I was thinking the same thing, though I also like the gameplay. I probably played Gyruss a lot more than Tempest.
Oh, I agree, the gameplay was simple, but compelling. To me, though, there are certain games that are defined by their music or sound effects (the famous bassy "doot" "doot" "doot" of Space Invaders, for instance), and Gyruss is one of them. It's a classical, pulse pounding soundtrack that is properly mated to the speed of the action. Great design there, especially since it's very unlikely such matching was in the code itself!
As for the comparison to Tempest, that's apt. Gyruss is a simpler Tempest. I love Tempest, but it can certainly be hard. Coincidentally I recently (finally) got a custom spinner for my Atari Jaguar, so I can finally play the excellent Tempest 2000 the way it should be played! There were of course many knock-offs of Tempest, such as EA's Axis Assassin, but not many (any?) knock-offs of Gyruss I can think of...
*************************** Bill Loguidice, Managing Director
Armchair Arcade, Inc.
I was thinking the same thing, though I also like the gameplay. I probably played Gyruss a lot more than Tempest.
Oh, I agree, the gameplay was simple, but compelling. To me, though, there are certain games that are defined by their music or sound effects (the famous bassy "doot" "doot" "doot" of Space Invaders, for instance), and Gyruss is one of them. It's a classical, pulse pounding soundtrack that is properly mated to the speed of the action. Great design there, especially since it's very unlikely such matching was in the code itself!
As for the comparison to Tempest, that's apt. Gyruss is a simpler Tempest. I love Tempest, but it can certainly be hard. Coincidentally I recently (finally) got a custom spinner for my Atari Jaguar, so I can finally play the excellent Tempest 2000 the way it should be played! There were of course many knock-offs of Tempest, such as EA's Axis Assassin, but not many (any?) knock-offs of Gyruss I can think of...
***************************
Bill Loguidice, Managing Director
Armchair Arcade, Inc.