Choplifter III on SNES is one of those games that makes you feel like a hero—or a complete disaster, depending on how well you handle a chopper. You’re basically a flying taxi for hostages, except every enemy on the map wants to turn you into scrap metal. The controls are tight, but you’ll still panic when missiles start homing in while you’re trying to land in some tiny clearing.

What I love is how it forces you to think—do you gun down that tank first, or risk it blasting you while you’re loading survivors? The levels get brutal fast, with fog, night missions, and enemies that actually try to flank you. And yeah, the hostages sometimes just walk into gunfire like idiots, which is frustrating but weirdly charming.

If you’re into retro games that don’t hold your hand, this one’s a solid pick. Just don’t blame me when you crash for the tenth time because you got greedy for one more rescue.