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Atari 2600 Gyruss + DPC = epic


Tidus79001

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Gyuss for the Atari 2600 is a respectable port considering the limitations of the 2600 hardware.  Forgoing the sound effects in the game due the limited 2 channel sound on the 2600 and going in favor of being able to have the Toccata and Fugue in D minor in game music was the right decision since the game is not the same without that song during gameplay.  That being said I was thinking about the Activison DPC chip that David Crane designed and used inPitfall II: Lost Caverns and how it enhanced the 2600 processing capabilities and also added 4 channel sound.  Gyruss was released in 1984 on the 2600 so this was a year after Pitfall II, and it would have been an epic port and the killer app for the 2600 that year had it employed such a chip so that the sound effects could have been added along with the music and whatever other enchantments that DPC co-processing capabilities would have made possible.  It would be awesome to seem an improved homebrew version of the game employing such methods.

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3 minutes ago, alfredtdk said:
I support this idea. Gyruss is one of my favorite games on 2600. I find his music mesmerizing.
Seeing the game enhanced with DPC + features would be most welcome.

Having those sound effects would be so cool, and some graphical enhancements from the DPC and a 32K size :)

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Without a doubt, the Gyruss soundtrack is one of the best for the 2600, if not the best. Even though the sound of gunshots and the ship's turbine have been obliterated, I see this as positive for this ported version of the Arcades. You become more immersive in the gameplay and are not distracted by other sounds. Another thing, his sound also brings me to 3rd generation consoles, mainly to the Master System.
 
 
 
 
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9 hours ago, Supergun said:

For the record, Gyruss was not released a year after Pitfall II. They were both released the same year, 1984.

When I Googled the result swere coming back as 1983, but when added 1984 to my search show that other report it came out in 1984,  Apparent there is some confusion with some as to the actual release date of Pitfall II on 2600, but looking at the manual I see on the last page that 1984 is the date listed, so that is correct date.  Still the date aside the use a DPC type chip in Gyruss (I know that would this have been in 1984 that it would not have been the Activision DPC chip but some similar chip since Acttivision would not have given their new and most advanced chip to a competitor like Parker Brothers since they would have been in competition to sell the best and most advanced games) would have overcome the same challenges as Pitfall II: Lost Cavern did on the 2600 where the 2 channel sound was not sufficient to allow both sound effects and music simultaneously.  Still would love to see a homebrew using such a method if anyone ever decides to take on that challenge.

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The Champ Games people usually make great new conversions from the 2600 classics, but I very much doubt that will happen, at least not now. At the moment the team is finalizing the Lady Bug Arcade with a forecast of launching towards the end of 2021, right after that comes the long awaited new Elevator Action project.Leaving Champ aside, we have other spectacular programmers who took on the same task of giving a new look to classics we already know, check out the new versions of Donkey Kong, Venture, Asteroids, Burgertime, Qbert and the upcoming Congo Bongo. They are incredible conversions of classics that already exist in the 2600, but they are in a new guise and a challenge completely different from the original. A round of applause for these programmers.

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  • 1 year later...

Gyruss is one of my all time favourite games, The sound on the 2600 is awesome, the graphics well I've seen a lot better, Wish some home brewers would port over an alternative version, Like a ColecoVision or a Mame rom. That would be really cool or even just work on the graphics. 

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