Penny Arcade Adventures: On the Rain-Slick Precipice of Darkness

Platform: PayStation 3/Xbox 360/PC (Windows/Mac/Linux)
Genre: RPG
Developer: Hothead Games
Publisher: Hothead Games
Release: 21 May 2008
Rating: Mature
Price: 2 parts for $8 each

Penny Arcade is the original--and best--gaming webcomic out there, and their video game, On the Rain-Slick Precipice of Darkness, carries the same brand of black humor that makes the comic such a hit. While the gameplay is rather hit-or-miss (essentially Paper Mario as an Active Time Battle), the plot, characters, and humor are enough to make Rain-Slick worth playing.The game throws our heroes, Tycho and Gabe (and the player), into 1920's America, as supernatural detectives fighting against evil gods. It may sound dark, but Rain-Slick never takes itself seriously. What kind of humor can you expect? The final boss of the first episode is a giant wooden statue of a mime with an octopus head that attacks you by dancing. Yes, it's like that.
There is bad news about this game, and it is very bad. It was intended to be released episodically, in four parts, but only the first two were finished. While this leaves the series without a real conclusion, it still should not be missed.
On the Rain Slick Precipice of Darkness can be bought on the PlayStation Network, Xbox Live Arcade, or Steam, for $8 an episode. The Steam version also has both episodes as a $12 bundle.
Play, save, and enjoy. See you next week.

--Kotaro