Gyromite (NES)

[Falco Girgis]

Gyromite is a game for the NES that I've been playing since I was a child. It was one of the first NES games ever released and was a part of Nintendo's whole "market the NES as a toy rather than console" gimmick.

The game was marketted with "R.O.B." the robot (Robotic Operating Buddy) in 1986. This was a time that everybody thought video games had died. Atari had screwed up majorly and the end of gaming seemed to of come. Nintendo single-handedly brought the gaming industry back to life with titles like this. The game was a part of the whole "Buy a Nintendo, it's not a console, it's a toy" deal.

Story: I'm not going too hard on Gyromite for its storyline. It was released in a time where no video game had any storyline whatsoever. Especially on the NES storylines seem often nonexistant. Gyromite took place in the laboratory of Hector and his assistant Vector. An experiment gone wrong releases dangerous creatures called "smurks" who try to kill you. While avoiding them you have to defuse dynamite on each level. I don't know where in god's name the random dynamite came from, but it's fun.

Score : 5/10

Gameplay:
Mode A:
Mode A allows you to pick your own level (1-40) and start on it. You're either Hector or Vector navigating through the laboratory. The twist of the game is that there are "gates or pipes" that must be opened in order to get places. You can either open the pipes by using a controller in the player 2 slot to operate them or by using ROB the robot. You collect dynamite and feed smurks radishes to keep the dirty sons of green monsters occupied while you climb ropes and pass pipes to get all the dynamite before the time limit.

With 2 players:
With two players one of you controls a professor and the other controls the pipes. An advantage is that you don't have to worry about the pipes. A disadvantage, however, is that the second player is easily corrupted and will crush your ass faster than you can blink. It can be really interesting when you both work together, or even more fun when you decide that player 1 will try to avoid smashing pipes from player 2.

With ROB:
Not only is ROB an awesome gadget, but this antique NES peripheral is of equal value and prestige of the Dreamcast Samba De Amigo maracas. I'd give my left ball to have him (look at ebay, so would other people). With ROB you can play single player. ROB plugs into the 2nd player and plays with you. You send signals to ROB to open up the pipes. The robot actually moves its arm down and hits the pipe button to open the pipes. With 40 levels to choose from and a robotic operating buddy to play with, the game would be extremely fun.

All in all, the game is fun, but nothing amazingly groundbreaking. It really can get old fast. The same tiles are used throughout. The levels aren't necessarily in the order they should be in as far as easiness goes. While it may get old, the game introduces things (aside from ROB) that make it really worthwhile. The pipes can require amazing strategy as you have to open certain and then close the other ones at other times to avoid getting smashed by one set.

Mode B:
Mode B is alot different than Mode A. I honestly can't tell you how many levels are on it. I'd assume 40, but it seems to go on forever and I don't have enough time to beat it. You can't select your starting level here. It's one player only also. You are Hector. No, you're the pipes actually. Hector isn't controllable. He's sleeping and you open up the gates and make paths for him to sleepwalk throughout the laboratory without getting killed by smurks. A level is marked from when Hector exits a port-a-potty, to when he enters another one.

While it might not sound that hard, it can get hard. Especially when you get farther and the road splits. One way is life, the other is death. It also takes FOREVER. Hector's uncontrollable walking speed is just horrible. A level can take up to 3-5 minutes to beat.

I'm not sure exactly how ROB works with this mode. I think you just send signals for him to open the gates rather than you do it. Either way I'm sure it'd be more fun with the robotic buddy at your side than alone.

While mode B is really nice and I love it, there's just some things that couldl of been done nicer...

Score: 8/10

Graphics:
Alright, the game is old, but the graphics are not bad in the least. Compared to other NES games, they're fairly average. Nothing beautiful, but definately good considering the release date on this bad boy. One major flaw in the graphics is that the same tileset is used throughout all of one mode. That's 40 levels of the same visuals. If other tilesets would of been used, this score would be drastically higher.

Score: 4/10

Music:
Another score that really deserves to be higher. Like the tiles and graphics, the same music is used throughout the different modes. While the theme song for each is fairly long and is extremely and I mean extremely catchy and I love it, one song is a bit little for 40 levels, don't you think?

Score: 5/10

Overall: Gyromite is something that any real gamer should have to go with their NES. While you might not play it often (or ever), it just should be there. Its historical as well as collectional importance is significant. If you ever and I mean ever see ROB at any store for under $50, buy it immediately. Not only would you have the most prestigious accessory for the NES, but you'd also be able to sell it on Ebay (or to me) for loads of money.

Score: 6/10

I personally would give the game a 9 or 10 of 10 because of what it means to me and the fun I've had with my childhood. I can't however because this review isn't biased. The game seriously rocks, but it isn't anything groundbreaking or insane.

I've seen Gyromite at my local game retailer for $.99. I'm not joking either. At that cheap, there is absolutely no reason that you shouldn't own it. It's a classic and I promise you will never regret purchasing its goodness.

[FredDibnah]

Great review Gyrovorbis! It blew mine out of the water. I don't have an NES, so maybe I'll get a ROM for Gyromite once I can find a dang emulator.

[Wutai]

Great review.

I thought you would give it a 15/10 or something.

[spideyspiderman2000]

Good reveiw.

I was having some doubts about this section of the forum, but now, they're gone.