Penny Arcade Adventures: On the Rain-Slick Precipice of Darkness, Episode Two will be out this time next week for $14.95 on computer platforms or 1200 Microsoft points. Hit the jump to check out the Xbox Live Arcade version's achievements while I get all excited.

Penny Arcade Adventures: On the Rain-Slick Precipice of Darkness, Episode Two

Achievement One (SECRET)

Achievement Two
Name: Millionaire
Description: Earn $1,000,000.
Gamerscore: 15

Achievement Three
Name: Moving On Up
Description: Find the key to the Riverbrook Apartments.
Gamerscore: 15

Achievement Four
Name: Arsonist
Description: Destroy a building with fire.
Gamerscore: 15

Achievement Five
Name: Endgame
Description: Find a ticket to the World's Fair.
Gamerscore: 15

Achievement Six
Name: Can't Nobody Hold You Down
Description: Complete Episode Two.
Gamerscore: 15

Achievement Seven
Name: Steel Cannibal
Description: Fully upgrade all party member's weapons.
Gamerscore: 20

Achievement Eight
Name: Lab Assistant
Description: Complete all Bonus Missions.
Gamerscore: 15

Achievement Nine
Name: Reluctant Hero
Description: Refuse to join Gabe and Tycho. At first.
Gamerscore: 5

Achievement Ten
Name: The Strength To Rule
Description: Achieve level 30 with all party members.
Gamerscore: 20

Achievement Eleven
Name: POWER SURRRGE!
Description: Max out one party member's hit counter.
Gamerscore: 25

Achievement Twelve
Name: Pack Rat Strikes Back
Description: Win a fight using only items.
Gamerscore: 25 LAUNCH DATE SET FOR EPISODE TWO OF PENNY ARCADE GAME

The Comedic RPG-Adventure Romp Turns Spooky In Time for Halloween

VANCOUVER, British Columbia - Oct. 22, 2008 - Grab your gardening tool and watch out for giant spiders, out-of-control asylum patients and wacko sanitarium administrators! Hothead Games announced today that Penny Arcade Adventures: On the Rain-Slick Precipice of Darkness, Episode Two will be available via Xbox LIVE® Arcade and via the Greenhouse digital distribution platform (www.playgreenhouse.com) for Windows®, Mac® and Linux® next Wednesday, October 29.

The madcap Penny Arcade experience continues in Episode Two of the RPG-Adventure romp! Rejoin Gabe and Tycho and go crazy in a whole new episode with more puzzles, areas to explore and levels to gain, all while moving ever closer to solving the sinister mystery hidden deep in the heart of New Arcadia. Players can jump right in with a fresh character and new customization options or carry over their looks and stats from Episode One. Plus, new difficulty settings allow gamers to play it safe or go insane, battling bigger and badder enemies than ever before.

Penny Arcade Adventures: On the Rain-Slick Precipice of Darkness, Episode Two will also boast music from The Darkest of the Hillside Thickets, a Canadian rock band dedicated to promoting the literature of H. P. Lovecraft and a recent performer at the 2008 Penny Arcade Expo gaming festival. The song, entitled "Some Things Man Was Not Meant To Know," will enhance the game's closing credits.

"This game is all about the strange and insane world of New Arcadia and the Penny Arcade-style humor to be found in it," said Hothead CEO Vlad Ceraldi. "With the cool gameplay additions we've made, including longer gameplay, completion tracking and difficulty settings; extra Lovecraftian overtones in the world and music; and the perfect time of the year, everything just came together."

Penny Arcade Adventures: On the Rain-Slick Precipice of Darkness, Episode Two is expected to offer players six to ten hours of gameplay, and is priced at $14.95 for the Windows, Mac, and Linux versions on Greenhouse and at 1200 Microsoft points via Xbox LIVE® Arcade. The game has been rated "M" for Mature by the Entertainment Software Rating Board for all platforms.

There have been a few minor gems since the iPhone 3G arrived and Steve Jobs made his bold claim, but the Boing Boing Gadgets crew seem rather taken with action/strategy title Galcon.

The game is a conversion of the desktop title for Windows, OSX and Linux and offers fast-paced Risk-like gameplay with an emphasis on short-burst battles - just the thing for a quick bus journey but with solid enough strategy element to keep you coming back.

The game costs just $5 (compared to $20 for the desktop incarnation) and there is a 'Lite' version available as a free demo through the App Store.

A few hours with Galcon, the first killer game for iPhone [BB Gadgets]

In another case of "Because it's there", some brave/misguided soul has gone to great lengths to get Windows Vista running on a PlayStation 3. How? Emulated via Linux, of course. That translates to blazing speeds, making the Microsoft OS boot in a mere 25 minutes. Notepad opens in just 12!! If you're interested in the techniques required to get Vista on your PS3, PS3HaX has a handy tutorial. Just think — you could be playing Minesweeper in just a few days, at single digit speed percentages! Impress your friends!

Vista running on PS3 & more BD-J homebrew [ via Gizmodo]

The game is currently listed only for Window, Mac, Linux and the Xbox 360's arcade.

I shot a quick question over to Tycho to find out what exactly the deal was. He said they hate all things Sony. Ah-hahahaha, just kidding. I got ya didn't I? Actually it's all about the hardware. Right now the Penny Arcade game will only be shipping on platforms that support Torque because that's the blood that runs through their game's veins.

So no partisanship here, just cold hard hardware issues.

The Windows, Mac and Linux game will sell for $20 and the 360 arcade version will go for 1600 Microsoft Points.

Hit the jump for the full release.

Windows, Mac and Linux Versions of Episode One Reach Gold Master

VANCOUVER, British Columbia - May 1, 2008 - Hothead Games is thrilled to announce that the Windows®, Mac®, and Linux® versions of Penny Arcade Adventures: On the Rain-Slick Precipice of Darkness, Episode One have reached gold master status and are planned for worldwide download via the new digital download service Greenhouse at www.playgreenhouse.com later this quarter. In celebration, Hothead gave some infamous Penny Arcade characters a new look and let them loose on the unsuspecting websites www.rainslick.com, www.hotheadgames.com, and www.playgreenhouse.com for the public to enjoy.

Penny Arcade Adventures: On the Rain-Slick Precipice of Darkness, Episode One is an RPG-adventure game set in the comic-book-meets-pulp-horror-meets-H.P. Lovecraft deranged 1920s universe of New Arcadia, delivered to gamers via accessible episodic releases. Players join Gabe and Tycho, the crime-solving team of the Startling Developments Detective Agency, to combat savage enemies and solve mysteries hidden deep in the sinister heart of New Arcadia. The game is the result of close collaboration between Hothead Games and Penny Arcade, featuring distinct artwork and characters designed exclusively by Mike "Gabe" Krahulik, story and dialogue by Jerry "Tycho" Holkins, and both brought to life by the Hothead team.

Penny Arcade Adventures: On the Rain-Slick Precipice of Darkness, Episode One is priced at $19.95 for the Windows, Mac, and Linux versions and at 1600 Microsoft points via Xbox LIVE® Arcade, with a rating of "M" for Mature by the Entertainment Software Ratings Board for all platforms.

The key here is that the PS3 isn't actually rendering the video or audio. Instead, the base PC that's actually running the game creates all images and sounds, then converting them to a streaming content feed (like a movie or TV show, really).

Compatible with Windows XP and Vista, and DirectX 8-10, pending you have enough power on your PC, you could stream Crysis to your PS3. Apparently StreamMyGame supports resolutions up to Super HDTV (3200 x 2400), but that doesn't matter so much, since the PS3 peaks at 1080p output anyway...though it makes for a pretty sexy spec sheet.

The company also claims to be developing streaming for other platforms including Windows Mobile and Google's Android. If they can get the lag under control, it all sounds like gravy to us. Thick, creamy gravy. If you try the program out, hit me up with an email and let me know how it goes.

StreamMyGame launches Linux player, Play PC games on your PS3 [streamygame via maxconsole]

"We're pleased to extend our relationship with TransGaming, as the company's expertise allows us to deliver the most innovative MMOG to more platforms," said Halldor Fannar, CTO of CCP Games. "By integrating TransGaming's excellent technology, we are able to keep our laser-focus on evolving EVE Online, while simultaneously expanding the EVE universe to even more players."

CCP Games and TransGaming Partner to Bring EVE Online to New Platforms

Reykjavík, Iceland, Toronto, Canada - September 11, 2007 - CCP Games, one of the world's largest independent game developers, today announced a partnership with TransGaming Inc. (TSX-V: TNG) , a leading developer of software portability products for the electronic entertainment industry. The strategic relationship will enable CCP to deliver its popular massively multiplayer online game (MMOG), EVE Online, with Linux and Macintosh platforms later this year.

TransGaming provides technology and expertise to deploy games across a range of platforms without the need for redevelopment and still maintaining the high quality of gameplay and allowing users of different platforms to play in the same perpetual online universe. As a result of this partnership, CCP will be able to expand the reach of its Sci-fi MMOG to new groups around the world.

As an element of the partnership, EVE Online and TransGaming will share quality assurance as well as technical support responsibilities but TransGaming will lead partnership and OEM opportunities for the Linux version of EVE Online. The two companies will work hand-in-hand to ensure all releases go smoothly, creating a transparent integration of the original EVE Online code with each platform.

TransGaming first introduced Linux users to EVE Online through Cedega, a software product that allows Windows games to run on the Linux operating system completely transparently and seamlessly. It was the popularity of this solution that indicated the strong demand for further integration between CCP Games and TransGaming. Later this year, EVE Online will be released for Linux with Cedega directly integrated into the game and on Mac through TransGaming's Cider portability engine.

"We're pleased to extend our relationship with TransGaming, as the company's expertise allows us to deliver the most innovative MMOG to more platforms," said Halldor Fannar, CTO of CCP Games. "By integrating TransGaming's excellent technology, we are able to keep our laser-focus on evolving EVE Online, while simultaneously expanding the EVE universe to even more players."

"EVE Online has always ranked highly with our Linux users and there is significant demand for it among other platforms, including the rapidly growing Mac base," said Vikas Gupta, CEO of TransGaming Technologies. "As EVE takes place within a single-server persistent universe, it's vital that the game is identical in every way across different platforms. This challenge is what makes the partnership with CCP both important and rewarding."

EVE Online is available for download now at www.eve-online.com.

Xbox -Scene is reporting that Xbox Live refuses to let users use the words Linux or Unix in their Live Motto because they are "inappropriate language." Wow, that's about as obnoxious as you can get. Actually, I'd love to see what other words are on their no-no list. I did a couple of tests, first confirming the Unix and Linux bans, and found that while Playstation, Nintendo, PS3 and Wii were all acceptable, "Bill Gates" was not. Funny huh? I suppose they're mostly worried about what you will put after his name.

I wonder if Nintendo or Playstation have strange fits of inappropriate redaction as well?

'Linux' or 'Unix' is Inappropriate Language as LIVE Motto According to [Xbox Scene, via Slashdot]

The latest version of ambient mutual destruction strategy game DEFCON: Everybody Dies allows windows users to take on Mac gamers in the game, Introversion said today.

Another patch, which should hit by the end of the month, will allow Linux gamers to join in the nuclear fun.

Following on from the successes of Uplink and Darwinia, Introversion has teamed up with Mac publisher Ambrosia Software, to bring DEFCON to the Mac.

"We really strive to make our games accessible to as many people as possible, so this version was an important priority for us, and we're looking forward to welcoming some newcomers to DEFCON", confirmed Chris Delay, creative director at Introversion. DEFCON Mac will be available to buy online from Ambrosia Software's website http://www.AmbrosiaSW.com at a price of $25.00.

The new version will also include amBX support for PC gamers so they can actually see and feel the glow, warmth and blow of a bomb extinguishing millions of lives.

Finally, a chance to nuke Mac gamers. Brian Crecente

Console hacking enthusiasts have already taken the first steps towards making the PS3 backup friendly, installing LINUX and using it to dump a 7.08GB ISO file from Madden 07 onto an external hard drive. Pool Boy over at PS3News points out that this is exactly how the PSP backup scene got started, and that the PS3 file structure closely resembles the one used in PlayStation Portable games.

In the same forum post he mentions a new AdvanceMAME binary for the PS3 that allows the system to emulate arcade games through Linux, and links to a tutorial on how to install a 750GB hard drive into the console.

It's kinda funny. This is the most excitement I've seen anyone drum up for the PS3 since the system launch. There might not be much in the way of new games coming out for a few months, but the potential for the system as a set top Linux box is quite intriguing, and an angle I hadn't considered. Now we just have to see if Sony unleashes regular BIOS upgrades to quash the homebrew scene like they've done on the PSP. Michael Fahey

BREAKiNG NEWS: *WORLD EXCLUSiVE* PS3 NEWS! [Ps3News.com - Thanks Alejandro!]

From the days of the Commodore 64 to modern overclocked and water cooled home computers, a battle has raged between dedicated game boxes and home computers for highest quality game play. PLAYSTATION 3 provides an industry first exceptional Linux OS experience ... and Terra Soft the first Linux OS.

The company's CEO, Kai Staats, states that the software will be available at Terra Soft's online store and selected retailers and hopes that it will eventually be bundled with the PS3 in the future. And to show how official this is, the Terra Soft press release even capitalizes PLAYSTATION 3. Brian Ashcraft

Yellow PS3 Dog [Official Site via VGB]

An apparent Nintendo "insider" who blogs under the internet moniker Kiyoshi Saruwatari claims that the Wii console runs on the open source Linux OS. This has not been confirmed or announced by Nintendo, but Saruwatari claims that Linux was used to help reduce dev costs and help run features like web browsing, video playback, file management and emulation. Apparently, the actual games won't run under Linux. He claims:

How could Nintendo cut the cost? It's very simple. Simply Wii will have software based on a industry standard platform that's open source. Linux. You read that right.

What does this mean for homebrews? Saruwatari claims the OS is "closed and will allow only signed code." Meaning it's only a matter of time before it is hacked if this rumor is not total hogwash. Saruwatari claims that Linux will lead to "a lot of third-party add-ons, much like Opera." None of this has been verified, and it very well could be a pack of dirty lies, but we'll ping Nintendo in the morning and keep you updated. Brian Ashcraft

Kiyoshi Makes Linux Claims [ArsTechnica]

Have you ever been playing Super Mario World and thought to yourself, "You know, what this really needs is competitive deathmatch!" No? You're not alone: the vast armada of gamers stands resolute in your corner.

But where there's an inexplicably bizarre idea, there's a programmer looking for a pet project. Enter Super Mario War, a copyright-infringementastic, open source multiplayer Mario game available for Windows, XBox or Linux.

Features:

- Up to four players deathmatch fun
- a whole bunch of game modes (featuring GetTheChicken, Domination, CTF, ...)
- Comes with the leveleditor - you can create your own maps...
- ... and a lot of people did so. There are currently over 400 maps
- More fun than poking a monkey with a stick
- The whole source code of the game is available
- uses SDL and is fully portable to windows, linux, mac, ...
- CPU Players
- will make you happy and gives you a fuzzy feeling

Looks pretty neat, but hello, cease and desist! Florian Eckhardt

Super Mario War [Official Site]

Microsoft may be giving the original Xbox the cold shoulder, but not one interprising public university. To save cash, an Xbox running on Linux was turned into a server. One techie thought the console would be cheaper than a standard PC or server, and thus, it was used to support a subject teaching computer-illiterate Philosophy students how to build their own web pages.

Fast-forward a few years. A new manager had appeared as well as new techies. Few staff members wandered into the server room or knew what the heck that big, black hoss was for.

Five weeks into "Web pages for Philosophy Students", the IT help desk starting getting calls from Philosophy students unable to access their web pages. The reason? The new manager had taken the Xbox home for a little Halo 2 action. The console was returned to the server room with a new label: "This is actually a server." Brian Ashcraft

More Here [WindowsITPro] via SlashingGames

David over at Robots w/ Lasers has taken his favorite sketching application and duplicated it for the Nintendo DS. The app was written for Sharp's Linux-based Zaurus PDA and has a couple stand-out features. For example, you draw on a larger scaled canvas, which is then scaled down to give nice, sketchy lines. There's also a paint bucket tool that slowly pours out like real paint as long as you hold the stylus on the touch screen. David's been updating the code to improve the interface. Still not perfect, but he's working on getting it there.

More Here [Robots w/ Lasers]