Penny Arcade
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Free furry, gender-swapped DLC for Rain-Slick Precipice of Darkness 3
Penny Arcade's On the Rain-Slick Precipice of Darkness 3 is bending the rules of gender and species with a free DLC pack available now on Steam (and set to hit Xbox 360 soon). The free DLC – labeled the "Fanfiction Pack" – adds gender-swapped versions of all playable characters, turning Tycho into Tyche, Gabe into Gabbie, Moira into Manuel, and Jim into Benjamina.The pack also adds a "furry" option that makes Tycho a lion, Gabe a pony, Moira an American Red Fox and Jim a turtle. Both packs alter gameplay and cutscenes, a feat that took a bit of extra work for Zeboyd, and, as Penny Arcade notes, makes the developer "very cool."
Penny Arcade's XBLIG game delayed on the precipice of release
The release window for Penny Arcade's On the Rain-Slick Precipice 3 has been tricky to nail down. First, it was due on July 10 on PC and Xbox Live Indie Games, and then PA boldly moved the date forward to June 25, with mobile versions to follow.Now, due to the late discovery of a bug (the game crashes if you remove a memory unit from an old Xbox while saving to it), the XBLIG release has been delayed. "We can't resubmit for another seven days, so we (and you, if you want to play it on there) are in kind of a holding pattern," Penny Arcade's Jerry Holkins said.The PC version will still be released on June 25.[Thanks, Tim.]
Penny Arcade's game with a big title will come to these tiny devices
Some time after its PC and XBLIG launch on June 25, Penny Arcade's On the Rain-Slick Precipice of Darkness 3 will slip-and-slide onto the following mobile platforms: iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch and Android. On the Rain-Slick Precipice of Darkness 3 will also come to Mac, through Steam, on the same day as the mobile launches, Penny Arcade announced today.We knew Zeboyd's pixel-fest in the Penny Arcade universe would hit mobile platforms, but until now we weren't sure which devices would be supported. There is still no word on a specific release date for mobile and Mac versions, but Penny Arcade promises it will be "soon" after next week's Steam (PC) and XBLIG launch.
The Daily Grind: What's your favorite game-related webcomic?
Geeks and webcomics go together like pennies and arcades, but finding a good gaming webcomic that also covers MMOs is sometimes a challenge. As gamers, we like to have fun, and it's assumed that with that sense of fun comes a sense of the funny. Luckily, we have some true works of art with such comics as Ctrl+Alt+Del, Penny Arcade, and Order of the Stick, which not only appeal to our deepest gamer sensibilities but also regularly cover MMO topics. New comics are popping up all the time, and it's good to see budding young artists trying their hands at the popular genre. But we want to hear your favorites! Which game-related webcomics do you enjoy the most? Every morning, the Massively bloggers probe the minds of their readers with deep, thought-provoking questions about that most serious of topics: massively online gaming. We crave your opinions, so grab your caffeinated beverage of choice and chime in on today's Daily Grind!
Penny Arcade's wet, edgy, shadowy game to launch early
Penny Arcade's On the Rain-Slick Precipice of Darkness 3, Zeboyd's pixel-happy iteration in Penny Arcade's RPG series, is now set to come out on June 25 for Steam (PC immediately, Mac eventually) and XBLIG. It was originally slated to drop July 10, but as Penny Arcade puts it, "waiting until July seems dumb."Steam purchases in the first week will also get a copy of Zeboyd's Cthulhu Saves the World, which we think is most decidedly not dumb.
Penny Arcade's On the Rain-Slick Precipice of Darkness 3 lands July 10
Zeboyd's pixelated refresh of the Penny Arcade RPG series will arrive on Steam and XBLIG on July 10. Penny Arcade's On the Rain-Slick Precipice of Darkness 3 (phew) will cost $5 on either platform, the developer reports, though the XBLIG version is obviously sold in Microsoft's imaginary fun money. The PC version will support SteamPlay cross-platform compatibility with the future Mac version, so if you buy it on PC you get Mac as well.Zeboyd promises mobile versions as well, but more details on those are forthcoming. As in, don't expect to buy this on your phone in July.%Gallery-156693%
TERA's Chris Lee shares the trials and joys of transforming an MMO
What was En Masse VP of Publishing Chris Lee's favorite memory of working on TERA? According to a new dev diary, it was when Lee got his hands on the first English-translated build of the game: "At that time we were learning first-hand the strengths and weaknesses of each class, how a balanced party made a difference in the instances, and how much damn fun it was to kill a BAM." Saying that it was a "different game" when the studio first got involved with TERA's Westernization, Lee said that the team had to identify problem spots that would need changing in order to bring it to market in North America and Europe. One of the biggest changes was making the game far more solo-friendly after level 20. Lee shared a few anecdotes about life at En Masse, including a competition between team members to level as quickly as possible in beta and then again in live. He's excited to see the game gaining traction with a diverse community: "What's really interesting is the variety of people that TERA has drawn. In addition to our strong community, we have seen tweets from NFL players, Penny Arcade editors, and even Felicia Day about playing the game."
PAX Prime passes entirely sold out
Whelp, we hope you bought your PAX Prime pass already. In little over a week, everything has sold out – all three-day passes and all single-day passes. So if you didn't get in, you're out of luck."Sadly, we are 100 percent out of badges," Penny Arcade's President of Operations and Business Development, Robert Khoo, told Joystiq. "I wish the venue was larger, but it's just not – capacity limits and firecode only let us sell so many, so our hands are tied on the issue. We wish we could sell more, but unfortunately, what's out there is it."PAX Prime takes place from August 31 through September 2 in Seattle, Washington.
'Retake Mass Effect 3' donations remained largely with Child's Play, 'a handful' requested refunds
When thousands of people took to a Facebook group rallying Mass Effect 3 players to "demand a better ending," their efforts were represented by a "donation protest." The protest raised just over $80,000 in donations to Penny Arcade's "Child's Play" charity, and arguably contributed to BioWare's decision to respond with an upcoming addition to Mass Effect 3: "Extended Cut."Regardless of the group's success, Penny Arcade co-founder Jerry "Tycho" Holkins halted the fundraiser. "Child's Play cannot be a tool to draw attention to a cause. Child's Play must be the Cause," Holkins said of hypothetical future efforts. He also cited Child's Play project manager Jamie Dillion as "buried under mail" from donors who didn't clearly understand exactly what they were giving money to."Apparently some of the people giving to the cause seemed to think that they were paying for a new ending to Mass Effect. She's been asked what the goal is, and how much they need to raise in order to get the ending produced," Holkins wrote. "We've also been contacted by PayPal due to a high number of people asking for their donations back. This is in addition to readers who simply couldn't understand how this was connected to Child's Play's mission. We were dealing with a lot of very confused people, more every day, and that told us we had a problem."That doesn't mean, however, that all of those folks were demanding refunds. "Essentially, there were a handful of people who requested their donation returned, which we did. The large majority of the funds were not returned and will be distributed to the hospitals as normal. If anyone feels that they would like their donation back, we are happy to do so," Dillion told us in a recent email.
Dungeon Defenders adding Penny Arcade skins; free at PAX East
Dungeon Defenders gets into the PAX East spirit this Friday with a Penny Arcade-themed character skin pack. The DLC will be available for free during PAX East at the Reverb Publishing booth (808) or online for $1.99.That character skin pack includes (pictured, left to right) Tycho for the Squire class, Annarchy as a Huntress, Cardboard Tube Samurai as the Monk and Jim Darkmagic in place of the Apprentice.Attendees to PAX East will also have a chance to play Aquanos, part three of four in the Quest for the Lost Eternia Shards DLC. Stop by the Reverb Publishing booth early, as supplies of free PA skins are limited.
Child's Play shuts down fundraiser aimed at changing Mass Effect 3's ending
Recently, part of that whole "We're the Internet and we're upset about Mass Effect 3's ending" thing manifested itself in a Child's Play fundraising initiative called "Retake Mass Effect 3." The movement attempted to combine raising money for the charity with convincing BioWare to change the ending of its game.BioWare was completely unaffiliated with the fundraiser, however, and no amount of money raised would guarantee a new ending -- a fact severely misunderstood by many people that donated. "We were dealing with a lot of very confused people, more every day, and that told us we had a problem," said Penny Arcade's Jerry Holkins in an update on his site. "Apparently some of the people giving to the cause seemed to think that they were paying for a new ending to Mass Effect."Holkins also said that Child's Play project manager Jamie Dillion was "buried under mail" about the fundraiser from people wanting to know "what the goal is, and how much they need to raise in order to get the ending produced." The charity was also contacted by PayPal, on account of a "high number" of donors requesting refunds. As a result, Child's Play requested that the fundraiser come to an end.As an organisation, Child's Play has guidelines regulating how money is raised (Child's Play can't be used to sell anything, for instance). Since Retake ME3 technically fell within the boundaries of the charity's existing framework, Holkins has created a new rule to prevent future misunderstandings: "Child's Play cannot be a tool to draw attention to a cause. Child's Play must be the Cause."
The Daily Grind: Have you ever been a part of a regular group?
This week I'm trying an experiment: My friend and I are attempting to pull together a (semi-)regular adventuring group for Dungeons and Dragons Online. It's an iffy proposition, as I've been part of a couple of other regular groups before and they've never lasted long (I blame my loud, abusive rants over Vent). But the idea is infectious, and I'm not giving up on trying them out. Regular groups -- if you can pull them off and stick with them -- can offer a singular experience in which friends bond over a continuous shared journey, one in which they become a fully functional team from the onset. Plus, being part of one means that no content is too big or too small, and one never need worry about having to troll the LFG channel or dungeon finders for strangers. So I'm curious: How many of you have been a part of a regular MMO group? How do you make it work, and what did you take away from it? Every morning, the Massively bloggers probe the minds of their readers with deep, thought-provoking questions about that most serious of topics: massively online gaming. We crave your opinions, so grab your caffeinated beverage of choice and chime in on today's Daily Grind!
ESRB and Penny Arcade team up on new ratings campaign
Once again, the Entertainment Software Ratings Board is joining forces with Penny Arcade to create a new series of advertisements about the game industry's rating system. The print and online campaign offers up three public service announcements featuring Penny Arcade's familiar artwork. This marks the second partnership between the ESRB and Penny Arcade, which first created a campaign back in 2006.The new campaign is based on real individuals, who were chosen via a "micro-essay" contest held by the ESRB on Facebook. Each ad highlights a different service provided by the ESRB. The campaign will begin appearing in "parent-focused and game enthusiast media outlets" this spring, but you can check them out right now in the gallery below.%Gallery-147910%
PAX East commits to Boston until 2023
PAX East organizers and the Massachusetts Convention Center Authority (MCCA) announced this morning that the popular video game convention will remain in Boston until 2023. Show organizers are hoping to grow attendance of the three-day show to 100,000, making it easily one of the largest public gaming conventions in the world (behind Gamescom and TGS).PAX East will also make a sizable donation to digital games education. Massachusetts Digital Games Institute (MassDiGI) will receive a $50,000 contribution this year, along with an annual $25,000, for a total of $325,000 over the next 11 years."Over the last year, MassDiGI has worked towards building a strong public-private partnership across industry, academia, and government in support of the state's digital games cluster," said Lieutenant Governor Timothy Murray. "PAX East's commitment to bringing the largest East Coast video gaming convention to Boston and providing an annual donation to MassDiGI complements ongoing collaboration to increase economic activity within the state and foster knowledge-transfer between Massachusetts and the rest of the world."Beyond the academic cash, PAX East naturally brings in buckets of cash to the city through hotels and dining."We're thrilled to host PAX East for at least 10 more years," said James E. Rooney, executive director of the MCCA. "Hosting an event for the next decade that draws gamers from around the globe to Boston is fantastic, but the international attention it brings to the incredible technological advancements coming out of the Commonwealth is a win-win."
Penny Arcade to cover the game industry with help from veteran game journo Ben Kuchera
We're just gonna go ahead and call 2012 "the year that a million new game sites launched," as this morning Penny Arcade announced its intentions to get into the world of video game news delivery. Hiring on at least one seasoned vet in Ars Technica's Ben Kuchera (whose position of "senior gaming editor" at Ars will be taken over by notorious freelancer and ex-Joystiqer Kyle Orland), the site will deliver game industry coverage. If Kuchera's past work at Ars Technica's Opposable Thumbs blog is any indication, he'll be producing a variety of news, previews, features and reviews with plenty of the flair we've come to expect from him. The site will be "starting in the next few weeks," and we'll likely hear more details as today progresses. Update: Kuchera has taken to Penny Arcade's forums to answer some questions about his coverage. "To start you can expect great, in-depth stories every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. After that we'll think about what else we can do while keeping the standards high," he said. Additionally, it looks like it'll just be him working on coverage, at least for a bit, as was the case with Ars. "For now it will just be me. I think it's going to stay that way for a good while until we get a better idea of how we want things to work. I did the majority of gaming writing at Ars by myself, so it won't be a huge change for me. Expect fewer, longer stories," he added. [Image credit: Penny Arcade]
N-Control dismisses marketing consultant, discounts PS3 Avenger pre-orders
Keeping up with your gamer gossip? Then you're probably up to snuff on the recent Ocean Marketing / Penny-Arcade spat. We held our tongues as the drama unfolded -- no easy task, considering Engadget's name was dragged into the affair -- but now it seems like the internet soap-opera is reaching its conclusion. Not the gossiping type? Here's a quick recap: When N-Control's latest Avenger add-on missed its November 8th street date, customers with pre-orders were left wanting. Some reached out for answers, hoping they could still get their PS3 Avenger before Christmas. All they got in reply, though, were some *ahem* choice words from N-Control's third party marketing contractor, Paul Christoforo -- a man who gained instant notoriety when his emails caught the attention of Penny-Arcade's Mike Krahulik. Krahulik took exception to Christoforo's insults, threatening tone and name-drop posturing (that's where we came in) and responded by publishing the marketing mishap on his comic's website. Suffice to say, it hasn't ended well for Paul Christoforo -- N-Control has released a statement saying that he and his marketing operation have been "categorically dismissed," stressing that Christoforo owns no stake whatsoever in N-Control. After ejecting the elephant from the room, N-Control went on to announce that all PS3 Avenger pre-orders would be given a $10 discount, and penned in a new ship date for January 15th. "I created the Avenger to make people happy," said inventor and company founder Dave Kotkin, who originally designed the controller for a student who had a physical disability, "I deeply regret that so many people have any negative feelings toward it as a result of what has happened." N-Control seems bent on moving on -- which is fine by us, so long as they keep their customers better informed. After all, it's not every day that such an awkward-looking gadget blows us out of the water. Read on for N-Control's full and apologetic press release. Update: To clarify, Engadget's relationship with Mr. Christoforo was limited to a few emails and PR requests regarding his clients.
Child's Play reaches $1.95 million in donations for 2011 following gala
Contributions to Child's Play Charity have reached $1.95 million this year, following the Child's Play Gala and Auction. The event raised another $351,000 for the charity that donates toys, games and cash for hospitalized children. Standout bids from this year's event were $21,000 for the life-sized Half-Life Gravity Gun, the rare Nintendo World Championships Grey #60 for $11,500 and a guest spot in a Penny Arcade strip for $10,000. "The gala and auction always brings in a lot of donations, but it is just one part of Child's Play," remarked Child's Play Charity's Jamie Dillion. "The real heroes are all the gamers who organize local events and send in individual donations that account for the vast majority of what we raise every year. We couldn't do this without all of their support." Child's Play brought in $2,294,317.53 in 2010, a record for the organization. After surpassing the $1.5 million mark earlier this week, the charity is on track to crack the $2 million mark again. You can donate by heading to the Child's Play site.
The Perfect Ten: The upcoming long-shots
In coming up with a follow-up list to my previous Upcoming MMO Contenders list, I found myself almost paralyzed by more choices than I could shake a wireless mouse at. Pointing at the sure bets is one thing, but narrowing down a field of dozens and dozens of interesting -- yet more far-flung -- prospects is far more difficult. It's one thing to have a good idea; it's another to say whether or not this game will actually make it to launch, and if it does, that it'll pull the idea off well. That said, I've lost some hair and two pounds sweating out this list, and I feel sleeker for it. Today's Perfect Ten is all about the long-shots, the titles that may not have the huge budget, big name studios, or anything solid to show for it, but could still become contenders in their own right if everything is played just right. Deep breath -- let's give it a go!
Child's Play raises $1.5 million so far in 2011, passes $10 million in total contributions
In 2010, Child's Play earned a whopping $2,294,317.53 for charity, a new record for the organization. Lifetime total earnings came to over nine million dollars last year since the charity started back in 2003, which donates countless toys and video games to childrens hospitals across the country. And in 2011, the bar has been raised even higher. The charity has earned $1.5 million so far in 2011, pushing total earnings over the $10 million mark. News came via a post over on the official blog, where Robert Khoo, president of operations and business development for Penny Arcade, the charity's organizers. Khoo said fundraising this year "is coming along at a record pace" and thinks the $2 million mark is "well within reach."
Get Zelda: Skyward Sword a day early at launch event, get Penny Arcade comic now
You won't have to go on a treasure hunt through dungeon-like NYC game stores to get a head start on The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword. If you're in the city, you'll be able to purchase the game a day early, and celebrate the launch with some fellow Triforce enthusiasts while you're at it. Nintendo will host a launch event on Saturday, November 19, from 9am to 1pm at its Nintendo World Store in Rockefeller Center. During the event, people who pick up copies of the Wii game (one day before its official release date!) will get a "limited-edition poster." Nintendo will also unveil a "Master Sword replica," give away prizes, and offer demos. If you can't make it to the event, at least you can ... look at some pictures of Link. Try doing that at the launch event ... ! Nintendo has partnered with Penny Arcade to produce a special weekly Skyward Sword comic, and the first page is up already online.
