Air Rescue is a Sega arcade action game released in 1992,[1] which runs on the Sega System 32 hardware.[2] A Master System game of the same name was released later in 1992, but had little in common with the arcade version.[3] The two games are similar to Choplifter, 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.
Gameplay
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, 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.[4]
In Play Meter magazine, Jim Overman gave the arcade game a rating of 92% and a "gut feeling" score of 8 out of 10.[5] John Cook of Sinclair User 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."[1]
^"Game Machine's Best Hit Games 25 - アップライト, コックピット型TVゲーム機 (Upright/Cockpit Videos)". Game Machine (in Japanese). No. 426. Amusement Press, Inc. 15 May 1992. p. 29.
