Jeff Minter, Neon and Space Giraffe | A sheepy legacy
If you stick an audio CD into an Xbox One it will (after downloading the relevant app) play it quite happily, and even pull the album cover and track list from the Gracenote database. Neat.
Do the same with an Xbox 360 and you will enter a whole different world – one that is entirely generated by the best visualizer ever created. Even if you don’t know what a visualizer is, the chances are you will have seen one, somewhere. If not on the Xbox 360 then in MP3 software like WinAmp. Remember that kaleidoscope toy you had as a child? It’s like that, only more so. At its most simple it is a graphical representation of audio.
Neon – the first true Light Synthesizer
Neon is so more than any other visualizer ever created – it’s a true Light Synthesizer, an instrument of light that you can play. Pop that CD back into your Xbox 360 – and now grab a joypad. You are in control. Now grab three friends, and give each one a joypad. Now you are flying as a crew. (It’s at this point you know you need an amazing audio system and a kickass projector – along with a field to set up in and a few hundred people to party with.)
You’ll have to thank a gentleman by the name of Jeff Minter – a creator and visionary with a penchant for ruminants and Lion Bars who has a history in this industry going back to the 8-bit era and classics like Gridrunner, Attack of the Mutant Camels, Sheep in Space, and Hover Bovver. Jeff also created the best version of Tempest ever made – Tempest 2000 for the Atari Jaguar. Keep that pedigree in mind as you read what Jeff had to say about Neon:
“The results are simply amazing. Even I am continually amazed at what is possible to get out of it – and I designed it }:-D. It is a true light synthesizer, and easily the most beautiful thing I have ever made, by a very long way.”
Jeff Minter
Neon lives on to this day in the firmware of every Xbox 360. If you have a 360 and have never tried out Neon, you are missing out.
Space Giraffe
If you don’t have an Xbox 360, you can still get your hands on some classic Minter psychedelia by taking advantage of this month’s Backwards Compatibility games and grabbing Space Giraffe. You can pick up a copy for a mere £3.39 (there’s a free demo too). Even if you had a 360 but never played this game, you should really give it a go.
“Space Giraffe is a psychedelic shooter that spans 100 levels all set against vivid backgrounds that synchronize with your custom music selection. Collect power-ups to activate Bonus Rounds and master the strategies to maximize your score on every level!
“Open your senses as wide as they will go, immerse yourself into this audiovisual experience – and you will find yourself in the trance-like ‘zone’ while the Universe is exploding around you and you are dancing in the light!”
The Minotaur Project
Space Giraffe was one of THE best shooters on the Xbox 360, winning numerous awards and critical acclaim – just ignore the Official Xbox Magazine review written at the time of the game’s release, seemingly by utter morons. The game is much deeper than it appears – one of the first shooters to place emphasis on maximising your score multiplier to achieve a high score.
Thank you, Jeff
In 2003, after 20 years of creating lightsynths for almost every platform, Jeff managed to get his incredible vision for Neon into a console that lasted a decade and sold more than 80 million units worldwide. Here at For ALL the Players we tip our hats to you, Jeff. Top hole.
If you want to know more about Jeff, a true legend of our hobby, head on over to Llamasoft (no not this one), follow him on Twitter, and catch morning and evening sheep time on Periscope. If you see him out and about at gaming festivals and events, give him a Lion Bar and have a chat about Virtual Reality.
Thanks to StrangeBeaver for the featured image.
