Joystiq http://www.joystiq.com Joystiq http://www.joystiq.com/media/feedlogo.gif Joystiq http://www.joystiq.com en-us Copyright 2008 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/Readers pick best webcomic: A Trick of Retrospectivehttp://www.joystiq.com/2008/10/07/readers-pick-best-webcomic-a-trick-of-retrospective/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/10/07/readers-pick-best-webcomic-a-trick-of-retrospective/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/10/07/readers-pick-best-webcomic-a-trick-of-retrospective/#commentsFiled under: , ,

For quite a while, it was a virtual tie between it and xkcd's Flash Games, but in the end Penny Arcade's homage to Mega Man 9 A Trick of Retrospective took top honors in this week's webcomic wrapup. As one commenter quipped, the fourth panel -- the one with all the screaming and angry swearing at the TV -- is conspicuously absent.

Second place went to xkcd, while third went to the other homage to Mega Man 9, Digital Unrest's Return to Form. Thanks to everyone who voted and be sure to let us know of any game-related webcomics you stumble upon this week.

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]]>digital-unrestmega-man-9penny-arcadewebcomicxkcdRoss Miller2008-10-07T06:30:00+00:00Penny Arcade Adventures Ep. 2 done, priced at $15http://www.joystiq.com/2008/10/01/penny-arcade-adventures-ep-2-done-priced-at-15/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/10/01/penny-arcade-adventures-ep-2-done-priced-at-15/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/10/01/penny-arcade-adventures-ep-2-done-priced-at-15/#commentsFiled under: , , ,


The elaborately titled adventures of the webcomic duo, Gabe and Tycho, are set to continue this Fall in Penny Arcade Adventures: On The Rain-slick Precipice of Darkness Episode Two. We're told that developer Hothead Games has just completed the downloadable RPG-adventure, bestowing "Gold Master" status upon the Windows, Mac and Linux versions.

The Xbox Live Arcade and PSN iterations are presumably still being tweaked (much like the PSN's Episode One), but will share the same price of 15 earth bucks. Hooray for subsequent episodic games becoming cheaper!

Gallery: Penny Arcade Adventures Episode 2

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]]>EpisodicHothead-GamesPenny-ArcadePenny-Arcade-AdventuresPenny-Arcade-Adventures-Episode-2PSNXBLALudwig Kietzmann2008-10-01T15:30:00+00:00Readers pick best webcomic: A New Creative Outlet http://www.joystiq.com/2008/09/30/readers-pick-best-webcomic-a-new-creative-outlet/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/09/30/readers-pick-best-webcomic-a-new-creative-outlet/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/09/30/readers-pick-best-webcomic-a-new-creative-outlet/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

It was a landslide victory for wecomic wrapup newcomer Cross Platform, whose comic A New Creative Outlet took almost 40% of the vote. (Be sure to also check out the previous comic, Not-So-Secret Identities.) The site is still being prettified, so here's hoping we'll get permalink pages for each comic (hint, hint).

Second and third place go to usual suspects Penny Arcade (The Origin of the CD Keys, Part One) and Digital Unrest (No Avoiding It). Thanks to everyone who voted, and be sure to let us know of any game-related webcomics you stumble upon this week!

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]]>cross-platformdigital-unrestlbplittlebigplanetpenny-arcadewebcomicRoss Miller2008-09-30T22:30:00+00:00Readers pick best webcomic: Great Debatehttp://www.joystiq.com/2008/09/25/readers-pick-best-webcomic-great-debate/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/09/25/readers-pick-best-webcomic-great-debate/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/09/25/readers-pick-best-webcomic-great-debate/#commentsFiled under: , ,

It was a photo finish for the top three webcomics this week, with only 16 votes separating first from third. 2P Start's Great Debate earns the much-coveted (hey, let us dream) crown of best game-related webcomic.

Second and third place, and only by a teensy bit, go to Penny Arcade's Thinking Small and Super Effective's SQUIR-. Thanks to everyone who voted, and be sure to let us know of any game-related webcomics you stumble upon this week!

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]]>2p-startpenny-arcadesuper-effectivevg-catswebcomicRoss Miller2008-09-25T17:30:00+00:00Readers pick best webcomic: The Diplomatic Routehttp://www.joystiq.com/2008/09/17/readers-pick-best-webcomic-the-diplomatic-route/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/09/17/readers-pick-best-webcomic-the-diplomatic-route/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/09/17/readers-pick-best-webcomic-the-diplomatic-route/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,

In you don't understand the painfulness of the situation detailed in Penny Arcade's "The Diplomatic Route," our friends at WoW Insider recently wrote about a guild who gave an ultra-rare bow -- a 6% of dropping from the hardest boss in the game that binds to a player once picked up and cannot be given to another -- to a character that doesn't use bows. Enough of you must have understand, or enjoy any instance of the onomatopoeia "pew pew," since the comic won best of the week.

Second and third place goes to Digital Unrest's Same Scenario, Different Year and 2P Start's Just Say No, respectively. Thanks to everyone who voted, and be sure to let us know of any game-related webcomics you stumble upon this week.

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]]>penny-arcadewebcomicRoss Miller2008-09-17T05:00:00+00:00PAX 2008: Penny Arcade Adventures producer gushes about Episode 2http://www.joystiq.com/2008/09/04/pax-2008-penny-arcade-adventures-producer-gushes-about-episode/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/09/04/pax-2008-penny-arcade-adventures-producer-gushes-about-episode/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/09/04/pax-2008-penny-arcade-adventures-producer-gushes-about-episode/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , ,

Last week during PAX 2008, we sat down with Hothead COO and Penny Arcade Adventures Producer Joel DeYoung as he guided us through Episode 2 and improvements to the engine. The gist of it is: if you liked Episode 1, you'll like Episode 2 that much more. Here's the rundown from our talks:
  • Highlighting points of interest has been made easier! "If you have your proximity putting you close enough to 2 or 3 things, you can slide through that with bumpers," said DeYoung.
  • There are now difficulty levels, including an Insane Mode (unlockable only after beating the game). Special collectibles and pickups are only available if you play Insane Mode. Comparatively, Episode 1's difficulty is "a little easier" than medium.
  • All the weapons have been replaced. Tycho gets a shotgun, Gabe has new fist upgrades and your player now possesses -- wait for it -- a hoe! Also changed are the special attack minigames.
  • You now have, among other new items, a revive potion. Healing won't be enough to bring your troops back to life. "Just adds a little bit of depth to it," said DeYoung.
  • The real-time reaction for defense has been made more obvious (e.g. "Block!" now appears when you need to push block), but nothing analogous for attacking has been added.
More after the break.

Gallery: Penny Arcade Adventures Episode 2

  • You can import your Episode 1 character, but if you don't, your new player will start at level 13. Imported characters can update their appearance at the start with new clothing. DeYoung is "pretty sure" you can get to a max level for the episode whether or not you import a player.
  • With Ep 1, Tycho's writing imposed a certain structure on development, and so with Ep 2, Hothead built the whole flow of story and dialogue themselves and used placeholder text so Tycho can go back and add it later. He can still change the structure of it later, though.
  • Due to popular demand, there is a "little extra" voice acting. Not a lot, though, given their target download size. It was a mutual decision not to have Tycho and Gabe speak.
  • "Hot keys" for PC gaming has been considered. There are shortcuts for dialogue, but not combat.
  • "Backporting" the improved Ep. 2 code onto Ep 1 is definitely something they've considered and is feasible, but no confirmation either way.
  • Ep 2 wont be released simultaneously on the PlayStation 3 but there will be a "tighter timeframe" than Ep 1. Explained DeYoung, Garage Games' Torque Engine wasn't as prepared for console rendering as they thought. "So we had to at that time, we were really pushing to get the game out ... so we had to make a hard decision to get it on Xbox and push off PS development for a little while. So once it came out, we resumed work on PS3."
  • We asked DeYoung to sum up Ep. 2 in three points (we provided the following example for Ep. 1: Mimes, Fruit Fucking, Shit Hole). After a pause, DeYoung said, "Insane Asylum. Crazier. More Fruit Fucking."
As for non-Episode 2 discussion:
  • For the PSN version of Ep 1, all that's left is coding for integration with Network features and platform stuff, bug fixing, and Sony's own submission process.
  • "We were really pleasantly surprised" how many Mac and Linux units were sold. "The Linux people have been very appreciative," he said, adding, "all channels [i.e. Greenhouse, Steam, Xbox Live, etc.] performed very well," with not one sticking out.
  • Hothead is a licensed Wii developer. "We thought about [PAA for Wii], certainly, but we spent a lot of time getting it down to the size it's down to now ... It's kind of an order of magnitude out for what would be required for [proper size compression] for WiiWare."
  • About the controversial Xbox Live pricing: "When we announced the price of Ep 1, it was the same for PC and Xbox. The PC fans were like, 'yeah that sounds like a great deal,' they were really excited. However, on the Xbox forums, people were all upset -- some people -- they said "seems like an expensive price for a live arcade game," without discussing what the content or gameplay length was." DeYoung said they were one of the first M-rated games, and the first game at $20. "Ultimately, it's a business decision on our side" about the price, he said.

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]]>hotheadhothead-gamesinterviewjoel-deyoungjoystiqfeaturespaa-episode-2pax-08pax-2008penny-arcadepenny-arcade-adventurespenny-arcade-expoRoss Miller2008-09-04T10:30:00+00:00PAX 2008: The Penny Arcade Interviewhttp://www.joystiq.com/2008/09/02/pax-2008-the-penny-arcade-interview/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/09/02/pax-2008-the-penny-arcade-interview/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/09/02/pax-2008-the-penny-arcade-interview/#commentsFiled under: , ,


Note: Photo above taken at interview
A few hours before PAX 2008 opened its doors to the public last Friday, we had a chance to speak with Penny Arcade creators Jerry Holkins and Mike Krahulik -- for simplicity's sake referred to here by their respective pseudonyms Tycho and Gabe -- about the Expo, its future expansion, the intensity of Jenga and the Duke Nukem Forever Omegathon round that never was. Audio embedded below; we've also gone ahead and transcribed highlights from the interview. (Note: To make it easier to read, we've put Gabe's name in red and Tycho's name in blue.)

[MP3] Download the Interview

Gallery: PAX 2008: Omegathon Final


Note: Photo above taken at interview
A few hours before PAX 2008 opened its doors to the public last Friday, we had a chance to speak with Penny Arcade creators Jerry Holkins and Mike Krahulik -- for simplicity's sake referred to here by their respective pseudonyms Tycho and Gabe -- about the Expo, its future expansion, the intensity of Jenga and the Duke Nukem Forever Omegathon round that never was. Audio embedded below; we've also gone ahead and transcribed highlights from the interview. (Note: To make it easier to read, we've put Gabe's name in red and Tycho's name in blue.)

[MP3] Download the Interview

Gallery: PAX 2008: Omegathon Final

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]]>gabeinterviewjoystiqfeaturespaxpax-08pax-2008pax-eastpax-ecpaxecpenny-arcadetychoRoss Miller2008-09-02T11:20:00+00:00PAX 2008: Population 58,500http://www.joystiq.com/2008/09/01/pax-2008-population-58-500/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/09/01/pax-2008-population-58-500/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/09/01/pax-2008-population-58-500/#commentsFiled under:

The show is over and the numbers are in. Said Penny Arcade business guru Robert Khoo to BigDownload, this year's PAX recorded 58,500 people in three days, placing it near the echelon of "Old E3." Previous guesstimations put the attendance at 45,000 to 50,000, which still would have eclipsed the PAX 2007 population of 37,000.

So, what's to be done for PAX 2009? More expansion, of course, to ease overcrowding. "At 2 or 3 of the main theatre events 3-4% of the line wasn't able to make it," said Khoo, "but we hear those 3-4% loud and clear. We have a few ideas to manage that problem for 2009 including wristbands for popular events or just a straight-up hard count of people in line. The worst thing is if people line up for something and end up not getting in." The next PAX will take place again in late August, with the first PAX East Coast opening its Bostonian doors in late March 2010.

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]]>breakingnewspaxpax-08pax-2008pax-2009pax-2010penny-arcadepenny-arcade-exporobert-khooRoss Miller2008-09-01T21:30:00+00:00PAX 2008: The LittleBigJoystiq levelhttp://www.joystiq.com/2008/09/01/pax-2008-the-littlebigjoystiq-level/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/09/01/pax-2008-the-littlebigjoystiq-level/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/09/01/pax-2008-the-littlebigjoystiq-level/#commentsFiled under: , ,

To demonstrate LittleBigPlanet's level creation tools in a way that we haven't seen or written about ad nauseum, the gang at the PAX 2008 Sony booth helped us model the Joystiq logo and vomit stickers all over it. The entire video initially clocked in at just over 10 minutes, so in the interest of time we've sped up the creation part.

Here's the full LittleBigJoystiq logo -- click for a (slightly) higher-resolution version:

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]]>joystiqlbplittlebigplanetpax-08pax-2008penny-arcadepenny-arcade-expoRoss Miller2008-09-01T16:30:00+00:00PAX 2008: Meet the Fallout 3 Vault-boy puppet dance troupehttp://www.joystiq.com/2008/09/01/pax-2008-meet-the-fallout-3-vault-boy-puppet-dance-troupe/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/09/01/pax-2008-meet-the-fallout-3-vault-boy-puppet-dance-troupe/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/09/01/pax-2008-meet-the-fallout-3-vault-boy-puppet-dance-troupe/#commentsFiled under: ,

While waiting for the (much-delayed) final Omegathon to start last night, over a dozen Vault-boy puppets (of Fallout 3 fame) congregated to show off their grooving and shaking skills to a crowd of bemused onlookers. It's really what made the cheesy music infinitely more anti-meh. Check out their moves in the video above, as well as in our Omegathon gallery.

Gallery: PAX 2008: Omegathon Final

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]]>fallout-3omegathonomegathon-2008paxpax-08pax-2008penny-arcadepenny-arcade-expopuppetvault-boyvaultboyRoss Miller2008-09-01T13:30:00+00:00PAX 2008: Omegathon finale crowns Geko, Gabe as winnershttp://www.joystiq.com/2008/09/01/pax-2008-omegathon-finale-crowns-geko-gabe-as-winners/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/09/01/pax-2008-omegathon-finale-crowns-geko-gabe-as-winners/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/09/01/pax-2008-omegathon-finale-crowns-geko-gabe-as-winners/#commentsFiled under: , ,

Within 15 minutes, it was all over. After Tycho and Gabe revealed this year's final PAX 2008 Omegathon challenge, 1987's Vs Excite Bike, finalists Fallout (blue rider) and Geko (red rider) went at each other with all they had. Unfortunately, the close competition didn't last, as Geko won every round to become this year's best Omeganaut, winning an expenses-paid trip to Tokyo Game Show in October.

Following Geko's winning victory, Tycho and Gabe picked up the Famicon controllers to challenge each other as the blue and red riders, respectively. The race was once again painted red, as Tycho kept overheating his bike and crashing after the ramps. He managed a victory in the 3rd round after knocking down Gabe twice in a row, but every other round went to Gabe and red rider, giving the Penny Arcade co-creator a two-win streak after his 5-2 Halo 3 victory last year. After the race was over, Tycho and Gabe stood up to thank the crowd, who promptly began to shuffle out and away from the now-concluded convention. Geko took the stage one final time, plush Marissa's bunny in tow, to talk to the few who stayed behind.

Stay tuned, we'll have more on the pre-Omegathon "puppet troupe" later today. Gallery quick-jump:

Gallery: PAX 2008: Omegathon Final

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]]>excitebikegabejoystiqfeaturesomegathonomegathon-2008pax-08pax-2008penny-arcadetychovs-excitebikeRoss Miller2008-09-01T12:00:00+00:00PAX 2008: Dragon Age: Origins, now with blood and ceilingshttp://www.joystiq.com/2008/09/01/pax-2008-dragon-age-origins-now-with-blood-and-ceilings/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/09/01/pax-2008-dragon-age-origins-now-with-blood-and-ceilings/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/09/01/pax-2008-dragon-age-origins-now-with-blood-and-ceilings/#commentsFiled under: , , ,


The Dragon Age: Origins booth at PAX08 has been surrounded all weekend by both walls and people lining up to get inside. So when PAX opened for the third and final day this morning, we bolted straight to the game booth and avoided the nasty line. By joining in with the first group of the day to see the game demoed live. It didn't take very long for the room to fill up and once the doors close, we were elbow-to-elbow with what turned out to be some pretty enthusiastic BioWare fans.

Gallery: PAX 2008: Dragon Age: Origins Live Demo



The demo started with an introduction of the game and some hot-of-the-presses old information. Actually, a whole lot of the demo was full of previously heard of features and content. However, our efforts were not in vain. As we watched the game load up for the first time, we were pleasantly surprised with how well it ran. The only object pop-in to be seen was at the very beginning moments and even then only for a few seconds. After that, everything ran nice and smoothly. Aside from graphical mastery, we found out that BioWare has also recently mastered the art of ceiling design in their games. Someone bring out the gold stars.

Surprisingly, the most impressive thing about the live demo was when the main character popped the head clean off of an enemy and blood literally gushed up into the air. The kill was of course paused for effect, creating all kinds of laughter. We weren't sure to laugh because it was funny or because it was the best way not to get murdered by all the apparent psychopaths occupying the space around us, so we just went with the safe option.

Our overall experience with the live demo was a good one, though. It ended with a short Q&A between the audience and a mysterious black armored BioWare employee, which we've transcribed for you below.

Q: Why is there no voice for the central character?

A: There's no voice for the central character because you're playing as several different races and as either male or female. So we just thought it would be better to concentrate on everyone else and left the character's voice to the you.

Q: When is the release date?

A: Early spring next year, I swear.

Q: Does the inventory not suck?

A: It does not suck!

Q: Will this be coming to the Xbox 360?

A: PC singleplayer only. We're in talks for other things right now, but we don't have any announcements to make.

Q: How many races will there be?

A: Elves, Humans and Dwarves. I can't talk about anything else right now.

Q: Are there weight-based inventory limits?

A: There are inventory limits, but we're going to be talking more about that and character creation later.

Q: What kind of machine are you running it on right now?

A: The machine running the game is based on alien technology, it's an awesome machine. However, have no fear, we just started the optimization process and bug squashing. So we're not able to give system requirements yet.

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]]>biowaredragon-agedragon-age-originsjoystiqfeatureslive-demopax-2008pax08penny-arcadeKyle Horner2008-09-01T07:00:00+00:00PAX 2008: Polly wants a tank rushhttp://www.joystiq.com/2008/08/31/pax-2008-polly-wants-a-tank-rush/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/08/31/pax-2008-polly-wants-a-tank-rush/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/08/31/pax-2008-polly-wants-a-tank-rush/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

Although we missed the presentation ourselves, the gang at Robot Martini caught Ubisoft's demonstration of Tom Clancy's EndWar audio power at PAX 2008. To do so, they pitted two parrots against each other in a multiplayer match. Check out the video yourself after the break. When Polly says "deploy tanks," you take cover and hide your crackers (har).

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]]>end-warpaxpax-08pax-2008penny-arcadetom-clancy-endwarubisoftRoss Miller2008-08-31T02:30:00+00:00Penny Ar-cake makes Gabe cry, us droolhttp://www.joystiq.com/2008/08/30/penny-ar-cake-makes-tycho-cry-us-drool/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/08/30/penny-ar-cake-makes-tycho-cry-us-drool/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/08/30/penny-ar-cake-makes-tycho-cry-us-drool/#commentsFiled under:


Click to giganticize
Penny Arcade's Mike/Gabe told us in an interview that he hates all cake coverage. The good news is, you can't hate our cake and eat it too. So, it's with love and appreciation that we present this glorious photo of a sweet-looking, sugary Penny Arcade cake, featuring deliciousness from the Rain-Slick Precipice of Darkness.

Gabe, you might hate cake, but we think the masses would decimate this Penny Arcade pastry piece with vim and vigor. It was created by cakesmith Brian Kurtz, who is also available for weddings, bar mitzvahs, your LAN party, or "any other situation that calls for a bad-ass 3D cake that will make your guests crap their pants in disbelief." Stay tuned for our interview with Tycho and Gabe later this week.

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]]>cakeOn-The-Rain-Slick-Precipice-Of-DarknesspastryPAXPAX-08PAX-2008PAX08PAX2008Penny-ArcadePenny-Arcade-AdventuresKevin Kelly2008-08-30T19:00:00+00:00PAX 2008: Darth Vader and Stormtroopers rock to Alanishttp://www.joystiq.com/2008/08/30/pax-2008-darth-vader-and-stormtroopers-rock-to-alanis/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/08/30/pax-2008-darth-vader-and-stormtroopers-rock-to-alanis/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/08/30/pax-2008-darth-vader-and-stormtroopers-rock-to-alanis/#commentsFiled under: , ,

Having just exercised our right to go broke at the Pink Godzilla mini-store on this year's PAX 2008 showfloor, we were surprised and elated to turn around and see Darth Vader and a merry band of Stormtroopers taking the stage to play Alanis Morissette's "You Oughta Know" on Rock Band 2, with vocals being handled by some unknown non-cosplayer. Apologies for the quality, as the moment was rather impromptu, but we had to share this with you.

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]]>paxpax-08pax-2008penny-arcadepenny-arcade-exporock-bandrock-band-2star-warsRoss Miller2008-08-30T18:00:00+00:00PAX 2008: Highlights from the Jonathan Coulton concerthttp://www.joystiq.com/2008/08/30/pax-2008-highlights-from-the-jonathan-coulton-concert/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/08/30/pax-2008-highlights-from-the-jonathan-coulton-concert/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/08/30/pax-2008-highlights-from-the-jonathan-coulton-concert/#commentsFiled under: ,

Last night, Jonathan Coulton (preceeded by the awesome OneUps and Frezepop) rocked the PAX 2008 house in the only way a bearded man with an acoustic guitar standing in front of a crowd of nerds can -- with clever puns and nerd references. Check out our highlights reel of the show, including:
  • A "Still Alive" duet with Dr. Horrible's Felicia Day
  • A more subdued, romantic "Code Monkey"
  • A cover of They Might Be Giant's "Birdhouse in Your Soul"
  • A sea of arms stretched out mumbling "eat your brains"
  • Lots of great Coulton banter
We've embedded the highlights reel above. Check out the separate videos for "Code Monkeys" and "Birdhouse in Your Soul" after the break.


Birdhouse in Your Soul


Code Monkey


"Flickr" and "Not This One"


Freezepop Highlights

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]]>concertcoultonfreezepopjonathan-coultonjoystiqfeaturesmusicpax-08pax-2008penny-arcadepenny-arcade-expoRoss Miller2008-08-30T15:00:00+00:00PAX 2008: Highlights from Freezepop concerthttp://www.joystiq.com/2008/08/30/pax-2008-highlights-from-freezepop-concert/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/08/30/pax-2008-highlights-from-freezepop-concert/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/08/30/pax-2008-highlights-from-freezepop-concert/#commentsFiled under: ,

In case you missed the concert Friday night at PAX 2008, or just want a quick refresher, we've created a highlights reel for the Freezepop show. What you'll see is clips from their opener ("Brainpower" of Rock Band fame), a shiny sea of cell, phone and DS lights, a rather unique "Star Spangled Banner" performance and their closer, a cover of Europe's "Final Countdown." Stay tuned later today for video from the night's headliner Jonathan Coulton.

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]]>joystiqfeaturespaxpax-08pax-2008penny-arcadepenny-arcade-expoRoss Miller2008-08-30T12:00:00+00:00PAX 2008 cosplay, day onehttp://www.joystiq.com/2008/08/30/pax-2008-cosplay-day-one/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/08/30/pax-2008-cosplay-day-one/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/08/30/pax-2008-cosplay-day-one/#commentsFiled under: ,

click above to enter the gallery
The first day of 2008's Penny Arcade Expo is coming to an end and we're shuffling over to catch The OneUps, Freezepop and Jonathan Coulton perform in the main hall. Check out all the awesome costumes and fashion statements we bumped into today.

Gallery: PAX 2008: Cosplay (Full)


Gallery: Penny Arcade Expo 2008

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]]>cosplaypaxpax-08penny-arcadeRoss Miller2008-08-30T00:01:00+00:00PAX 2008: Ken Levine keyote talks sex, comics and growing uphttp://www.joystiq.com/2008/08/29/pax-2008-ken-levine-teaches-us-about-comics-sex/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/08/29/pax-2008-ken-levine-teaches-us-about-comics-sex/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/08/29/pax-2008-ken-levine-teaches-us-about-comics-sex/#commentsFiled under: ,

Let's destroy your dreams now: Our friend KennyL did not talk about BioShock 2. Instead, Ken Levine kicked off Penny Arcade Expo by talking about his journey from from sex-intrigued comic nerd to Hollywood scribe and back to geekdom (which may in fact be the future plot of BioShock 2, but that is as of now unconfirmed). Regardless, Levine's keynote was a hysterical, vulgar and self-deprecating tribute to puberty and gaming.

Levine broke up into three acts, each different parts of his life. In part one, Levine described how he discoverd the adult with science fiction, from his dream to sleep with The Scarlet Witch to his dream to sleep with Jessica-5 from Logan's Run (both the comic book character and the film version's actress). "I wanted to smoke cigarettes and listen to Deep Purple," he said. "I didn't want to go to bed [thinking about Battlestar Galactica], but I did."

Act 2 was on the discovery of tribes, and how how his Dungeons & Dragons group moved onto girls. "The truth is, my tribal brothers were simply ahead of me in the game." In Act 3, in which our friend is a failed movie scribe, Levine ends up at Looking Glass Studios (System Shock). The rest, as you know, is history.

In his near-final last words, Levine offers a thanks to Tycho and Gabe, "We are united by a common element. Its not the color of our skin or our ideology or where we come from. No it's that we're a giant bunch of fucking nerds," he said to a roaring applause. Listen to it yourself:


Gallery: Penny Arcade Expo 2008

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]]>ken-levinekennylkeynotelevinepaxpax-08pax-2008penny-arcadepenny-arcade-expoRoss Miller2008-08-29T23:00:00+00:00PAX 2008: Meet the very first in linehttp://www.joystiq.com/2008/08/29/pax-2008-meet-the-very-first-in-line/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/08/29/pax-2008-meet-the-very-first-in-line/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/08/29/pax-2008-meet-the-very-first-in-line/#commentsFiled under:

Meet Robert, Craig, Preston and Aaron. Three of these four guys have waited since 10:30 p.m. last night in front of the convention center, just to be first in line for the 2008 Penny Arcade Expo. And no, we're not going to spoil who is less of a superfan. At 5:00 a.m. this morning they were let into the building, and at 8:00 a.m. they made their way into the line where you now see them. So after 15 and a half hours of waiting here, what exciting plans do they have for once they enter?

"I don't know," said Robert.

Gallery: Penny Arcade Expo 2008

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]]>pax-08pax-2008penny-arcadeRoss Miller2008-08-29T14:45:00+00:00