The definitive Space Giraffe thread

skweek · Post by **skweek** » Fri Aug 17, 2007 12:43 am 0

Yak wrote:er, our alpha test was a bit more rigorous than "a bunch of people at a retro weekend" and yes, I would have expected real criticism if I'd been doing stuff wrong.

If you tested it like you did Neon and we know you did, it must be good. All of the SG test people are people who I know are good gamers and enjoy good videogames, the review either just didn't gel with it like some people don't with some types of game, or is shit at games.

Chin up dude, go out and play with all the animals and enjoy your time off.

As someone once said to me : "Don't worry, be happy"

shimeril · Post by **shimeril** » Fri Aug 17, 2007 1:17 am 0

skweek wrote: As someone once said to me : "Don't worry, be happy"

Noooooo. The song is now in my head. You utter bastard!

Don't fret Jeff & Giles. SG will go great guns and this reviewer will go down in history as an equivalent to the guys who knocked back The Beatles. His 5 minutes of fame. Even if he is faceless.

The Caffeine Kid · Post by **The Caffeine Kid** » Fri Aug 17, 2007 1:20 am 0

Happy talky-talky happy talk.... oops, wrong song

shimeril · Post by **shimeril** » Fri Aug 17, 2007 1:22 am 0

The Caffeine Kid wrote:Happy talky-talky happy talk.... oops, wrong song

It's better than the other one!

Molloy · Post by **Molloy** » Fri Aug 17, 2007 1:22 am 0

I wouldn't be stressing yourself out trying to defend yourself against the review Jeff. You'll only come out looking overly defensive. No point in getting all broiled up in a topic full of people who've neither read the review or played the game. Just let that shit play out and it'll all blow over.

james_bass · Post by **james_bass** » Fri Aug 17, 2007 1:25 am 0

Molloy wrote:I wouldn't be stressing yourself out trying to defend yourself against the review Jeff. You'll only come out looking overly defensive. No point in getting all broiled up in a topic full of people who've neither read the review or played the game. Just let that shit play out and it'll all blow over.

I would agree that at this stage, though I appreciate how waiting as long as this has been an utter pain, this review is an utter non-topic.

Next!

Yak · Post by **Yak** » Fri Aug 17, 2007 1:51 am 0

I guess I am just a little frustrated that I should have to defend our creation against incompetent shitforbrains after it's taken so much time, effort and emotion to get it out there. That is what I hated about the crap the Rev used to spew, that somehow we didn't care about what goes out. Fuck me we care, more than most people making games I reckon, and for some shithead with an axe to grind to basically publically opine that emulations with a bit of slap on are actually what is right for XBLA rather than the fucking bane of it and that anyone actually trying to do something they give a shit about is so wrong as to warrant the lowest fucking score attributed is...

...well it just makes me want to give up and not fucking care any more, to do a Braybrook or Goat knows what. After that much investment of effort and emotion, to have it all casually tossed back in your face, it's like... what the fuck. Why even bother, if those that judge you are so fucking stupid. It's like running a marathon and you get to the end and even if you don't expect a gold medal maybe you'd hope for some appreciation at least of the fact that you've achieved something and what you get is a kick in the nuts.

Fuck that.

Purple Grapefruit · Post by **Purple Grapefruit** » Fri Aug 17, 2007 1:55 am 0

The Caffeine Kid wrote:Happy talky-talky happy talk.... oops, wrong song

You have now re-contaminated my mind with filth.

And i was thinking it was now safe to go outside.

OX · Post by OX » Fri Aug 17, 2007 2:06 am 0

Yak wrote:I guess I am just a little frustrated that I should have to defend our creation against incompetent shitforbrains after it's taken so much time, effort and emotion to get it out there. That is what I hated about the crap the Rev used to spew, that somehow we didn't care about what goes out. Fuck me we care, more than most people making games I reckon, and for some shithead with an axe to grind to basically publically opine that emulations with a bit of slap on are actually what is right for XBLA rather than the fucking bane of it and that anyone actually trying to do something they give a shit about is so wrong as to warrant the lowest fucking score attributed is...

...well it just makes me want to give up and not fucking care any more, to do a Braybrook or Goat knows what. After that much investment of effort and emotion, to have it all casually tossed back in your face, it's like... what the fuck. Why even bother, if those that judge you are so fucking stupid. It's like running a marathon and you get to the end and even if you don't expect a gold medal maybe you'd hope for some appreciation at least of the fact that you've achieved something and what you get is a kick in the nuts.

Fuck that.

I'm intrigued Yak, what did A.B do? Think a lot of people would be well dissapointed if you hoyed in the towel, your like a bastion for us 80's dude's, chin up mate.

(I did say Bastion )

Harlequin · Post by **Harlequin** » Fri Aug 17, 2007 2:19 am 0

Yak wrote:[...] After that much investment of effort and emotion, to have it all casually tossed back in your face, it's like... what the fuck. Why even bother, if those that judge you are so fucking stupid. It's like running a marathon and you get to the end and even if you don't expect a gold medal maybe you'd hope for some appreciation at least of the fact that you've achieved something and what you get is a kick in the nuts.

The lament of almost everyone involved in the creative arts both today and throughout human history.

Purple Grapefruit wrote:
The Caffeine Kid wrote:Happy talky-talky happy talk.... oops, wrong song
You have now re-contaminated my mind with filth.
And i was thinking it was now safe to go outside.

That is probably because you were stuck in the sound booth having to listen to repeated bursts of (an intentionally irritating version of) that tune every night during Dangerous Corner.

OX wrote:I'm intrigued Yak, what did A.B do? Think a lot of people would be well dissapointed if you hoyed in the towel, your like a bastion for us 80's dude's, chin up mate.

Wikipedia wrote:Braybrook now works as a senior software developer for a large insurance firm.

Molloy · Post by **Molloy** » Fri Aug 17, 2007 2:22 am 0

Well I'm genuinely sympathetic that you're getting questionable press at such a sensitive stage. It's in pretty bad taste. Yourself and some of the other forumites have been a tad reactionary in the past about critical commentary (Stu in particular, he's had incredibly positive impressions of SG so far (for Stu) and I don't know why so many people have such a bee in their bonets about it now because he liked Tempest X3 and didn't like Tempest 3000).

This'll all blow over once a few more reviews come out. Nobody will remember it in 6 months. That is, if you don't make anything more of it. There are probably going 20+ reviews of SG up in 2 weeks. OXM only has 56,000 readers. If you get a positive review in something like Eurogamer you'll get several hundred thousand page views.

Purple Grapefruit · Post by **Purple Grapefruit** » Fri Aug 17, 2007 2:39 am 0

I don't get it Jeff?
You've become and been called repeatedly things like
"a living legend","a genius", etc for like a quarter of
a century? That is an achievement to boast about in the
fickle and fast changing world of "video games".

Yet i see threads like this where it seems to me you
are more intensely obsessed, by anyone (like anyone on
the entire planet) saying critical things about your
games than those (generally the majority) who have nice
things to say.

Foozwah · Post by **Foozwah** » Fri Aug 17, 2007 4:21 am 0

Yak wrote:I guess I am just a little frustrated that I should have to defend our creation against incompetent shitforbrains after it's taken so much time, effort and emotion to get it out there. That is what I hated about the crap the Rev used to spew, that somehow we didn't care about what goes out. Fuck me we care, more than most people making games I reckon, and for some shithead with an axe to grind to basically publically opine that emulations with a bit of slap on are actually what is right for XBLA rather than the fucking bane of it and that anyone actually trying to do something they give a shit about is so wrong as to warrant the lowest fucking score attributed is...

...well it just makes me want to give up and not fucking care any more, to do a Braybrook or Goat knows what. After that much investment of effort and emotion, to have it all casually tossed back in your face, it's like... what the fuck. Why even bother, if those that judge you are so fucking stupid. It's like running a marathon and you get to the end and even if you don't expect a gold medal maybe you'd hope for some appreciation at least of the fact that you've achieved something and what you get is a kick in the nuts.

Fuck that.

I entirely sympathise with how you must obviously be feeling right now, and it IS a blow, especially coming from an "official" Xbox mag (though I have to say that I automatically distrust any game review mag which carries that word in the title - for me any review would ideally be seen as independant, but I digress...) but I can only echo and expand upon what others have said on here. I.e.:

- Chill...

- Remember that this is ONE review. One person's opinion. Yes, it has the potential for damage beyond that, but that's (no pun intended) the nature of the beast. Hopefully subsequent reviews will be united in such glowing universal praise of SG that it'll make the OXM one stand alone as the completely off-the-ball ravings of someone who clearly just didn't get it.

- At least wait 'til the actual review comes out before getting so publicly defensive, 'cos it's really not a good look for anyone, even at the best of times...

- Continue to chill, and try to just let the work speak for itself.

GeeZa · Post by **GeeZa** » Fri Aug 17, 2007 4:37 am 0

OX wrote:
Yak wrote:I guess I am just a little frustrated that I should have to defend our creation against incompetent shitforbrains after it's taken so much time, effort and emotion to get it out there. That is what I hated about the crap the Rev used to spew, that somehow we didn't care about what goes out. Fuck me we care, more than most people making games I reckon, and for some shithead with an axe to grind to basically publically opine that emulations with a bit of slap on are actually what is right for XBLA rather than the fucking bane of it and that anyone actually trying to do something they give a shit about is so wrong as to warrant the lowest fucking score attributed is...

...well it just makes me want to give up and not fucking care any more, to do a Braybrook or Goat knows what. After that much investment of effort and emotion, to have it all casually tossed back in your face, it's like... what the fuck. Why even bother, if those that judge you are so fucking stupid. It's like running a marathon and you get to the end and even if you don't expect a gold medal maybe you'd hope for some appreciation at least of the fact that you've achieved something and what you get is a kick in the nuts.

Fuck that.
I'm intrigued Yak, what did A.B do?

One of the greatest game programmers the world has seen jacked it all in to work in insurance. The fact that Jeff is still around making games is nothing short of a minor miracle, the fact that he's still doing it independently continues to be the Eighth Wonder Of The World.

I know we sometimes gush about the cunt around here, but having someone with that experience, heritage, track record and honest-to-goodness appreciation for gaming who is still contributing to the art is one of the few things in the world to be happy about. People who know about video games, who understand the old-school challenges of high scores and sweaty-palm late night zone sessions (ooo-er), look forward to Llamasoft games because they always fucking deliver the goods. The space-rock level transition alone on Space Giraffe makes me *badly* want a 360. That's the shit I get off on and that's why I have to play this damn game. The fact that buying it will help go to fund another follow-up title is the icing on the cake.

thalamus · Post by **thalamus** » Fri Aug 17, 2007 6:14 am 0

Yak wrote:I guess I am just a little frustrated that I should have to defend our creation against incompetent shitforbrains after it's taken so much time, effort and emotion to get it out there. That is what I hated about the crap the Rev used to spew, that somehow we didn't care about what goes out. Fuck me we care, more than most people making games I reckon, and for some shithead with an axe to grind to basically publically opine that emulations with a bit of slap on are actually what is right for XBLA rather than the fucking bane of it and that anyone actually trying to do something they give a shit about is so wrong as to warrant the lowest fucking score attributed is...

...well it just makes me want to give up and not fucking care any more, to do a Braybrook or Goat knows what. After that much investment of effort and emotion, to have it all casually tossed back in your face, it's like... what the fuck. Why even bother, if those that judge you are so fucking stupid. It's like running a marathon and you get to the end and even if you don't expect a gold medal maybe you'd hope for some appreciation at least of the fact that you've achieved something and what you get is a kick in the nuts.

Fuck that.

As much as I want to offer reassurance that your game is something to be proud of, I can understand your repeated posts constantly trying to justify why the game works how it does; this is like your kid getting bullied at school; this game isn't just a product of you, it's a part of you.

Bad press is as much a part of the process as good press. As Mike Judge once said to the South Park creators, "Don't let the good press go to your head, as the bad press will go straight to your heart."

This is clearly bad press. Diabolically piss-poor press. When I last Freelanced for Future back in 2000-2001, I had a policy of never reviewing games from genres that I simply couldn't get to grips with (such as combo-tastic fighting games). Indeed, I was once asked to write a review of Final Fantasy VII in one night.

Clearly there are holes in the reviewing process here; don't be disheartened by it, use it to your advantage; challenge the magazine publically; challenge the reviewer publically.

Oh, and let the game speak for itself. I'm sure it will.