Arcade classic Gyruss to blow Xbox Live Arcade streak
by Christopher Grant 
{ Mar 21st 2007 at 9:30PM }
Gyruss is listed on Konami's website as a March 2007 Xbox Live Arcade release. We're sure that a cursory, even perfunctory, glance at your word-of-the-day desk calendar will remind you that there's only one more Wednesday in store for March, leaving little room for interpretation here.Just when we were getting used to this -- Alien Hominid HD, followed by Worms, followed by Konami's coin-op classic Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (with co-op multiplayer!), and then today's Castlevania: Symphony of the Night -- Gyruss comes along and spoils our fun. Maybe they want to pile all the Konami offerings in a row, or maybe they didn't want us to get too used to the streak of desirable titles; either way Gyruss is launching us back to the dark times of back to back releases of Root Beer Tapper and Paperboy.
[Via X360F]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
Yoshi Likes Boys @ Mar 21st 2007 9:39PM
What's the point of this post? Gyruss was a sweet little arcade shooter. I know the NES version, at the very least, was awesome. FUN GAMES ARE DESTROYING AMERICA.
n2 @ Mar 21st 2007 9:39PM
Gyruss rocks, this is such great news. Can't wait.
Rod Munch @ Mar 21st 2007 9:43PM
Is Sonic still coming to XBLA? I really want to play it for achievements, plus I own it on loads of other consoles (including the phone version...).
dvdguy @ Mar 21st 2007 9:47PM
Uh, Gyruss totally rocks. This doesn't break the streak.
ZenGaijin @ Mar 21st 2007 9:49PM
I don't care now. I have had a good few weeks of XBLA and I am in no room to complain.
*Plays more Symphony of the Night*
carg0 @ Mar 21st 2007 9:53PM
well...it was a good run
Jack @ Mar 21st 2007 9:55PM
This is a horrible news post, even for Joystiq.
carg0 @ Mar 21st 2007 9:57PM
wait, are the Europeans getting these games as well? or are they getting shafted like with most of the content unavailable to them on marketplace?
Dopple Boppler @ Mar 21st 2007 10:56PM
I'm sorry, but Symphony of the Night could be the only game released on the Arcade for six months and I would still be more than satisfied.
konajinx @ Mar 21st 2007 9:58PM
Gyruss pwnz. You guys completely hate anything that came along before the NES. This is one of the best classic arcade shooters of all-time, but maybe none of you were even walking at the time.
Matt @ Mar 21st 2007 10:04PM
Well the website for Catan also says it is slated for a Q1 2007 release. Last time I checked, Q1 ends at the end of March.
http://catanlive.com/catan.shtml
Rubang B @ Mar 21st 2007 10:22PM
As a gamer who doesn't own a 360 and thought you guys got zinged pretty bad with Paper Boy, Root Beer Tapper, Ms. Pac-Man, and those couple weeks with nothing, I'm even like "Damn, Gyruss is the bomb."
ECUnlimited @ Mar 21st 2007 10:28PM
You really expect to have an extremely good game every week? do you just want them to release them all at once so you end up complaining they aren't releasing any good titles for months on end?
I swear, you guys are just never happy! Besides, Gyruss is awesome!
Porkins @ Mar 21st 2007 10:33PM
Are you kidding? I *love* Gyress! That game consumed many a quarter, and I'm thrilled at the thought of having it on my XBox!
zAlphaOmega @ Mar 22nd 2007 2:51AM
"spoils our fun."
speak for yourself, i grew up on this game.
John H. @ Mar 21st 2007 10:35PM
Hey! Gyruss is awesome! (And those who just know it from the NES version are in for a treat, as the arcade original has better music.)
DarkCylon @ Mar 21st 2007 10:46PM
Heh, I remember playing the Atari 2600 version. The music made the game.
C. Grant @ Mar 21st 2007 10:45PM
Hey, we're not saying we don't like Gyruss, just that a re-release of an old arcade shooter is par for the course on XBLA.
Diskoboy @ Mar 21st 2007 10:59PM
Screw whoever wrote this.
Gyruss is a great game.
Colin @ Mar 21st 2007 11:01PM
@ #10
i think that the end of your first quarter depends on when your fiscal year begins (its not the same for everyone)
@ Joystiq
Don't dis Paperboy. Paperboy is a great addition to XBLA. IMO its just as good as TMNT! Hype spoils a lot of good things.
Blue_Falcon @ Mar 21st 2007 11:05PM
Y'know what, I'll be so busy either playing SOTN, or playing the other three from before so much that this doesn't even slightly phase me.
Seer @ Mar 21st 2007 11:11PM
Wait...are you implying that Rootbeer Tapper and Paper Boy are bad games?? Blasphemy!!
JesseJames @ Mar 21st 2007 11:18PM
Looks like Konami and Microsoft are very buddy buddy these days.
All this joystiq/konami news and XBLA means that Microsoft is making the play for Metal Gear Solid IV or has it in the bag.
I wouldn't buy it for either system if this happens.
Captain Bluey @ Mar 21st 2007 11:38PM
Oh the irony!
Joystiq is having a go at Microsoft for putting out a classic arcade game on XBL as opposed to an original title, in the guise of 'news' that is nothing more than pure SPECULATION.
It would be nice if joystiq could at least try to write an ORIGINAL story instead of flogging the dead horse that is XBL's porting of classic arcade titles.
Christopher Grant should be ashamed.
Anyway, Gyruss is a great game and I cant wait
The Stick @ Mar 21st 2007 11:40PM
Gyruss rules. This, by no means, breaks the streak.
moominsean @ Mar 21st 2007 11:49PM
gyruss rocks! one of the better games of the time.
BPM @ Mar 21st 2007 11:54PM
No offense, but those "highlights" have also been ports.
Alien Hominid, was originally a Flash game, but was then souped up for GameCube and PS2 (and I think there's an Xbox and GBA version in Europe..).
Worms started on the Amiga, and has been on nearly every console, handheld, and computer OS since.
TMNT was an arcade, which was also remade for the NES.
Castlevania: Symphony of the Night was originally on Saturn and PlayStation.
When you complain about a game like Gyruss "blowing the XBLA streak," you're not making much sense. Since it's awesome, like the last few games have been. And is a port, like the last few games have been.
I'm rarely critical of Joystiq's posts, but this one is a real stinker.
keef @ Mar 22nd 2007 12:09AM
Gyruss was a solid arcade game. There is a chance that videogaming is not the hobby for you.
Flavius @ Mar 22nd 2007 12:10AM
Heh, C. Grant, way to pop into the comments section and try to defend your crap post with joystiq solidarity...
"We aren't saying we don't like Gyruss, we're just saying that one of the guys who works for us didn't really know what the hell Gyruss was, actually."
Next time, I'd suggest doing your homework before you post. None of the other titles you listed are original games.
H880 @ Mar 22nd 2007 12:24AM
If there's one thing I had to pick that bothers me when I come here is the occasional tabloid headline that seems as if it's designed to incite response. Would it have killed ya to simply report that Gyruss was coming, and let the users debate whether or not it was worthwhile?
That being said-- I personally have always enjoyed Gyruss. I was a fan or the arcade version. And I've been a fan of some of the early ports. I'm probably going to pickup the XBLA version and I do not share the opinion that any so-called streak has been broken. You simply cannot please everyone all the time. But I'm pleased that this is coming, and there are those of us who enjoy some of the classic arcade games that are appearing on XBLA and the Wii VC.
Tommy G @ Mar 22nd 2007 12:28AM
yea! good classic game, i might activate my XBL account now...
Thingmaker @ Mar 22nd 2007 12:46AM
Ignorant article.
Sounds to me like the author is trying to be the whiners hero, you know - the kid's who complain about the really old retro games. Grant it, there have been a few misses but there's some current-gen dogs as well. Gradius was certainly one of the better vintage games, so bring it on and STFU unless you have a clue.
KR @ Mar 22nd 2007 12:46AM
Oh for christsake, lay off. Yes, it is a slight comedown from the uber-quality titles we've gotten recently, but so f'ing what? I don't mind the early/mid 80's stuff at all, AS LONG AS IT IS IN MODERATION. One every 4 or 5 weeks I have absolutely no problem with, and I'm baffled as to why anyone else would have a problem with it themselves.
As long as we don't KEEP getting stuff and fall into a repeat of January/February as we go into the Spring and Summer months, XBLA is fine.
Whether Microsoft makes that happen is...well, let's wait and see.
Ska Oreo @ Mar 22nd 2007 1:41AM
I don't think Joystiq is saying that Gyruss is bad,(though personally I've never played it), I think they're saying that after having a good streak of awesome games, it's a little bit of a downer to get an old arcade game.
driven2sin @ Mar 22nd 2007 1:55AM
what a trash blogger who does not respect Gyruss and some of you fools on here that diss 'old arcade games' yet say 'Konami's coin op classic.. TMNT!'
what?? that was NEVER a classic. Gyruss resides way way above TMNT
you fools need multiplayer cause you can't finish levels by yourself
joe smith @ Mar 22nd 2007 12:08PM
Feeling grumpy because they have had several good games in a row, Joystiq?
I have fond memories of Gyruss, and if the trial is good, I may buy it. Just because you think old (at least older than the late 80s apparently) coin-op games are crap doesn't mean we all agree with you or that publishers should stop bringing them out.
Let's see. This month so far, Worms, Alien Hominid (over-rated, by the way), TMNT -- another old game -- and not a great one, CastleVania SOTN -- another old game -- but a great one, and MAYBE Gyruss, though of course there hasn't been an announcement yet so you are pissing and moaning about a rumor. Coming soon Catan, Pinball FX, Luxor 2, and others.
And all of them with free playable trials so you can try them to see if you want to buy them. Wow. MS sure is screwing us.
Noxat @ Mar 22nd 2007 3:27AM
Spoiled brats. Can't expect a killer app every Wednesday. This is why companies don't continuously release their A-game material. Because whiny people will complain when they fail to keep up the pace.
I for one feel satisfied in the strides Microsoft has made to maintain a balance between true classic releases and big name special or brand-new releases. We all know Castle Crashers is in the pipes, get over it.
Noxat @ Mar 22nd 2007 3:28AM
#29, I agree (with the 'tabloid headlines' statement) I almost feel dirty that I actually bothered to reply to this story.
Purple Haze @ Mar 22nd 2007 3:31AM
Gyruss is awesome!
Theres a place down the road that has a classic gyruss arcade machine and they let you play it for free. They Also got a 360 with gears of war, a ps2 with guitar hero, and a xbox with halo 2. But that doesnt matter.
Watership @ Mar 22nd 2007 4:24AM
What the fuck Joystiq?
Gyruss was a GREAT arcade game. Arcade games are part of the mandate of XBOX LIVE ARCADE. I hope they don't stop making great ports, arcade games, and new content.
Twist @ Mar 22nd 2007 4:24AM
With the exception of Castlevania I think you are overstating the quality of the latest titles though I will agree that they were better than the months of crap that came before them. I wasn't impressed with Alien Hominid or Worms when they were first released and the XBLA releases are nothing special either. TMNT was a great game back in the day but after playing the incredibly short demo I decided it wasn't as good as I remembered. Gyruss may actually be the second best title released so far this year.
Phil @ Mar 22nd 2007 9:04AM
Breaking the streak refers to the fact that the game is going to miss its March release and therefore there will be no game released next Wednesday, thus breaking the streak of 4 games released on Wednesday in a row.
Nothing to do about the quality of the game or the fact that it is a remake.
Reading Comprehension 101, learn it, live it, love it.
Kizzle @ Mar 22nd 2007 9:10AM
"Breaking the streak refers to the fact that the game is going to miss its March release and therefore there will be no game released next Wednesday, thus breaking the streak of 4 games released on Wednesday in a row."
Wow, awesome, you're getting info that ajor Nelson doesn't even have access to! R U BILL GATEZ!?
Not being a retard. Try it.
Dadidito @ Mar 22nd 2007 9:12AM
Gyruss was the reason in elementary school I would not eat lunch just so i could go and play it in the corner store. Fantastic game. How old are you writer 12...? I mean come now.. Gyruss rocks!
Nij @ Mar 22nd 2007 9:39AM
Sadly, this is what a blog offers that a regular news site does not: a complete lack of even a cursory attempt at objectivity. Whereas GameSpot or IGN would simply let us know the release date, the price, and basic info about the game, Joystiq devotes half the post to deriding the game and instructing readers not to buy it.
As the BMOC of Joystiq, Mr. Grant, I would think you would know better than this. Then I remember what kind of site this is, and I realize that you do know better, you just don't care.
Advanced @ Mar 22nd 2007 6:13PM
Gyruss is a great little game. I own the arcade game and I am probably one of the few people that think it is better than Galaga. Has GREAT stereo sound (for an arcade game that old it was unheard of) and uses an 8 way joystick. That being said the controls should translate nicely to the Xbox controler.
steve @ Mar 22nd 2007 11:04AM
I'm a Wii fan, and even I have to say that Gyruss rocks and I wish it was on the Wii as well.
I recall many a hours spent on it on the commodore 64
Norm @ Mar 22nd 2007 10:51AM
Oh, I agree, I think Gyruss is a great game.
Jonah Falcon @ Mar 22nd 2007 11:33AM
Gyruss has 2 player co-op and versus over Live, as well as enhanced graphics, too.
Vidikron @ Mar 22nd 2007 11:40AM
@41
[Breaking the streak refers to the fact that the game is going to miss its March release and therefore there will be no game released next Wednesday, thus breaking the streak of 4 games released on Wednesday in a row.
Nothing to do about the quality of the game or the fact that it is a remake.
Reading Comprehension 101, learn it, live it, love it.]
Wow... can't get much more ironic than that. You do realize that there is one more Wednesday in March, right? And that Joystiq is assuming that since Gyruss is listed as a March release it will be next week, right? It's funny how attempt to tell everyone else that they didn't read the news item correctly when,in fact, you are the only person that didn't read it correctly. Haha...
Anyway, I'm glad to see so many people sticking up for Gyruss. A truly great classic title. I had the same reaction to reading the headline that apparently most other people did.