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PAX 2008: Penny Arcade Adventures producer gushes about Episode 2
Last week during PAX 2008, we sat down with Hothead COO and Penny Arcade Adventures Producer Joel DeYoung as he guided us through Episode 2 and improvements to the engine. The gist of it is: if you liked Episode 1, you'll like Episode 2 that much more. Here's the rundown from our talks: Highlighting points of interest has been made easier! "If you have your proximity putting you close enough to 2 or 3 things, you can slide through that with bumpers," said DeYoung. There are now difficulty levels, including an Insane Mode (unlockable only after beating the game). Special collectibles and pickups are only available if you play Insane Mode. Comparatively, Episode 1's difficulty is "a little easier" than medium. All the weapons have been replaced. Tycho gets a shotgun, Gabe has new fist upgrades and your player now possesses -- wait for it -- a hoe! Also changed are the special attack minigames. You now have, among other new items, a revive potion. Healing won't be enough to bring your troops back to life. "Just adds a little bit of depth to it," said DeYoung. The real-time reaction for defense has been made more obvious (e.g. "Block!" now appears when you need to push block), but nothing analogous for attacking has been added. More after the break.%Gallery-30963%
Bloody new DeathSpank trailers, details from PAX 2008
While Hothead is busy pimping its upcoming Penny Arcade Adventures: On the Rain-Slick Precipice of Darkness: Episode 2, let's not forget about its other, simpler-titled project DeathSpank. The company has released three new teaser trailers for the snarky title ("Fight" is shown above), built from the ground up with Joystiq's own Ludwig Kietzmann in mind as the target demographic. During last weekend's Penny Arcade Expo, Hothead COO Joel DeYoung said he considered the game a "more Diablo-esque" episodic action RPG with ample amounts of creator Ron Gilbert's humor, "lampooning video game space and the idea of the video game hero that takes himself too seriously." The game is not using PAA's Torque engine. More information about DeathSpank should be coming "soon," he said. After the break, check out the "Item" and "Armor" trailer. (Spoiler: Two of these three videos use the phrase "Thong of Justice.")
First Penny Arcade Episode 2 screens
Given that PAX is organized by the creators of Penny Arcade (it's right there in the title, really), it's pretty much the perfect venue to release the first screenshots of Penny Arcade Adventures: On the Rain-Slick Precipice of Darkness: Episode Two. For the sake of brevity, let's just call it Penny Arcade Adventures Episode 2, mkay? This first batch of screenshots hints at some of the story in Episode 2, namely the sanitarium that's featured briefly in the introduction of Episode 1. Also featured are shots of the game's combat. Sadly, it looks like the game's protagonist (i.e. "You") will not be ditching his or her trusty rake, as we spotted a special attack entitled "A License to Till." Check out all the new screens in the gallery below.[Via Joystiq]%Gallery-31010%
Penny Arcade Adventures due on PSN this Winter (with Trophies!)
Oh, how you yearned for their unrestrained chuckles -- their sparkling smiles -- to be transformed into naught but a cacophony of wailing and ceaseless misery. What gave them the right? Was it their fancy PCs, Macs and Xbox 360s? Did they so enjoy coasting down The Rain-Slick Precipice of Darkness on their technological toboggans that they couldn't even cast a single glance towards you, sitting atop a lonely and immobile PlayStation 3? Well, when the snow falls again this Winter, revenge will be yours.Also, Trophies! Posting on the official PlayStation Blog (they let anybody on there these days), Hothead producer Joel DeYoung confirmed that the first episode of Penny Arcade Adventures would arrive on PSN before the end of the year, complete with Trophy support and 1080p resolution. "Looking back, I think it's a shame that we weren't able to release the PS3 version closer to the initial launch of the game," he said.With the game's engine now up and running on the hardware, DeYoung expects that future episodes will arrive on Sony's platform in a more timely fashion. No more being left out in the cold, our monolithic friend.%Gallery-28425%
Penny Arcade Adventures coming to PS3 this fall
After managing the third best game launch to date on Xbox Live Arcade, Hothead Games is prepping the first episode of Penny Arcade Adventures: On the Rain-Slick Precipice of Darkness for release on PS3 via the PlayStation Store. It looks like the release has been part of the developer's schedule all along, but if you're one of the many people who've emailed them asking for the game on PSN, feel free to give yourself a little credit."We keep getting emails asking why our Penny Arcade game is not on PSN," said Vlad Ceraldi, Hothead's CEO, adding, "All good things take time and we are very excited to be debuting our first PS3 title and look forward to bringing more games to this platform in the future." By "more games" we think it's pretty safe to assume the rest of the Penny Arcade Adventures episodes – hobos, snark, fanboy in-jokes and all -- are on the way. You can view the first PS3 screens of the game in the gallery below. [Via PS3 Fanboy]%Gallery-28425%
Penny Arcade Episode One third best XBLA launch to date
It looks like Penny Arcade Adventures: On the Rain-Slick Precipice of Darkness - Episode One has broken through the controversy and landed as the third most successful XBLA games during its launch period.According to a post from Penny Arcade's illustrator Mike Krahulik (aka Gabe), Episode One sold 16.5K units in the first three days of release. While it's already impressive for a new game wedged between known quantities like RezHD, Ikaruga and N+ to sell well, it's even more impressive considering Penny Arcade was priced twice as high as the rest in the top four.According to Mike Krahulik, the top four three-day launch titles on XBLA are: RezHD -- 25k units Ikaruga -- 22.5k units Penny Arcade Adventures Episode One -- 16.5k units N+ -- 13k units Also, according to a report by VGChartz, Penny Arcade's debut title has landed the top spot as the highest grossing XBLA title to date; at $330,000 in its first three days, Episode One beat out the record debut titleholder WormsHD. Congrats to Hothead Games for rolling twenties.
Tycho Brahe weighs in On the Rain-Slick Precipice of Darkness
var digg_url = 'http://digg.com/gaming_news/Penny_Arcade_s_Tycho_talks_about_the_Rain_Slick_Precipice'; The unique experiment of Penny Arcade Adventures has already begun in earnest. The long-term question in the making -- "Can game comic-makers make a videogame?" -- is moot. On the Rain-Slick Precipice of Darkness is now available via Xbox Live and the Greenhouse website (with demos here: Windows, Mac and Linux). The question now becomes: What do the creators think of their spawn? We sat down with Jerry "Tycho" Holkins, Penny Arcade's writer-in-residence, to get some perspective on that very issue.We had the chance to discuss a number of the game's elements -- from the origins of the Startling Developments Detective Agency to the foul creation of the evil bums. Mr. Holkins also shed a dim light on future episodes in the series as we discussed the music and writing that surround the overarching story. We also clarified that for Penny Arcade, as a creative team, there is no rest. Mike Krahulik and Jerry Holkins are not celebrating today, they're not patting themselves on the back. Instead, they're returning to what they do best: working.Read on to find out why these guys are driven to mine the funny for your benefit.%Gallery-1545%
No Penny Arcade adventures for Wii owners after all
The dream was nice while it lasted, guys. It looks like that there's no chance for the Penny Arcade game to make it to us via WiiWare, at least, not unless something changes. After comic co-creator Mike Krahulik gushed about his hopes for the game to appear on Nintendo's service last November, Vlad Ceraldi of developer Hothead Games has axed the possibility. "Until the size restriction is increased, the game will not be going to WiiWare. Sorry."Penny Arcade Adventures is apparently pretty large even among XBLA releases, so this isn't terribly surprising news, but it is a little disappointing to know we just missed bringing our Wii remotes to Gabe and Tycho's party.
Penny Arcade Adventures hitting XBLA on May 21
var digg_url = 'http://digg.com/gaming_news/Penny_Arcade_Adventures_hitting_XBLA_on_May_21'; Microsoft has politely informed us that next week's Xbox Live Arcade game is none other than Penny Arcade Adventures: On the Rain-Slick Precipice of Darkness, Episode One. It should be out by the time you're done saying the title, then. Developed by Hothead Games, in collaboration with mighty adventure game designer, Ron Gilbert, and the folks behind Penny Arcade, the game sees Gabe and Tycho leap out of their webcomic frames and into an episodic RPG adventure. Even at 1,600 MS Points ($20), we don't think anything short of a clawshrimp attack will keep us away from this one.%Gallery-1545%
Penny Arcade Adventures: Episode One is gold, due out 'later this quarter' for $20
Developer Hothead Game just announced that Penny Arcade Adventures: On the Rain-Slick Precipice of Darkness: Episode One has gone gold for Windows, Mac and Linux. The press release is a good reminder that right now, somewhere in the world, someone is playing the full version of the game and you're not. There, there, we know, it'll get better over time, promise ... okay, you're gonna need to stop making that whimpering noise, it's starting to get people's attention and it's embarrassing to both yourself and to us. PAA:OtRSPoD:E1 is due out "later this quarter" via their new Greenhouse download service for $20. The game is also coming to Xbox Live, potentially in another quarter, for 1600 MS points (US $20). In the meantime, enjoy some new wallpapers.%Gallery-1545%
Penny Arcade announces 'Greenhouse' online game store
Penny Arcade and Hothead Games -- the developer behind On the Rain-Slick Precipice of Darkness -- have just announced a joint partnership to launch Greenhouse, a brand new online game store, focused on digital distribution for independent games.Not to be mistaken for a downloadable client application (like GameTap and Steam), Greenhouse is simply a website for digital distribution, putting it in direct competition with fellow indie game portal Manifesto Games. The site, which is currently in beta, will initially be the exclusive download source for Precipice, offering the PC, Mac, and Linux versions. Later, more Hothead Games will be distributed via the service, along with other indie offerings.While the digital distribution market is getting a bit saturated as of late, let's hope Greenhouse's platform-agnostic approach to publishing keeps the service on our radar.
Penny Arcade XBLA game priced at $20
The XBLA game with the overly long title of Penny Arcade Adventures: On the Rain-Slick Precipice of Darkness: Episode One finally got some real details. Hothead games, the developer, released the game's final price, $19.99 (1600 MSpts). It remains to be see how the game will sell with a relatively high (for an XBLA game) price. It also remains to be seen what form of episodic game Penny Arcade Adventures will end up being. With a price of twenty dollars it seems more likely to be Half Life 2 style episodes (which debuted at the same price). The only other real episodic gaming example that would apply would be the Sam and Max episodes. Those however are $8.95 and have a monthly release cycle. What path PAA takes remains to be seen, but if it does end up following the Half Life 2 model, expect at least a trilogy of games with an overarching story across them all.Via Joystiq
Joystiq interviews DeathSpank's Ron Gilbert
Described as "the perfect melding of a Monkey Island style adventure game with the wicked RPG gameplay of Diablo," Ron Gilbert's episodic endeavor also formed part of our recent GDC interview with Hothead Games. Though the Orphans of Justice still have quite a bit of growing up to do, we quickly quizzed designer Ron about Deathspank's upcoming lampooning of adventure game heroes, as well as the series' inevitable downward spiral in quality after the, uh, 600,000th episode.
Joystiq interview: Penny Arcade Adventures
It's fair to say that quite a lot is expected from Vancouver-based developer, Hothead Games. The group not only has to deliver a series of downloadable and episodic adventure RPGs in regular intervals, but also appease a fanbase so large and rabid that it can click your website to death -- accidentally, if you're lucky. On top of all that, the poor developers are occasionally dragged into a tiny room for the sole purpose of being poked by a plethora of questions regarding their upcoming games.Penny Arcade Adventures producer, Joel DeYoung, and Hothead creative director, Ron Gilbert, had to endure just such a prodding during GDC, the results of which can be viewed after the break. Appropriately enough, our interview's almost as long as the title of the series: On the Rain-Slick Precipice of Darkness.%Gallery-1545%
GDC08: Penny Arcade dev aims for episode every 4 months
As the folks at Telltale Games are sure to tell you, one of the tricks to successful episodic gaming is releasing content on a regular basis. Vancouver-based Hothead Games appears to be in agreement, with Penny Arcade Adventures producer, Joel DeYoung, telling us of the developer's tentative goal to release a new episode every four months. "Yeah, definitely there's a fixed release schedule. It's tentative right now, but we're talking about one every four months," DeYoung explained in a GDC interview. "[It's tentative] because, you know, this is a new model for us, and it is quite tricky with all the project management scheduling and making sure we're officially overlapping the work on all the episodes." With some work on Episode Three already underway, we can expect to be tumbling down the precipice of darkness for at least eight months. Look for the full interview to be published on Joystiq later this week.
Hothead Games to publish Ron Gilbert's 'DeathSpank'
Described as -- and you'll want to sit down for this -- "the perfect melding of a Monkey Island style adventure game with the wicked RPG game play of Diablo," Ron Gilbert's latest creation has been revealed to be an episodic title dubbed "DeathSpank: Episode 1: Orphans of Justice." The adventure legend has joined Vancouver-based Hothead Games as Creative Director, noting that he's spent over four years searching for "the right publisher for this strange little game." He went on to quip, "Now that I've done it, you just know that somewhere four horsemen are saddling up." Followers of Gilbert's grumpy ramblings may remember DeathSpank as a satirical game character mentioned in a series of Flash comics, created with the aid of Clayton Kauzlaric and offered on Gilbert's personal blog. They'll also recall that Gilbert is currently providing his expertise and surly demeanor to Penny Arcade's episodic endeavor, On the Rain-Slick Precipice of Darkness. Expect to hear more on both titles... soonish.
