| Gorf Arcade | |
| Developers | Roklan (Original) Dr. Kwack (Hack) |
| Publishers | CBS Electronics (Original) Freeware (Hack) |
| System | Atari 2600 |
| Release Dates | 1981 (Original) 2004 (hack) |
| Mode | Single player only |
| Media | Cartridge (original) ROM file (hack) |
Gorf started out as a compilation arcade game with five games included, all being fixed bottom of the screen shooters. The firing scheme was also unique at the time, with a "quark laser", which pressing the trigger on the joystick would cancel out the first shot and replace it with another one. Getting hit by any ship or its fire would destroy the player's laser base and the game would end when there were no more bases left in reserve.
Gorf would be later ported to the Atari 2600. Gorf Arcade is a minor graphics hack of the original port, changing the graphics to closer resemble the arcade original (mostly on the first Astro Battles game).
Games[]
Astro Battles[]
This game is a lot like Space Invaders, just without any bunkers or any bonus U. F. O.s appearing. On the original version, the invaders looked different, as one row was made up of small Gorf robots, although with this hack, they closer resemble the arcade version.
Like with Space Invaders, several invaders would move from side to side while firing at the player. Once the invaders' formation reached a screen edge, they would drop a notch closer. The player must destroy all invaders in order to advance to the next game.
Laser Attack[]
This game featured ships that would fire a laser that would make a very long path down the screen, along with having other ships (and small Gorf robots) that would peel off from their formations and make an attack run at players. If the player did not destroy a ship before it reached the bottom of the screen it would reappear at the top. The ships would move individually peeling off from the formation, as well as the formation also moving very quickly at an angle to another area of the screen before pausing so the ships discharging the lasers could pause and fire a shot at the player.
Space Warp[]
This game involves shooting ships that come out of a black hole that fire at the player while moving at a circular motion around the screen, which their path becomes larger and larger with each successive rotation. The player's shots can cancel out the enemy shots (unlike on the arcade original).
Flag Ship[]
This is the final stage before the game starts over at a higher difficulty level. The player has to shoot at the reactor in the ship (its only vulnerable spot) in order to destroy it. Meanwhile the Flag Ship moves from side to side on the screen, firing at the player.
Controls[]
- Start game–joystick button or Game Reset switch
- Move laser base–joystick (left/right only)
- Fire–button
Trivia[]
As with all home versions, the Galaxians game was left out, as Galaxian was made by Namco, which would have required a separate license (the arcade original was made by Midway). The player's base could also move around at diagonals in an area at the bottom of the screen, whereas they can only move left and right on the original version, along with this hack.
Links[]
Atari Age Gorf Arcade page