Kotaku: Hothead Games

Sea Stars Pulls Off an Upside-Down Joyride

Owen Good — Fri, 02 Dec 2011 09:30:00 EST

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After about a year of the Gaming App of the Week, I've been very hard on games that are nakedly derivative of existing hits. Then one comes along and literally does everything a previous success did, except upside down, and I feel like I have to tip my hat. That's Sea Stars. More »

The Baconing's Trailer is a Release Date Preceded by 90 Seconds of Non Sequiturs

Joshua Rivera — Fri, 19 Aug 2011 21:30:00 EDT

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I've yet to play a Deathspank game. I want to at some point, I just haven't gotten around to it yet. More »

Finally! New App Will Turn Your iPad or iPhone Into a Real-Life, Interactive Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy

Brian Crecente — Wed, 10 Aug 2011 10:40:00 EDT

The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, not the book about the guide and the people who use it, but the guide itself, is coming to iPhones, iPod Touches and iPads this fall, Hothead Games tells Kotaku. More »

Magic: The Gathering Creator's New Kard Combat Won't Kill Your Wallet

Mike Fahey — Thu, 28 Jul 2011 13:30:00 EDT

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As the father of Magic: The Gathering, Richard Garfield is the man responsible for countless crazed gamers spending their savings on tiny bits of colorful card stock. With Kard Combat Garfield and Hothead Games deliver card-based strategy as deep as Magic, and it doesn't cost players one penny (unless they want it to). More »

DeathSpank Returns in The Baconing, an Apparently Improved and Ridiculous Sequel

Stephen Totilo — Wed, 25 May 2011 12:00:00 EDT

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There will be a new DeathSpank game this summer and it will involve a quest for the Fires of Bacon. It will also be a greatly improved follow-up to last year's downloadable DeathSpank adventures, two comedic riffs on Diablo. More »

Are You Ready For a New Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy Game?

Luke Plunkett — Wed, 25 May 2011 06:12:00 EDT

Hothead Games, developers of the Penny Arcade series, is working on a new Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy game. For the record, the original is one of the greatest games ever made. [VG247] More »

In This Video Game, Home Foreclosures Are A Joke

Stephen Totilo — Fri, 01 Oct 2010 15:00:00 EDT

Signs of the worldwide economic downturn, known by some as the Great Recession, are nearly absent from modern video games. So it came as a surprise to me when one my assignments in a new video game was to foreclose on homes. More »

Played: DeathSpank: Thongs of Virtue

Stephen Totilo — Tue, 28 Sep 2010 17:00:00 EDT

DeathSpank: Thongs Of Virtue is video game deja vu if deja vu involved feeling like you've done the thing you're doing before — but maybe not ever before in a boat. More »

DeathSpank: Thongs of Virtue Trailer

Brian Crecente — Tue, 07 Sep 2010 10:00:00 EDT

What's all this about powerful, mythic thongs created by a master craftsman? More »

We Get A Surprise DeathSpank Sequel Next Month

Stephen Totilo — Mon, 23 Aug 2010 12:20:00 EDT

In one of the fastest sequel turnarounds you'll see in gaming, last month's fun and funny fantasy action game DeathSpank will be succeeded in September by DeathSpank: Thongs of Virtue. It turns out they were making two DeathSpanks all along. More »

Penny Arcade's Episodic Adventures Live On In With The Written Word

Michael McWhertor — Thu, 12 Aug 2010 18:20:00 EDT

Followers of Penny Arcade's foray into game development may never see the last two chapters of their Penny Arcade Adventures: On the Rain-Slick Precipice of Darkness come to video game form. But the series will continue, if only in text. More »

DeathSpank Review: Best Game Involving A Purple Thong

Stephen Totilo — Tue, 13 Jul 2010 20:00:00 EDT

If you like laughing and you like loot, if you can catch a Monkey Island reference and know why purple text is a positive thing, then DeathSpank is your game. Plus, it is gorgeous. More »

DeathSpank, Like Diablo With A Sense Of Humor, Hits July

Michael McWhertor — Tue, 22 Jun 2010 20:00:00 EDT

Are you perfectly fine with rainbows in your Diablo III? Then you might like the gameplay and lighthearted approach of Hothead Games' action-RPG DeathSpank, which marries deep role-playing with broad humor in just a couple of weeks. More »

EA Cuts Deal To Publish Shank, Deathspank

Brian Crecente — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 11:00:00 EST

Electronic Arts today announced a deal with the developers of Shank and Deathspank to bring the downloadable games to multiple platforms. More »

Braid Finally Makes It To The PlayStation Network

Mike Fahey — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 12:20:00 EST

After charming the pants off of players on Xbox Live Arcade and the PC, Jonathan Blow's Braid is finally heading for the PlayStation Network later this month. More »

PAX Panel Attempts To Define “Gamer,” Sparks Casual Controversy

AJ Glasser — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 04:00:00 EDT

The PAX panel, Game Culture: How Gamers Impact Society & How Policy Affects Gamer Culture, had some mildly interesting moments – but it got really interesting right at the end, during Q&A. More »

A Good Look At Monkey Island Creator's New Game

Luke Plunkett — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 07:30:00 EDT

Ron Gilbert's latest game, Deathspank, isn't new. We've know about it for ages. But all this info and screenshots, well, they're very new. More »

Braid Coming To PlayStation 3, Says German Ratings Board

Michael McWhertor — Fri, 31 Jul 2009 14:30:54 EDT

A PlayStation 3 version of Xbox Live Arcade hit Braid appears to be in the works, with Germany's Unterhaltungssoftware Selbstkontrolle (USK) rating the latest port as of yesterday. That's excellent news for PS3 owners. More »

Braid Comes To The Mac

Michael McWhertor — Wed, 20 May 2009 16:40:00 EDT

The list of excuses for not having played Number None's Braid gets shorter today with the release of the Mac OS X version of the time-shifting puzzle platformer. More »

Hothead Brings Braid To Mac, The Maw To Windows

Mike Fahey — Tue, 24 Feb 2009 12:40:00 EST

Hothead Games is teaming up with other independent game developers to bring award winning titles to new platforms, starting with Twisted Pixel's The Maw and Jonathan Blow's Braid. More »

Three New Penny Arcade Adventures Episode Two Gameplay Videos

Adam Barenblat — Wed, 22 Oct 2008 15:00:00 EDT

This morning Fahey told you how Xbox 360, Linux, Mac, and PC owners are going to be able to experience all of the glory that is On the Rain-Slick Precipice of Darkness Episode Two next week! Along with the announcement, the guys over at Hothead games were kind enough to throw in these new PC gameplay videos so that you can get your Penny Arcade fix today. Two more vids after the jump. More »

Penny Arcade Adventures Continue Next Week

Mike Fahey — Wed, 22 Oct 2008 13:20:00 EDT

It's Penny Arcade Adventures news week! Yesterday we learned that On the Rain-Slick Precipice of Darkness Episode One would be hitting the PlayStation 3 this week, and now Hothead announces that the Linux, Mac, PC, and Xbox Live Arcade versions of Episode 2 will be coming out next week! On Wednesday, October 29th, fans of the first game will be able to continue their adventure, with new difficulty settings, longer gameplay, and a cool-ass ending track from Canadian rock band The Darkest of the Hillside Thickets in "Some Things Man Was Not Meant To Know", which they recently performed live at PAX 2008. More »

Rain-Slick Precipice 2 Golded, Priced, And Trailered

Mike Fahey — Wed, 01 Oct 2008 15:40:00 EDT

Those of you eagerly awaiting the continuing RPG adventures of Gabe, Tycho, and dashing protagonist might not be waiting too much longer, as Hothead Games announces Gold Master Status on the PC, Mac, and Linux versions of Penny Arcade Adventures: On the Rain-Slick Precipice of Darkness Episode two. The price is $14.95 across computer platforms, with the Xbox Live Arcade version the 1200 Microsoft Points, $5 cheaper than the first installment. The PS3 version is expected to share a similar price point. More »

Penny Arcade Adventures Coming To PS3

Mike Fahey — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 16:40:00 EDT

See? It was only a matter of time! The Hothead Games folks have apparently found their way around issues with the PlayStation 3 and the Torque Engine, and now Penny Arcade Adventures: On The Rain-Slick Precipice of Darkness, Episode One is heading to the PlayStation Network this fall. Rejoice, and stop emailing Hothead to complain! More »

Penny Arcade Adventures: On The Rain-Slick Precipice Of Darkness Review

Mike Fahey — Tue, 03 Jun 2008 13:20:00 EDT

When you've been making fun of the video game industry as long as Penny Arcade's Jerry "Tycho" Holkins and Mike "Gabe" Krahulik have been, deciding to create your own game is one ballsy move. You have to know that every review site you've ever trashed and every developer you've viciously sodomized with your barbed wit is watching your every move, desperate to see you stumble so they can get in a few licks. More »

Go Grab The Penny Arcade Game Demo

Luke Plunkett — Thu, 22 May 2008 08:20:00 EDT

In case you missed it, Penny Arcade's first foray into the game-making world, On the Rain-Slick Precipice of Darkness, is out now. I've been playing it all day. It's great. Notsomuch for the gameplay, which is standard stuff, but definitely for the charm. If you're not the type to trust my recommendation, however, (though really, you should, I'm a nice guy) anyone with a PC (Linux included) or Mac can grab a demo of the first episode, take it for a spin, see how it feels. Even if you hate smashing item boxes and turn-based combat, it should at least put a smile on your face. More »

Penny Arcade Sort Of Launches New Indie Game Store

Michael McWhertor — Wed, 02 Apr 2008 17:40:32 EDT

The boys from Penny Arcade have teamed up with the developers of the their own Penny Arcade Adventures: On the Rain-Slick Precipice of Darkness to create Greenhouse. The endeavor, described as "a new distribution platform... dedicated to supporting independent game development worldwide" will in theory help "indie developers get their games into the hands of gamers." Greenhouse, which launched officially today, will be christened with PA's own episodic game. More »

Ron Gilbert Joins Hothead For DeathSpank

Mike Fahey — Wed, 09 Jan 2008 12:40:41 EST

Maniac Mansion and Monkey Island veteran Ron Gilbert has signed on as Creative Director at Vancouver-based Hothead Games, with whom he will finally publish his long-awaited episodic RPG adventure, DeathSpank, which is described as "Monkey Island meets Diablo". If it indeed winds up as a combination of those two I may never need another video game or the love of a good woman again. Gilbert got to know the folks at Hothead while helping out on Penny Arcade's On the Rain-Slick Precipice of Darkness, and I suppose they just couldn't get him to leave afterwards.

Speaking from his secret game design cave, Ron Gilbert said, "I've spent over four years trying to find the right publisher for this strange little game. Now that I've done it, you just know that somewhere four horsemen are saddling up."

At least it'll be a humorous sort of apocalypse. More »

Penny Arcade Adventures Gallery

fdemarco — Mon, 27 Aug 2007 11:20:39 EDT

I didn't get to post a whole lot of screens for the upcoming Penny Arcade Adventures when I gave my impressions of it yesterday, so I thought I would make up for it by posting this massive twenty photo gallery. The screens show a number of different parts of the game including the battle system, regular gameplay and a shot of the character creation screen. This game just keeps looking better and better and after what I saw at PAX, it will be a definite download for me. More »

Penny Arcade Adventures: On the Rain-Slick Precipice of Darkness First Impressions

fdemarco — Sun, 26 Aug 2007 18:42:05 EDT

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. More »

Penny Arcade Adventures To Appear On XBLA

fdemarco — Sun, 26 Aug 2007 00:55:07 EDT

More Penny Arcade news from PAX, imagine that! Hothead Games announced today that the Penny Arcade Adventures downloadable episodic game will be available over Xbox Live arcade. It will join the releases destined for Windows, Mac OS X and even Linux. Now that's what I call hi-tech! The game is set to release in the early part of 2008. I'll be checking it out tomorrow morning so if I can push back my hangover and get the hooker out of the room early enough, I'll be sure to let you know what it was like. More »