The wonderfully strange and hilarious minds of Penny Arcade creators Mike "Gabe" Krahulik and Jerry "Tycho" Holkins have joined with legendary game designer Ron Gilbert to bring you the insanity that is Penny Arcade Adventures: On the Rain-Slick Precipice of Darkness. This episodic role-playing adventure game is set in a highly stylized 1920s universe filled with bizarre characters, outrageous combat and adult humor.

* Create-A-Player system: Create and develop your very own character to participate in the adventure.
* Episodic content: Penny Arcade Adventures keeps the fun going with new material released regularly, with pick up and play capabilities from any episode, and the ability to carry over characters, stats, and inventory from episode to episode.
* Dynamic combat: The turn-based combat system features over-the-top animations, and the capability to team up during enemy battles.
* Adventure/RPG: The classic adventure-style gameplay combines with RPG elements for a mysterious and puzzling good time.
* Twisted goodness: The crazed geniuses behind Penny Arcade promise a thrilling, and wild, story written by Jerry Holkins. As a member of the Startling Developments Detective Agency, it will be your task to resolve the chaos and solve the mystery in the world of New Arcadia.

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Penny Arcade game on XBLA next week
News by Rob Purchese

Today 16:33

Microsoft has just chimed in to say Penny Arcade Adventures: On the Rain-Slick Precipice of Darkness, Episode One will be available next Wednesday on Live Arcade.

Not only is it a long title, but it's made by adventure game legend Ron Gilbert with the help of the artistically gifted chaps from Penny Arcade: Mike 'Gabe' Krahulik and Jerry 'Tycho' Holkins.

Rain-Slick, as we are calling it [we're not - Ed], is described as an RPG-adventure that takes place in a 1920s-style world featuring bonkers characters and adult humour.

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This morning, Penny Arcade and Hothead Games announced that the two companies would team to launch a digital delivery service for games.

Called Greenhouse, the Vancouver-based company will partner with indie game developers and put their games in front of Penny Arcade's massive fan base, as well as serve as the sole point of distribution for the PC, Mac, and Linux versions of Penny Arcade Adventures: On The Rain-Slick Precipice of Darkness.

In this Wired.com exclusive interview, Penny Arcade creators Mike "Gabe" Krahulik and Jerry "Tycho" Holkins talk about their ambitions for Greenhouse, how it's all set up, and the kind of indie games they want to put in front of their army of loyal readers.

One of my favorite Penny Arcade strips is about GameStop, and how digital distribution would adversely affect its business model. So I have to ask, was Greenhouse on your mind when you guys were writing that?

Tycho: No, that was a long time ago. No, certainly not in the way that we've conceived of it now. Greenhouse was really supposed to just be for our own stuff. But when that comic came out, it really seemed like they were -- maybe they were even aware, the person in that strip, that CEO isn't aware that the destruction is coming. But I think it's actually the opposite. I think they're just trying to get as much money as they can before it sinks.

Being interested in an idea in a theoretical sense is one thing, but founding a new company is another. So why does Penny Arcade want to expand into digital distribution?

Gabe: He wants to know why we've expanded into digital distribution. Well, we needed a way to digitally distribute our game. And so [laughter] we thought, what better way than through digital distribution? So we had to make one.

But why start your very own company rather than go with somebody else?

Tycho: It seemed like the best way… Why not?

[pause]

I'm asking you!

Oh, okay! Sorry, I'm sort of comatose after lunch.

Do you know how these things work?

Tycho: I think it allowed us to retain control of the entire process. Essentially, it's just a videogame version of what we've been doing for a decade, which is to basically own the whole chain of events that are involved in us getting our comics out. I mean, obviously it's more sophisticated and it's definitely fancier and more expensive to do it for software, but the process is not that dissimilar.

Oh, so this goes back to the earlier experiences you guys had, where you let other people take too much control of your content and it didn't work out.

Gabe: Yeah. We were essentially in the business of being screwed, professionally, for years. If we can avoid being screwed, we're gonna do it.

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Countdown Starts Today (5/13/2008)
For your counting pleasure, today we have here the official On the Rain-slick Precipice of Darkness, Episode One Countdown to keep your finger on the pulse of Launch Day.

8 days from today, Episode One will be available for purchase here on The Greenhouse for PC, Linux and Mac. You'll want to keep coming back to check it out, we have some cool goodies to share with you as we all wait in great anticipation for Launch Day... May 21st!

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Windows, Mac and Linux versions to sell worldwide for $19.95
Hothead Games has announced that Penny Arcade Adventures: On the Rain-Slick Precipice of Darkness, the first chapter of the planned episodic Penny Arcade Adventures game, will be available for $19.95, for the Windows, Mac and Linux versions. Due to ship this Spring, Penny Arcade Adventures: On the Rain-Slick Precipice of Darkness will feature characters from Penny Arcade, including the well-known Gabe and Tycho.

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Penny Arcade XBLA game priced at $20

Posted Mar 27th 2008 8:00PM by Terrence Stasse
Filed under: News, Xbox Live Arcade
The XBLA game with the overly long title of Penny Arcade Adventures: On the Rain-Slick Precipice of Darkness: Episode One finally got some real details. Hothead games, the developer, released the game's final price, $19.99 (1600 MSpts). It remains to be see how the game will sell with a relatively high (for an XBLA game) price. It also remains to be seen what form of episodic game Penny Arcade Adventures will end up being. With a price of twenty dollars it seems more likely to be Half Life 2 style episodes (which debuted at the same price). The only other real episodic gaming example that would apply would be the Sam and Max episodes. Those however are $8.95 and have a monthly release cycle. What path PAA takes remains to be seen, but if it does end up following the Half Life 2 model, expect at least a trilogy of games with an overarching story across them all.

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Minimum System Requirements

1. Operating System

Windows and Linux
Windows® 2000/XP/VistaTM with latest updates or Linux® 32-bit x86
Pentium® III, AMD AthlonTM 1.0 GHz or better

Mac
Mac® OS X 10.4/10.5 with latest updates
PowerPC® G4, G5 or Intel® based Mac 1.0 GHz or better

2. All Platforms

ATI RadeonTM 9500 or better, NVIDIA GeForceTM FX 5200 or better, Intel® GMA 950 or better with 64 MB of video memory (shared or dedicated)*
512 MB of available system memory
OS-supported keyboard and mouse
OS-supported sound card
350 MB of available hard drive space (185 MB installed)
Available Internet connection for download and one-time authentication

Recommended Configuration

1. Operating System

Windows and Linux
Pentium® IV, AMD AthlonTM 1.5 GHz or better

Mac
PowerPC® G4, G5 or Intel® based Mac 1.5 GHz or better

2. All Platforms

ATI RadeonTM X800 or better, NVIDIA GeForceTM 6600 or better video card with 128 MB of video memory*
768 MB of available system memory
16-bit stereo- or surround-capable sound card with latest drivers

*All Windows- and Linux-based system video cards require latest drivers supporting OpenGL®.

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Stray Cat 5
Have T. Kemper join the player as a support character.

All Together Now 5
Do a 3-member Team-Up Attack.

A Winner Is You 10
Successfully complete the first episode.

Nine Lives 15
Kill an enemy using T. Kemper's basic attack.

Pack Rat 15
Find and collect all of the hidden collectibles scattered around the game.

Steel Devils 15
Explore the world to find all the robots, and defeat them all in combat.

Pacifist 15
Only use counterattacks, health items, or distraction items to win one battle.

Silent, But Deadly 30
Fight, and destroy the final Boss without using any healing items.

Immortal 20
Play and win the game without allowing a character to die during combat.

Fight 'Em With Items 20
Find and use every item in the game at least once.

Level Awesome 20
Kill enough enemies in the game to get the XP necessary to get all party members to Level 15.

Clean Sweep 30
Find and kill every possible enemy in the game.

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Of course, the real star of PAA isn’t the gameplay, but the humor. It’s a lot like playing a comic strip, and should be approached as such. Read a few of the strips online before plunking down your $20 - if you like what you see there, the game is worth the price of admission. No release date has been announced yet, but the game will be available to download at www.rainslick.com and www.playgreenhouse.com.

PC Gamer scores games on a percentage scale, which is rounded to the closest whole number to determine the GamesRadar score.

PCG Final Verdict: 80% (Excellent)

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8.0 Presentation
Nails the essence of the Penny Arcade strips and has a nice stylized look. The story isn't as clever as one might expect.
7.0 Graphics
The character's look great and even the limited variety of enemies are interesting. Too bad the environments are the complete opposite. Occasional framerate dips also hurt.
6.5 Sound
Can't wait to hear Gabe and Tycho chat it up? Too bad. This is mostly text-based with occasional narration. The score is a nice compliment to the absurd plot.
7.5 Gameplay
A solid, fast-paced RPG system. The blocking needs some work and it would be nice to have deeper customization, but it's a good enough fit for XBLA.
6.0 Lasting Appeal
The main game will take you 6-8 hours to complete, but you can't go back for more. Once it's over, it's over until Episode Two.

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blame space said:

Didn't Edge review this already? Why isn't that in the OP?

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Alaluef said:

Hmm... Love Penny Arcade, but I'm still not sure.

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blame space said:

Didn't Edge review this already? Why isn't that in the OP?

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Shard said:

Well, there are previews linked in the OP, also found a review on the web.

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shidoshi said:

I actually think it's good for hardcore video game critics to make their own game. Either the game rocks, and they show that they know what they're talking about, or the game totally sucks, and they look like morons.

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StrikerObi said:

This game costs 1600 points. There is no way to buy 1600 points on Xbox Live. However, you can buy as few as 400 points via a Zune account. You don't need a Zune to do this. I do it all the time. When I buy things on Xbox Live I like using the fewest points possible, and buying 400 via the Zune Marketplace is the way to go. Why should I put $6.25 into my account to buy one song on Rock Band when I could put $5 in. Plus, buying points 500 ($6.25) at a time almost always leaves you with change in your account, and that's just annoying.

http://points.microsoft.com/UserPortal/Buy.aspx

You can buy 400, 1200, 2000, or 4000 points on this website. Just buy 1200 + 400 (or 400 x3) to get the 1600 needed for RSPD.

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devildog820 said:

Looks really good. I guess I will be purchasing this one on Steam.

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Sqorgar said:

Beyond the Valley of the Dolls didn't do much to hurt Ebert's credibility...

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Monday, May 19, 2008 9:00 AM by Gamerscore News
“Penny Arcade Adventures: On the Rain-Slick Precipice of Darkness, Episode One” Launches on Xbox LIVE Arcade This Wednesday!

Discover the mysteries of New Arcadia with Gabe and Tycho in “Penny Arcade Adventures: On the Rain-Slick Precipice of Darkness, Episode One,” available on Xbox LIVE Arcade this Wednesday, May 21, 2008 at 9:00 a.m. GMT (1:00 a.m. PDT).

The first episodic RPG-Adventure game to grace Xbox LIVE Arcade, “Penny Arcade Adventures: On the Rain-Slick Precipice of Darkness, Episode One” is the result of a collaboration between Hothead Games and Penny Arcade. The first episode sends players to a deranged 1920s comic-book-meets-pulp-horror universe called New Arcadia. Armed with unconventional weaponry, players join forces with Gabe and Tycho of the Startling Developments Detective Agency to make war on bizarre enemies and solve the mysteries hidden deep in the sinister heart of New Arcadia.

“Penny Arcade Adventures: On the Rain-Slick Precipice of Darkness, Episode One” offers players the ability to design their own customizable character, a dynamic turn-based combat system and the ability to transfer your customized character’s stats and inventories to future episodes, or start fresh with each episode. Fans of Penny Arcade will appreciate the authenticity of the game, which features distinctive artwork and characters designed by Mike “Gabe” Krahulik and a story and dialogue written by Jerry “Tycho” Holkins.

Developed by Hothead Games, “Penny Arcade Adventures: On the Rain-Slick Precipice of Darkness, Episode One” will be available worldwide (with the exception of Korea) for 1600 Microsoft Points and is rated “M” for Mature by the ESRB for all platforms. For more details on “Penny Arcade Adventures: On the Rain-Slick Precipice of Darkness, Episode One” please visit:

* http://www.xbox.com/en-US/games/p/pennyarcadexboxlivearcade/

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PhlivoSong said:

I wonder if this game is going to be the trojan horse that starts a trend of games being $20 on XBLA (or at least charging more). We've already been hearing developers whisper that $10 isn't enough to charge for a game, and now with the change in the profit structure for games sold on XBLA... will we see more developers follow?

Originally it was pretty standard for games to be $5 and very few games were $10. Now $10 is absolutely standard. Puzzle Quest was $15 and nobody else has charged that much since then.

I find it interesting that any content related to Penny Arcade on XBLA has the "Square Enix" tax on it. All of their picture packs are $2.50 where most other ones on the service are $1. Now their game is going to be double the standard price of an XBLA game.

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StrikerObi said:

Just buy 1200 + 400 (or 400 x3) to get the 1600 needed for RSPD.

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SailorDaravon said:

Uh, everyone complaining about getting 1600 points even knows you can buy 1600 point cards in any (US) store, right? I bought a ton of them when I was picking up Legendary Packs for people.

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Shard said:

To put it simply, a lot of Neo Gafican XBLA Buyers are cheap-asses.

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dammitmattt said:

So how long is this supposed to be? How much content are we getting for $20? I'm still on the fence.

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Zzoram said:

So why isn't this going to Steam again? Steam is the best digital distribution service on PC right now, and has the largest customer base.

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dammitmattt said:

So how long is this supposed to be? How much content are we getting for $20? I'm still on the fence.

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This morning, Penny Arcade and Hothead Games announced that the two companies would team to launch a digital delivery service for games.

Called Greenhouse, the Vancouver-based company will partner with indie game developers and put their games in front of Penny Arcade's massive fan base, as well as serve as the sole point of distribution for the PC, Mac, and Linux versions of Penny Arcade Adventures: On The Rain-Slick Precipice of Darkness.

In this Wired.com exclusive interview, Penny Arcade creators Mike "Gabe" Krahulik and Jerry "Tycho" Holkins talk about their ambitions for Greenhouse, how it's all set up, and the kind of indie games they want to put in front of their army of loyal readers.

One of my favorite Penny Arcade strips is about GameStop, and how digital distribution would adversely affect its business model. So I have to ask, was Greenhouse on your mind when you guys were writing that?

Tycho: No, that was a long time ago. No, certainly not in the way that we've conceived of it now. Greenhouse was really supposed to just be for our own stuff. But when that comic came out, it really seemed like they were -- maybe they were even aware, the person in that strip, that CEO isn't aware that the destruction is coming. But I think it's actually the opposite. I think they're just trying to get as much money as they can before it sinks.

Being interested in an idea in a theoretical sense is one thing, but founding a new company is another. So why does Penny Arcade want to expand into digital distribution?

Gabe: He wants to know why we've expanded into digital distribution. Well, we needed a way to digitally distribute our game. And so [laughter] we thought, what better way than through digital distribution? So we had to make one.

But why start your very own company rather than go with somebody else?

Tycho: It seemed like the best way… Why not?

[pause]

I'm asking you!

Oh, okay! Sorry, I'm sort of comatose after lunch.

Do you know how these things work?

Tycho: I think it allowed us to retain control of the entire process. Essentially, it's just a videogame version of what we've been doing for a decade, which is to basically own the whole chain of events that are involved in us getting our comics out. I mean, obviously it's more sophisticated and it's definitely fancier and more expensive to do it for software, but the process is not that dissimilar.

Oh, so this goes back to the earlier experiences you guys had, where you let other people take too much control of your content and it didn't work out.

Gabe: Yeah. We were essentially in the business of being screwed, professionally, for years. If we can avoid being screwed, we're gonna do it.

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Shard said:

As far as why the game isn't coming to the PSN, well, no real reason has been given, I am sorry to say.

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NichM said:

My assumption is that Sony doesn't really have a structure in place for letting third-party publishers put downloadable games on PSN yet. As explained in this informative editorial, Sony has yet to work out the kinks in certification and publication for its online presence.

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Acid08 said:

Why isn't there a PSN version? I really want to play this.

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Torque Engine main reason for Penny Arcade's absence on PSN

The first downloadable Penny Arcade adventure is coming soon to Xbox Live Arcade, Mac, Linux and PC. Why is it not coming out on PSN? Simple: the Torque Game Engine isn't compatible with the PS3, at least not yet. It was always intended to bring the game over to PS3, explained a representative from Hot Head Games. However, the engine's lack of support for Sony's console made it impossible to make it multiplatform.

The Torque Game Engine is commonly used for Xbox Live Arcade games because it is a low-cost solution for developers that can't invest in other options, such as the Unreal Engine. Downloadable titles need to keep their costs low, especially when developed by independent teams. For now, it seems as though Penny Arcade Adventures won't find a home on the PS3.

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bryehn said:

Rocketmen runs on Torque on PS3.

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Why is it not coming out on PSN? Simple: the Torque Game Engine isn't compatible with the PS3, at least not yet.

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