Joystiq http://www.joystiq.com Joystiq http://www.joystiq.com/media/feedlogo.gif Joystiq http://www.joystiq.com en-us Copyright 2008 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/Poor sales of Space Giraffe make Jeff Minter sadhttp://www.joystiq.com/2007/11/22/poor-sales-of-space-giraffe-make-jeff-minter-sad/http://www.joystiq.com/2007/11/22/poor-sales-of-space-giraffe-make-jeff-minter-sad/http://www.joystiq.com/2007/11/22/poor-sales-of-space-giraffe-make-jeff-minter-sad/#commentsFiled under:


Jeff Minter, head of Llamasoft, is apparently a bit upset about the sales of his Xbox Live Arcade title Space Giraffe. Upset enough, in fact, to post a disparaging message to his Livejournal blog, insinuating that he means to stop making games altogether.

Prompting this reaction were apparent Live Arcade statistics, revealing that in one week Frogger on XBLA outsold Space Giraffe. Minter is clearly taking the lack of his game's success a bit hard, but we hope that he doesn't let the sheer popularity of retro titles push him away from any future development.

Minter's angry ranting was posted at 1:45 am, his time. In the event that he sobers up and removes the post, we've copied his frothy words for your perusal. Check out all the anti-retro spite after the break.

[Via CVG]

Jeff Minter's original blog post, in its entirety, follows:

Subject: jesus fucking christ

Body:
not seeing a lot of reason to continue even trying to make games, at this point, when a remake of Frogger, one of the worst games in the history of old arcade games, can outsell Space Giraffe that we put so much love and effort into, by more than ten to one, in one week.

OK, we get the message. All you want on that channel is remakes of old, shite arcade games and crap you vaguely remember playing on your Amiga.

We'll shut up trying to do anything new then.

Sorry for even trying.

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]]>blogsjeff-minterjeffminterllamasoftspace-giraffespacegiraffexblaScott Jon Siegel2007-11-22T22:01:00+00:00Jeff Minter tweaking Gridrunner++ for XBLAhttp://www.joystiq.com/2007/10/04/jeff-minter-tweaking-gridrunner-for-xbla/http://www.joystiq.com/2007/10/04/jeff-minter-tweaking-gridrunner-for-xbla/http://www.joystiq.com/2007/10/04/jeff-minter-tweaking-gridrunner-for-xbla/#commentsFiled under:

Jeff Minter, cuddler of sheep and designer of psychedelic shooters, has updated his Stinkygoat blog with a mention of his latest endeavor: Gridrunner++ for Xbox Live Arcade. The original scrolling shooter, which requires you to survive numerous waves of enemies in increasingly disorienting levels, will have its graphics and controls overhauled to better suit the Xbox 360.

Minter hopes it'll make for a "more involved game" and is first focusing on "getting all the gameplay working first." That's just as well, given the polar reactions his Space Giraffe galloped and/or flew into.

[Via X3F]

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]]>GridrunnerJeff-MinterJeffMinterSpaceGiraffeXBLALudwig Kietzmann2007-10-04T17:21:00+00:00This Wednesday: Space Giraffe and Street Trace light up XBLAhttp://www.joystiq.com/2007/08/20/this-wednesday-space-giraffe-and-street-trace-light-up-xbla/http://www.joystiq.com/2007/08/20/this-wednesday-space-giraffe-and-street-trace-light-up-xbla/http://www.joystiq.com/2007/08/20/this-wednesday-space-giraffe-and-street-trace-light-up-xbla/#commentsFiled under: ,


As proof that Jeff Minter is no longer tweaking, Space Giraffe is set for release on Xbox Live Arcade this Wednesday, August 22nd, for 400 MS Points ($5). If the term "tunnel shooter" doesn't help you visualize Llamasoft's unhinged experiment in visual excess, picturing a Tempest of rainbows vomiting on your screen should get you halfway there. And that's not even considering the steady stream of mixed up gaming memes it spouts at you -- we just found out our giraffe is in another castle.

Also releasing this week is Street Trace: NYC, a futuristic hoverboard racer where your board's "emissions" can grant speed boosts to competing players. Mid-air jostling, upgradeable vehicles and online multiplayer all add up to 800 MS Points ($10) and a stirring memory of the Dreamcast's TrickStyle.

Gallery: Space Giraffe


Gallery: Street Trace: NYC

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]]>JeffMinterLlamasoftSpaceGiraffeStreetTraceXBLAXBLAWednesdayLudwig Kietzmann2007-08-20T13:54:00+00:00Space Giraffe finished, Minter still tweakinghttp://www.joystiq.com/2007/04/20/space-giraffe-finished-minter-still-tweaking/http://www.joystiq.com/2007/04/20/space-giraffe-finished-minter-still-tweaking/http://www.joystiq.com/2007/04/20/space-giraffe-finished-minter-still-tweaking/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

is that a...?
What better way to celebrate April 20 than with belated news of Space Giraffe's completion? Earlier this week, eccentric game developer Jeff Minter dragged himself from the meadow and logged into his LiveJournal page to write, "Well the game's finished". Minter's still tweaking the final code, most recently implementing a results graph so that players can compare gameplay sessions to their overall high scores and a predetermined "good" score, but expect the psychedelic shooter to be shipping off to Microsoft for certification any day now. Let's hope it makes it through the pipeline and onto Xbox Live Arcade faster than other high-profile titles...

Anyways, congrats Jeff -- can't wait to light one up and play! Of course, we'd ask you to join us for a celebratory cigar ... but we hear you're off the nicotine. How about a carrot instead?

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]]>Jeff MinterJeffMinterllamasoftminterpsychedelicshooterSpace GiraffeSpaceGiraffexblaXbox Live ArcadeXboxLiveArcadeJames Ransom-Wiley2007-04-20T15:28:00+00:00Jeff Minter: artist, developer, friend of sheephttp://www.joystiq.com/2007/04/05/jeff-minter-artist-developer-friend-of-sheep/http://www.joystiq.com/2007/04/05/jeff-minter-artist-developer-friend-of-sheep/http://www.joystiq.com/2007/04/05/jeff-minter-artist-developer-friend-of-sheep/#comments
Gamasutra interviews eccentric Welsh developer Jeff Minter, who created such retro-inspired classics as Tempest 2000, Llamatron, and Attack of the Mutant Camels. Now under contract with Microsoft, Minter spills the psychedelic beans on his forthcoming Space Giraffe for Xbox Live Arcade, reveals whether he'll ever develop for anyone other than Bill Gates again, and cuddles a sheep for the camera. (See above.)

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]]>jeffminterllamasoftsheepspacegiraffexblaTony Carnevale2007-04-05T17:28:00+00:00Microsoft to soon decide fate of Space Giraffe, alpha build shipping outhttp://www.joystiq.com/2007/02/06/microsoft-to-soon-decide-fate-of-space-giraffe-alpha-build-ship/http://www.joystiq.com/2007/02/06/microsoft-to-soon-decide-fate-of-space-giraffe-alpha-build-ship/http://www.joystiq.com/2007/02/06/microsoft-to-soon-decide-fate-of-space-giraffe-alpha-build-ship/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

moo!Jeff Minter's latest Space Giraffe update exposes the designer's undulating emotions, as he prepares to ship an alpha build of the Xbox Live Arcade hopeful off to Microsoft tomorrow. While his confidence grows -- "I have 32 levels in now and I'm getting happy with it" -- Minter knows that everything is riding on Microsoft's reception of the early submission. "The release to MS is a little bit scary because we effectively get the go/no go for the whole thing," writes Minter.

Still, as Minter seems to conclude, it's unlikely that Microsoft will pull the plug on Space Giraffe. It's an indie shooter, after all -- a shoo-in for Xbox Live Arcade.

[Via 1UP]

See also:

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]]>ShooterSpace GiraffeSpaceGiraffeXBLAXbox Live ArcadeXboxLiveArcadeJames Ransom-Wiley2007-02-06T22:25:00+00:00Minter talks Space Giraffe, cuddles sheephttp://www.joystiq.com/2007/01/09/minter-talks-space-giraffe-cuddles-sheep/http://www.joystiq.com/2007/01/09/minter-talks-space-giraffe-cuddles-sheep/http://www.joystiq.com/2007/01/09/minter-talks-space-giraffe-cuddles-sheep/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

Ginger & MinterJeff Minter reports on the status of Space Giraffe, his psychedelic homage to his own Tempest 2000. With the game engine complete, Minter sounds optimistic that an actual framework can be compiled (levels, lives, bonuses, achievements, etc.) and shipped out for testing within a few weeks. Minter writes, "the bulk of the implementation work is done and [now it's] more about small touches, construction of behaviours, and planning of the diff curve }:-)."

If development stays on schedule, Space Giraffe could be complete by April and flushed into the Xbox Live Arcade pipeline. When it would come out the other end is anybody's guess. At least Minter's got his sheep.

[Via IGN]

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]]>360Jeff MinterJeffMinterLlamasoftShooterSpace GiraffeSpaceGiraffeTempestTempest 2000Tempest2000XBLAXboxXbox 360Xbox Live ArcadeXbox360XboxLiveArcadeJames Ransom-Wiley2007-01-09T15:53:00+00:00Trippy Space Giraffe video is "giraffetastic!" [update 1]http://www.joystiq.com/2006/10/18/trippy-space-giraffe-video-is-giraffetastic/http://www.joystiq.com/2006/10/18/trippy-space-giraffe-video-is-giraffetastic/http://www.joystiq.com/2006/10/18/trippy-space-giraffe-video-is-giraffetastic/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

Let's be honest, Jeff Minter's Space Giraffe is nothing more than an updated Tempest 2000 (also Minter's creation), itself a remake of 1981's Tempest. The upcoming XBLA rail shooter brings to mind Geometry Wars and Rez in a big way, and this work-in-progress video includes licensed music and intentional Engrish. There isn't much about Space Giraffe that is original or innovative ... but still it looks like insane fun.

Let none of that stop you from enjoying some ultra-trippy video, set to the tune of Aphex Twin (Warning: NSFW). The YouTube video is pretty shoddy in quality, so we recommend going to Xboxyde for a slightly crisper experience.

"Congraturation! You success! A winner is you! But our giraffe is in another castle!"

[Via Xbox 360 Fanboy]

[Update 1: So, as it turns out, Richard David James has yet to multiply himself through meiosis or any other similar process. Ooopsies, singularity has won.]

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]]>jeff minterJeffMinterspace giraffeSpaceGiraffexblaxblmxbox liveXboxLiveRoss Miller2006-10-18T07:58:00+00:00Jeff Minter bringing space giraffes to XBLAhttp://www.joystiq.com/2006/08/28/jeff-minter-bringing-space-giraffes-to-xbla/http://www.joystiq.com/2006/08/28/jeff-minter-bringing-space-giraffes-to-xbla/http://www.joystiq.com/2006/08/28/jeff-minter-bringing-space-giraffes-to-xbla/#commentsFiled under: ,



As if Geometry Wars doesn't provide enough trippy, vector graphics action for Xbox Live Arcade, Jeff Minter and the boys at Llamasoft have posted some extremely psychedelic pictures (warning, some NSFW language) of their new XBLA game, tentatively titled "Space Giraffe." Jeff doesn't reveal many gameplay details in the post on his blog, but he does say that the game will be a rail-based shooter in the tradition of Minter's Tempest 2000. Leave it to the creator of the Xbox 360's lightsnyth, to come up with a game that looks like a bad acid trip.

[Via K1lla's Xbox Domain]

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]]>jeff minterJeffMinterspace giraffeSpaceGiraffeXBLAKyle Orland2006-08-28T16:55:00+00:00