Have you been sitting on the edge of the rain-slick precipice of darkness? Penny Arcade Adventures: Episode One is half-off on Steam this weekend. That's right, an Alexander Hamilton (US $10) for verbose RPG romping. Deal ends today, so act fast!

[Thanks, Matt J]

Sure, there are demos for all the versions (download here: Windows, Mac, Linux), but if you still can't decide which Penny Arcade Adventures: Episode One: On the Rain-Slick Precipice of Darkness is right for you, our friends at Big Download have sired Big Versus, a comparison of the Xbox 360 and PC versions. Their conclusion is a statistical tie, with minor complaints for both iterations, biggest of which is the lack of hotkeys for the PC. Read the details for yourself here.

In news post yesterday, Penny Arcade's Gabe revealed the top four best launches ever for Xbox Live Arcade, with the launch window being the first three days of availability. The list is as follows:

1. Rez HD, 25k units
2. Ikaruga, 22.5k units
3. Penny Arcade Adventures Episode 1, 16.5k units
4. N+, 13k units

Honestly, we're a bit surprised by the initial success of Rez and Ikaruga. Not that we didn't want them to succeed (they really are awesome games), but we didn't expect to see Xbox Live community rally so quickly around years-old re-releases. Now, if we could only see data for worst XBLA launches, or even total Rez playtime using multiple controllers as trance vibrators.

[Via X3F]

O frabjous day! Callooh! Callay! 'Tis not a single thing bad about this day! Althought we're knee-deep in the awesome Penny Arcade Adventures (hence the really bad tracing on the Photoshop above), we thought we'd take a moment to reflect on sunnier adventures. ... Okay, we're done, back to the game! Here are our picks for the week's best game-related webcomics. Voting after the break.

Bingo, the New Game by Rockstar (Married to the Sea)
Universal Access (Robot Martini)
Tales of the Boundless Universe (Nobody Scores)
Super Ultra Double Secret (Penny Arcade)
Million Dollar Arcade (Dueling Analogs)
The Case (CAD)
Ages 7 and Up ... and Up! (VG Cats)
A Turn of Events (2P Start)
Waistline Dilation (Digital Unrest)
D'awwwww! (Fanboys Online)

Though it's perhaps easier to write these metareviews when critics seem to agree, we really prefer to have some differing opinions in there. That's certainly the case with Penny Arcade Adventures: On the Rain-Slick Precipice of Darkness: Episode One which has already netted reviews ranging from a paltry 40 to a very respectable 80 (where Penny Arcade's own Gabe slots it, as a matter of fact).

That said, most of the critics are residing on the higher end of that spectrum. Here's a sample of what they're saying:

• GameSpot (75/100): "This is not just some generic trash stamped with the Penny Arcade logo; this is the long-running webcomic seamlessly realized in video game form."
• Edge (40/100): "With the episodic development cycle all but demanding that structure and form be locked down in the first instalment, with content added thereafter, the series' future looks precarious at best."
• Wired (70/100): "...while it does try to bite off a great deal more than it can chew -- and suffers for it -- the game is a solid, clever, hilarious piece of entertainment that will more than please its audience."
• OXM (85/100): "Twenty bucks is a perfectly reasonable sum when you consider how many retail Xbox 360 games offer the same quantity of content...and we'll bet you didn't laugh half as much playing any of those as you will playing this."

Hello once again, loyal reader. The team at Big Download has had an extremely busy second week with lots of features, downloads and news to report about on the PC gaming scene. It doesn't get much bigger than the release of Penny Arcade Adventures (and yes we have the PC, Mac and Linux demo versions available to download) and of course Age of Conan was pretty huge as well. We are still trying to iron out a few more bugs on the site but we are pretty happy with what we've got so far. Let's take a quick look at the highlights for our second official week:

Exclusive Features:

• PvP vs PvE: ArenaNet on Guild Wars: We chat with game designer Isaiah Cartwright on how they develop the PvP and PvE aspects of Guild Wars.
• Epic's Mark Rein on Chair Entertainment purchase: We chat briefly with Epic Games' VP on their acquisition of Chair Entertainment
• Age of Conan: The pros and cons: Should you buy Funcom's new MMO? We look at the pluses and minuses of the fantasy game.
• Big Iron: Age of Conan's demanding tribute: Our hardware columist takes a look at what kind of PC you will need to run Age of Conan
• MODverlous Monday: Our new weekly mod column takes a look at two Half-Life 2 mods
• Freeware Friday: Our weekly look at free games takes a look at the classic title N
• Casually Speaking: Orisinal and the Zen of design: Our casual game columist checks out an impressive casual game web site
• Talkin' Smack: Online voice chat in kids' games: An editorial on how game designers might deal with the tricky issue of game voice chat for children
• Guide to Team Fortress 2 Medic Achievements: Check out the final two parts of our extensive look at the various achievements for the Medic class in Valve's multiplayer shooter: Part 5; Part 6

The unique experiment of Penny Arcade Adventures has already begun in earnest. The long-term question in the making -- "Can game comic-makers make a videogame?" -- is moot. On the Rain-Slick Precipice of Darkness is now available via Xbox Live and the Greenhouse website (with demos here: Windows, Mac and Linux). The question now becomes: What do the creators think of their spawn? We sat down with Jerry "Tycho" Holkins, Penny Arcade's writer-in-residence, to get some perspective on that very issue.

We had the chance to discuss a number of the game's elements -- from the origins of the Startling Developments Detective Agency to the foul creation of the evil bums. Mr. Holkins also shed a dim light on future episodes in the series as we discussed the music and writing that surround the overarching story. We also clarified that for Penny Arcade, as a creative team, there is no rest. Mike Krahulik and Jerry Holkins are not celebrating today, they're not patting themselves on the back. Instead, they're returning to what they do best: working.

Read on to find out why these guys are driven to mine the funny for your benefit.

Our friends at Xbox 360 Fanboy are having a ball at the Xbox 360 Spring Showcase, sending word of their hands-on experiences with the console's upcoming lineup. (Update: Now with more Human.) Check out their impressions below:

	Impressions: Ninja Gaiden II It's unapologetically hardcore, and we wouldn't have it any other way.
	Impressions: Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts There is good reason that Rare did not decide to title the game Banjo Threeie. It's something new.
	Impressions: Penny Arcade Adventures On the Rain-Slick Precipice of Darkness. Turns out the game is a meld of Japanese RPG and old-school adventure.

If a picture's worth a thousand words, we'll spare you the copious blabber and lead your eyeballs right to the trailhead (just hop past the break to get started!). Be warned though, the path through Microsoft's Xbox 360 Spring Showcase is a long one (but thankfully smooth and well lit). Be sure to sit a few feet from the screen, rest your eyes between galleries and drink lots of water! Enjoy.

Microsoft has politely informed us that next week's Xbox Live Arcade game is none other than Penny Arcade Adventures: On the Rain-Slick Precipice of Darkness, Episode One. It should be out by the time you're done saying the title, then. Developed by Hothead Games, in collaboration with mighty adventure game designer, Ron Gilbert, and the folks behind Penny Arcade, the game sees Gabe and Tycho leap out of their webcomic frames and into an episodic RPG adventure.

Even at 1,600 MS Points ($20), we don't think anything short of a clawshrimp attack will keep us away from this one.

Penny Arcade and Hothead Games -- the developer behind On the Rain-Slick Precipice of Darkness -- have just announced a joint partnership to launch Greenhouse, a brand new online game store, focused on digital distribution for independent games.

Not to be mistaken for a downloadable client application (like GameTap and Steam), Greenhouse is simply a website for digital distribution, putting it in direct competition with fellow indie game portal Manifesto Games. The site, which is currently in beta, will initially be the exclusive download source for Precipice, offering the PC, Mac, and Linux versions. Later, more Hothead Games will be distributed via the service, along with other indie offerings.

While the digital distribution market is getting a bit saturated as of late, let's hope Greenhouse's platform-agnostic approach to publishing keeps the service on our radar.

Hothead Games today punched its rambling epic, Penny Arcade Adventures: On the Rain-Slick Precipice of Darkness: Episode One (phew!), with a $19.95 price tag. That's just over 30 cents a letter (colons not included), assuming cost is derived, as it is for all episodic games, by the title's length. Currently, that price applies to all versions of the game, which include PC, Mac, Linux and Xbox Live Arcade editions. 1600 Microsoft Points ($20) would be new territory for digital distribution on Xbox 360, but clearly, Hothead and its two stars have made it a point to be living on the edge.

PC, Mac and Linux specs are posted after the break.

It's fair to say that quite a lot is expected from Vancouver-based developer, Hothead Games. The group not only has to deliver a series of downloadable and episodic adventure RPGs in regular intervals, but also appease a fanbase so large and rabid that it can click your website to death -- accidentally, if you're lucky. On top of all that, the poor developers are occasionally dragged into a tiny room for the sole purpose of being poked by a plethora of questions regarding their upcoming games.

Penny Arcade Adventures producer, Joel DeYoung, and Hothead creative director, Ron Gilbert, had to endure just such a prodding during GDC, the results of which can be viewed after the break. Appropriately enough, our interview's almost as long as the title of the series: On the Rain-Slick Precipice of Darkness.

We did a terrible thing at last week's Game Developer's Conference. Aside from our usual barrage of photographs and "reporting," a select group of attendees had to endure a particularly inane and utterly pointless line of questioning -- just for laughs. This is what happens when you hunt down several adventure game connoisseurs and challenge them to solve a typically obnoxious adventure game puzzle.

The Player
Ron Gilbert, designer of The Secret of Monkey Island (amongst other LucasArts adventures), consultant on Penny Arcade Adventures and designer of Hothead's upcoming episodic series, Deathspank.

The Puzzle
You're standing in front of a cave. The goal is to get inside the cave, taking care to foil the ferocious robot bear guarding the entrance first.

The Inventory

• (1) perforated parasol
• (1) rubber chicken with a pulley in the middle
• (1) sealed manila envelope
• (1) miniature macaroni Tim Schafer statue

Find Ron Gilbert's surprisingly direct solution after the break.