The Top 30 Vertical Shooters for the Atari 2600 #30

GORF
CBS ElectronicS

We start the countdown (count up?) with a game that sort of embodies the entire spirit of the list.
Take Space Invaders, Galaxian, and Gyruss, do them all really poorly then cram them all into a single game and you have GORF.  Fortunately, the sum total of GORF is better than its parts for that is its only saving grace.

GORF is a very ambitious game.  With 4 distinct levels of game play, two of which ape existing games destined to be classics, this game takes a lot of risks and comes up short on most of them.  The Space Invaders level is stripped down and not terribly challenging. The Galaxian level has a bit more flair, but is far too easy and brief. (It should be noted that the original arcade version of GORF had a level that was exactly like Galaxian only with few enemies.  Both that level and the level presented here, also in the arcade game, employ the Galaxian-esque dive-bomb attack for enemy ships.)  The Gyruss-like level (Gyruss would not be created until 1983, two years after GORF) provides the most challenge in the game, but even that is minimal and again, all too brief.  The mothership level presents a bit of a challenge at higher levels, but a single shot to the neck still takes it out with little fun..errr...fuss.

If you played these levels independently, you would probably give video games up for good and go back to an exciting hobby like botany.  But there is a little bit of magic in playing all four successively.  It's not much, but it does make GORF worth playing, every so often and only if you don't have access to Space Invaders, Galaxian or Gyruss.  I still play GORF from time to time, because there is a some charm here, but it rarely makes it onto a list of games I am excited to play.

Maybe if they had been able to port over the voice....

My best GORF score: 13150*
*Curious fact, I set a new personal high score for GORF whilst playing it for this project.  That score beat my previous high set exactly 10 years and a day before.  Video game synchronicity is scary.

The Top 30 Hardest NES Games Ever. Day 14

Gyruss

Most arcade shooters require great hand-eye coordination and incredible reflexes.  They also bank on the fact that after prolonged periods of play, fatigue sets in and that coordination breaks down and you actually get worse at the game rather than better.  For this reason, most arcade shooters are infinite, meaning that if you could possibly play forever, you would. (barring programming limitations, kills screens, etc.)  Gyruss, however is one of the few arcade shooters that has a definite goal, meaning that if you are just sharp enough, and just talented enough, you could possibly reach the end.  And that is where it gets you.

For all intents and purposes, Gyruss is a fairly typical arcade space shooter featuring you as the pilot of a space ship which must shoot all kinds of other space ships and interstellar debris.  It's the mission that makes Gyruss special.  Your goal is to pilot your way to the center of the Sol Solar System, through a veritable armada of enemy space craft, all manner of space creatures, and various other cosmic brik-a-brak. (is that how you spell brik-a-brak?)  Therefore, your cosmic quest is broken into distinct segments, each of which is comprised of three standard levels and then a big showdown with a boss.

The main learning curve in Gyruss is the controls.  You rotate your ship around a central axis and the enemies come flying in or out of the area along a conical framework.  If you are to have any success, you must master this unique control scheme early on or you will collapse as soon as the action gets intense.  And while Gyruss's difficulty ramps at a near perfect rate, the intensity sets in pretty quickly somewhere around the third section. (on the way to Uranus, pronounced "Yur'-ah-nus," Beavis)  A large part of the difficulty is a function of the enemy set.  Some of the toughest foes are the space amoeba-like monsters that appear in the second section and require multiple hits to destroy. Shooting them only pushes them back away from you temporarily and they just keep coming.  Other tough enemies replicate at absurd rates and make suicide runs at your ship.  The boss fights are also extremely challenging.  There is one boss in particular who patrols the very circumference your ship navigates and tends to smack into you no matter how hard you try to stay opposite it.


The end result is a tough space shooter with a finite mission, but limited continues.  On the plus side, the levels are patterned and can be memorized and there are a generous supply of opportunities to acquire extra ships.  The only thing the game asks is that you master it along the way to take full advantage of these features.  The action in Gyruss is fast paced and success usually comes down to a matter of being quick and accurate.  The difficulty ramps smartly, but doesn't top out until the end so you must always be on your toes.  Ultimately, Gyruss is certainly beatable, but getting there is not going to be easy.

Why is Ben Franklin so angry and bitter these days?