Choplifter to fly again?

Bard's Tale creator Brian Fargo's InXile Entertainment trademarks name of classic Broderbund action game for "downloadable electronic games via the Internet and wireless devices."

And you thought modern air travel is a pain...

Long-in-the-tooth gamers who can still remember the early 1980s will likely have fond memories of Choplifter. Partially inspired by the disastrous 1980 attempt to rescue US hostages from Iran known as Desert One, the Broderbund-developed game had players rescuing hostages from a fictional evil empire and fighting off air attacks in a helicopter.

First released in 1982 for the Apple II, the 2D airborne action game was eventually ported to the Commodore 64, Atari 5200, Atari 7800, Atari 8-bit, ColecoVision, Commodore 64, MSX, NES, and Sega Master System. Sequels and remakes would eventually make their way to the SNES, Game Gear, Game Boy, PlayStation 2, and arcades.

Now it appears that Choplifter may be once again taking to the virtual skies. Yesterday, developer InXile Entertainment filed a trademark with the US Patent and Trademark Office for the title "Choplifter." The filing locked down use of the title for "downloadable electronic games via the Internet and wireless devices," raising the possibility of a digitally distributed version of the game for consoles, handhelds, or possibly the iPhone.

If a Choplifter remake is in the works, it will be the second time InXile has resurrected an Apple II-era classic. Started in 2002 by Brian Fargo following his exit from the once-mighty publisher Interplay, the California-based shop was most famous for its comical 2004 remake of the dead-serious 1985 role-playing game The Bard's Tale. The company is currently developing the retro-action game Hei$t, due out this fall, for British publisher Codemasters.

28 Comments

  • javalino

    Posted Jun 19, 2009 1:25 pm PT

    I played Choplifter 3 for Snes. ( i call him Choop fighter , because i cant read english too well back in that time). too hard, if i can remember ( 12 yr old ).

  • janderdarkmoon

    Posted Jun 19, 2009 7:09 am PT

    Well damn that was a long time ago.

  • Hvac0120

    Posted Jun 18, 2009 2:28 pm PT

    Choplifter was my favorite game on the Sega Master System. It might be nostalgia, but I remember it fondly. I would love a remake or even an HD remix re-release. Hopefully it comes to both XBLA and PSN.

  • jjwalker9600

    Posted Jun 18, 2009 1:31 pm PT

    I remember this classic game from my youth. I cant wait till it comes out.

  • jazzyrider

    Posted Jun 18, 2009 12:01 pm PT

    man that game is bringing back some memories from my old c64 days

  • silverthornne

    Posted Jun 18, 2009 11:51 am PT

    Errr.. so these are th folks that completely mutated the concept of the Bard's Tale? Darn.. and just the other day I was having fond memories of Choplifter and hoping for a remake. It's just not the developer I'd like to handle it at the helm...

  • thenephariouson

    Posted Jun 18, 2009 11:49 am PT

    or what about the original 'Mercenary' (not that FPS **** on the current gen).

  • thenephariouson

    Posted Jun 18, 2009 11:45 am PT

    Bring back real 'old school' games: Night Lore, Contact Sam Cruise, Saboteur, IK+, Tau-Ceti, Carrier Command, Star Glider, Head over Heels, The Last Ninja, ....................... etc

    Now that would be something else.

  • firemario8008

    Posted Jun 18, 2009 10:33 am PT

    I hope that there are no helicopter related disasters.

  • backatcha

    Posted Jun 18, 2009 10:11 am PT

    oldschool!

  • ZedX-14Pilot

    Posted Jun 18, 2009 9:24 am PT

    The original game wasted HOURS of my youth. Can't wait to see the remake.

  • ThAdEa82

    Posted Jun 18, 2009 8:28 am PT

    Chopliver?

  • mrklorox

    Posted Jun 18, 2009 8:17 am PT

    Pshhh.... Bring on the Wasteland announcement (the other Apple II classic to which the article alludes).

  • BlackBaldwin

    Posted Jun 18, 2009 5:44 am PT

    lol old school gaming rearing its head once again. Its good to see choplifter being brought around again this day and age I remember playing the version on the nes when I was about seven years old. Seriously through I'm not sure how well the old beast will do with the skiptic gamers nowadays through but its good to see that people remember the classics...

  • DangerClown

    Posted Jun 18, 2009 5:38 am PT

    NEW IP! NEW IP! NEW IP!

  • Melty123

    Posted Jun 18, 2009 5:01 am PT

    Nice to have classics redone tho I have never played the game.

  • 55592

    Posted Jun 18, 2009 2:21 am PT

    Ahh Choplifter on the Apple ][, now that was an unintentionally great multiplayer game. The controls as I had them were two analog paddles, with a turnable knob and big orange button on the side. Since no one I knew at the time had 4 arms, you'd have to have a second person to control the altitude while the other moved left and right.

    And nowadays so many games skimp on the couch coop, I know Ghostbusters would have sold at least 1 extra copy if it had simple splitscreen.

  • Jigen78

    Posted Jun 18, 2009 1:43 am PT

    I still have this buried away with my C64... man, I'm gettin' old. Good times.

  • ChidoriBoyU

    Posted Jun 17, 2009 10:28 pm PT

    man arcade games suck

  • geomyr

    Posted Jun 17, 2009 9:22 pm PT

    wow this is so nice i remember playing it in 1985 when i was 6 years old i was in the 1st grade and i m just feeling nostalgic about this old school game cant wait the remake of this classic game

  • korko3

    Posted Jun 17, 2009 9:18 pm PT

    man they are running out of ideas...

  • ralphikari

    Posted Jun 17, 2009 9:08 pm PT

    Choplifer!!! Rescue Raiders should be next c'mon baby!

  • AnarchyRising

    Posted Jun 17, 2009 8:58 pm PT

    Please .. dont .. remake .. choplifter!!! Why stop? Just remake asteroids with some new textures and 50 more pixels... Wheres the originality?

  • Pete5506

    Posted Jun 17, 2009 7:41 pm PT

    wow that is old but a 2nd game could be fun

  • da_illest101

    Posted Jun 17, 2009 6:59 pm PT

    5 years before i was even born

  • dogpigfish

    Posted Jun 17, 2009 6:40 pm PT

    Please use the Unreal 3 engine.

  • Vhial

    Posted Jun 17, 2009 6:21 pm PT

    ....Holy hell I'm old...

  • iceeman

    Posted Jun 17, 2009 6:03 pm PT

    a better remake would be earl weaver baseball...
    i like this too.

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