Nintendo's revival of the home video game industry gave Atari and Sega a chance to establish (or re-establish) themselves in the market as well. On the other hand, thanks to Nintendo's strong-arming of third party game developers, especially in North America, the Atari and Sega consoles saw precious few games published by anyone other than Atari or Sega. Not surprisingly, the two companies became desperate to hang on to what little leverage they had, and so most of each company's games never made it to any other console. Despite this hostile arms race, some games actually did make it onto more than one system, and a tiny number even managed to appear on systems by all three companies. These console-hopping games offer the best opportunity to directly compare the three major consoles of the late 1980s: the Atari 7800, the Nintendo Entertainment System and the Sega Master System.
Actually, saying Choplifter appeared on all three systems is a bit of a cheat. The Nintendo version was released only in Japan, where the Atari 7800 did not exist. Consequently, only one or two of these versions appeared in any given market. Still, crafty American gamers knew how to import and play Japanese Famicom cartridges on their NES consoles, and so it is still possible to compare all three games.
Unfortunately the Atari 7800 usually comes up short in these comparisons, and Choplifter is no exception. This time however, there are additional circumstances beyond weaker hardware or programming. The Sega and Nintendo versions are based on the expanded arcade game, while the 7800 version plays more like Dan Gorlin's original Apple II game. That means there is only one level, only three types of enemies, and no way to track progress beyond how many hostages have been saved and how many have been lost. Of course the original is still an excellent game with a devoted fanbase, and therefore it may not seem fair to call the 7800 version "inferior" just because of its lineage. However, this port practically demands the comparison, thanks to graphics that borrow heavily from the arcade and tease of a game that isn't really there. But even without the possibly unfair comparison, the 7800 version shows it could have been better. Only one type of enemy appears on the screen at any time, with very simplistic movements. Some things happen way too quickly, others way too slowly. Enemy craft are oddly disproportionate to one another, with humongous tanks lumbering across the ground while tiny jets fly through the air. On the plus side, the 7800 helicopter handles well, and some unique tunes add spice to the fairly solid game play.
The fact that the Sega Master System version is based on the arcade game is not surprising considering Sega also released the arcade game. There seem to be some lingering elements of the original home version, though. Where the arcade game has 32 hostages per level, with at least 20 rescues needed to complete the level, each level of the SMS version has the same number of hostages as the original game, 64. The lower number of on-screen enemies also seems more in line with the original game, though the arcade game's bigger variety of enemy types, and lack of UFOs, mostly survives into this release. The goal for each level has been adjusted along with the larger hostage count, with 40 rescues needed to advance. Fortunately, the Sega game also boasts good control and enemies that put up a good fight without appearing too unfair.
The Nintendo Famicom version may be part of a licensing conspiracy. Even though this port was also adapted from the arcade game, Sega's name is nowhere to be found. Famicom publisher Jaleco credited only original publisher Broderbund and original programmer Dan Gorlin. Was this legal? Did Sega consent to having their name removed from a game ported to a competitor's home console? Whatever the circumstances, Famicom Choplifter keeps most of the features of the arcade game, but it isn't really the best port possible. Lots of cheap shots from the enemy, and a sluggish and fragile helicopter makes this one a lot more difficult than it should be. A bare-bones, uninspiring soundtrack doesn't help the cause. Still, it could have been worse, and once you figure out how to work around the enemy's particularly underhanded tactics, you can still enjoy some quality Choplifter time with this port.
Of these three ports, the Sega Master System version is the best. The Atari and Nintendo ports are decent but flawed, while the Sega game excellently captures the company's arcade offering. For those players that still prefer the original game over the arcade version, the Atari 7800 game becomes the best of the three, though really, going back to the Apple II release is the ideal choice.
Grades: Atari 7800, C; Nintendo Famicom, B-; Sega Master System, A-.