Gyruss -- The 8 Bit Versions

[SoulBlazer]

Saw this video on YouTube and thought I would share it here and see if we can get some discussion going.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fk4GKXY2wwM

 

Now, I love Gyruss. One of my all time fav arcade games. (And Time Pilot -- no wonder they were done by the same person who went on to do Street Fighter for Capcom.) The action was fast and furious with rich sound and that wonderfull Bach music which the dedicated chips in the machine handled.

 

I played a little bit of various 8-bit versions as a kid, but none of them felt like they did it justice. The NES version was very good but it was a 'remix' of the arcade version instead of a straight port, like the other versions tried.

 

I never felt the game was really done justice in any home versions (not including MAME) until it was added on XBox Live. The 'enhanced' version on the GBA Konami Arcade Classics with the extra stages was also very good and a fav of mine.

 

Now, in Gyruss's defense -- this is a REALLY hard game for any of the 8-bits to do very well. It's a demanding game, with some punishing requirements -- all those enemies and shots and AI paterns and trying to duplicate the rich Bach music. The programers, IMHO, did the best they could.

 

So which version was your favorite, or which one 'seems' best to you?

Edited January 9, 2012 by SoulBlazer

[LynxVGL]

I love Gyruss too. The year that it came out, I remember giving myself a callous on my hand from playing the arcade machine so much the day our local arcade got it.

 

Anyway... My preference has been for the Colecovision Port. Parker Brothers had some really good teams that were doing their ports at this time and I think this one stands up the best. In my opinion the music (which com'on, IS the most important part of Gyruss ) sound best on this version. While the enemy ship sprites are all one color, the animation to me seems smoother than on the other systems. I always though that playing with a Coleco Super Action Controller was a pretty good analog to the arcade experience.

 

I wish that SOMEONE would have ported MAD PLANETS as well. Another title that lived and died on its music. And speaking of Music, i dearly wish Parker Brothers would have brought out Reactor for the Colecovision. Think of it... playing with the Roller Controller.... ahhh woulda, coulda, shoulda.

[akator]

Anyway... My preference has been for the Colecovision Port.

...

 

I always though that playing with a Coleco Super Action Controller was a pretty good analog to the arcade experience.

 

Agreed on both counts.

[Midnight Synergy]

Gyruss - love it! Spent a lot of money on the arcade machine in its day.

 

I kinda like all the home versions I have played, but for different reasons:

 

Atari 2600 - just really impressed that they managed to pull this off. Really decent music, too, given the limitations. Too easy as a game, though - I was able to reach Earth on my first try.

 

NES - interesting re-mix. The extra stages don't add a whole lot, but it was neat to see what they did to try and keep the game on par with more modern releases.

 

Commodore 64 - this is currently my favourite home version to play.Probably because it was the only one I had "back in the day". I still have to give the Coleco and Atari XL version a go one day. The Coleco version looks pretty good!

[atarian63]

Atari 800 version. Easily the best of the 8bits. Really nice! I own the arcade machine and this is the next best version.

[Mayhem]

C64 version... although from the video grabbing there, it looks worse. The music sounds slower than it should be, and the ships are flickering more. Perhaps it's the rate of frame capture being used, but the game is a LOT better than it appears in the video heh.

[+wood_jl]

The NES version is quite different. Being on the newest hardware, sure it looks the best. But it's not the same game, is it?

 

I don't remember the C64 version looking that bad either. As Mayhem said above, this may be a bad capture.

 

The Colecovision port seems to be the easiest - the shots seem to hit their targets more often.

 

The 400/800/5200 version is great, and is the version I grew up with. Visually, the 400/800/5200, Colecovision, and C64 ports are all quite close! They're all great!

 

The 2600 version is actually most impressive as a piece of work, because it manages to capture the essence of the game and manages to look pretty close to the others (not NES) on such limited hardware. When I play a 2600 game that does that, I am always impressed. Considering the 2600, it looks and plays fantastic!

 

I have never played the NES version. I agree with O.P. SoulBlazer that the GBA Konami Classics version is awesome, too.

Edited January 10, 2012 by wood_jl

[Keatah]

In descending order, I liked..

Arcade

C-64

A800

Coleco

2600

 

I totally disliked the NES version. IMHO it's not really gyruss with the different aliens. AND in the NES version, the aliens don't really change orientation when they go through the patterns. Cheap and lazy programming.

 

One thing I do agree on is the sound, they all did good in the conversion.

[Keatah]

[BydoEmpire]

I picked up the NES version just a few months ago, and while it isn't exactly true to the arcade, I enjoyed it quite a bit. Very fun version.

[Midnight Synergy]

What I find interesting is that the Parker Bros version has the "big boss" (kinda) from the NES version as its box-art.

[thegamezmaster]

Got this for several systems and like all of them.

[Bloodreign]

If I want to play the original, I fire up the Konami Arcade Hits for the PS1 or Konami Arcade Hits Advance. The NES version may be a remix, but it's such a good remix, with bosses added to the mix.

[JamesD]

Is the music on the 2600 version off or is it just my imagination?

[ComputerSpaceFan]

While not an original back-in-the-day release, I think the homebrew Wormhole for the Vectrex is a very nice Gyruss clone. Great music in that one too.

[Vectorman]

Joan Jett loves Gyruss too.

 

[in the dark]

I play the NES version and it has been a while since I played the arcade one, so I have lost that memory. I really enjoy playing the NES version. There was another version of the game I remember playing, it could have been on the C64, which I used to have ages ago.

[Hydro Thunder]

Damn, after checking this thread I'm motivated to get a copy for 2600. Not half bad, considering the hardware. Quite an achievement, and fun to play to boot! Anyone got a reasonably good condition CIB one they want to sell me?

[Oscar G.]

 

So which version was your favorite, or which one 'seems' best to you?

 

Hey guys,

 

I found this old tread via google. I have fond memories of this game and I wanted to know which version really does justice to the arcade original and music.

 

I used to play the C64 version and I was mesmerised by the music. Recently I got the NES version and I was not that impressed.

 

Perhaps the C64 sound chip made the music majestic.

 

Thanks for the advice about the GBA and Xbox live version. I will try to track them out. Cheers.

[Keatah]

As for authenticity for the Gyruss "franchise" it'd have to be the arcade version and then the C-64, with the Atari 400/800 version as a mid-range so-so conversion.

 

I absolutely hated the NES remake. Damn does it suk!

[Austin]

I didn't grow up with Gyruss, so it will have to be the NES version for me. Decent visuals, great music, fun and challenging gameplay. I love it!

 

Watching the first attached video, I have to say, it seems Gyruss had some really solid ports back in the day. None of them appear to be stinkers in the slightest. And the 2600 version really threw me off, simply because of how good the music sounded. I had to do a double-take, haha! Now I'll have to load it up on the Harmony to experience it first-hand.

[Scotterpop]

Joan Jett loves Gyruss too.

 

Aww, you beat me to it! I just watched this the other day and was pleasantly surprised at how good "Light of Day" was. There's a couple of cool retro arcade scenes in this film. And yes, Joan TOTALLY rocks on that Gyruss cabinet! Also watch for a very young, pre-NIN Trent Reznor who makes a brief cameo near the end of the film.

[ApolloBoy]

I absolutely hated the NES remake. Damn does it suk!

You're kidding, I think the NES/FDS version kicks ass.

[sqoon]

I am a fool for the 5200, so that is my favorite version. I have all the others except C64. Do have to say that the VCS version impresses me most considering the limitations of that console.

[chuckwalla]

I too grew up with the C64 version which is good. The Atari 8-bit version is good too.

Like many arcade games, it was difficult to get a great translation on the 8-bit consoles and computers (ala Zaxxon) but a good job was done with the above versions.

I play Gyruss on MAME a lot and it's a Top 10 arcade game 4ever!