Yay.... People Call the Wii a dead console for releases, I have a tron of Wii games, but I havent purchased a PC game in like 2 years. It'll be nice to break my streak.

LuppyLuptonium

$20 seems a bit steep to me, but I'll reserve my very judgmental judgment until it releases. Personally, I love PA, although many Kotakuites do not seem to share my affinity.

vanderblade

@Tenth: Okay, lazy was harsh. But saying "PS3 doesn't support Torque" is stupid.

There is absolutely no hardware limitation stopping a game engine from working on the PS3, or the 360, or the PC for that matter. It's only a matter of software development actually accounting for that system.

It's *their* engine, *they* aren't supporting the PS3, not the other way around.

Quark

Nice, hopefully Bionic Commando ReArmed will hit the following week. Capcom's XBLA games are getting backed up.

Commando 3 was supposed to be out in April, BCR in May and 1942: Joint Strike in June.

I wonder if MS limits how many games a publisher can release during a certain period. After all, they only typically release 4 or 5 XBLA games a month.

skullivan

I am really looking forward to this game as I love the comic and Tycho's posts. I am also digging the throw-back old school RPG feel.

KillerBee

I'm there! Woohoo!!!

It was between this and a WiiWare game and this looks like too much fun!

Fatmumuhomer

Sucks its not going to be on the PSN, hopefully later though. Might have to unpack my 360 and hook it back up.

vega480

@Quark: Why does it have to be lazy? It's obvious that the developers/publishers with millions of dollars backing them have a hard time with the PS3. Perhaps learning to develope on the PS3 is too costly at this time.

Tenth

I'm not big on the PA craze, but how many PS3 owners are going to write it off as garbage just because it won't be on the PS3?

I Spit On Your Comments

"As you recall, there's no PlayStation Network version because PSN doesn't support Torque, with which the game is built."

Yes and No
[www.garagegames.com]
(courtesy of user steliosco)

The game, though coded in Torque, if, created using Torque360, could be ported to XBLA, PSN, and PC. But hey, who wants to go through all of that trouble.

Techknow

You mean "because Torque doesn't support the PS3", not the other way around. This isn't a hardware limitation, it's a lazy developer.

Quark

Eh.........I don't want to pay 20 dollars for this, but....I probably will.

Blind_Evil

Yay! That's much earlier than I expected. I can't wait!

catapult37

Color me extremely excited. I can't wait to see what else lands on the Greenhouse.

onidavin

1600? As far as I know, the most expensive Arcade titles can get is 1200, isn't it?

Xerxes 8933A

Ahh torque engine, so cheap n flexible

muscrat_01

@Tizlor:

Torque isn't so much "just" an engine as a platform. Most of what you do in Torque is import assets and code mainly in its internal scripting language.

Torque has been ported to PS3, as is evidenced by Rocketmen: Axis of Evil.

Koztah

@Tenth: If I was a game developer, I wouldn't mind sticking to one architecture. Some would call it lazy, but if I had the option to concentrate on optimizing and having more time for finishing touches on the version that's more developer-friendly, I would gladly give up multi-platform support. "Just making it work" is not where I'd like to be. But that's just me, and I'm not a developer (not of games anyway).

qbix

Turn-based rpg? I'm in.

Methusalah

@Quark:
Just because it *can* be done doesn't mean it'd be an easy thing to be done. Of course, I've never worked with the engine so I couldn't tell you if it's easy or not, but it may take more time than it's necessary to port the game to the PS3.

From what I can tell from reading Penny Arcade for.. er.. awhile, they seem to like the system a little bit and I'd imagine that if it was a simple matter to have it on the PS3 then it would've been on the PS3

Tizlor

@Quark: Stop being so defensive. I think that's what Tenth was saying. Let's not make this another GameTrailers thing again.

okenny :)

@agies: Such is the life on the Rain Slick Precipice. Everyone rocks mutton chops.

Everyone.

bleeps

Becau@Ma1agate: Because maybe the person who posted the article made the character? :P

I think it'll be good, and I've wasted 20 bucks on plenty of other things... so it's not like it's a big deal.

ekkobi

@Ma1agate: Because that's the way the player made the character.

agies

I just want to know why the chick with the red hair has sideburns.

Ma1agate

@Koztah: Yes, but Gas Powered Games didn't do the port, and don't have the code from it. It was financed by Capcom, developed by Acronym Games, and was a port of one specific title. Just because ports exist doesn't mean the engine as sold by Gas Powered is portable. They say they are working on it. Give them time - right now they're a small studio with big ideas, don't expect them to do it all at once.

Lov3

Reminds me of Monster Madness...

SigmundTheSeaMonster

I'm all over this. I'm surprised its coming out so soon actually.

Daiden

Bought and bought.

Komrade_Kayce

@I Spit On Your Comments: Quite a few I'd guess. Then again, 360 fans do the same with PS3 exclusive stuff, but I don't think they do it quite as often as the PS3 types.

Salen

Not a PA Fan. So I won't pick it up on any platform. Also not a huge fan of episodic content. Sure its great for developers to get some cash in when all the game content isn't finished, but I always feel like its the short end of the stick when I get triple-dipped for 20 dollars.

invictus

They REALLY need to adjust the points value of the game, now that I think about it.

1600 points means I cant buy a 1400 points card for the game. In Canada monies, a 1400 points card is 19.99.

Which means I have to buy a 2800 points card for one episode, so theres 39.99 down the hole and 1200 points left over.

So lets say its a three episode game. 3x1600= 4800. Which means I've got to buy at least two 2800 point cards to cover the cost of the game. Eighty fucking dollars to buy this game.

Its stuff like this that makes me look at my PC and the little piracy light go off in my head. I've been a huge fan of PA for years now, and this feels kind of like they are putting it in my bum.

Especially with the lowered costs of releasing it via digital distribution.

Now if each episode is indeed, a full game, and its not like Sam and Max and feels... 'episodic', then this is all well and good and Im complaining for nothing. A trilogy of good games for 80 bucks I'm willing to do. But if I have to buy the shit like this, fuck you Gabe and Tycho, you've lost a reader and supporter.

And for anyone who would say 'well, its the Canadian pricing that needs to be adjusted', wrong. The fact that these are going to be 1600 points each means that people are forced to buy the 2800 points cards or fork their credit card over to Microsoft. BAD move. Especially when the highest priced games on the XBLA are 1200 points. And thats for full Xbox Originals.

And my pricing is going on the idea that its only three episodes.

After some careful consideration and thought, I rescind my previous comment of bought and bought, and instead turn to shaking my fist like a cranky old man.

Komrade_Kayce

@I Spit On Your Comments:

By definition fans of PA will have a computer of some stripe - and given that the game is also coming out for Win/OSX/Linux - as well as XBLA... are there really PA fans out there without access to ONE of those four platforms?

I'm a PS3 gamer, but I'm stoked that I can get one license key for both my home Windows and Work Mac systems! I can now kill productivity twice as effectively!

thebigsmoke

Deffinently might look into.

belo

From what I heard, Gas Powered Games approached Sony for specs in order to port Torque over to the PS3, but Sony basically told them to screw themselves. Thus, it's not a priority for them.

P.S. Lov3 is correct, that is ONE game ported specifically by Capcom. The ported engine is NOT available to any other developers.

WarlockSoL

I'm pretty excited for this, I love turn-based RPGs. Kinda sad though, assuming each episode costs $20...

Meh, I can afford it, I'm just saying, they could be nicer...

Bruce Skillis

aw crap, there goes what little social life i had. oh, well.

nicopolitan

Hallelujah!
Another great title I'm looking forward, something for the post LC gameathon.

Zeouterlimits

Wake me when Bionic Commando: Rearmed has a release date.

peztrip

heh, "sMac" that was a typo but I kinda like it.

Zazu_Yen

Ok, first off Gas Powered Games has nothing to do with this. The game is being written by Hothead on the Torque game engine which is written and maintained by GarageGames.

The Torque eingine is tied pretty closely to DirectX and Microsoft's XNA game studio so I'd think a port to PS3 would not be easy, requiring a lot of new code to handle things DirectX or XNA took care of for them.

That being said they've already ported it to the sMac and Linux so I'm guessing a PS3 port will not be long in coming. It's a pretty big market for GarageGames to ignore, and the 3D game engine market is starting to get crowded. The Current Game Developer lists 11, a couple of which could compete with Torque for the lower end market and most of which support PS3.

They can't afford to ignore it forever.

Zazu_Yen

@Komrade_Kayce: Why do you guys have 1400-point cards anyway? In the US, we have a 1600-point card, which makes sense, because a lot of XBLA games and DLC things cost 800 points.

brianewing

When is this puppy coming to WiiWare?

[www.garagegames.com]

Brent

@agies:

But I wouldn't play a turn based RPG on my PC. I stopped being a PC gamer a long time ago, when I couldn't keep up with requirements left right and center.

I would get it on 360, where I can comfortably sit down with a wireless controller in front of my TV, where all my other games are, or not at all. The piracy option is just there so I can at least get the gist of what the game is about so that if people at work asked me, I could tell them.

I dont condone it at all, that yarrrr piracy. But I play absolutely nothing on the PC anymore except RTS. It'll be a cold day in hell before Im playing turn based RPG's on the PC. I tried it once, with some of the D&D titles way back, did not care for it at all.

Komrade_Kayce

@Komrade_Kayce: "Its stuff like this that makes me look at my PC and the little piracy light go off in my head. I've been a huge fan of PA for years now, and this feels kind of like they are putting it in my bum."

Or, you could go ahead and buy it for your PC instead. No one at PA is forcing you to get it on 360.

agies

A little expensive for episodic content.
Dunno if I'll pick it up unless reviews are goos 'cause $20 can buy quite a few great games that have hit the bargain bin.

RPGr

I want to play this, whilst it does seem pricey I do love Penny Arcade. Although reviews aren't the be all and end all I was surprised to see Edge slate it so much and give it 4/10 (although the text was far more damning than the score).

TearsandScreams

@brianewing:

Yknow, I dont know why we have 1400 point cards here in Canada anyways. The math adds up all incorrectly on the marketplace.

Someone at Microsoft fucked up a long time ago, and nobody has ever bothered to fix it.

Komrade_Kayce

I'm going to keep a close eye on the sales of this game, for no other reason than because I want to know if it outsells "Strong Bad's Cool Game for Attractive People".

It's the battle of the two popular websites that you are legally obligated to either love or hate! Place your bets, everyone!

exaggeration17a

New Arcadia? Will there be bee-hives you have to pilfer to rebuild the forest?

Can't wait for the game!

Yonderboy

nerdgasm.

bought.

underground_slacker

@exaggeration17a: Strong Bad's fanbase has nothing on PA. Hell it was largely the core PA fanbase along with Gabe, Tycho, Kara, Batjew, Saftey Monkey and some really lovely support from various publishers (Capcom, Nintendo, etc) that brought PAX and Child's Play to life.

PA's fanbase is kind of fragmented at times, but when it comes down to this, it will outsell Strong Bad's offerings by a factor of 10.

I will be buying this and if Microsoft was smart, they would be contacting PA about keeping this limited to 360 and PC only.

Foxstar Sixtail

I want it, yet I want it for Mac.
Is there some way you can transfer memory from one to the other?

Haniko

$20 is a little steep for an episodic game. maybe once all of them are made they'll package them all at a reasonable price like Sam & Max.

Mii

@exaggeration17a: I'm a regular visitor to both sites and plan to get both of the first episodes (PC or Wii), but unfortunately, I don't think the sales will be close. Strong Bad is still awesome, but in 2008 I don't think it has anywhere near the following that PA has.

Mezodon

@Foxstar Sixtail: The existence of PAX can actually be directly contributed to its predecessor, the Necrowombicon, which was started by members of the Penny Arcade Cult fan group. PAX enforcement and the Child's Play charity are actually supervised by a former Penny Arcade Cult admin. Even this game can be contributed in part to the Penny Arcade Cult.

justhesh

I have never once spent $20 for an XBLA game.

There's a first time for everything.

Slothboy

@exaggeration17a: Honestly I don't even know who Strong Bad is, other than recognizing him as something that people love to use for avatars, etc.

WarlockSoL

Woo. I am totally fucking sold on this one. Besides, you have to support what you like. They earned my $20.

shintobreak

@Ma1agate: Good question... I'm not sure they are sideburns...as much as they look like that...

Pancake_Ninja

@justhesh:I semi remember, as I was active on PA right after the fourms were taken away and everyone scattered (Nads and his huge post count) and then returned. Left in 2004 but good times, good times.

Foxstar Sixtail

@Komrade_Kayce: You can go to the Zune website, login with your MS passport account that your gamertag is linked to, and points in multiples of 400. At least, that's like this in the US. Hope that helps.

Izkariot

@WarlockSoL:

[www.homestarrunner.com]

Get to watchin!

Strongbad is awesome. A lot of work goes into it compared to PA (not a knock on PA).

Billkwando

Okay! Who is going to get it, and then review it in detail for me so I can see whether it's worth dropping twenty bucks?

Nobody? Nobody. Okay, fine.

rhinestonedarling

Unfortunately, this means that over the course of the next week I must choose between "On The Rain-Slick Precipice of Darkness" and "The Case of the Mummy's Gold." PA Volume 5 will probably win out over the PA game.

MantisDragon

Fantastic, I can't wait for it!

Will be my first DL on the XBLA, will be interesting to test out the service.

syl1985

@Foxstar Sixtail: From what they've said publicly about what GameStop wanted to try to force them to do, I don't think they'd be very interested in an exclusive platform deal.

Cloral

No offline multiplayer?

Neolibertarian

Don't have a 360, but will pick this up IF it will run on a Radeon 9600.

Anyone know the PC minimums?

erlik

@Mezodon, Foxstar Sixtail, justhesh, et. al:
The battle lines are drawn.
My work here is done.

exaggeration17a

@exaggeration17a: It's funny. PA is a sort of underground cultural phenomenon...that's not underground. It's wearing industrial-sized britches, now, with plenty of leg room. Warms my heart to think that the Penny Arcade Cult had some say in it.

justhesh

Glad to see the boys finally have it together.

Viva Fruit Fucker!

danzigeevil

@MantisDragon: Just noticed "Case of the Mummy's Gold" got pushed back a few weeks. More PA for me!

MantisDragon

"But I wouldn't play a turn based RPG on my PC. I stopped being a PC gamer a long time ago, when I couldn't keep up with requirements left right and center.
I would get it on 360, where I can comfortably sit down with a wireless controller in front of my TV, where all my other games are, or not at all. The piracy option is just there so I can at least get the gist of what the game is about so that if people at work asked me, I could tell them."
@Komrade_Kayce:

Wow, that's not making much sense to me. You wouldn't play it on the PC because of system requirements, yet would still pirate it to play/evaluate it on a PC...The same PC that has lagged on upgrades and might not perform adequately for an unbiased evaluation?

Oh, and from your first post, the gripe was with the 1600 pt price not matching 1400 pt Canadian Live cards. You recognize that there's 1200 points left over. Don't say you can't find anything on the whole of XBL to spend those points on.

Personally, I'm going to save my money for Bionic Commando: Rearmed. 1600 is a bit much for XBLA, as the most costly thing I got was Puzzle Quest, which was a steal compared to the other versions.

kftgr