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When I was a wee lad, I found a video game on the Atari 2600 that looked like Choplifter, but was actually called Chopper Command. It had similar graphics and color scheme, so you can understand my confusion.
Chopper Command on the Atari 2600 was a complete ripoff of Defender, except instead of spaceships, it was helicopters and such. Lucky for anyone who may have it, though, the game is still a lot of fun. Compared to Choplifter, where you have to actually save people individually, there is no need for that. You just blow stuff up. Kind of like what the army does in real life. Sort of. Okay, not really.
This game was made by Activision. Although the company may not have the greatest reputation at present, they were known for making excellent quality Atari 2600 games back in the day, and had some of the best programmers during its time such as David Crane. Knowing this, Chopper Command was indisputably a well-made game. What is interesting about Chopper Command is that it uses some of the same helicopter graphics that can be seen in River Raid, which was also made by Activision.
Chopper Command is undoubtedly a game that could hold its own against modern titles such as Call of Duty. The graphics are unbeatable, who doesn’t want to spend hours looking at tiny blocky helicopters? And the sound design, well, let’s just say that the beep-boop of the Atari is pure audio bliss. The gameplay mechanics in Chopper Command are truly unparalleled, allowing for hours of repetitive motion as you blast through waves of generic enemies.
If you want to become a helicopter pilot, forget about expensive training and flight hours. Just fire up a game of Chopper Command and you’ll be the most skilled pilot in no time! Who needs the hassle of real world aviation when you can pilot your very own blocky helicopter from the comfort of your couch? And don’t worry, the radiation from your TV screen won’t cause any lasting damage to your eyes.
Sure, spending all your waking hours playing Chopper Command might not make you the most productive member of society. But hey, who cares about making meaningful contributions to the world when you can blow up pixelated enemies instead? Who needs to go outside and experience the real world when you can spend your time in a virtual one? And don’t worry, those years of playing will definitely pay off when you finally get that high score and cement your place in the Chopper Command Hall of Fame.
There is no excuse why you cannot own Chopper Command on the Atari 2600. It is dirt cheap, easy to find and fun to play. Factor in how addicting it is to collect Atari 2600 games, and you have a winner.
If you are the kind of person that prefers to Buy nostalgic toys, This is the Game for you.