Gyrostarr

Last updated
Gyrostarr
Gyrostarr Logo.PNG
Developer(s) High Voltage Software
Publisher(s) High Voltage Software
Producer(s) Kevin Sheller
Designer(s) Patrick Dolan
Programmer(s) John R. Sanderson
Artist(s) Damion J. J. Davis
Lisa Wells
Platform(s) Wii (WiiWare)
Release
Genre(s) Shoot 'em up
Mode(s) Single-player, multiplayer

Gyrostarr is a shoot 'em up video game developed and published by High Voltage Software. It is one of several video games released only as WiiWare through the Wii Shop Channel, because of this, the game is no longer purchasable due to the shutdown of the Wii Shop Channel. It was released in North America on June 23, 2008.

Contents

Gameplay

Gyrostarr is described as a sci-fi shooter with 3D graphics procedurally generated by High Voltage Software's Quantum3 game engine, allowing the game's 50 levels of space track to be stored within the 40 megabyte size limit imposed by Nintendo. [2]

Gameplay in Gyrostarr Gyrostarr screenshot 01.PNG
Gameplay in Gyrostarr

Several control schemes are available in the game. Players can choose between motion controls using the Wii Remote, or the buttons and analog joysticks of the Nunchuk. In addition, the Classic Controller is also compatible with the game. A "paired" control system allows two players to use a connected Wii Remote and Nunchuk or Classic Controller at the same time, with one player using the Wii Remote and the other using the attachment. [3]

Up to four players control spaceships as they travel through "a twisting, turning techno-plasma canal in space," the goal being to collect enough energy "to penetrate an alien portal and warp to the next conduit." Not collecting enough energy, which fills a meter at the top of the screen, will result in the player's ship being destroyed at the end of a level. If the player completely fills the energy meter, however, then at the end of the level the player will be transported to a bonus level where no enemies are present and the only objective is to collect as much energy as possible. Players can also collect points in the game to try to beat the high score by destroying enemies and collecting energy. Points multiply and accumulate when the player avoids enemy fire in addition to shooting down enemy spacecraft. [2] [3]

A variety of weapons and power-ups can be found throughout the game. Defensive power-ups have a wide range of effects, such as providing temporary invincibility or slowing down enemies. Player ships also come equipped with a grapple gun, which allows the player to pick up distant power-ups more quickly. Unique for a scrolling shooter game, all power-ups can be targeted, shot, and bounced off the sides of a level, making them more difficult to acquire for other players. [2]

Multiplayer

Gyrostarr is capable of supporting up to four players for multiplayer gameplay. Multiplayer can be cooperative or competitive, depending on the actions of the players. This allows for players to either work together to complete a level, or to hamper each other's performance. Player ship positions are staggered across the track of a level; collecting a power-up moves a player to the last position, while collecting energy will eventually move player to the front. [2]

Reception

Gyrostarr received mixed reviews upon its release. IGN gave Gyrostarr an average rating, saying that the graphics were better than many other WiiWare games and praising the co-op experience as being fun. Negative aspects of the game were identified as a lack of challenge in the levels and that the game's sense of speed was severely lacking, with levels starting out slowly and only speeding up near the very end. Overall, Gyrostarr was called "a pretty fun experience, though one that we think could use a sequel to really focus, refine, and capitalize on." [6]

Nintendo World Report gave the game a slightly higher score, citing the gameplay as "simple and addictive," and noting a strong similarity between Gyrostarr and the arcade shooter Tempest , but also criticized the lack of online leaderboards. The review concluded that "fans of arcade-style twitch shooters should get plenty of entertainment out of the game, and it's reasonably priced." [7]

Related Research Articles

<i>Red Steel</i> 2006 video game

Red Steel is a first-person shooter video game published by Ubisoft for Nintendo's Wii console. It was developed by the Ubisoft Paris studio. Red Steel was released on November 19, 2006 in North America, the date of the Wii launch. It has spawned a stand-alone sequel, Red Steel 2, which was released on March 23, 2010.

<i>WarioWare: Smooth Moves</i> 2006 video game

WarioWare: Smooth Moves is a party video game developed by Nintendo SPD and Intelligent Systems. The game was published by Nintendo for its Wii video game system in Japan in December 2006, and in Europe, North America, and Australia in January 2007. It is the fifth game in the WarioWare series of games, and the only game in the series to be physically released for the Wii. Like its predecessors, WarioWare: Smooth Moves is built around a collection of microgames that last about five seconds each, and which require that the player hold the Wii Remote in specific positions. The game offers the microgames to the player in rapid succession, by first instructing the player to hold the Wii Remote in a specific manner, and then showing them the microgame. The microgames are divided into several stages, each of which loosely connects the microgames with the help of a story. Additionally, this was the first spinoff Mario game to be released for the console.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wii Remote</span> Primary game controller for the Wii

The Wii Remote, also known colloquially as the Wiimote, is the primary game controller for Nintendo's Wii home video game console. An essential capability of the Wii Remote is its motion sensing capability, which allows the user to interact with and manipulate items on screen via motion sensing, gesture recognition, and pointing which is used for the console, using accelerometer and optical sensor technology. It is expandable by adding attachments. The attachment bundled with the Wii console is the Nunchuk, which complements the Wii Remote by providing functions similar to those in gamepad controllers. Some other attachments include the Classic Controller, Wii Zapper, and the Wii Wheel, which has originally been used for the racing game, Mario Kart Wii.

<i>Bust-A-Move Bash!</i> 2007 video game

Bust-A-Move Bash!, known in Europe as Bust-A-Move, is a bubble shooter tile-matching video game released exclusively for the Wii, as part of the Bust-a-Move series. It is the first Bust-a-Move game released on a Nintendo console after Bust-a-Move 3000, released in 2003 on the GameCube.

<i>Alien Syndrome</i> (2007 video game) 2007 video game

Alien Syndrome is a video game by Totally Games, part of the Alien Syndrome franchise created by Sega. It was released for the PlayStation Portable and Wii in 2007. This iteration takes place a century after the previous game and introduces role-playing elements to the gameplay.

<i>Geometry Wars: Galaxies</i> 2007 video game

Geometry Wars: Galaxies is a multidirectional shooter video game developed by Bizarre Creations and Kuju Entertainment, and published by Vivendi Games for the Wii and Nintendo DS in November 2007. As the first Geometry Wars game to be released on non-Microsoft platforms, Galaxies is a spin-off of Geometry Wars, which was originally included as a bonus game within Project Gotham Racing 2 on Microsoft's Xbox console. This updated version includes a single-player campaign mode, several multiplayer modes, Geometry Wars: Retro Evolved, and support for online leaderboards. The Wii version supports widescreen and 480p progressive scan display.

<i>The Conduit</i> 2009 video game

The Conduit is a first-person shooter video game developed by High Voltage Software for the Wii console and Android. The Conduit was revealed on April 17, 2008, and on October 29, 2008, the developer announced that Sega had signed on to be the game's publisher. The game was released in North America on June 23, 2009, in Europe on July 10, 2009, and in Australia on July 16, 2009.

<i>Space Invaders Get Even</i> 2008 video game

Space Invaders Get Even is a video game by Taito for the Wii. Originally intended as a retail release, the game was released as a downloadable WiiWare game instead. It was released in Japan on August 26, 2008, in Europe on November 7, 2008, and in North America on December 1, 2008. Outside Japan the game is published by Square Enix.

<i>Punch-Out!!</i> (Wii) 2009 boxing video game published by Nintendo

Punch-Out!! is a 2009 boxing video game developed by Next Level Games for the Wii. It is the fifth and most recent mainline game in Nintendo's Punch-Out!! series, following the SNES version of Super Punch-Out!!, and is a reboot of the series.

<i>High Voltage Hot Rod Show</i> 2009 video game

High Voltage Hot Rod Show is a WiiWare game developed by High Voltage Software. It was released in North America on January 19, 2009.

<i>Evasive Space</i> 2009 video game

Evasive Space is an action video game developed by High Voltage Software and published by Akinai Games. It is one of several video games released as WiiWare through the Wii Shop Channel. It was released in North America on February 16, 2009 and in Japan on April 7, 2009.

<i>Onslaught</i> (2009 video game) 2009 video game

Onslaught is a first-person shooter for WiiWare by Hudson Soft. It was released in Europe on February 13, 2009, in North America on February 23, 2009, and in Japan on March 3, 2009.

<i>Water Warfare</i> 2009 video game

Water Warfare is a first-person shooter video game by Hudson Soft for WiiWare. It is the second game in the genre to be released by Hudson Soft for WiiWare.

<i>Tournament of Legends</i> 2010 video game

Tournament of Legends is a fighting video game developed by High Voltage Software for the Wii console.

<i>Pokémon Rumble</i> 2009 video game

Pokémon Rumble is a beat 'em up video game in the Pokémon series for WiiWare.

<i>Conduit 2</i> 2011 video game

Conduit 2 is a first-person shooter video game developed by High Voltage Software for the Wii video game console. It is the sequel to The Conduit. The definite article of the original title was dropped during development as the developers considered it "too much of a mouthful".

<i>Hubert the Teddy Bear: Winter Games</i> 2010 video game

Hubert the Teddy Bear: Winter Games is a sports party game developed by Teyon for the WiiWare. It is available in the WiiWare Shop for 500 Wii Points.

<i>Nintendo Land</i> 2012 party video game

Nintendo Land is a party video game developed and published by Nintendo as a pack-in launch title for the Wii U home video game console in 2012. The game was first announced at E3 2012 during Nintendo's press conference.

<i>Nano Assault Neo</i> 2012 video game

Nano Assault Neo is a twin-stick multidirectional shooter developed by Shin'en Multimedia and released on the Nintendo eShop for the Wii U. It was a launch title for the system on 18 November 2012 in North America, and in PAL regions on 30 November 2012. It was released in Japan on 27 February 2013 by Arc System Works. It is the sequel to the 2011 Nintendo 3DS game Nano Assault.

<i>Fast Racing League</i> 2011 video game

Fast Racing League is a racing game developed and published by German video game developer Shin'en Multimedia and released for Wii as a WiiWare title on 27 May 2011. It is the first installment in the Fast series.

References

  1. ↑ "North America - Gyrostarr hits WiiWare this Monday!". GoNintendo. 2008-06-20. Retrieved 2008-06-20.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Casamassina, Matt (2008-04-22). "IGN: Gyrostarr Preview". IGN. Archived from the original on April 26, 2008. Retrieved 2008-04-23.
  3. 1 2 Calvert, Darren (2008-06-23). "USA WiiWare Update: Gyrostarr". WiiWare World. Retrieved 2008-06-23.
  4. ↑ "Gyrostarr Reviews at Game Rankings". Game Rankings. Retrieved 2008-11-08.
  5. ↑ "Gyrostarr Reviews at Metacritic". Metacritic. Retrieved 2008-11-08.
  6. 1 2 Bozon, Mark (2008-06-25). "IGN: Gyrostarr Review". IGN. Archived from the original on June 28, 2008. Retrieved 2008-06-25.
  7. 1 2 Metts, Jonathan (2008-06-25). "Nintendo World Report: Gyrostarr Review". Nintendo World Report. Retrieved 2008-11-08.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.