Chopper Attack
Reviewed by Raymond Almeda
If you enjoy flying military machinery and laying waste to
everything in sight (and who doesn't?), then Midway's Chopper
Attack is the game for you. The game is essentially a 3D version
of EA's classic Jungle Strike. While not quite as addictive or as
cleverly designed as the Strike series, Chopper Attack does provide
a fun diversion...with plenty of nasty explosions to boot.
Chopper Attack presents gamers with (what else?) heavily armed
helicopters, an arsenal of weapons, and a series of goal-oriented
missions. After choosing from one of eight choppers, gamers may
customize the machine by "purchasing" assorted high-powered
weaponry with accumulated cash. There are air-air missiles, air-ground
missiles, killer cluster bombs, and decoys.
Once the chopper is armed, gamers are treated to an all-too-brief and
all-too- cheesy mission briefing. This consists of a polygonal military
general barking out some text-based three-sentence order. It accomplishes
the purpose, but is noticeably less compelling than the fun Strike storylines.
The missions themselves range from the mundane (rescue hostages) to
the creative (protect the President's plane from attack!). Pilots simply
visit the targets indicated on the on-screen map, and take care of
business. The latter usually involves blowing up buildings (which often
reveals health, cash, and weapon power-ups), and eliminating the key targets.
Control adopts the "Turok" scheme, with the C-buttons allowing forward,
backward, and side movement. The analog stick handles all chopper
rotation nicely, while the remaining buttons concern weapon launch.
Alas, there is no ability to manually control helicopter height; the CPU
automatically keeps your bird off the ground.
Unlike Jungle Strike, the missions here are often not very complex.
Sometimes it's a simple matter of nuking a couple of buildings and
surviving the ongoing enemy onslaught. The rescue of hostages is actually
accomplished by clearing the helicopter pad so another chopper (controlled
by the CPU) can do the actual job. Since hostages are rarely killed in
action, and since the CPU is the one handling the actual rescue, much of
the Jungle Strike tension is unfortunately absent.
Despite the mission limitations, there's something undeniably compelling
about the 3D environments and polygonal choppers. What the graphics may
lack in detail (there is significant fogging), they make up for in colorful action.
Chopper Attack is by no means a classic; the game is both dated and
imitative. But N64 owners seeking military-themed carnage could do
worse than this entertaining shooter. The game may be mindless, but
it's mindless fun...and sometimes, that's enough.
Overall 7.5 out of 10