Chopper 2 may just make us rethink how to design control schemes for the Apple mobile devices from this point onwards. If you’re lucky to own both an iPhone and an iPad you will be fortunate enough to not only experience playing the game in native resolution for both devices, but also you will get the opportunity to use your iPhone as a wireless controller for the iPad. Not only this, but you can also hook your iPad up to a TV and play the game on the big screen. This isn’t the very first time that people have developed iPhone and iPad games that communicate with each other, and indeed there are a few games that come with free applications instead to use as controllers. But the universal binary of Chopper 2 is just a far superior solution because it means you have a game for both devices in one package. Another plus is that you don’t have to fork out more for a HD version.

The good news is that in addition to all of this Bluetooth wizardry the entire game has had a major facelift; graphics, gameplay, presentation, the works. We almost can’t believe it’s the same studio that’s made the game; many of our initial complaints from our original review have been addressed. Forget the text blobs; level blurb is now a real occasion as the camera flies around large text etched onto the screen; the game has a 17-minute original soundtrack; you fight tanks that move and enemy helicopters too; it nails our iPad/iPhone integration rating with the status bar in the pause screen, and also includes iOS 4 fast switching; plus the helicopter itself is much more deadly with a machine gun that you can rotate using intuitive touch controls.

Above: iPhone version. Below: iPad version of the same level.

The game feels much more playable as a result; laser tracking on your chopper helps you aim the machine gun and it really speeds the game up. Instead of painstakingly hovering into a structure containing many men with rocket launchers, you’re tasked with deftly maneuvering through bullet fire and maintaining speed. The game encourages you to fly near the ground to pick up speed, and because there’s less user interface cruft on the screen you’re not worrying about how many people you have to save; just as long as you arrive at the landing pad in one piece. The laser guided missiles are also a new addition and they help immensely as bombs can be affected greatly by your current speed.

We love the 3D trickery going on here; Chopper 2 is a 2D game at heart and plays on a 2D plane but a deep background and subtle camera movements make it feel more like a 3D game. It’s very clever indeed. Other touches include the map screen that has a nice zoom in and out effect and of course all of the in game details that have improved significantly from the original.

In all, Chopper 2 is an indication of just how far the platform has come. You owe it to yourself to play this game; intuitive controls, stunning graphics, seamless interaction with an iPad and iPhone, and of course you get to blow stuff up in the process! Highly recommended.

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More by this developer

Chopper, C

Review by Ben Briggs, November 16, 2008

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