''Air Rescue'' is a

Sega is a Japanese multinational corporation, multinational video game and entertainment company headquartered in Shinagawa, Tokyo. Its international branches, Sega of America and Sega Europe, are headquartered in Irvine, California and London, r ...

arcade

action game An action game is a video game genre that emphasizes physical challenges, including hand–eye coordination and reaction-time. The genre includes a large variety of sub-genres, such as fighting games, beat 'em ups, shooter games, and platform gam ...

released in 1992, which runs on the Sega System 32 hardware. A

Master System The is an 8-bit third-generation home video game console manufactured by Sega. It was originally a remodeled export version of the Sega Mark III, the third iteration of the SG-1000 series of consoles, which was released in Japan in 1985 and ...

game of the same name was released later in 1992, but had little in common with the arcade version. The two games are similar to ''

Choplifter ''Choplifter'' (stylized as ''Choplifter!'') is military themed scrolling shooter developed by Dan Gorlin for the Apple II and published by Broderbund in 1982. It was ported to the Atari 8-bit family the same year and also to the VIC-20, Com ...

'', which Sega had adapted into a hit arcade game. The arcade version of ''Air Rescue'' has a first-person perspective, while the Master System version is side-scrolling. The Master System version only came out in

PAL territories The PAL region is a television publication territory that covers most of Europe and Africa, alongside parts of Asia, South America and Oceania. It is named PAL because of the PAL (Phase Alternating Line) television standard traditionally used in ...

Gameplay

250px, left, The arcade version places players in the cockpit of the helicopter. Both versions of ''Air Rescue'' share a similar concept to the original ''Choplifter''. The player must pilot a

helicopter A helicopter is a type of rotorcraft in which lift and thrust are supplied by horizontally spinning rotors. This allows the helicopter to take off and land vertically, to hover, and to fly forward, backward and laterally. These attributes ...

, land it near hostages/prisoners behind enemy lines, and return them to the safety of the base. The arcade version uses a first-person perspective and features full 3D movement throughout its environment, represented with large numbers of scaled sprites. The player can ascend or descent freely, as well as yaw left and right and move forward and back. The Master System features completely different levels and a less overtly military theme from its arcade counterpart and should not be considered a port or a conversion as much as a tie-in game. It more closely resembles the classic 2D gameplay of ''Choplifter'', but with levels that scroll in all directions. ''Air Rescue'' also features the ability to drop a rope ladder to rescue hostages without landing.

Reception

In Japan, ''Game Machine'' listed ''Air Rescue'' on their May 15, 1992 issue as being the third most-successful upright arcade unit of the month. In ''

Play Meter ''Play Meter'' (initially ''Coin Industry Play Meter'') was an American trade magazine focusing on the coin-op amusement arcade industry, including jukebox and arcade game machines. It was founded in December 1974 by publisher and editor Ralph C. ...

'' magazine, Jim Overman gave the arcade game a rating of 92% and a "gut feeling" score of 8 out of 10. John Cook of ''

Sinclair User ''Sinclair User'' was a magazine dedicated to the Sinclair Research range of home computers, most specifically the ZX Spectrum (while also occasionally covering arcade games). Initially published by ECC Publications, and later EMAP, it was publi ...

'' gave the arcade game an 80% rating. They said "Sega are the tops" in technology, with praise for the "stunning visuals, playability" and "an interesting co-operative two player option." He said "it does fail to inspire quite as much as I would like it to" but "it is worth a few 10p's of anyone's money."

References

External links

* * {{Choplifter series 1992 video games Arcade video games Helicopter video games Sega arcade games Sega video games Master System games Sega System 32 games SIMS Co., Ltd. games Video games developed in Japan