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Bunnies like Penny Arcade
The best part of Michel Ancel's Rayman Raving Rabbits is its humor and ad campaign. Every level is given a phrase such as "bunnies like carrot juice" or "bunnies like to rave." Ubisoft asked Penny Arcade to contribute to the Rabbid lore. Here's what Gabe and Joe Pekar (he colored) came up with: Bunnies lie about their age Bunnies are extremely good at ping pong Bunnies are nostalgic Bunnies can smell your fear So Ubisoft, how about capitalizing on Wii's online services and turn these golden ideas into party games.
Learning from Sony's viral blog mistake
"From this point forward, we will just stick to making cool products, and use this site to give you nothing but the facts on the PSP."These were the last words of Sony's viral-blog-gone-bad. The site is now suspiciously empty, showing how empty that apology/promise really was. Advertising Age did an interesting write-up on the whole ordeal, making note that the FTC is now taking steps to ensure that companies disclose the true nature of any viral communications they produce. The article has four things to learn from Sony's mistakes, and I found the following to be most important: "The consumer is smarter than you think, alternative marketing tactics must be genuine, authentic and in today's world, transparent." As Penny Arcade smartly noted, "The reality is that no agency can create viral marketing, this is the sole domain of the consumer."Sony has to stop thinking we're idiots, and start treating us as educated consumers that know what we want. The homebrew community is a testament to that statement. Sony: listen to the gamers, read some PSP Fanboy and Joystiq, and figure out what we want.[Via AdJab]
Watch videos, win a 360, all for charity [update 1]
Update: It didn't take long, but the maximum number of donations has now been reached. If anyone managed to make it into the raffle, we're sure that Child's Play appreciates your generosity.GameTrailers.com has come up with an innovative way for gamers to give to Penny Arcade's Child's Play charity, and be entered into a raffle for an Xbox 360. Since 2003, Child's Play has given toys, games, and overall assistance to children's hospitals around the globe. And now, through GameTrailers, you can even donate without spending any money at all. GameTrailers is now allowing users to donate its special currency, Game Trailers Dollars (GTD) directly to Child's Play. Every 20 GTD donated equals $1 for Child's Play. Also, for each donation, users will be entered into a raffle to win an Xbox 360.In order to donate, you must be a member of GameTrailers (register here) and earn GTD. There are a number of ways to earn GTD (the simplest is just to watch and rate movies). For more information on GTD click here. If you are already a member of GameTrailers, we encourage you to donate. Who knows, you might even win a 360. You'd better hurry, there are just over 800 spots remaining in the raffle as of this writing.
Joystiq asks: should Penny Arcade be in the webcomic poll?
Since its inception just over a year ago, the Weekly Webcomic Wrapup has always had issues with Penny Arcade's inclusion. We have heard both sides of the argument, both for and against their use in the webcomic poll, and we always decide to keep them in the running -- 'tis but a silly poll, anyways. However, we have talked with an unlikely proponent for possibly keeping comic out of the weekly poll: Gabe from Penny Arcade.On Tuesday, Gabe left a comment on our WWW post suggesting that they're not a webcomic as much as they are "game news and opinion site. Part of it is a news post and part of it is a comic strip." Speaking more on the subject with Joystiq, Gabe (also known as Mike Krahulik, shh) told us that "if you feel like people are voting for PA just because it's PA and that's not what you want then feel free to take us out of the equation." We want to be able showcase as many game-related webomics as possible, big and small, and as long as that is accomplished then we don't care. However, after Gabe's response we decided to reopen the debate: is Penny Arcade hurting the smaller comics on the poll -- or, more importantly, is Penny Arcade even classified as a webcomic, seeing as their news posts / blog entries are equally as important? It's important to note that, despite PA's inclusion, it does not always finish in the top three for the weekly wrapups. Gabe's response to Joystiq has been reprinted, with permission, after the break. Let us know how you feel on the subject.
Penny Arcade console wars in Wired
The Penny Arcade comic from the December issue of Wired is now available online for freeloaders and people with short memories. The two-page comic presents a person from the distant future reminiscing about the PS3/Wii/Xbox 360 console war and other past-to-him-future-to-us events. Check it out to stave off withdrawal symptoms until your next hit of Penny Arcade.
Child's Play 2006 eBay auctions
Hoping that you'll put more dollars to charity if you get something back, Tycho and Gabe of Penny Arcade have set up several eBay auctions where 100% of their proceeds go towards Child's Play, an annual charity that benefits children's hospitals.In case you are interested, here are the charities: Two tickets to the Guitar Hero II release party. The Ball from PAX. Penny Arcade original artwork- the Beach poster. Penny Arcade original artwork- Dr. Raven Darktalon Blood. Penny Arcade original artwork- Gears of War. Penny Arcade original artwork- Boba Fett. Penny Arcade original artwork- Nightmare at Twenty-Thousand Feet. WOW TCG Saltwater Snapjaw turtle mount loot card. (pictured) Most of the auctions are well into the hundreds by now, but we still urge those with charitable minds to at least take a gander.See Also:Child's Play 2006 commences
Gears of War: the sitcom?
Apparently we were so busy playing GOW yesterday -- playing co-op with all of you is great by the way -- we failed to notice Penny Arcade's latest comic. If you're absolutely sick of all the hyperbole surrounding this game (or if by some off chance you actually like the idea), you'll find the idea of turning Gears of War into a sitcom fairly amusing. It brings up an interesting point though. For those of you who've played the game (and were able to find it), how is it stacking up so far? Does it live up to the hype, or are you happy playing something completely different?
Readers pick best webcomic: killer DS FTW
Though not by the usual commanding margin, Penny Arcade was the favorite webcomic this week among Joystiq readers. Let's see, a plane crashes in this strip and the following one is all about the TV show LOST ... coincidence? When do we get to see a gaming parody of the Twilight Zone's "Nightmare at 20,000 feet," with a deranged Koopa (or fill in your own character here) ripping apart the wing.To those who voted for Penny Arcade: why not show your love by donating to Child's Play?Second place, and a long overdue win, goes to RPG-TV. Third place was subsidized by Dilbert. Thanks to everyone who voted, and be sure to let us know of any gaming comics you stumble upon this week!
Child's Play 2006 commences [update 1]
The fourth annual Child's Play charity event has now begun. The fundraising, toy donation event was started by Tycho and Gabe, the creators of Penny Arcade, in 2003 and has since raised almost $1.2 million in donations and more than 53,000 toys and games. Last year alone, Child's Play collected $605,000.All donations from the drive go towards sick kids in children's hospitals. Tycho has also expressed interest in expanding their support of H.O.P.E., the Hospital-based Online Pediatric Environment. Now is the time for everyone to give to charity. If you're the kind of person who wants something back, you can purchase a Child's Play t-shirt and all proceeds go towards the charity.See Also:Penny Arcade launches third annual Child's Play charityChilds Play 2 has been officially launched[Update 1: As one commenter pointed out, Tycho and Gabe dissuade people from giving away old toys & games due to health risks. Took out that suggestion.]
Readers pick best webcomic: Justice for Penny Arcade
We aren't sure if people really loved this comic strip, voted because of its clout, or mistakenly voted for this when trying (in vain) to get "none of the above" to work, but Penny Arcade took a commanding lead in this week's webcomic wrapup.Second place went to Ctrl+Alt+Del and third place is a virtual three-way tie, with Digital Unrest holding a meager lead (happy birthday, Chris). Thanks to everyone who voted, and be sure to let us know of any gaming webcomics you stumble upon this week!
PA disses Tiger's matchmaking skills
Today, Tycho at Penny Arcade briefly goes over the unnecessarily complicated matchmaking process in Tiger Woods 07. The steps include:"1. Consent To Be InvitedIn any other Goddamn Live game, you're done. In Tiger, one must then2. Endorse The Invitation3. Yield Wholly To The Concept Of Inviting4. Surrender To The Invitation Beam.And then, finally,5. Lift Your Voice In Supplication To Raoul Invitatio, 'He Who Maketh The Match'"Most of our readers probably know that EA maintains its own servers. This was required by them years ago before they would allow their games on Xbox Live. Why do they need their own servers? It makes it easier to spy on you of course. Personally, I don't deal with EA's matchmaking very often, as I don't really own any of their games -- and probably won't until Burnout 5, or possibly Army of Two. So, X360F asks you, is matchmaking in Tiger really that bad?
ESRB needs exposure, change
Next-Gen's Aaron Ruby editorializes that the ESRB needs major change, saying that the rating system has too many confusing options that are best suited to movies instead of games. (Is there a clear difference between "mild violence," "intense violence," and "violence?" Is it measured in volume?) The site follows up with Sony Online Entertainment president John Smedley's response, saying that Next-Gen got part of it right -- the game industry needs to be proactive and speak for itself.Ruby and Smedley agree that the ESRB doesn't do enough to educate parents and non-gamers about games. We've seen the Penny Arcade ESRB campaign in PC Gamer and other enthusiast magazines, but we want to find ESRB ads in mainstream publications and on prime-time TV. As Smedley notes, the game industry needs to speak for itself if it doesn't want the Jack Thompsons to speak for it.Read - Opinion: Is the ESRB Broken?Read - COUNTERPOINT: ESRB Not the Problem
Gears of War gets Penny Arcadified
Gabe over at Penny Arcade whipped up this very nice sketch of Marcus from Gears of War yesterday. I guess we missed it somehow. Was something going on yesterday? Perhaps some of you might like to make it your new wallpaper (though I have opted for Halo Wars). I'd use it as my wallpaper, but white backgrounds hurt my sensitive little eyes. See a larger version after the break.
Penny Arcade responds to our "hideous editorial," misses the point [update 1]
PA's Tycho has responded to my rational gamers editorial calling it "hideous" and remarks, "It's fun to think about the author tippity-tappin' this one in while he eats light bulbs in the last car of the circus train." [Mmmm, light bulbs. BRB.] It seems the point was missed because I mixed too many different issues into one post. If I had instead posed the hypothetical as follows, I doubt many would have objected: Assume Nintendo is selling a white-colored Wii at a profit of X and the tangerine-colored Wii at a profit of X+Y. That is, the price (and hence, Nintendo's profit) on the tangerine Wii is greater than the price (and profit) on the white Wii. Which of the two devices would a rational consumer choose, all else equal? He'd choose the one with lower factored-in profit margin. That is, the lower-priced console. In the comments below, JB Cougar (and others) wrote: "I believe the black MacBook outsells the white one, and yet Apple charges a $200 (might even be $300) premium for it. They are the same system, save for the color." For that to be true, you're assuming inequal demand for the colors. "All else equal" means equal demand for different colors of the console. Hopefully, the elimination of mention of "Sony" or "Microsoft" from the thought experiment makes the point amply clear. So why make such an obvious statement? Isn't this like saying that consumers will buy the larger candy bar if the price and taste of all candy bars on the shelf are the same? Yes, but this question is a required first step before digging into the following question: if gamers are showing a preference for undiscounted hardware, then what else is at play here? What are people paying for, if not for hardware? That allows us to get into discussions on Nintendo's strategy (with mention of Reggie's favorite Blue Ocean Strategy book), the value of fun, the value of software exclusives, and the value of the "unique" control scheme. This was to have been a multi-part series of editorials dissecting the value attributed to the Wii versus its rivals. With hardware power out of the way entirely, the discussion would narrow to more meaningful topics. [Update 1: added quote from reader JB Cougar.]
Joystiq interviews Penny Arcade's Gabe and Tycho
Just about this time a week ago, we were watching the final two Omeganauts do battle in Tetris ... actually, it was more of a slaughter, but we'll leave that up to the history books. Shortly after the show was over, we got a couple minutes with the duo behind Penny Arcade, PAX, Child's Play, and now Penny Arcade Adventures. Of course we took the opportunity to ask them about the game (they're not talking), the PS3 (they're not buying), and the amount of time it takes to get that good at Guitar Hero ("you gotta have priorities"). Indeed.Grab the admittedly large file from our servers below or embedded after the break. If you're still rocking the 56K, stay tuned for a transcribed version to be added to this post.Watch me:Penny Arcade Interview (.mov)
See PAX in the (sun starved) flesh
Ever wanted to see a huge gathering of gamers all packed into one convention hall? Have a yearning to witness a massive orgy of videogaming, tabletop gaming, and cosplay? No? Well, too bad, because that's exactly what you'll see in this video (WMV) of the Penny Arcade Expo, or PAX. If you look very carefully -- and quickly -- you might even catch a glimpse of our very own Chris Grant. Isn't that precious?[Via Major Nelson. Image from Penny Arcade.]
Blogphotopodcasting: Fanboy style
Major Nelson's latest podcast consists of a panel at the Penny Arcade Expo with an unwieldy title and one familiar participant. "Blogphotopodcasting: New Media in the Game Industry" features none other than Xbox360Fanboy's (and Joystiq's) Christopher Grant as a dulcet voice of reason.
The final Omegathon challenge was ... [update 1]
Tetris! But not just any version of Tetris. They chose the illegal, unauthorized Tengen version, the only NES variant with 2 player support. The winning Omeganaut, LeRoy, bested his challenger in a best out of three before claiming his prize: a tricked-out Scion. PAX loyalists may recognize LeRoy from last year's competition where he lost by a single point in Combat. How does that saying go? Try, try again ...As promised, we'll deliver a Joystiq t-shirt to the first person who accurately guessed the challenge's secret identity. So, the prize goes to Protoster who wrote "I'll go with tetris" as comment 13. Congrats LeRoy, congrats Protoster. We're going home, as usual, empty handed (swag bag excluded, of course).[Note: I wrote this post live from the event, but it was apparently stuck in post-limbo. We'll be running some additional content from PAX throughout the week, including videos, interviews, and giveaways.][Update: Clarified inclusion of Tengen's Tetris; corrected last year's final challenge. Thanks, existonfile & Covarr.]
Pics from PAX
John Porcaro from GamerScoreBlog posted a bunch of pics from the Penny Arcade Expo in Seattle. John praises PAX as a "show for gamers rather than media or industry insiders." He's right, letting a bunch of media and industry types into your event is the surest way to screw it up (see E3).
PAX: IGN goes all Kano in Monday's comic
While creating Monday's Penny Arcade strip live (in front of a studio audience), a member of that very audience made an observation. Fans had decided that a particular style of hand that Mike draws consistently appears cupped as if holding a human heart. After acknowledging that he had just drawn that very hand on an IGN employee in the comic's second panel, Mike adroitly added a still beating human heart to it. So, what might otherwise appear to be an inscrutable non sequitur in Monday's finished product was really part of a unique interaction between fans and creators. The more you know ...Want the full funny? Hit up Tycho's script after the break. We know we're not the professional yucksters here, but we were under the impression that IGN reviewers didn't realize there were numbers less than 6.8. Just saying.
