see, it fares somewhat better than ANY Choplifter game I've seen. So I'd say that SMS won this fight)) Like the comment if you agree^^...
This is a really interesting one. The arcade game looks incredible for its time and should really get more love in the retro community. I've never heard anyone talk about this game ever and it's quite a marvel besides the creepy clone army guys. Having said that, I'd much rather play the SMS game. I love Choplifter so getting to play a game that's a borderline sequel or at least a spiritual successor (or a blatant ripoff lol) was an unexpected treat.
Choplifter 3d turned into Choplifter the lost levels. Not sure what to think of this one for either system lol..... Winner: I guess the arcade.... lol Oof both versions seem pretty painful man...... Glad you played them and I have never heard of them!
Hahaha! Ok you're right, they need to officially rename this game to Choplifter: The Lost Levels and then they can sell it on the Nintendo eshop as a "new" game and it will sell a ton of copies. The arcade game looks incredible graphically for its time but the gameplay was kind of lacking. Still pretty fun though overall. Since I really like Choplifter I very much enjoyed the SMS port. I think this game falls into the category of boring to watch but fun to play, kind of like golf lol.
The arcade game would make a great Treehouse of Horror segment. Small Soldiers meets Wreck it Ralf, and throw in some references to the media panic around Doom... I mean, this is so bad it's iconic. The demake wouldn't look out of place on the Switch eshop.
Haha yeah come to think of it those soldiers are like the clones of Homer in THOF segment during the *shudders* Al Jean years. I think you're right, if this game was sold as a "new" game on the eshop there would be 1,000 videos of Hidden Switch Eshop Games You Need To Buy Today with this one featured.
This one was pretty fascinating to watch -- I particularly couldn't take my eyes off the arcade version of "Air Rescue" because of how adanced it was, but in some really weird ways. This feels like (and is!) a fully 3-D game in 1992, but rather than use polygons it uses "Outrun" or "Space Harrier" style sprite scaling to accomplish the effects. That's pretty creative and amazing! The crash dummy looking "hostages" are kind of the stuff of nightmares, LOL, but overall I'm extremely impressed with this. It's basically 3D "Choplifter" and seems to work as that extremely well. The Sega Master System version seemed to take one look at the arcade, laugh out loud, and say, "No way... we can't do THAT... but maybe we could do what the arcade did, and come up with a modernized, more complex version of 'Choplifter'?" And then proceeded to do exactly that! Honestly, if I had owned an aging SMS back in 1992 and bought this title for it, I don't think I would have been mad. It definitely falls into the "this is a completely different game with the same name" category of titles, but since even the Genesis and SNES wouldn't have had a prayer of converting this one, I think I would have gone into the SMS with that expectation. And honestly, this looks pretty fun! It seems like it puts its emphasis on precision flight and rescue rather than combat, to the point that the copter's "combat" skills are there more to placate young gamers' adrenaline than anything they actually need to survive or complete the mission, at least in the clips you show here. Anyway, I'm still beyond impressed with the arcade game, but I think I'd also like the (completely different) SMS game, too.
I don't know how I never heard of this one before. You'd think with how advanced the arcade port was that it would be heralded as this great piece of technology for its time that gets brought up in discussions. It's unfortunate that it's now dated, especially with those creepy characters, so it doesn't look impressive to modern eyes and at this point it's a lost gem. It falls into the category of something like the early Gran Turismo's in that aspect where someone who sees it for the first time in 2024 with no context would think it's totally unimpressive. Having said that, personally I found it to be less fun than the SMS game. Of course I love Choplifter so I have a bias in that regard to the SMS port. It's interesting that you mention that the SNES/Genesis wouldn't be able to handle the arcade version which makes me think that had they tried it would have been an abomination like Steel Talons that runs at like 2fps. I'm glad the Master System took the route that it did. I do find it surprising that it's even considered a port though to be honest.
@@RetroComparisons Yeah, it's a Port In Name Only, Though Not Original In Respects, or a PINOT NOIR as we call it in the business. (*"We" and "the business" means only me, starting right now, as a sad punster who apparently visited the wine aisle too often)
Shockingly I may actually go with the SMS version since it was closer to Choplifter which I love. Those guys being rescued on the arcade though give it some extra points for being hilarious.
I've played a little bit of Air Rescue in MAME when I was trying to remember the name of Apache 3. It seemed neat at least. The Master System wasn't coming anywhere close to handling this arcade game (though they did try with couple of the super scaler games), so it was probably wise to take this 2d demake route and go with something resembling Choplifter, which was obviously the inspiration for the arcade Air Rescue too. Of course, they already had experience porting Choplifter to the arcade and SMS, so why not? Yeah, it's not nearly as *cool* as the arcade game, but it looks like it might be more actual fun. I can't deny that the arcade version looks and sounds massively better; however, the SMS version flattening the concept and throwing it on its side makes it also an interesting game on its own. Actually, I have to say that this got me thinking about Choplifter: I haven't played played it in a long time (even though I though about playing some of it and Choplifter 3 when you covered that game) but used to love it...AND loved playing the M*A*S*H game on the TI-99/4A with dad (it was on the 2600/VCS too I know because my cousin ended up with that version though not until later in the 80s). For the non-surgical part of the game, they took the concept of Choplifter, rotated the view to be from an angle so that you could go into the background, but made it even simpler too. I would have loved to have seen an updated M*A*S*H game on stronger hardware that expanded on that concept (mainly because I love the show if for no other reason ha).
The arcade version seems like one of those games that would have been impressive and cool when it came out but now looks really dated. Not to say that the SMS game isn't also dated but personally I found that to be way more fun since it looked and played much closer to Choplifter which is a game I love. Wow I haven't thought of that M*A*S*H game in so long. I used to play that a lot on the 2600 in the days when that was our only console. I can't even remember how it looked but if it was ported to even something like the Colecovision that would have been cool.
wow so totally different kinds of games and views haha. Cool video they look very, very different.
Lol yeah I had no idea going into this game. I recorded the SMS port and then when I booted up MAME and started the arcade game I stopped and then looked at an article and video just to make sure I was playing the right game.
@@RetroComparisons lol 😆 I hear ya most ports are at least somewhat similar but others drastically different sometimes haha
So the sms version is…. Choplifter?
Talk about a clone army! And they’re all blonde too. That may not fly today no pun intended
Choplifter? No no no no no...well yes. The arcade port was inspiration for Attack Of The Clones.
A rare occasion when "less advanced" doesn't mean "worse of two".
I mean, the arcade original looks great with the digitized 3D-models of those army guys, but the game itself feels really strange - from the point of view to the gameplay itself. And the SMS one just took the premise only and made a completely different game, way more interesting. Actually, yes, I know it became some kind of Choplifter clone, but as far as I can see, it fares somewhat better than ANY Choplifter game I've seen.
So I'd say that SMS won this fight))
Like the comment if you agree^^...
This is a really interesting one. The arcade game looks incredible for its time and should really get more love in the retro community. I've never heard anyone talk about this game ever and it's quite a marvel besides the creepy clone army guys. Having said that, I'd much rather play the SMS game. I love Choplifter so getting to play a game that's a borderline sequel or at least a spiritual successor (or a blatant ripoff lol) was an unexpected treat.
@@RetroComparisons ahah...))
the creepy clone army guys: "THANK YOU!THANK YOU!THANK YOU!THANK YOU!..."
@@oldfan4049 Lmao!
The Air Rescue On Arcade Is 3D While The Máster System Is A 2D Adaption Like Choplifter, Pretty Cool Huh?
I really like the 2D demake of this game.
Choplifter 3d turned into Choplifter the lost levels.
Not sure what to think of this one for either system lol.....
Winner:
I guess the arcade.... lol
Oof both versions seem pretty painful man...... Glad you played them and I have never heard of them!
Hahaha! Ok you're right, they need to officially rename this game to Choplifter: The Lost Levels and then they can sell it on the Nintendo eshop as a "new" game and it will sell a ton of copies.
The arcade game looks incredible graphically for its time but the gameplay was kind of lacking. Still pretty fun though overall. Since I really like Choplifter I very much enjoyed the SMS port. I think this game falls into the category of boring to watch but fun to play, kind of like golf lol.
The arcade game would make a great Treehouse of Horror segment. Small Soldiers meets Wreck it Ralf, and throw in some references to the media panic around Doom...
I mean, this is so bad it's iconic.
The demake wouldn't look out of place on the Switch eshop.
Haha yeah come to think of it those soldiers are like the clones of Homer in THOF segment during the *shudders* Al Jean years. I think you're right, if this game was sold as a "new" game on the eshop there would be 1,000 videos of Hidden Switch Eshop Games You Need To Buy Today with this one featured.
👍🏼
This one was pretty fascinating to watch -- I particularly couldn't take my eyes off the arcade version of "Air Rescue" because of how adanced it was, but in some really weird ways. This feels like (and is!) a fully 3-D game in 1992, but rather than use polygons it uses "Outrun" or "Space Harrier" style sprite scaling to accomplish the effects. That's pretty creative and amazing! The crash dummy looking "hostages" are kind of the stuff of nightmares, LOL, but overall I'm extremely impressed with this. It's basically 3D "Choplifter" and seems to work as that extremely well.
The Sega Master System version seemed to take one look at the arcade, laugh out loud, and say, "No way... we can't do THAT... but maybe we could do what the arcade did, and come up with a modernized, more complex version of 'Choplifter'?" And then proceeded to do exactly that! Honestly, if I had owned an aging SMS back in 1992 and bought this title for it, I don't think I would have been mad. It definitely falls into the "this is a completely different game with the same name" category of titles, but since even the Genesis and SNES wouldn't have had a prayer of converting this one, I think I would have gone into the SMS with that expectation. And honestly, this looks pretty fun! It seems like it puts its emphasis on precision flight and rescue rather than combat, to the point that the copter's "combat" skills are there more to placate young gamers' adrenaline than anything they actually need to survive or complete the mission, at least in the clips you show here.
Anyway, I'm still beyond impressed with the arcade game, but I think I'd also like the (completely different) SMS game, too.
I don't know how I never heard of this one before. You'd think with how advanced the arcade port was that it would be heralded as this great piece of technology for its time that gets brought up in discussions. It's unfortunate that it's now dated, especially with those creepy characters, so it doesn't look impressive to modern eyes and at this point it's a lost gem. It falls into the category of something like the early Gran Turismo's in that aspect where someone who sees it for the first time in 2024 with no context would think it's totally unimpressive. Having said that, personally I found it to be less fun than the SMS game. Of course I love Choplifter so I have a bias in that regard to the SMS port.
It's interesting that you mention that the SNES/Genesis wouldn't be able to handle the arcade version which makes me think that had they tried it would have been an abomination like Steel Talons that runs at like 2fps. I'm glad the Master System took the route that it did. I do find it surprising that it's even considered a port though to be honest.
@@RetroComparisons Yeah, it's a Port In Name Only, Though Not Original In Respects, or a PINOT NOIR as we call it in the business.
(*"We" and "the business" means only me, starting right now, as a sad punster who apparently visited the wine aisle too often)
Arcade!
Shockingly I may actually go with the SMS version since it was closer to Choplifter which I love. Those guys being rescued on the arcade though give it some extra points for being hilarious.
Should you be doing this comparison? They are clearly not the same game.
It's technically the same game, just a major demake of the original.
I guess you are right. Besides, how else are you supposed to port Air Rescue to the master system.
@@BrockMace-y3c Yeah I think the developers were like, "nah this ain't gonna work, let's just turn this into Choplifter."