Saturday 23 July 2016

Giger Power!

Award-winning Swiss surrealist left behind an iconic legacy.

Let's face it, the guy was a fucking genius.

Something tells me Alien wasn't his only contribution to cinema.

Although not a supernatural patch on Tobe Hooper's fantastic original, Poltergeist II: The Other Side had its moments and probably most remembered for Julian Beck's creepy Reverend Kane uttering "God is in His Holy Temple."

Stomach cancer would seal his fate in real life.

After necking tequila, a drunken Craig T. Nelson turns nasty and eventually spews up Mezcal worm.



The original Species wasn't very good and spawned a host of terrible sequels.

Still, the true guise of Natasha Henstridge's sexy alien Sil compensated, who went through men faster than water disappearing down plughole.



He was also responsible for choo choo nightmare sequence.


It may have been based on a drawing for Alejandro Jodorowsky's cancelled big screen adaptation of Frank Herbert's classic 1965 novel Dune.


I've never seen mutant thriller Future-Kill, but I bet vital organs poster was the highlight.


For psychological point-and-click adventure Dark Seed (and its 1995 sequel), Giger gave Cyberdreams access to much of his fantastic archive.

As Normal and Dark worlds co-exist, did Silent Hill rip idea off?

Here we see Satan I, which Celtic Frost used for their album To Mega Therion.
Landscape XVIII.
Mike Dawson's reflection eerily becomes...
...The Great Beast (detail).
Not to be outdone.

The innocent stare of infancy morphs into something less than adorable.

At just 27, Giger's long-term partner Li Tobler committed suicide.

She is immortalized in 1974 paintings Li I and Li II.


How both are used.


Darkworlder Keeper of the Scrolls helps Mike stop the ancients.
Complete with archetypal biomechanical gloss, Hommage à Böcklin is incorporated.
A fitting tribute of Arnold Böcklin's fifth version of Isle of the Dead.
In stunning contrast, the following received no permission and exploited Giger's immense popularity.

It's all jolly good fun.

Biometal (SNES)
W Ring: The Double Rings (PC Engine)
X-Multiply (Arcade)


Darya
Z-Out (Amiga/Atari ST)
Act-Fancer: Cybernetick Hyper Weapon (Arcade)
Rezon (Arcade)
Splatterhouse 3 (Mega Drive)
Mega Turrican (Mega Drive)
It appears bony transport was inspired by Biomechanical Landscape III (Trains)
Contra III: The Alien Wars (SNES)


Recurring series monster Kimkoh 'unofficially' appears as opening boss in the generally unlikable Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia.
Arthroverta
Chakan: The Forever Man (Mega Drive)
Devil Crash (Mega Drive)
Ecco the Dolphin was directly influenced by the writings of John C. Lilly and sees Bottlenosed bad ass pass through time and defeat an alien race.

Vortex Queen
Developed by Psyclapse (a division of Psygnosis), Baal was uncharacteristically a very ordinary action platformer.

Instead of Roger Dean, Melvyn Grant assumed cover art responsibility.
Amusingly, the end boss is fuck all like what we're led to believe.
Wait a mo.


Hmmm, I detect some 'similarity'.

Depending on chosen route, expect to fight this incarnation of Jagger Froid in Mega Drive alternative Contra: Hard Corps.
Releasing Dark Knight's ultimate power, the Firebird, is key to defeating Dark Gaia's final form in SNES RPG classic Illusion of Gaia.
In pretty bizarre Master System effort SpellCaster, observe end boss Dark Lord.
Not to be confused with Game Boy, or much later GBA reimagining; Game Gear version of Double Dragon demanded to Hold Your Tongue.
What's this?

Space Manbow (MSX2/MSX2+)
Oh my Li!

What a superb rip off.

Finally.

Very, very debatable, but I reckon when designing first form of Silent Hill: Homecoming end boss Amnion, Double Helix Games took a leaf out of the great man's book. 
His most celebrated creation remains kind of a big deal.

Physical evidence will be shown...

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