Kotaku
When I found out that I would be attending PAX, one of the things I was most excited about was getting a really good look at the new Penny Arcade Adventures game being put together by Hothead Games with some help from Gabe and Tycho themselves. A few trailers have been out so far and in the last two days, a website has surfaced as well as the news that the game will be coming to XBLA. Well this morning I finally got a chance to see it for myself live and in person.
First of all let me just say that the game has everything you would expect and want from a Penny Arcade game. A terrific art style, fun gameplay and hilarious dialog. You kick off the game with a great character customization screen. You can play a male or female character and for a comic style game, you get a surprising amount of variety in facial features, clothes and body types. One great mechanic has your character checking him or herself out whenever you change outfits. The amount of work that goes into the customization is pretty amazing seeing as not only do you see your character in 3D for the game scenes, but he/she is rendered live in 2d as well for the comic book cut scenes.
After the comic panel style intro featuring your customized character, you join up with Gabe and Tycho to solve the mystery of the giant marauding robot that opens the game by tromping it's way through your yard. Once your team is together you can use their various powers (individually and together) to plow your way through such iconic enemies as hobos, clowns mimes and even barber shop quartets. Just as in real life, Gabe's powers rely solely on fisticuffs and up close combat while Tycho (whos moves are the most powerful in the game) takes care of the ranged combat with a tommy gun and his trusty book (reading is power!). Your player character is the melee weapon fighter, starting off with a rake and eventually upgrading to other weapons along the way. Battles are turned based with timed initiatives and each special move requires a "mini game" to complete such as mashing the space bar repeatedly or doing timed moves with the directional arrows. Team combo moves can be done with two or three characters relying on a meter system to let you know when your power up is ready for use.
Watching the game really made me reminisce about the old point and click Lucas Arts games, on which PAA is heavily based. Engaging in dialog with NPCs will give you a variety of choices in answers, many resulting in additional razor sharp commentary by Gabe and Tycho. It should be noted that there are no voiceovers in the game and all conversation is done through comic style word balloons with dialog that had me laughing aloud a lot.
The game is set to be released simultaneously on MAC, PC and Linux with the XBLA version coming soon after. Despite the doubts that many people had concerning the game after the first trailer was shown, I think I can confidently say that gamers will be more than pleased when the first episode is finally released later this year. And in case you were wondering, there will be teabagging, but I'm not going to tell you where. That, you will have to discover for yourself.
Comments
Hopefully, this impression shall put those whom were in doubt to rest. It ain't rocket science to figure out that if you're a fan of PA (honestly, who really ISN'T?) then you'll enjoy the game tremendously.
It should be a fun game. I know a lot of people will judge the Penny Arcade hashly because of their general unkindness to other game developers over the years that borders on elitism, but I'm still looking forward to downloading this off live to kill a few hours.
For some reason I always thought this game would be in 2D.
We need more 2D Brawlers!
*remembers TMNT 4*
Feckin awesome looking. And hilarious.
I take it PSN is off the table?
Tea-Bagging... Such a hard concept thrust upon the gaming world, able to be dipped gingerly into our gaping maw of gameplay pleasures...
I like how Tycho is reading a book while the mime is talking.
Can't wait to see this on Live. The Achievements alone should be hilarious.
The PAX preview of this was excellent. I would not at all be surprised at a few references to the irony of the PA boys being in a game of their own. If I recall correctly, the guy who did Day of the Tentacle and Monkey Island is heavily involved with the development. That alone makes me sold on the game, PA or not.
I'm extremely relieved to hear this doesn't suck.
@LuppyLuptonium: Sheesh, another frustrated English major building a portfolio of erotic fiction. Get back to Destructoid where youse belong!!!
Damn glad to hear the previous news about it comming to XBL also this preview makes me even more interested in it than I ever was. :)
Cheers Kotaku!
Customization Lies. Unless the demo they had set up on the show floor was different, there was very little and sad ammount of character customization.
They already got my MS points.
Hehe, been looking forward to this.
Looks good... is it easy on the specs?
And developers should thank Penny Arcade. They hurt because they care, and tend to compliment games as much as they criticise them.
Sweet, a game that'll surely center around mocking far superior games by using words like "fag" and "mother fuckstick."
Seriously, Gabe and Tycho are less funny than Cancer. Or AIDS. Or even CAIDSER.
Its a shame it isn't coming out on PSN. Hard to even see a legit reason why it wouldn't be, unless M$ forked over another few million for its exclusivity. I want to play this, but I refuse to buy an Xbox360 after hearing about record high defect rate and number of actual defects per console. Its sad that such a shit-tastic console gets the game. Hell, even Wii would have been a better choice.
I'll probably pick this up as I'm a bit of a fan of Tycho's writing style.
@rockosolido:
Clearly, you are a man of superiour wit. "CAIDSER"?
I'm happy to hear this will live up to the expectations it has: a interactive comic strip. That's what I want, and it sounds like I might even get a bit of gameplay with it. Bonus!
@splines: me too, i think i was sold by the "reminiscent of lucasarts point-and-click games" bit.
The gaming industry needs things like PA for a reality check and for a voice of reason. There are too many pussy game sites that dont rip most games like they should be ripped. Thus unsuspecting gamers will buy crap games when they thought they were getting a good game because other games sites said that game was good. *glares at IGN for making Red Steel sound good in their previews*
Reminiscent of LucasArts point-and-click? Released for Mac and Linux too?
Man, I'm setting my hopes up to be crushed now.
Over the years I've come to realise that my taste in games almost exactly matches the majority of their taste in games. In almost every case when they approve of a game, I approve of that game. Even going back through their archives after discovering the comic in late 2003, I found this to be the case.
I know for sure that a game they create and sign off on will be an instant favourite of mine. Whether the self-assuming 'superior' gaming community feels they're less funny than [exasperated sigh goes here] "CAIDSER" or not.
I don't even need to know their game is partially inspired by Lucasarts adventure games, but it's a big tick in the box. Sam and Max, Day of the Tentacle, Grim Fandango... even The Dig! Some of the greatest games my generation ever saw, even if I was one of the few in my particular age group to appreciate it at the time.
@rockosolido: An article on PA is obviously not complete without someone such as yourself telling us all you don't get the jokes.
After taking a few days to put almost every Penny-Arcade comic on my PS3, it's slightly disappointing to have no PSN version. But hey, I got a computer and will make due.
Anywho, I'm really looking forward to this game. I'm glad to hear it doesn't suck, but even if it received the most horrible of reviews I would still purchase it. I owe it to them for making Computer Apps way less boring then it could have been.
Hazza for PA!
@LuppyLuptonium: lol, I really don't want to think about tea-bags and gaping maws...
@rockosolido:
Reading a book would probably help your condition.
The gameplay sounds a lot like Paper Mario, which is awesome. RPG with mini-game based power-up attacks is an exact description of what it was. Nevermind the fact that it's an adventure game with a story written by Tycho. I'll be sold if I'm ever able to reconcile gaming with my college work.
@superbagman: You have to admit though, the impressions are making your mouth water.
will the game be sold in stores? will I be able to get it on CD instead of as a download? These things I must know!
@rockosolido: lol u said mother fuckstick olol (this post may be satire)
Cant wait to see fruit fucker in full 3d glory.
My interest in this game has slowly been rising with every new bit of information. I hope that the battle mechanics are deep enough to justify their turn-based nature.
Like an attractive girl wearing a god-awful ensemble, whatever interest I could have possibly had in this game has been killed by the dumb-ass "I think I'm clever" title of the game.
@fatbaldnet: I take it you wouldn't be interested in other works by the same people, such as "Legends of the Epic Sword Kings", or, my favorite, "Epic Legends of the Hierarchs: The Elemenstor Saga".
If you haven't noticed yet, Tycho likes to parody overbearing titles common in fantasy writing and gaming by making even more ridiculously overbearing titles.
@fatbaldnet: And it doesn't occur to you that they could be being ironic?
I'm glad to see satire flying over the heads of some of the Kotaku members here. I was close to losing faith in our public school system.
@Witzbold: Indeed.
In england we're taught irony back in nursery. If we don't grasp it by the time we're 4 we're not allowed into primary school and we have to go work at call centres.
I personally can't wait for this. Tycho and Gabe are completely awesome for porting this to Linux and Mac as well though.
>An article on PA is obviously not complete without someone such as yourself telling us all you don't get the jokes.
He never said he didn't get the jokes; he just said they are not funny. Which I agree with, mostly. I think the popularity of Penny Arcade rests on the very fact of its existence, something made by video game fans with a little more talent than common video game fans, who are not afraid to admit their love of video games, at the same time trying to create a positive image of themselves (mostly NOT by making comics), and therefore, of the video game fans in general. It's good that they try to create this positive image, but that doesn't save the comic from being... I don't know, obvious (=not funny) for the most part.
@Kermi: It doesn't occur to you that it's not funny, regardless?
@Ilia Chentsov: It is tough for something to be popular without existing, I'll grant you that. But even with all the people who don't find PA funny they must be doing something right or Mike Krahulik wouldn't be driving a...
Hmm, it stole the last bit of my post - which said "a mercedes" and linked to this.
Uh oh, should have known better than to insult anything 13 year olds like. Where is my head...
Don't worry kiddies, common sense and an acceptable taste in humor comes around the same time your first pube springs up.
@Ging: He's also driving me nuts!
Really, debating on the subject of what's funny is a waste of time... but a pleasant one. Can anyone tell me why they think PA is funny? I told you my opinion - their jokes are predictable. Maybe the comics is (are?) aimed at the people who have less deductive skills, and therefore are more amused by the punchline when (and if) it comes, or just giggle at the obscenity otherwise.
I doubt, though, that someone will write a thesis which scientifically proves that Penny Arcade are not funny. So I say they are not my cup of tea (maybe that's because I decided to quit drinking tea).
@rockosolido:
acceptable taste in humor? Are you sure you're on the right website?
Seriously though...and you think jokes about AIDS and Cancer are acceptable forms of humor? Get over yourself. You sound like your a blast to hangout with.
@fatbaldnet: Oh dear, a difference in opinion. I guess I'll have to enjoy playing the Penny Arcade game without your approval, silly name and all.
i can't wait to DL this on XBLA. to any non-360-owning PS3 owners, it probably won't be long before this title is announced for PSN.
@Citan359: U mean you downloaded all the comics jpgs by clicking through each page and loaded it onto the PS3? That's dedication. I always thought of doing it, but decided I can't be bothered.
@Kermi: Funny, my original comment was about MY interest in the game. I don't really go on here to tell other people what to think about games. Draw your own conclusions. I wouldn't have the patience to play *any* adventure game at this point in my life anyway
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