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Penny Arcade Adventures Ep. 3 announcement not coming at PAX
Those who were hoping to hear savory details about Penny Arcade Adventures: On the Rain-Slick Precipice of Darkness Episode 3 during the Penny Arcade Expo (how appropriate!) are about to have said hopes dashed upon the rocks. During our recent interview with the comic's creators, Jerry Holkins and Mike Krahulik, we learned that no news regarding the game will come during the duo's Seattle-based gaming community event.There's a reason for the game's non-appearance during PAX -- but Holkins and Krahulik were tight-lipped about what that reason is. Krahulik teased, "When you hear the announcement, you'll be like 'oooooh.' It'll make sense." Holkins articulately added, "You'll feel vigor in all of your limbs." We're fairly certain that's a good thing.
Left 4 Dead 2 sends in the Zombie Clowns
Click 4 larger imageA giant, dark room packed with strangers may be the most terrifying possible venue in which to show off a zombie game -- well, aside from the more obviously terrifying ones like inside a T-rex's stomach and under a train. So PAX attendees might find themselves extra susceptible to zombie-induced fright when they try Valve's Left 4 Dead 2 at either the Valve or Xbox 360 booth.Oh, hey, speaking of zombie-induced fright, here's the latest new enemy to be revealed: the Zombie Clown. How does he keep his makeup so even? Other new reveals include the "Jockey" boss Infected, who can take control of Survivors' movement, presumably in a concerted effort to get everyone to run away from the Zombie Clown. %Gallery-71870%
PAX 2009: Runic Games announces Torchlight launch for October 27
Runic Games announced at the Penny Arcade Expo today that Torchlight is slated for an October 27th launch, with Perfect World as the game's publisher. Torchlight will be a fully downloadable game, sold at $19.99. Massively had a look at Torchlight at E3 2009 and noted the game is influenced by titles like Diablo and Fate, which should come as little surprise given that the Runic Games is headed up by CEO Max Schaefer (co-designer of Diablo) and President Travis Baldree (designer of Fate). Runic Games now has a "Meet the NPCs of Torchlight" page up on the game's official site and will be giving fans an early peek at the game at PAX 2009. For the rest of us who can't be there, they'll also be on Twitter with updates from the expo.
Joystiq is at PAX 2009
Joystiq has invaded the city known for Starbucks, Kurt Cobain, the Space Needle and, most importantly, the Penny Arcade Expo 2009! We hit the ground running last night with a pre-PAX Activision event (they aren't officially at the show), and got our hands on some games -- we'll tell you more later. Stay tuned for a lot more as we march through the halls, pausing only to record silly videos. %Gallery-71780%
Navigate PAX with this mobile web app
Are you lost at PAX? Or maybe you're at PAX and not used to being around so many people, and desperately looking for an excuse to stare at your iPhone for a while? Our social skills and sense of direction are poor enough that we've been in both predicaments. ExpoJunkie just sent over a link to an iPhone/Android/Pre webapp designed just for the conference, with maps, and event listings by day and location. Best of all, ExpoJunkie PAX 09 edition is downloadable, so you can load it once and not be beholden to the whims of AT&T's crowded network or convention wi-fi. Dear ESA -- dear everybody -- this is what we need for E3 and all other events where there are places to go and people to avoid.
Blur trailer is powered up
After watching this brand new trailer for Bizarre Creations' Blur, we were left with a few key observations: Blur looks like an awesome combination of the slick street racing of Fast and Furious with the unpredictability of Mario Kart-style power ups -- all bathed in gratuitous neon light. While really exciting, it's still only our second-favorite Blur-related video of the day. The sound of British people talking makes cars look faster. We have no explanation for this.
PAX 2009: Blur gets Twitter support
Bizarre Creation's arcade-style racer, Blur, has received a nitrous-level boost of social networking. Initially, the social component of the game was limited to mock text messages and emails sent from AI racers in the game, who you build love/hate relationships with over the course of your races against each other. Additionally, Blur features faux social networking sites like "Inner Tube" (a Bizarre version of YouTube). Today, real Twitter support has been confirmed for the game, although current details can be summed up in less than 140 characters.Here we go: Twitter apparently working in both 360 and PS3 versions of Blur. Update example: "I just won 1st place at Hackney!" etc.So, will we be tweeting from our existing accounts? Is the Xbox 360 version's integration independent of the Xbox Live partnership? Can we see tweeted replies in-game? Can we post Twitpics of our victories? Will the Fail Whale be drivable? We want answers -- and we shall get them!
Rock Band Weekly: Freezepop, PAX artists, Jackson 5 and more
Rock Band Weekly celebrates PAX next week with tracks from artists performing at the big games convention in Seattle this weekend. The PAX trax come from nerdcore bands and artists like Freezepop, Jonathan Coulton, MC Frontalot and Paul & Storm; with each song at a wallet-friendly price of $1. Those looking for mainstream musica can consume tracks from 3 Doors Down and The Jackson 5. Check out all the stuff coming to the various versions of Rock Band next week after the break. Select a platform below to view complete DLC listing:
Door to 'The Secret World' opens slightly with factions, beta access
Of the MMOs coming our way, the one that the most Joystiq staffers seem to be captivated by is Ragnar Tørnquist's The Secret World, and, until now, it's been the one that we've known the least about. But a little more light is finally being shed on the modern-day MMO with its three factions -- Illuminati, Templars and the Dragon -- being unveiled; a mere sampling of the info to come during PAX, apparently.You can see which of the groups you fit into by taking the quiz here. It's fun, but much more importantly, you'll also be securing yourself a chance at beta access. For you lucky thousands at PAX, Funcom is apparently offering some Secret World-based swag at its booth, so you may want to make that one of your first stops on the show floor today.%Gallery-49441%
Joystiq Podcast PAX special coming tomorrow
These are trying times for the Joystiq Podcast, with host Chris Grant off in Seattle for PAX, while Justin and Ludwig continue to toil endlessly on their more electronic-indie-pop side project, The Postal Service. So, this week, instead of the usual Friday show, we'll be bringing you a special ... special directly from PAX on Saturday with Chris, the Xbox 360 Fancast's Richard Mitchell, Kevin Kelly, Griffin McElroy and some very special guests.It should be noted that the guys haven't actually told us there will be any special guests, but we're hoping we can goad them into finding some if we say it in a post. Don't let us down, guys.
Telltale's next franchise announcements 'around October,' not necessarily comedies
Known for perfecting the episodic release, Telltale Games says it's stepping into "new genres." CEO Dan Connors told VG247 as much in a recent phone interview, and the idea for this move is coming from a somewhat expected place -- television shows like The Sopranos, Lost and True Blood. "We've already evolved the genre in a lot of ways ... but we believe there's a lot of head-room to make more dramatic advances in storytelling and drama inside of this genre [adventure games]." Considering the company's past work with franchises like CSI though, you could say this tale has already been told. (YEEAAAAAAAAAAAAH!)Though Telltale will be at PAX alongside us and everyone we know, don't expect any announcements just yet. Connors says the soonest we'll be hearing about anything is "around October," so, ya know, get comfy.
Memewatch: Splinter Cell's Sam Fisher as 'Keyboard Cat'
As if the piece on CNN weren't enough, the Internet's own "Keyboard Cat" has just been given the Sam Fisher homeless militant makeover for a recent video advertising Splinter Cell Conviction's upcoming PAX appearance. Titled, "Play him off, Keyboard Sam," the video ... well, we've embedded it after the break. We refuse to spoil the hilarity for you. Enjoy.%Gallery-64705%
Penny Arcade gear available for your 360 Avatar
Even if you can't make it out to Seattle for the Penny Arcade Expo this weekend, you can show some solidarity with the new selection of Penny Arcade gear that's now available on the Xbox Live Marketplace for a buck per shirt. In addition to the stars' trademark looks, you'll also find some clothing inspired by the strip's secondary characters. Also, just FYI, we came up with a pretty hilarious gag about PAX standing for Penny Arcade eXploitation that we weren't able to work in. All apologies. [Thanks, Jimmcq]
Blizzard at PAX this weekend
As we reported a little while back, Blizzard will be in attendance at the sold out Penny Arcade Expo in Seattle, Washington this weekend, and Crygil has posted on the forums that they'll have everything playable that they had at BlizzCon: the new Diablo III Monk class, the Cataclysm expansion, and the Starcraft II singleplayer campaign. Somewhat strangely, they don't actually say that the Cataclysm expansion will be the same starter zones that we played at BlizzCon -- they may actually have some of old world Azeroth open and playable. But on the other hand, they'd probably announce something like that if it was happening, and given that they'll have a smaller setup than BlizzCon, we don't imagine there'll be anything really new there.In other WoW news at PAX, our friends at The Guild will be screening the entire season 2 on Friday evening -- Jeff Lewis and Sandeep Parikh will be there, along with producer Kim Evey and Wil Wheaton (Felicia is headed off to Dragon*Con this weekend). Unfortunately, the screening is during the Friday evening concert, and so you might have to miss Anamanaguchi, Metroid Metal, and MC Frontalot. My favorites Jonathan Coulton and Freezepop are playing on Saturday night, though, so you can fit in both of those if you like.
The Secret World reveals new game trailer, factions
The Secret World is Funcom's next MMO that they've kept under lock and key for quite a while now. Despite all the secrecy, we know it's a modern day setting with heavy overtones of the occult and mysticism. Past images released for The Secret World have shown shambling, twisted corpses walking through a town. There was also a Cthulu-esque scene of a thing-that-cannot-be-named obliterating city streets, a lone woman wielding a katana facing off against it. They've told us that players will form cabals to uncover mysteries and deal with supernatural threats. Still, there hasn't been much to go on. What Funcom reveals about The Secret World at PAX in the coming days will be "the biggest thing on TSW yet", but apparently secrets just want to be set free. We came across a YouTube video of The Secret World's second trailer (embedded below), with a shotgun toting girl tracking some monstrosity that can scatter its form into a murder of crows. You can also see the trailer in high res that's part of an exclusive on the Norwegian site Dagbladet.no. Plus, they've got eleven new screenshots and bits of concept art up on their site as well.
Get ready to Pokemon Rumble at PAX
In June, Nintendo released a Pokemon game in Japan that even those of us well over catchin' em all might look at with interest: Melee! Pokemon Scramble; a four-player brawler starring robotic Pokemon. Nintendo just announced that it's coming to North America -- we know, shocking that a game in Nintendo's most popular franchise would be released outside of Japan -- and will be shown off for the first time at the Penny Arcade Expo, or as some fans may now term it, the Pokemon Arcade Expo. The Japanese trailer is above.In addition to the newly-announced Pokemon Rumble, attendees will get a chance to play New Super Mario Bros. Wii, Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story, The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks and other Nintendo titles.
NCsoft and DC Comics announce Aion comic book
NCsoft and DC Comics have teamed up to create a limited edition comic based on Aion which focuses on the Asmodian Daeva Aiva. She might look familiar as her image is used to advertise the game and a statue of her will also be found in the Collector's Edition when Aion is released later this month. "Aiva's Story" is the work of artist Neil Googe and writers David Noonan and Ricardo Sanchez. Aiva's life is torn apart when her family is killed by an Elyos raiding party. Embittered, she endures a harsh life as a mercenary, fighting Karnifs and the Mau. She brings with her a festering hatred for the white-winged Elyos, eventually ascending to Daevahood and is posted to the Abyss. The comic book will be available (albeit in limited quantities) at the Aion booth at this weekend's Penny Arcade Expo in Seattle but fans will also be able to get their hands on a copy by purchasing the game at GameStop in the US and Electronic Boutique stores in Canada..You can check out our gallery below to see the cover art in it's full glory, as well as some internal artwork.%Gallery-71519% Want to know more about Aion? NCsoft invites you into the world of Atreia where the Elyos and the Asmodians fight each other and the evil Balaur for control of the shattered planet. Check out out all our coverage of this must-play MMO!
PAX 2009 sells out... er, is sold out
If you hadn't already registered for this week's Penny Arcade Expo and were hoping to snag a pass at the door, you don't want to read this tweet. If you did, you'd see the dreadful words: "It's official! PAX 2009 is completely sold out!" Oh, sorry about that -- awkward.So yes, it's official -- the PAX website has even updated with the news. We spoke with show organizers who assured us that they'd "love to let more people in," but that the venue itself has reached capacity based on the number of passes sold. (They're expecting roughly 75,000 attendees, up from last year's 58,500.)Looks like it's time to register for PAX East and start pricing airfare to Boston. Or, y'know, you could always borrow a friend's pass. We're sure they won't mind; heck, you shouldn't even ask.
Mythic details plans for WAR at PAX 2009
Mythic will be representing Warhammer Online at Penny Arcade Expo in under a week's time, and to help attendees plan ahead, they've now given some details about their showing. Members of the development team will be hanging out waiting to talk to fans, and one of the biggest topics they'll be keen to discuss is the game's one-year anniversary and accompanying Wild Hunt event. By the time PAX starts (the 4th of September) the event will be halfway through so players will have had time to experience it before chatting with the devs. They will also be showing off other recent content updates.Although not specifically related to Warhammer Online, it is worth noting that Mythic Entertainment Executive Producer Jeff Hickman will be taking part in a PAX panel session on Friday the 4th. Along with other members of the industry, Hickman "will re-examine the basics of game design and explore what it means to design in today's videogame industry." Catch the panel at the Unicorn Theatre from 10:30am to 11:30am. As usual, if you visit the WAR booth you won't come away empty handed. The swag is similar to what Mythic gave away at Games Day Chicago: the Empire Cherub shirt (limited in supply this time too), and in-game items Snorri's Spikes, Chompin' Teef, Shroud of Imrathepis and the Razored Skinning Knife.
N+ co-dev Slick Entertainment announces XBLA racer 'Scrap Metal'
Slick Entertainment has one of the best Xbox Live Games on its resume, having collaborated on N+ with Metanet Software. That's why we'll be watching the developer's new game, Scrap Metal, so closely! Scrap Metal for Xbox Live Arcade is a top-down racing game reminiscent of Super Off Road or Rock 'n Roll Racing, except, of course, with a modern physics engine.Scrap Metal features combat racing against not only your friends in local and online multiplayer, but "track bosses," plus the game includes various missions, as well. It'll be shown off at PAX -- possibly in 3-D! -- and is expected out on XBLA sometime next year.%Gallery-71222%[Via Shacknews]
