@Irenicus-the one and only: actually, although i can't remember any specific examples, i have seen other comics make fun of them before...still, one of my favorite webcomics, i can't wait to buy and play the hell out of this game.

Willows

I love those guys.  I can't wait to get this.  The more we get from them, the better for our world.

sir_carrot

I want it just because it's PA. Looks good though. Pray for a demo on Live.

PsycheDiver

Gabe and Tycho are assholes. They have said it themselves time and time again.

That is why I love them. They are honest about games and society and don't censor their opinions. They mock society with wit, intelligence, and common sense.

No one said they are nice guys, lol.

That aside... I'm going to buy this game the instant I am physically able to do so.

Jashin

I can't wait for this game. I hate turn-based combat, but the humor will easily eclipse that complaint.

Strangelove

@cowondinosaur:

There is such a thing as an acquired taste. Most people don't like beer, wine, or brie when they first try it - but repeated experiences turn many around eventually.

Koztah

I also love turn-based RPG combat. Fallout FTW!

SpiralJacobs

I like Tycho's writing style personally, edited or not. It's entertaining and different from the other stuff I read on the internet on a daily basis.

I also think Assassin's Creed was one of the 5 best game I've played in my life and I've been gaming for over 20 years. I think a lot of it comes down to what someone is looking for in a game. I like an emmersive world with an interesting plot. I found Assassin's Creed to have both. I was a history major in college and I enjoyed the developers playing with the crusades, which one of my major field of study. To be perfectly honest, it was cool seeing 12th century cities rendered in that way.

I don't understand the Spore hype myself. I'm not even remotely interested in it. Again, it's one of those things where some people are looking for a different sort of game playing experience than I am. It's not a problem, but I won't be picked up Spore.

As for the topic itself, this game is looking good to me. I like turn based RPG style combat (and the Real Time Events that have shown up in the videos) and the art style and writing are sure to appeal to me.

Aeralindor

He doesn't just have an, "embiggened," vocabulary, he uses the thesaurus too much. From his own mouth, about how he tweaks - also known as edits - his posts for a while before posting them:

"I see how it all sounds and looks, and I'm always goofing around. Spend some time at thesaurus.com, you know what I'm talking about."

[www.bradleysalmanac.com]

There is nothing wrong with the thesaurus, or editing - it's a natural and necessary part of the writing process - but, using big words for the sake of using them is, in geeneral, not a good practice. It's something amateur writers often fall into in order to appear knowledgeable and stylish. Using these words sparingly is not an insult to the intelligence of the reader; I think the opposite, actually.

Anyway, this is beside the point. I like a lot of what they do, and what they represent, it's just a pet peeve of mine I had to get out, haha.

SpiralJacobs

Color me excited.

onidavin

@catapult37: Also, they really are funny sometimes. They occasionally podcast their writing process, and the last one was really good. Too bad the really funny idea they were bouncing around was hastily replaced in the last 5 minutes by that Spore idea, which was vastly inferior.

catapult37

@everyone debating PA's merit, just throwing in my 2 cents...

I used to HATE Tycho's writing. I hated his ludicrous, overstuffed metaphors, his conspicuous (and sometimes incorrect) usage of "big words", and his seemingly random application of italics. But in the past two years or so, something happened. The first thing is that he seems to have reined in his style just a bit. I no longer see as many things that just outright annoy me. The second thing is that I sort of came to enjoy his style. Maybe it's a form of Stockholm Syndrome. :-)

I agree that Gabe and Tycho can be annoying on occasion, but I think most of us would admit that on some level we envy their position. They rose (rapidly) in INTERNET FAME, and now occupy a position as high-profile tastemakers/commentators on the industry. Not to mention the awe-inspiring event that PAX has become. It's also hard to argue that Child's Play is a bad thing. Anyway, what was my point...? Oh yeah, I'm totally buying this game. :-)

Cheers!

catapult37

Can't wait for this.

Bernard McGraw

@gamadaya:

Assuming reviewers would enjoy the Assassin's Creed more if they had more time to screw around with it is pure conjecture. There's just not that much depth in the game that excessive time would alleviate its flaws.

If I didn't like drinking 8 ounces of Diet Pepsi, I'm sure as hell not going to like it more if I drink a gallon of it. If I didn't like it when I chugged it, I doubt I'd like it if I sipped it.

cowondinosaur

There can't exist pro-Spore or anti-Spore fanboys. The games has not been released. There can be the-idea-of-spore-and-screenshot-Fanboy...

tei

I still think it should have been a point and click adventure, it would have suited the humor far more.

Jambolia

@Bluecell: That looks incredible!

mcderek3000

I'm pretty pumped for OTRSPoD. I hope it turns out more like a smart and epic story and not just a funny misadventure, though I think they could really pull off either.

@Bluecell: Man, that whole website you linked is pretty damn cool.

Vorpal

@KiyuKo: All games need a publisher. Or at the very least, it may be because they're releasing the game on a "platform" or two that Microsoft owns?

tcolberg

@KiyuKo: Because it's coming out on XBLA, and they announced a bunch of XBLA release timeframes today. Calm down.

Luke Plunkett

What does Microsoft even has to do with this game?

KiyuKo

@mcderek3000: <3

cyruspowers

@mcderek3000: Spero cadis in fonteque mortuus es.

cyruspowers

@mcderek3000: They could just Steampunk him a la Iron Man

[www.sillof.com]

Bluecell

@mcderek3000: What he said made perfect sense if you know what he's talking about. Kinda like when Scientologists talk to eachother. Criminon KSW you know.

PA'S Fruit Fucker and DIVX FTW.

Bluecell

@gamadaya: They will have to modify him to better fit the early 20th century setting. Perhaps he could be an ugly, foul-mouthed film projector.

mcderek3000

@cyruspowers: English, please.

mcderek3000

@Gambare:
Div is my all time favorite character. I'm going to be pissed as hell if he's not in there.

gamadaya

Eh, PA appeals to people who don't fail. If you don't want to play, more power to you. If, on the other hand, you like things that are Awesome, I can't see many people passing this up.

cyruspowers

I wonder if they put the Fruit F in the game. Oh and divx :P

Gambare

@gamadaya:
On the other hand, the comic clearly mocks Tycho's immense knowledge of useless and fictional trivia.

gamadaya

@Krytha: D'oh! Misanthropic! I wouldn't call them pompous. That label would better fit "Mr Franzibald".

By the way, I am hoping that Gabe's gargantuan vocabulary makes it into the game .

mcderek3000

Hah! Look at the first sentence of today's newspost:
"It's hard to imagine not having access to a deep reservoir of supernatural knowledge to enrich and inform my daily life."

lol. I can see where Spiral's coming from.

gamadaya

Can't wait for this. I'd pay $60 for it without a second thought. I expect a lot from it mostly due to Tycho's writing, but also the love I have for PA's art style.

kyosen

@Toasticus: I was going to say the same thing in so many words. Maybe a bit more. I've read all of PA and I've never once thought of Tycho or Gabe as pompous. Opinionated, sure, but not pompous.

They seem to take joy rather, in disseminating the pompousness of others.

It also helps that I agree with almost everything they spout - especially the recent Spore hype criticism. I do not want any more hype. I will praise the game once I've played it, thanks.

JibbyJam

@mcderek3000: Misantrophic didn't really ring any bells with me. Maybe you meant misanthropic? And Gabe does the art, Tycho does the wordy.

Krytha

@Toasticus:
I love Tycho's writing to, but I often have to look up words (which is a good thing). I have trouble following some of his sentences, but I have to say, he rarely ever makes gramatical mistakes. For somebody who writes such complex and unconventional sentences, that's a pretty big achievement.

gamadaya

@Toasticus: I was about to comment on that myself. Tycho is indeed a true linguist.

gryph1

@mcderek3000: Some people just enjoy using uncommon words. I love Tycho's writing myself, and I don't see it as being the least bit motivated by presumption or pompousness. Instead, I take it as being an indication of his infatuation with language itself. *shrug*

Toasticus

2 bosses I would like to see in the game:

1. Jack Thompson

2. L. H. Franzibald

mcderek3000

Yes, I think Tycho's point was mainly on the appeal of the game to him. Just as so many people here have said "I don't like turn-based.." etc. He's not feeling the Sims.. I don't either. I never liked SimCity that much truth be told.

I saw Spore and I'm amazed at the gameplay aspect and the technology engine encompassed in it but I'd play it for a day or two get the cheats to evolve to the highest level with a space ship and all and then I'd wipe my hands of it. There's no replayability for me there. I think it's neat that you can create creatures limb by limb. I won't have much fun after that. I can do that in a flash game!

Wow that turned into a rant. But you see that's my opinion and if you enjoy it and love it, that's great! I won't be playing with you, maybe I'll see you in some other game!

I'm just trying to boil it down to this. Game Reviews are opinions. The game is not even out yet, I've not played it. So will I change my mind when I get my hands on it? Maybe.

Gabe and Tycho work for our community, Child's Play, PAX, even their own end of the year awards(Remember the WoW debacle? I have no doubt Blizzard had some type of positive change out of it.)

They try to entertain, they try to be responsible with their position. Honestly, I'm no raving fan(I find some comics sub-par.) I do immensely respect them for what they do.

Their game? Not a big fan of the graphics(always hated 2d-ish 3D, but I'm sure it's a chore to be as familiar as possible to the comic) Love the gamestyle(I like turn-based), possibly might enjoy the story. So yeah I'll give it a try, not a fan of turn-based or of the comic itself, I won't fault you for not wanting the game.

gryph1

@tk.: I guess the sheer verbosity does intermittently appear as if they are trying too hard to seem enlightened and intellectual. Perhaps they wish to counteract the general misantrophic perception that gamers are mouthbreathing mongoloids.

mcderek3000

@Stormrider: Dunno. The guy's got as big a cult of personality as Kim Jong Il.

blackadvent

It looks beautiful so far, courtesy of Tycho's drawings, and it combines my 2 favourite genres - the JRPG and the adventure game, so I'm definitely looking forward to it.

I don't like their comic that much anymore - too topical for me nowadays and not enough actual laugh-out-loud humour (give me PVPOnline or VGCats any day). They still do have some classic humour every once in a while, though - I loved the jokes about the Crysis storyline.

mcderek3000

@SpiralJacobs: Why shouldn't Will Wright's games be subject to the same scrutiny as anybody else?

Stormrider

The game's looking pretty sweet. It looks a lot like Marvel: Ultimate Alliance.

SolInvictus

@SpiralJacobs: Also, way too much thesaurus. Way too much.

Some people just have embiggened vocabularies, and try to use words that capture the nuances of what they're saying. They're not writing AP articles that have to be written at a third-grade level with singe sentence paragraphs.

tk.

@SpiralJacobs: Good time as any, just don't expect miles of people to agree with you. Yeah, they come off as assholes, but that's kinda their goal. As far as I'm concerned, they write a funny comic and they do enough good in the gaming community to offset their jerk moments, and freely admit when they were wrong. Good enough for me.

Krytha

@SpiralJacobs: Just because they called out a game by a particalur dev makes them pompous? That doesn't make sense. As far as I could see, the only thing that Gabe(Tycho didn't come out against the game really) was that he didn't understand the appeal and following that its generated. That he didn't see much of a game there.

And somewhat expressed an concern that procedureally generated content would remove artists from the medium(Though I find that thought silly, and am unsure if he was serious about that)

CrimzinD

@SpiralJacobs: Some of that seems to be your own impression (nee, fanboyism?) of what they have said rather than any real semblance to fact. Not that the PA guys are saints, they have opinions and they have a big giant soapbox to spout them from. Anyway, I don't think it was "anti-Spore" so much as "anti-Spore-cult" and "anti-Spore-hype". I agree with them on that... as much as I've heard "Spore is the greatest game since sliced Pong", I still don't feel the appeal.

Also, I believe the statements about Assassin's Creed weren't so much a "must have" but a "probably" followed by a "Hey look, so and so's acheivements proved they missed most of Assassin's Creed in their low-score review..." Assassin's Creed is mostly a love-it-or-hate-it game for critics and sometimes that does show that some critics are playing less of it... and that's the trade-off you get when you try to get people to pay attention to a story slowly elaborated over the course of a 40 hour game... Personally I remain all of "meh" about Assassin's Creed, anyway... It had its moments and was neither brilliant nor incredibly awful, lying somewhere in the B region between the many As and also as many Cs the game got from reviewers.

Anyway, I think that PA generally is good about reminding us that we all have our biases and should sometimes check them at the door with a little bit of brutal honesty. Just because you think Spore might be some sort of personal savior and Assassin's Creed the ET of this generation doesn't mean *they* are the ones that are arrogant...

In the end I don't really care what you think of PA. I just thought your examples were lacking. I'm sure someone can come up with better evidence of PA douchebaggery than thoughts about games that you personally disagreed with... If I thought every game website that wrote about games with opinions I disagreed with was full of douchebags, well then I wouldn't have much to read about games, would I?

WorldMaker

@SpiralJacobs:
I don't think they were bashing Spore itself, just the endless hype that seems to have been going on for years now.

sobjw

Okay, look: I find the writing style annoying. Me. It's not a fact, it's an opinion, and like I said, I do find some of what they do funny. It's just that when they annoy me, they really annoy me, and I've never taken the chance to vent on it, so I felt this was as good a time as any.

SpiralJacobs

To call out a Will Wright game is pretty pompous. To suggest that they're opinion of Assassin's Creed was the right one, and the negative reviewers were wrong is pompous. It wasn't posited entirely as an opinion, it was a backhanded attack on various reviewers, which would be fine, if it wasn't flawed. As for Assassin's Creed, I'm totally fine with someone loving it, but there are just as many who despise it as love it - it's a game that seems to split the gamers.
I know I'm asking for it, but hell, if Penny Arcade can dish it out, I'm sure they can take it.

SpiralJacobs

@SpiralJacobs: If you look at Tycho's posts knowing full well that he intends them to be pompous and arrogant (it's his writing style, I'm sure he's admitted to it), then you can get past that and see the humor therein. I'm not saying I agree with everything they say -- the Spore thing comes to mind, and I disagree with his view on the potential of GH/RB -- but I disagree with my friends, too, and I still get along with them just fine. Differences of opinion between people, even between us lowly Internet-savages and the Internet-pharoahs that manage the Internet-shrines-aka-webcomics-and-blogs, are nothing out of the ordinary. Disagree with them, but don't make a jackass out of yourself by proclaiming how much you hate them for disagreeing with you every time something Penny Arcade-related comes up.

tsathoggua

@Anemone:
Ha! Another comment about the avatar. I guess I can't change this one, huh? But yeah, this game sounds really good for you.

@SpiralJacobs:
Whoa, watch your back dude. I also didn't agree with their take on spore, but as for the Assassin's Creed thing, I totally agreed. I loved Assassin's Creed, precicely(I wish IE had a spell check) for all the reasons the reviewers said that they didn't like it. The point was valid. Reviewers would have probably like the game more if they just had more time to screw around a little more. Besides, these guys are gamers, just like us, and they've got their own opinions. I don't always agree with them, and sometimes I get pissed as hell (the Devil May Cry install comic), but I wouldn't go so far as to call them pompous.

gamadaya

If I was going to pick two spokepersons for gamers I would trust Gabe and Tycho over anyone else, except for kotaku's own crecente.

I really hope this game turns out fun, and at the very least tychos writing provides a few laughs.

Neon

@MONKEYBIZ Yeah, it's definitely a thing against Gabe and Tycho, not the game. Game might be good, and I do find them funny now and again, it's just...those things I mentioned, and probably a few more.

SpiralJacobs

@MonkeyBiz: For me, not speaking about how I think the game does look lame and boring, in gameplay too. I do get the feeling these guys have an ego too big for their own good, now a game with them being the stars and selling it.. Meh, no comic out there that makes fun of them?

I won't flame anyone for buying it though.

Irenicus-the one and only

Also, way too much thesaurus. Way too much.

SpiralJacobs

@Irenicus-the one and only: I agree, I'm a huge PA fan, but this just seems... unnatural.
I can't see Gabe and Tycho as heroes.
Even if I wanted it, I couldn't get it, simply because I'm a PS3 owner.

TheCleaningGuy

I have yet to see an answer on this...

WHY RED NOSES?

chiablo

@SpiralJacobs:

Sounds like you have more against Gabe and Tycho than their game.

MonkeyBiz

@gamadaya: First allow me to say that your avatar is fantastic.
the turn based gameplay is actually what interests me most. I've been waiting for a new Gladius type game, but I'm not expecting Lucas Arts to come out with Gladius HD anytime soon. So yea, this fits the bill well enough.

Anemone

I know I'll probably get slain for saying anything along these lines, but what can I do? I feel a need to speak my mind: I think the Penny Arcade guys are pompous douchebags. They can be funny, but, in equal measure, they can be annoying and arrogant. Recent occurrences of annoyance include their anti-Spore rant, and their idea that since they enjoyed Assassin's Creed, then the game reviewers who gave it a poor score must have played it wrong. Although I also think Mark Rein is a bit of a pompous d-bag, I think Penny Arcade's posting of his letter to them with a condescending dissection of it was low.
That is all.

SpiralJacobs

@Irenicus-the one and only:

I have no beef with you, it probably panders to the PA fans. I'd hope they'd put more effort into reaching a larger audience, even though they have about millions of fans already. Even so that doesn't mean they'll buy the game.

MonkeyBiz

@Irenicus-the one and only:
I agree with it looking boring, but I wouldn't get it for the gameplay (I'm not a fan of turn based gameplay, to put it kindly), but I know the writing will be kick ass.

gamadaya

I know I must be one of the few on Kotaku, but I think the game looks lame and boring and I have no interest in it. Don't shoot me!

Irenicus-the one and only

I might pick it up on live, but if it's pointy and clicky it belongs on a PC.

MonkeyBiz

@KoW:

Ah, someone has adjusted to the 1up rating system eh? :P

It looks promising, but I'd say that the PA fan-base is a pretty limited one. I don't see this selling millions.

Cry0Tek

Sweet. For once something comes out during the traditional gaming doldrums.

Gouki4u

I don't really read penny arcade, but this game looks right up my alley. I hope my beastly pc can handle it. I don't hold out much hope...

Anemone

I can't wait. Huge Penny Arcade fan. This is a guarantee purchase for me for the writing alone.

Kilbe

@dunetiger : rock you like a hurricane: As in, not for those in the Southern Hemisphere, where the seasons are reversed.

Stormrider

@dunetiger : rock you like a hurricane: I knoes, right

Shoemaster

Northern Summer?

dunetiger : rock you like a hurricane

no, its on pc too

chup88

=P

Katorok

Oh it's Xbox Live only?

goldwings

I was wary, but it seems most of my hopes have been addressed. Now all I need is a release and hopefully a B+ quality game.

KoW