I figured that whilst I was off taking some pictures of Every Extend Extra Extreme, might as well grab a handful of super hi res pictures of Space Giraffe. You know, in case I ever need one or twenty to admire.

I’m still largely of the opinion that the game is an absolute masterpiece (though my skills are more than a tad rusty if today’s efforts are anything to go by), it’s just so aggressively videogame. It is 30 years of arcade games all happening at the same time.

So much effort has gone in to making something seem so completely visually wild and out of control, comprehensively engineered and tweaked for hours upon hours to maintain the illusion of a videogame that never, ever knows when something is enough.

What an incredible, time consuming, trick. Because of course, at the helm are Jeff and Giles, deciding where enough lies. It is always one or more steps above where videogames ordinarily settle, it is as much Douglas Trumbull in a KLF fever dream as it is a synthesis of the videogame arcade, yet it is deliberate and study it for a moment and that deliberateness is glaringly obvious. As obvious in the art as in the mechanics, the scoring, the cacophony of sound telegraphing threats, good play and the throb of a rave accompanying each round.

Chaos, then. But designed. Intentional. Purposeful. Raw.

And so fucking beautiful.

Huge pictures after the cut, feel free to nick them if you need them for owt.