Games published by Gatecom
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Death Squadron
Death Squadron is a rare commercial knockoff of Mark Currie's 1990 freeware game Chopper Commando 2 by Mark Currie, a fun 2D Sopwith-style aerial bombing game for DOS.
Gatecom practically took Currie's game, renamed it and marketed it as a commercial title. The game takes the basic concept of Sopwith, and adds a bunch of gameplay options that increase the long-term value and make it more challenging. Your goal in the game is simply to finish missions and get back to base alive. Missions are usually of the 'drop a bomb on target x' or 'kill x enemy helicopters' type, but there are other types as well.
What I find pretty cool is that you can jump out of the helicopter. This means that the mission can be considered a success (albeit with a lower score) even if your helicopter is shot down in flames, provided of course you jump in time and are rescued by a friendly helicopter. As you complete missions, your pilot will advance in rank and numerical score. You can use the practice missions to get the hang of the controls, but they are fairly easy to learn.
In addition to the various mission objectives, you must pay attention to some realistic elements, such as limited ammunition and the condition of your helicopter, which can take some damage before exploding. The graphics are disappointingly primitive for a 1992 game, but maybe that's how Gatecom wanted it: to evoke the nostalgia of 4-color Sopwith.
If you like Sopwith, you'll probably also like Death Squadron, although it doesn't have the same charm or fun surprises (no flying cows here) as the original. If anyone has more information on how Chopper Commando 2 came to be this blatant rip-off with a name change, please let me know.
