OTRSPOD 1 (PS3, XB360, PC)
Studio: Hothead
Size: Small, about 300 Mb.
Release: May 21, 2008

This little game has the longest title to date on the PSN. As you can see, it is long… Eleven words. Are they compensating for something? No. There is nothing lacking in this game. Its got action, comedy, inter-object sex, and hobos!

Penny Arcade Adventures is a new endeavor by the acclaimed  Penny Arcade crew. They are responsible for a plethora of good things including their game news blog, comic series (acer 10 years running), a charity called Child’s Play, and their convention: PAX. It only makes sense that a group that this ingrained into the video game industry would eventually make a game themselves. So, The creative minds behind the comic got in touch with Hothead games, and they made OTRSPOD Ep 1 & 2.

I have both episodes one and two, but this review is only going to cover the events of the first game. As a reminder, both episodes can be purchased for the insane price of $3 USD ($1.50 per game) on the PSN.  I doubt you will ever see them this cheap again.

The game starts out with you (you create your own character) raking leaves in your front yard while a disembodied voice yaks at you about “dark evils” and so-forth. Shortly after, a giant robot pwns your house, and thus the adventure begins! You run down the street after the robot and after a brief tutorial, the player teams up with Tycho Brahe, a scholar of Apocalyptic Studies turned detective, and his exceedingly violent partner who fought with the devil, Johnathan Gabriel. The adventure is all shits, giggles, and LOLWUT? moments from then on. The game environment largely consists of steampunk-inspired, top-down (or other off angles), quicktime RPG combat similar Costume Quest. Penny Arcade Adventures is an adventure game which mixes 3D gameplay with 2D interstitials and cinematics. The gameplay consists mostly of seek-and-find puzzles, reminiscent of adventure games, where the player must collect items and return them to a character to advance the plot. They can also collect spare robot parts to upgrade their weapons. Battles consist of a real time combat system similar to the ATB (Active Time Battle) system of Final Fantasy Games, with context sensitive button presses reducing damage or being used to carry out special attacks.

Its great fun. The other high points of this game are the art and the plot/dialogue. The art is mostly hand drawn by the original comic artists. Everything is overly stylized and made to look like a comic its self. The motion graphics are quite neat, and the transitions between comic and 3D models can be almost awe inspiring.

The best part about this game though is the comedic story/dialogue. Its brilliant. The main enemies are little steampunk robots that commit tinny acts of vulgarity due to their evil programming. The… fuck fruit. thats what they are called, Fruit Fuckers.  They… yea… it gets pretty graphic. The hobos are a riot too. They like to urinate on things… And there are lots more comical enemies that will leave you gasping for breath, but I don’t want to spoil too many surprises.

So yes, it may surrise you, but this game is very mature. There is strong language, sexual themes, violence, blood, gore, and adult humor. If you do an overkill move to finish an enemy, they usually get blown into bits, erupting bones and blood. Its great!

Demo: No

Fucked-0-meter:     [********__]     8 out of 10

FU Rating:                  [*******___]     7 out of 10

Final verdict: This is a fun little game. Its great for people who like RPG’s and fans of Penny Arcade. For people unfamiliar with the world of Penny Arcade, this can make you feel a little lost. But on the other hand, it may prompt you to look into the world of Penny Arcade, thus opening up a world of entertainment.