Resurrecting Midway’s Ms Gorf

Developed by Jamie Fenton of Dave Nutting Associates, Gorf was Midway’s biggest arcade hit since Gun Fight. A classic shooter that drew inspiration from other titles such as Space Invaders, Galaxian and Phoenix. Released in February 1981, the game stood out with the addition of some interesting features like letting players buy extra lives per quarter for up to seven lives. It also became famous for its synthesized speech, a unique firing system called the “quark laser” which allows the player to cancel the previous shot if it misses, along with rankings that the player could achieve like Space Cadet and Space Avenger. Controls were provided by a unique (at the time) pistol grip controller with a trigger fire button built in (as per Tron) – designed by none other than George Gomez. Gorf! It was a package that landed well with distributors, arcade owners and the players themselves, resulting in a production run estimated at 25,000 cabinets. Upright, cabaret (or “Mini-Myte” as Midway…

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