My Gyruss back story...

[Major_Tom_coming_home]

My favorite arcade game of all time is Gyruss, and while watching youtube videos comparing the different versions of the game (Arcade, Atari 2600, NES, etc.) I started wondering if there was a back story to the game. The game takes place within our solar system, and there must be a reason you are starting at the outer part of the solar system and heading towards the earth. I was feeling especially creative at the time so I came up with my own back story. I wanted it to be brief, coherent, but over-the-top and slightly cornball in the same way 1980s space game type stories tended to be. I also posted this to youtube, but I don't think many people are watching Gyruss video's. Here's what I wrote:

 

"Earth is under attack!!! The invaders came without warning, attacked without provocation, and their only terms are the utter destruction of human kind! A few small scout ships are all that escaped the destruction of Earth's once proud space fleet. You are now on a desperate mission to save humanity! A friendly alien scientist in the Centauri Sector has given you a small device that is capable of wiping out the invaders, but only if you can get it to Earth. As you approach the outer planets of earth's solar system, you realize the enemy has discovered your plan! Wave upon wave of enemy ships appear on your radar as you drop out of warp to fight them! The last of earth's planetary defenses are beginning fail. All of humanity is counting on you. You must get through!"

 

[SoulBlazer]

Gyruss is one of my all time favorite games and I played the hell out of it on the arcade version. Then for a while I had the C64 version. The NES version is very nice -- not quite the original game, but I like the additions that were made to the game. Nowdays I play it either it on the Konami Arcade Collection for GBA or the enhanced version on Xbox Live.

 

Did the original arcade operator's manual have a story? Sometimes they do. I know the NES manual has a story for that version of the game.

[Syzygy1]

I remember I played New York! New York! once, and having just seen asdfmovie (forgot which one) I look up at the marquee and see the words "Save the city from an Alien Attack!" and get out a post-it, tape it to the side of the screen, and write this with a Sharpie:

 

"ALIEN ATTACK! THROW THE CHEESE! ...yay!"

 

Everyone at the arcade saw my Post-It that day. I'm pretty sure it's still there.