On the Rain-Slick Precipice of Awesome

Runefox wrote to point out that the boys at Penny Arcade have passed around the first trailer for their upcoming episodic PC game. Kotaku is link/hosting a flash version of the trailer, and a high quality one is on GameTrailers. As Runefox says: "While almost all can agree that the graphics, as they are now, will give small children nightmares, so, too, can most everyone agree that the Fruit F***ker is simply awesome." Earlier this week Gabe put up a post with more information on the game, and owns up to maybe having put out the trailer 'too soon'. "We were worried though that people might think this was going to be a 2D game if that's all they saw. So we decided at the last minute to attach some of the 3D work we've got. It's extremely early and it's missing some effects like cell shading and a few others.In retrospect we probably should have held of showing it but we were excited and we jumped the gun a bit. We still have a lot of work to do in order to really define the look of the game." The best tidbit: You'll be able to make your own PA-style character to fight alongside the boys. Good form.

Artistic style

[phorm]

Actually, I rather like the artistic style of the game. The environment seems a mix of Sam'n'Max crossed with Zelda. Cartoony, but well drawn and believable while not trying to push the "realism" button too much (like many games do nowadays).

Of course that says nothing of the gameplay or plot, but I'll keep an eye on this one to see what the reviews say about that.

Re:PA now on the other side of the fence

[cowscows]

It can be especially difficult with something containing a lot of creativity, because so much of those design processes can be iterative, meaning that the first half of the work you do is done only to figure out what you need to do for the second half of the project. Basically, if you don't throw out most of your original ideas, you're either some sort of super genius, or you're making a crappy product.

Good ideas often turn out to bad ideas, or lead to better and different ideas. The only way you can flush all that out is by trying those ideas and seeing where they go. Showing off that work-in-progress is tough, because there's a good chance that the final product will be very different. And forget about those last few layers of polish that really make your end result good. You don't want to waste time on that until you're really happy with the underlying product.

It's too bad that the hype based advertising system that the games industry has embraced doesn't take into account the way design really works. Instead it forces developers to waste time making little demos of projects that are nowhere near from ready, and can force the design process into corners from which they can't escape, resulting in mediocre games.

Re:PA now on the other side of the fence

[Applekid]

At the risk of sounding inflamitory, considering how vocal the PA guys are about games that suck, this had better be one of the best adventure games of all time.

After all, you can't have such vocal critics of bad games actually be RESPONSIBLE for a bad game, right?

I don't hold loyalties to any developer or publisher... but I have a feeling finding an unbiased review, positive or negative, of this one when it comes out is going to be next to impossible.

Do you expect Ebert to make awesome movies?

[jchenx]

At the risk of sounding inflamitory, considering how vocal the PA guys are about games that suck, this had better be one of the best adventure games of all time.

After all, you can't have such vocal critics of bad games actually be RESPONSIBLE for a bad game, right?

It's unfortunate that you, and many others, have similar expectations, because I don't think it's correct. Do you expert Ebert [wikipedia.org], the famed movie critic, to be able to make great movies? I hope not. Critiquing and creating are two very different activities, requiring different skillsets. Is it possible to be good at both? Of course, but it's certainly not a given.

You could argue that PA should be able to tell if they do make a bad game, and then decide not to ship it ... but I think that's being rather short-sighted. It's one thing to realize that your product may not be so great, and another to actually pull the plug on it (and all the business ramifications thereof). Also, the mere act of being involved in the game's creation makes it impossible to be an objective critic. So PA won't be able to play the role as an unbiased critic, perhaps seeing things with rose-colored glasses when it comes to "their baby".

That said, I give them enormous kudos for going on this venture and wish them the best. But I'm not going to hold them up to the same high standards you guys seem to be. Do I want a game that I have fun with? Sure! But "best adventure game of all time" is a lot to ask for ...

Re:Penny Arcade no, Megatokyo yes

[drinkypoo]

I'm sorry, I get it, I just think it's stupid. You're just going to have to accept that people have different tastes. P.S. If you're using your slashbot account to advertise a product, perhaps you should consider being more politic.

PA merely 'involved' with other side of said fence

[Crasty]

It's important to keep in mind that Gabe and Tycho (Mike and Jerry) are not actually writing a single line of code for the game. They are helping guide the creation of the game, but they really aren't development studio, and as such, they aren't really developing the title.

They are obviously going to have a good deal of input during the process, but to say "let's see how good a game they can make" is a bit silly.

It would be like saying that J.K. Rowling makes crappy movies if you don't like the Harry Potter series. While she very well may make crappy movies, she really didn't make the Harry Potter movies.