The NES/Famicom version of Choplifter was reprogrammed and published by Jaleco in 1986, although it was only ever officially released in Japan.

This conversion is similar (but not identical) to the Sega arcade game (and also the Sega Master System version), in that it adds things like missile launchers, jeeps; an ocean level, with battleships and submarines; a cave level with lava eruptions, and a futuristic level with skyscrapers and astronauts.

It’s also pretty difficult – just like the Sega versions – due to the sheer number of enemy projectiles flying around, and the fact that you’ve also got fuel levels to worry about.

One (funny) addition, that I noticed in this port, is that hostages are pinned to the ground momentarily if you accidentally land on top of them, which you should obviously avoid doing if at all possible.

In the land missions, tanks will immediately come out to shoot at you when you touch down to pick up hostages, but they also disappear out of the bottom of the screen if you take off again. Which is kinda weird. Also, by default you drop bombs downward, when facing toward the player, rather than simply shooting bullets.

You can only carry eight hostages at once, which is far fewer than in most versions of Choplifter, which means more trips out. And when you reach the halfway point on the fuel gauge, it’s probably time to turn back.

I’d say that the Famicom version of Choplifter is among the better versions of the game available, although I wouldn’t say that it’s the best. I think the Sega Master System version looks better, and is also more playable (and less difficult – in places), than this port. That said, given a choice, I would play Choplifter II on the Game Boy, and Choplifter III on the Super Nintendo, over any version of the first Choplifter, because the sequels are much more enjoyable overall.

More: Choplifter on Wikipedia