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Daily iPhone App: Penny Arcade's On The Rain-Slick Precipice of Darkness 3
I've become a big fan of Zeboyd Games recently -- their last title, Cthulu Saves the World, is a really well-designed (and funny!) love letter to the Japanese RPGs of yesteryear. Penny Arcade is a very popular video game and pop culture webcomic that's released three games now, and Zeboyd was hired to work on the last one, entitled "Penny Arcade's On the Rain-Slick Precipice of Darkness 3," which is now available on iOS for both iPhone and iPad. And, in short, it's also really great. As you can see in the video below, it hits all the right notes for a retro RPG, including a party wandering around an overworld and stumbling into gorgeously rendered turn-based battles, a full equipment and progression system, and a great chiptune soundtrack. Plus, the game also takes Penny Arcade's slightly warped and very knowing sense of humor and translates it well to an interactive environment. And Zeboyd even left room for some nice innovation, in the form of a very slick item system and a very well-designed class system, too. Penny Arcade's third game was great when it came out on the PC and Xbox, and while I think the best way to play it is probably still with a controller, iOS's touchscreens work also, especially with the experience Zeboyd picked up from releasing Cthulu Saves the World on Apple's mobile platforms. At US$2.99, Penny Arcade 3 is a must-grab for anyone who's a fan of Penny Arcade, this retro style of RPG or just an awesome bargain on iOS (this version also includes all of the DLC costumes from the Steam release, for no extra charge). Zeboyd is quickly moving through the ranks to become one of my favorite game developers, and it's because of quality, filled-out releases like this.
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.
Best Buy and Target announce video game trade-in programs, clearly don't read webcomics
For some reason the used-video-games-as-controversy stars have aligned, and Best Buy and Target picked now of all times to announce new used game trade-in programs. Target is going to offer in store credit for all sorts of electronics trade-ins, including games and DVDs, with just a few stores for now, but expanding to 850 stores by the end of the year. Target isn't making any mention of reselling that stuff just yet, but Best Buy plans to start selling used games "soon," on top of the 600 stores it's launching it own trade-in program in this week. What's so special about all this? Well, THQ CEO Cory Ledesma just made headlines for a bit of a rant about the topic ("We hope people understand that when the game's bought used we get cheated"), and then Penny Arcade weighed in with a comic, as is their wont, which kicked off a bit of a gamer vs. publisher vs. retailer internet battle of the words. Which is our favorite kind. With online distribution, one time unlock codes, and DLC all warring to make used games obsolete, this debate might be moot in a few years time, but for now there's no shortage of opinions on the subject, and we'd love to hear yours in the comments!
Penny Arcade wants you to write 10 words about WoW
Penny Arcade, those funny WoW comic guys, are giving away a metric ton of loot, via a contest, that they've gotten for the WoW Trading Card Game. Things that they're giving away include "four boxes of boosters, tournament playmats, a Winterveil collector's box, deckboxes, sleeves, two binders, three raid decks, three starter decks, and one of these awesome dice chest things." That's a ton of stuff to be handing out. But it gets better.They're also handing out an X-51 Nether-Rocket card to each winner. You can get your very own Rocket Mount! Three lucky winners will be quite happy. What's the contest they're holding? From the site: "you must write a short story, set in World of Warcraft, and this story must be precisely ten words long." It's so simple and so easy you just have to chuckle. Head on over to their site for more information on how to enter the contest.Of course, you'll have to go up against a certain WoW Insider writer on this one, since I've already submitted my story: "A casual paladin casually walks up and one shots Illidan."Good luck!
Penny Arcade ponies up $10,000 scholarship for game education
The web comic-made-philanthropy Penny Arcade has announced the return of its self-titled Penny Arcade Scholarship, which aims to award $10,000 to a single student looking to get his or her foot wedged into the game industry's front door. The grant, now in its second year, asks those interested to put pen to paper and write a two-page essay describing their schooling and just how they plan on making an impact in the industry, on top of transcripts and two letters of recommendations. According to the guidelines spelled out on the grant's website, a qualified applicant must also be a full-time student at an accredited college or university during the 2008-09 school year, must plan to enter the game industry "in some capacity," and must have a minimum 3.3 GPA. If you believe you have what it takes to stand out among what we expect to be a sea of applications, get to writing -- submissions have to be sent in no later than April 30, 2008, with the lucky student being notified by mail in July.
Off the Grid reviews Universal Fighting System
Every other week Scott Jon Siegel contributes Off the Grid, a column about card games, board games, and everything else non-digital.Chun Li versus Seung Mina; Nightmare versus Morrigan; Akuma versus Tycho Brahe: Ultimate showdowns we're likely never to see outside of crudely-written fan-fiction and our own fevered dreamings. Luckily for us, Sabertooth Games has devised the Universal Fighting System, a collectible card game that allows players to mix and match licensed decks to create legendary one-on-one battles.There's one problem, or maybe I should call it a caveat: UFS isn't going to be for everybody. Beyond the gorgeous illustrations, and clear appeal to video game fans, this is most definitely a gamer's game; cards are littered with special icons, point values, and ancillary functions that dwarf the relative simplicity of CCGs like Magic: The Gathering and Pokémon. Of course, the reward for this technical complexity is depth, with an incredibly strategic experience waiting to be unlocked by the hardiest of players. Not to deter you, but let this be a warning: A casual card game this is not.
Today's most fruit-tastic video: Penny Arcade Adventures 'fruit lover' footage
Yes, we wrote "fruit lover" in the headline, but you all know its real, alliterative name. Game Videos has posted more footage from the impending Penny Arcade Adventures: On The Rain-Slick Precipice of Darkness. This time we're taken to a factory where workers produce the produce-supportive robot as the gang face off against a quartet of humans and diminutive machines.The video is embedded after the break, although you might want to skip ahead to the battles (we recommend the high resolution version if you want to read the dialog). Also, for those who might have reacted negatively to the previous footage from this week (a good number of commenters expressed dismay), Gabe wrote a post on Penny Arcade expressing his confidence in the title. Sure, there's some obvious bias, but the duo is largely known for its reputation, and we have faith they wouldn't support it if there was a sign of sub-par quality.
New Penny Arcade Adventures gameplay footage features hobo warfare
The font of information about Penny Arcade Adventures: On The Rain-Slick Precipice of Darkness has slowed to a light trickle since last year's Penny Arcade Expo, where it was announced the game would be released on Xbox Live Arcade as well as Mac and PC. That's why we were so pleased to see this new gameplay footage, which gives us a taste of the game's eccentric turn-based combat system, and an idea of exactly how the duo's comedic style will translate into an interactive format.The new footage also reveals that the game might overtake Condemned: Criminal Origins as the premier hobo murder simulator for the Xbox 360, a distinction that Gabe and Tycho would no doubt be extremely proud of.
Readers pick best webcomic: The Littlest Hashshashin
Curses, Tycho and Gabe, now we really wish Assassin's Crossing was real. It would be so much fun. The duo's Penny Arcade strip from last week, "The Littlest Hashshashin" took top honors in this week's webcomic wrapup, likely for the second frame alone. (We're not going to spoil it, just click the link yourself and find out.)Second and third place go to 2P Start and Awkward Zombie, respectively. Thanks to everyone who voted, and be sure to let us know of any game-related webcomic you stumble upon this week!
Fifth annual Child's Play charity drive begins
Child's Play organizers have announced that the annual charity drive is now underway. The drive was first launched some five years ago by Penny Arcade masterminds Gabe and Tycho as a fundraiser for the Seattle Children's Hospital, and has since grown to become a global hub of good will for those in need, while simultaneously demonstrating that gamers by and large are not the anti-social jerkwads the media would make them out to be. Those interested in contributing to the drive, which now includes hospitals in more than 25 states and five countries, can easily donate items though purchases made via Amazon, and officials note that the tax deductible gifts will be sent directly to those hospitals in need. In addition, the annual Child's Play Fundraider Dinner is scheduled to take place on December 11 at the Washington State Convention and Trade Center in Seattle, and will as always include both a silent and live auction, with all proceeds going towards the charity.
Penny Arcade on Bloggergate
Today's Penny Arcade comic covers a subject that is near and dear to us: the poor Nintendo employee who was fired for inappropriate statements made on her blog. Even though her blog was really mean to her coworkers, we feel a certain solidarity as Nintendo bloggers. Whether or not she deserved dismissal for statements made while off-duty is a little bit more of a complex issue than we want to get into right now (though we lean heavily toward "no"), but we have no problem pointing you at a funny comic so you can laugh.Luckily for us, whenever we're mean on our blog, it's towards the Imagine games and not people. If Imagine Babyz were our boss, well, we'd probably be in jail by now.
Readers pick best webcomic: friend or foe?
Did you ever pass / receive "do you like me: yes or no" messages in school? No? Oh well, Spider-Man did, according to Tim Buckley. His Ctrl+Alt+Del strip took top honors in this week's webcomic wrapup.Second and third place to go to Penny Arcade and VG Cats, respectively. Thanks to everyone who voted, and be sure to let us know of any game-related webcomics you stumble upon this week!
Weekly Webcomic Wrapup: DIY Omegathon edition
Why waste afternoons playing video games by yourself when you can best your opponents on the virtual battlefield? We beseech you, dear reader, to consider devising your own Omegathon competition, modeled after the five-game event seen every year at the Penny Arcade Expo. Here are some suggested guidelines: At least one game that is "off the grid" (i.e. not on a television screen). At least one retro title (e.g. Pong, Tetris, Daikatana) A variety of genres such as puzzle, first-person shooter, racing, etc. At least one embarrassing title that gets competitors active. Usually a rhythm game Bear in mind the length of each competitive match -- although Civilization would make for an interesting event, if you place it early with 10 contenders, you're going to lose enthusiasm fast. Don't have any friends? Create an Omegathon for yourself -- it'll be exactly like preparing for Ninja Warrior by building your own obstacles in your yard. Tell us your ideal Omegathon run and check out our picks for the week's best gaming comics. Be sure to vote for your favorite! On Daddy take downs Gamemaster not included Game whiz Prescription meds Tony Hawk's burial ground At least it's over soon You're not doing it right The power of one Fiction versus Non-Fiction Man has always hated Best Buy It's not what you think
Interview with Penny Arcade game dev
Gamasutra has a nice interview with Darren Evenson, the lead designer of the Penny Arcade game with the long title that's set to hit Macs at the end of the year.The interview's got me more excited than ever about this thing-- apparently Penny Arcade and Hothead studios actually polled people on their site about what their favorite games were, and based on that, they came up with a point-and-click interface (a la the old LucasArts adventure games) combined with an RPG-style battle system (as in Final Fantasy and Chrono Trigger, which is one of my favorite games ever). That sounds great!As stated before, the game will be available in episodes downloaded from the website, and you'll be able to create a character that you play across the episodes. Sounds really fun-- the end of the year never seemed so far away.[ via Inside Mac Games ]
Readers pick best webcomic: Marketing 101
Hats off* to 2P Start for finding a way to spin the spin of Lair -- the logic is so dizzying, it's like we were actually trying to pull a 180-degree turn in the game (zing!). Consequently, the comic earned top honors in this week's webcomic wrapup.Second place to Digital Unrest, and Penny Arcade has garnered third place. Thanks to everyone who voted, and be sure to let us know of any game-related webcomics you stumble upon this week! * We took our hats off for them; "pants off" is optional but encouraged.
1.92 unlocks Cell processor's kitten spawner?
Remember that 1.92 update? The one that did nothing for Europe and may have messed up the connection to Warhawk servers?All is forgiven! 1.92 means kittens for everyone! Yes, this truly is the power of Cell. Well, not really, but the guys over at Penny Arcade sure wish so. Lair fans may also be wishing that the comic would come true. People allergic to cat dander however, maybe not so much.
Readers pick best webcomic: To Catch a Predator
Sure, the BioShock edition of the webcomic wrapup was last week, but that didn't stop voters making ADAM-fueled decisions in their artistic preferences this week. At the top of the splicer heap, we have Penny Arcade's "To Catch a Predator: Rapture Edition"Second place goes to Fanboys and Ctrl+Alt+Del takes third. Thanks to everyone who voted and be sure to let us know of any game-related webcomics you stumble upon this week!
PAX 07: Penny Arcade adventures to XBLA
We're a little late in getting to it, but we would be remiss in our fanboy duties if we didn't report that Penny Arcade Adventures: On the Rain-Slick Precipice of Darkness is officially heading to Xbox Live Arcade. As Rain-Slick is an episodic affair, its arrival on XBLA is a fairly momentous occasion. Episodic gaming is a term that has been bandied around for a while now, so we're hopeful that the game will deliver on the promise of cheap, easily digestible gaming. Penny Arcade Adventures is scheduled to debut on XBLA in early 2008 alongside the PC, OS X, and Linux versions. More information about Penny Arcade Adventures: On the Rain-Slick Precipice of Darkness can be found on the official site.[Via Joystiq]
Penny Arcade game coming to Mac next year
The Penny Arcade Expo was held this past weekend in Seattle, Washington, and we got lots of news about the Penny Arcade videogame, officially titled (you might want to sit down for this one) Penny Arcade Adventures: On the Rain Slick Precipice of Darkness, Episode One. I told you it would be long.The game is scheduled to appear on PC, Mac, and Linux (as well as downloadable on consoles) in 2008, and will feature a robust character creation system, and all of the Penny Arcade characters. The "Episode One" part also hints at what might be an interesting mechanic-- you'll be able to create a character in the first game, and then carry that character over other episode releases. Joystiq reports that the game looks good, and should be a fun, if short, experience.So look for an interactive Penny Arcade on your Mac next year. And in the meantime, watch out for those Claw Shrimp. They're vicious.
PAX 07: The Penny Arcade Panel II: Panel Harder
Because there was so much to do at PAX that some fans may have missed their chance to pose questions, Mike and Jerry held a second panel. By the time they came out (to strobe lights and "Hustlin'"), there was already a massive line of inquisitive attendees. No Bolls this time, so the mood was much more celebratory and less terrifyingly unstable.The highlight of the show was when a fan presented Mike and Jerry with hand made hats in the shape of the head of the Fruit ... Interactor-with, which both wore proudly (of course the picture didn't come out-- how dare they have an event in a dark room with bright lights directly on them.) Is it rude to print their responses to the question "What was the worst thing you ever did?" I guess not, since they revealed it in front of a throng. Mike, at age 8 or 9, snared his cat with a rope. He turned to his mother in the audience to ask if she knew about that-- she didn't, to which Mike responded "Great." Jerry couldn't think of any particularly horrible things he'd done, so Mike regaled us with the tale of Jerry finding, and biting into, a beetle in his chai tea, and continuing to drink the tea.
