Gyruss

Gyruss is a shoot 'em up video game developed by Konami and released in 1983. It was designed by Yoshiki Okamoto, who had previously developed Time Pilot for Konami. Gyruss was licensed to Centuri in the United States and ported to numerous game consoles and home computers. It is in the tradition of space war games such as Space Invaders and Galaga. Gyruss was the second and last game Yoshiki Okamoto designed for Konami, after Time Pilot. Due to salary disputes, he was fired after the release of that game and soon after went to Capcom, where he developed 1942 and the first Street Fighter game. The game's background music is an electronic, fast-paced arrangement of J. S. Bach's Toccata and Fugue in D minor, BWV 565; this particular arrangement is similar in sound to the rock arrangement "Toccata" by the British instrumentalist group Sky. Gyruss features the use of stereo sound, which, according to the bonus material for Konami Arcade Classics, was achieved through the use of discrete audio circuits. Three microprocessors were used in the game: two Z80 microprocessors and one 6809 and one 8039 microcontroller. Five AY-3-8910 PSG sound chips and a DAC were used for the sound. Gyruss was released as both a standalone and a cocktail cabinet. R. Hirst "KOO", M. Jones, "BOX" and the Elliott Brother's are probably some of the best Gyruss players of the 1990's.