It's funny how a game that is incredibly derivative of a game before it, still manages to come across as unique and worth playing in its own right. Take away the forced 3D perspective, and Gyruss is only one or two minor details removed from Galaga. Even the bonus stages, and the points they award, line up exactly between the two games. So how does Gyruss get away with it? By giving the player a more definite goal, to reach Earth, and by offering what may be the most memorable video game soundtrack fo the early 1980s, thanks to that relentlessly catchy adaptation of Bach's "Toccata and Fugue." And really, the forced 3D perspective shouldn't be dismissed so easily. Only one game released before Gyruss uses the same perspective, Tempest, so at the time it was certainly still a novel way to grab players' attention. Also, if you're going to imitate a game, you may as well imitate a good one, and Gyruss successfully apes Galaga's addictiveness.
So, even if it isn't the most original game, Gyruss more than earns its keep.
Grade: A-.