Jeff Minter

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JaySevenZero
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Jeff Minter

Post by JaySevenZero »

Here's where you can contribute your thoughts and opinions on the life and complete works of Jeff Minter for potential inclusion in the forthcoming podcast.

A friendly reminder that where the feedback for the podcast is concerned, we love it - but keeping it brief is appreciated. We do want to include a breadth of opinions where appropriate, but no-one wants a discussion podcast that’s mostly reading out essays. Better to save yourself time and cut to the chase if you can.
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Alex79
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Re: 510: Jeff Minter

Post by Alex79 »

Whilst I was aware of the name back in the 80s, I never actually played a Jeff Minter game until Space Giraffe came to the 360. I really enjoyed it, and the visuals and soundtrack instantly transported me back to the sorts of parties I'd go to as a teenager. It was very similar to Tempest, though. Space Invaders Extreme was a really fun take on an arcade classic and Gridrunner++ was great too. Another one I remember enjoying was TxK on the Vita - again very similar to Space Giraffe and therefore Tempest and I wasn't overly surprised when I heard that Atari were threatening some sort of legal action due to the similarities. There's a fine line between homage and plagiarism and it sounds like Atari were not entirely convinced Minter was on the right side of it. Regardless, he's a very unique games developer with a very distinct style - as long as he's making games I'll give them a go.
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stvnorman
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Re: 510: Jeff Minter

Post by stvnorman »

Jeff Minter was definitely the first game developer I ever heard of, and through my time with the VIC-20 and Commodore 64, his name was as good a reason to buy a game as a screenshot on the back of the box. My first encounter was the 1982 Gridrunner on VIC-20, bought on a trip to the exotic Hitchin market! It was part his take on Centipede on ZX81 and part Space Invaders, and its frenetic pace still works today. My favourite of his is Andes Attack on there though, which was Defender with llamas and it also still feels great, but feel free to disagree! Llamas became sheep and then camels on C64 but I was never so keen on being one of them, then I had various remakes on 16-bit that never quite hit the mark, focussing more on the latest visuals than what made the earlier games so timeless. I think that applies to the various takes on Tempest I’ve tried since then too, although to bring us up to date I am a bit more partial to the moose than I was the camel!
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Tleprie
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Re: Our next podcast recording (12.3.22) - 510: Jeff Minter

Post by Tleprie »

I've only played a few Jeff Minter games, as far as I know. I remember having an Atari collection on CD when I was little, and Tempest was one of my favorites on it. I don't know that I understood it very well, but the perspective, style, and level design transfixed me. Years later (quite possibly via someone on the Cane and Rinse team or forum), I found TxK on the Vita and very much enjoyed it. I don't have much more to say other than those games are delightful, I love abstract neon geometry in space. Also I followed him for a time on social media and watching him care for his sheep is a joy.

I'm excited to listen to this episode and learn more about him!
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