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PAX East 2010 Omegathon in the hands of fate

by Justin McElroy { Mar 4th 2010 at 10:00PM }

True champions of the Omegathon have always had to rely on skill to preserve them. But in the PAX East 2010 edition of the event, the oft-cruel hand of fate will play a much larger role. As revealed today, competitors will be selected (at random!) at the convention and then partnered up (purely by chance!). Once paired, the 32 combatants will be put through the following grueling trials:

Round 1: Mario Kart: Double Dash
Round 2: Geometry Wars 2
The Semi-Finals: A Rhythm Game
The Final Round: A Mystery!

The lucky duo that escapes fate's grasp will walk away with tickets, airfare and hotel accommodations for GAMESCOM and $2,500 a piece. But is that prize worth tempting chance's unpredictable wrath? ... Well, yeah, pretty much.

Penny Arcade 'hoping' for Episode 3 reveal at PAX East

by Ben Gilbert { Feb 23rd 2010 at 2:00PM }

While it's been some time since we last heard about the third installment in the Steampunkian Penny Arcade Adventures series, a glimmer of hope resides in the coming months with PAX East. A Penny Arcade representative confirmed to Joystiq that, "They [Penny Arcade] are hoping to have something to announce by PAX East. Unfortunately, we won't have anything before then." Presumably, we'll exclaim "oooooh" when we do finally see the game, as Mike "Gabe" Krahulik explained when we last heard from the duo about the game's absence.

Jerry "Tycho" Holkins further confirmed the possibility of an appearance for PAA: Episode 3 at PAX East, telling MTV Multiplayer, "Listen very closely to the announcements at PAX!" We're certainly ready to "feel the vigor in all our limbs," as Holkins claimed we would last September, but it's been so long we're not sure we'll remember that city-saving, hobo-beating, purple pantaloon-wearing protagonist of ours ... oh ... well, maybe not.

Penny Arcade crew kicking off new book tour February 23

by Griffin McElroy { Feb 6th 2010 at 12:30PM }

Between the thrice-weekly comic, the quad-monthly PATV episodes and the bi-yearly conventions, we find ourselves pretty saturated in Penny Arcade's artistic outings. Still, there are a few places in our lives where we could use some more of Mike Krahulik and Jerry Holkins' irreverent brand of jest -- like, for instance, our coffee table.

That gap will soon be filled by the duo's new book, The Splendid Magic of Penny Arcade: The 11½ Anniversary Edition -- a tome which covers the history of the comic, the Penny Arcade Expo and the annual Child's Play charity. The book is due out February 23 -- at which point its creators will kick off a national book tour. Check past the jump to see if they're making a stop in your town!

Continued →

Penny Arcade to be honored by Game Developers Choice Awards

by Griffin McElroy { Jan 29th 2010 at 12:44AM }

To the far, far outside observer, a comic strip which frequently features a tiny robot who commits sex crimes against citrus fruits wouldn't seem like the most altruistic venture. We know the truth, however -- that Penny Arcade's Jerry Holkins, Mike Krahulik and Robert Khoo have been putting a generous, entertaining face on the gaming industry for over a decade. For this, the three men will soon receive a special honor during the Game Developers Choice Awards -- the "Ambassador Award." Man, that sounds prestigious as hell.

According to a press release announcing Penny Arcade's decoration, the award is given to folks who have "helped the game industry advance to a better place, either through facilitating a better game community from within, or by reaching outside the industry to be an advocate for video games and help further our art." Yes, Penny Arcade has done both of those things, while still finding time to make hilarious comics about sentient juicers.

Child's Play charity raises more than $1.7 million in 2009

by Griffin McElroy { Jan 8th 2010 at 4:00PM }

Though the guys over at Penny Arcade would probably find more eloquent ways to articulate this piece of news, we'd like to simply say: Holy crap, you guys. The annual Child's Play charity drive raised over $1.7 million in donations in 2009. Despite the fact that everyone lost their jobs, and the stock market ate all our monies, you still found a way to dig deep and give games to sick kids. This is us high-fiving you. (Smack!)

To learn more about the charity, check out the latest episode of PATV. Not only does it give a nice history of the foundation, it also does a great job of showing you where your donations end up.

PSA: PAX East early bird special ends tomorrow, need more 'enforcers'

by Xav de Matos { Dec 30th 2009 at 10:00PM }

Attention East Coasters:
The chaps at Penny Arcade have miscalculated the size and scale of the first-annual PAX East event and have announced a need for more volunteers -- aka "Enforcers." While the name would suggest selected individuals would be granted the ability to bust skulls with full immunity, "Enforcers" are tasked with helping the event run as smoothly as possible (while wearing the same shirt for three days).

Also, for those interested in attending the event -- and let's face it, you are -- early registration ends on December 31, 2009. So, if you're keen on saving money and know that a Boston trip in March 2010 is in your future, make sure to get your paperwork in before the clock strikes midnight.

Child's Play raises over $1 million so far

by Richard Mitchell { Dec 5th 2009 at 4:00AM }

It was announced today that the Child's Play charity has raised over $1 million so far this year. The charity, created by Penny Arcade to aid children in hospitals all over the world, has already raised a total of $1,010,680.28. Said Child's Play project manager Kristin Lindsay, "With so may people out of work, we've been amazed at the huge response this year." The charity hopes to surpass $1.4 million by year's end, which would be on par with what it brought in during 2008.

Several events for Child's Play have been planned or have already taken place this year. Notably, the Desert Bus for Hope marathon pulled in over $130,000 in November, while Harmonix will be throwing the Ümloud Rock Band night fundraiser on December 9. Readers can find out more about Child's Play at the official website.

Magic: The Gathering Tactics to have PC/PS3 connectivity

by Griffin McElroy { Nov 4th 2009 at 3:15PM }

Relations between Sony Online Entertainment's John Smedley and the guys from Penny Arcade have clearly improved since the Donut Debacle of 2006. Smedley recently took a moment to talk to Jerry "Tycho" Holkins about Magic: The Gathering Tactics, revealing a few savory tidbits about the title -- the most delightful of which being the fact that the PS3 and PC versions of the game will be interconnected, allowing a player to use his account (and all his meticulously crafted decks) on both platforms.

Basically, if you've got a laptop, a PS3 and an unslakable hunger for thin, rectangular artifacts imbued with immeasurable power, then your social life and work ethic are about to be assaulted on all sides. Good luck with that!

PAX attendance rises by 2k, 60,750 people geek out

by Ben Gilbert { Sep 12th 2009 at 3:00PM }

After the recent announcement by the folks at Penny Arcade that PAX 2009 sold out the Washington State Convention and Trade Center, today they officially released attendance numbers for this year's Penny Arcade Expo. Speaking with Big Download, PA's Robert Khoo said 60,750 people packed into the convention center -- though he had earlier predicted "roughly 75,000" -- and that the show's organizers are looking into expansion plans for next year to accommodate more showgoers.

We'd say with the unveiling of PAX East, some people may very well have stayed home in anticipation of a shorter travel distance early next year over this year's Washington-based soiree. This might help explain the relatively small attendance growth from 2008's 58,500 people to this 2009's numbers. However, Khoo said he's surprised how many people plan on attending both PAX East and next year's PAX, umm, West. We'll see you a year from now, Khoo -- with facts!

PAX 2009: Penny Arcade worked on collectible ping-pong card game

by Griffin McElroy { Sep 6th 2009 at 12:00PM }

At long last, the two culturally distinct worlds of ping-pong and trading card games have been fused into one aggregate superhobby. During the Penny Arcade Media Q&A Panel at PAX, the comic's illustrator, Mike Krahulik, explained, "We've been tinkering with a Paint the Line card game -- that has been quite a bit of fun in the office, so we'll see how that goes." For non-readers, Paint the Line was a series of strips the duo did in 2008 which tells the story of a global ping-pong power struggle. It's also a story of love and killer whales. There's a lot going on in there.

For those who aren't immediately turned on by this notion, Krahulik added, "Ping-pong played in CCG is surprisingly interesting." Draw one backhand swipe! Tap one ping energy! Discard one pong.

Penny Arcade Adventures Ep. 3 announcement not coming at PAX

by Griffin McElroy { Sep 4th 2009 at 4:30PM }

Those who were hoping to hear savory details about Penny Arcade Adventures: On the Rain-Slick Precipice of Darkness Episode 3 during the Penny Arcade Expo (how appropriate!) are about to have said hopes dashed upon the rocks. During our recent interview with the comic's creators, Jerry Holkins and Mike Krahulik, we learned that no news regarding the game will come during the duo's Seattle-based gaming community event.

There's a reason for the game's non-appearance during PAX -- but Holkins and Krahulik were tight-lipped about what that reason is. Krahulik teased, "When you hear the announcement, you'll be like 'oooooh.' It'll make sense." Holkins articulately added, "You'll feel vigor in all of your limbs." We're fairly certain that's a good thing.

Joystiq is at PAX 2009

by Kevin Kelly { Sep 4th 2009 at 2:45PM }

Joystiq has invaded the city known for Starbucks, Kurt Cobain, the Space Needle and, most importantly, the Penny Arcade Expo 2009! We hit the ground running last night with a pre-PAX Activision event (they aren't officially at the show), and got our hands on some games -- we'll tell you more later. Stay tuned for a lot more as we march through the halls, pausing only to record silly videos.

Gallery: PAX 09: The Joystiq Experience

Penny Arcade's Dragon Age: Origins comic debuts

by Ludwig Kietzmann { Sep 4th 2009 at 1:00AM }

Having wisely decided against creating a fantasy epic set within the span of just a few hours, BioWare's Dragon Age is ripe for exploration in all forms of media. With Dragon Age: Origins set to arrive this November, the RPG maestros have drafted the internet's Penny Arcade to provide a new comic for the game's official website.

You can read the first part of "Witch Hunt" over here. For the full Dragon Age experience, marketers recommend you do so with an inappropriate Marilyn Manson track screeching in the background.

Penny Arcade gear available for your 360 Avatar

by Justin McElroy { Sep 3rd 2009 at 5:30PM }

Even if you can't make it out to Seattle for the Penny Arcade Expo this weekend, you can show some solidarity with the new selection of Penny Arcade gear that's now available on the Xbox Live Marketplace for a buck per shirt. In addition to the stars' trademark looks, you'll also find some clothing inspired by the strip's secondary characters.

Also, just FYI, we came up with a pretty hilarious gag about PAX standing for Penny Arcade eXploitation that we weren't able to work in. All apologies.

[Thanks, Jimmcq]

PAX 2009 sells out... er, is sold out

by Randy Nelson { Sep 1st 2009 at 12:00AM }

If you hadn't already registered for this week's Penny Arcade Expo and were hoping to snag a pass at the door, you don't want to read this tweet. If you did, you'd see the dreadful words: "It's official! PAX 2009 is completely sold out!" Oh, sorry about that -- awkward.

So yes, it's official -- the PAX website has even updated with the news. We spoke with show organizers who assured us that they'd "love to let more people in," but that the venue itself has reached capacity based on the number of passes sold. (They're expecting roughly 75,000 attendees, up from last year's 58,500.)

Looks like it's time to register for PAX East and start pricing airfare to Boston. Or, y'know, you could always borrow a friend's pass. We're sure they won't mind; heck, you shouldn't even ask.