(XBLA) Penny Arcade Adventures: On the Rain-Slick Precipice of Darkness Episode 2
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Penny Arcade: On the Rain-Slick Precipice of Darkness Episode 2
Penny Arcade: On the Rain-slick Precipice of Darkness Episode 2 has finally been released to the gaming public and those anxious Penny Arcade loyal fans that enjoyed Penny Arcade: On the Rain-slick Precipice of Darkness Episode 1, you will be in for a real treat as Episode 2 has expanded some of its features. Hot Head Games has answered many fans complaint about the first games true lack of character customization by adding more customization options for your character which again is reflected in the full 3D game as well as the 2D comic strips as well as some new controls.
In Episode 2, You, Tycho and Gabe are continuing their adventures in 1920 New Arcadia on a new adventure meeting new people, some old friends and of course you are still searching for a new place to live. New areas, bigger combat, easy to insane difficulty levels and more are all here for the action role playing gamer to enjoy, but is Episode 2 worth the cash when we know an Episode 3 is probably coming sooner then we can expect? It is, if you do not mind paying the 1200 points for a downloadable 4-8 hour game.
To be honest at first I did not like the first Penny Arcade game, the combat, the story and the overall game just was not enjoyable and I am a RPG nut. But after one of our staff reviewed the game and kept poking me with a stick to give it another try I actually found the game to be fun and worth the 1600 points I paid for it.
The Penny Arcade Episode 2 developers, Hot Head, followed the rule “If it isn’t broke, don’t fix it” and I have to say that was smart because changing the game around too much would feel just wrong in the end. The same RPG semi turn-based semi real-time combat is back with the same weird and sick sense of humor Penny Arcade is known for. Each of the game zones or levels are full of the rich and fun Penny Arcade influence which does not become old or boring and these areas include the 1920’s World Fair and my favorite a run down Sanitarium. The ‘monsters’ you will fight this time around range from patients in the sanitarium who like to punch themselves in the face, spiders, and of course the fruit f*cker robots who are always a welcome sight.
Blocking and counter attacking, building up attacks, wonderful items to use during combat from the original are still here and since you really need to play the first game to play this one there is no need to go into detail. One welcome change to the overall game mechanics is the ability to use your bumpers to switch between possible interactions in the game. This makes playing the game easier especially when there are plenty of items and people to select from so there will be no accidentlier selecting the wrong person when you want to perform a specific task.
The first game had that Penny Arcade look to it graphically and what you heard sure sounded like I always expected Penny Arcade to sound like in my head. The second game looks just as good and sounds just as good in every way. This is not very surprising and I was happy there was no drop in overall quality which we have seen in some episodic content. If you are not familiar with the Penny Arcade games or even the strip the comedic look of the game some of the characters such as the fruit f*ckers (yes that is what they are called) might look out of place, but fear not the game is true Penny Arcade.
The overall animations this time seem to be better than and just as fun as the original game, but just like the first game they do become very repetitive. This repetitive nature does help when you need to block attacks since you will be easily able to gauge when you are going to be attacked and block. Yes it does make that part of the game easier so it is a good and bad thing.
Plenty of value here for potentially an 8 hour game for 1200 MS points single player wise and 1200 points is still considered very expensive for a downloaded game even if it is a longer game then the 60 dollar game you buy in the store.
If you bought and enjoyed the first Penny Arcade: On the Rain-slick Precipice of Darkness Episode 1 (what a name), Penny Arcade 2 will be worth every dollar or MS point you spend on the game. But if you did not buy the game, it is not worth starting with Episode 2 unless you have purchased and finished episode 1 and if the first game was not your cup of gaming tea, you should skip this one and play something else.
Pros
+ Fun game with some interesting gameplay
+ Weirdness of Tyco and Gabe knows no bounds…
+ Good price for 4-8 hours of gameplay
+ New controls are nice
+ Not a cheap copy of the original quickly repackaged to milk money
Cons
- You should still be a fan of Penny Arcade to enjoy the game
- Feels like it is just a game stop gap until Episode 3, then 4, then 5… maybe Episode 3 will have more of a full filling ending
Final Verdict
Here's a small guide to help you understand our evaluation of games.
PRESENTATION GRADE
Can be from the game's box to the contents of the booklet, and even the game introduction. (Intro, menus, options, etc)
GRAPHIC GRADE
Up to what point the graphics have been worked on my the developper. The design type, the effort used for textures and environments, as well as animations and framerate.
AUDIO GRADE
Is the soundtrack a good match to the game's style, he ambient sounds keeping with the gameplay and the sound effects clear and convincing?
GAMEPLAY GRADE
Placement of the controls and the inferface that the player with be using during the game.
REPLAY VALUE GRADE
The most important factor in the evaluation of a game. It identifies the lifespan of the game and the fun of coming back again and again.
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