As mentioned in my first post, I enjoyed many, many hours in the local arcades when I was a teenager. And as I'm sure was the case for many gamers of that era, I had what I referred to as my "go-to" games. Put simply, these were the games I was good at - very good at. Topping that list was the arcade classic Galaga, the immensely popular sequel to the classic 1979 space shooter Galaxian from Namco. And I put Galaga in the top spot for the simple reason that it was the only arcade game I ever "flipped the score on". That is, I played until the score reached the maximum possible value, then reset back to zero. In fact, I achieved that feat more than once on one quarter, and played until I was too tired to stand there anymore. I felt like the king of that game, but didn't find out until many years later (due to the internet and its various high-score lists), that I was far from unique. However, this post concerns my #2 go-to game, namely another space shooter called Gorf.
Gorf (which stands for "Galactic Orbiting Robot Force") is a space shooter released in 1981 by Midway Manufacturing. Like most space games of the era, the basic premise is that you control an armed spaceship battling evil alien forces, in this case the enemies being a race of (Gorfian) robots. The game has five different stages of battle against various Gorfian enemies, and was the first of its kind to feature these distinct game play levels. And two of these stages - Space Invaders and The Galaxians - are familiar because they feature similar gameplay to their namesake standalone arcade counterparts. The game also features quasi-military ranks, with players starting as a lowly "Space Cadet", and (after completing all five stages) being promoted up the ranks, with the ultimate goal of becoming the coveted "Space Avenger". And as you might expect, difficulty increases as both scores and ranks do. Gorf was #2 on my go-to list because I blasted my way to the "Space Avenger" level on numerous occasions.
The Gorf arcade cabinet from Bally Midway
In 1982 CBS Video Games released Gorf for the Atari 2600. Having played that version, my conclusion is that it's a serviceable port. It features the most basic elements of the game with no bells or whistles. Namely, it has four of the five arcade stages (the Galaxians are missing due to a rights issue), with the battles taking place over a black background. There are no mother ships hovering above the action, and spaceships simply disappear with a 'blip' sound and no visual explosion. But limitations notwithstanding, it does more or less look and play like Gorf. (Note: versions of the game were also released for Atari 8-bit computers, the Atari 5200, and Colecovision, among other systems).
Forty years after the CBS Video Games version came Gorf Arcade, a homebrew release for the Atari 2600 by publisher Champ Games. As also mentioned in my first post, I only fairly recently learned what a 'homebrew' game was. So, with that said, let's briefly define the term for the uninitiated. According to promotional material from the authority AtariAge, "a homebrew game is a new game for classic game systems, including the Atari 2600, 5200, 7800, and Jaguar. These games are typically created by enthusiasts and are often a collaborative effort between programmers, artists, designers and other individuals. It's not unusual for homebrew games to match or exceed the quality of games available for these systems "back in the day".
Gorf Arcade from Champ Games for the Atari 2600
Since becoming a retro-gamer several years ago, I've purchased a handful of homebrews. Some of these have been original titles, and others new versions of classic arcade hits. And I'm happy to say that to date they've all been good, so kudos to these new programmers. And in the latter category, so far, most of my purchases have been Champ Games releases. These include Star Castle Arcade, Galagon, ZooKeeper and our current title of discussion.
Put simply, this 32K cartridge looks and plays like the arcade version down to almost the smallest detail. Some highlights include: all five stages, a starfield background, motherships that unload the alien fighters at the beginning of stages (allowing for more possible points), free space fighter mobility in all directions, and impressive explosions when enemies are destroyed.
These last two points alone set Gorf Arcade apart from the original 2600 release. In the arcade game, players used a special pistol-grip controller with built-in fire button to move their ship all around the lower portion of the screen, which gave the game a different feel from other space shooters where the ship could only move side to side. In Gorf Arcade an Atari-style joystick is used, but the freedom of movement is retained.
The Galaxians invade in Gorf Arcade from Champ Games
Similarly, the detailed explosions in the Champ Games release are impressive to say the least. This is noticeable with all enemies, but particularly evident in the final stage where players face the Gorfian Flag Ship. As one fires on this enemy, pieces of the ship are blasted away. And after a hit to the internal power reactor, the Flag Ship is destroyed in glorious color and detail, one explosion after another until the last fragments finally fade away into space dust. Like I said, it's impressive to say the least!
I also want to note that Gorf was a unique arcade game because it featured the synthesized voice of the Gorfian leader taunting you throughout the gameplay. And through the use of a small unit called the AtariVox+ speech synthesizer (offered from AtariAge), plus some inexpensive computer speakers, this can be added to the game. So if you don't mind being relentlessly mocked and told that "Survival is impossible", go for it. (The unit also allows high scores to be saved).
My own current high score on Gorf Arcade
With many different game variations, additional rankings that weren't in the arcade game (SPACE MASTER and SPACE CHAMPION), and even a chance to earn an ISDF (Interstellar Space Defense Force) membership patch, Gorf Arcade from Champ Games can't be beat. Highly recommended...
