Penny-Arcade is as much part of the video gaming zeitgeist as the wakka wakka sound Pacman makes, Mario's mustache or the word Hadouken. It set the bar for webcomics, and nowadays publishers and developers clamor to get their latest product mentioned on one of those three hallowed panels.

After spending so long as one of the most recognisable faces of videogame comment, it's interesting to see the tables, not turned, but rearranged a little. The game itself is a riff on the age old JRPG mechanic of random turn based battles punctuating periods of exploration. The story takes its cue from the world of Lovecraft, and tentacles will no doubt be involved somewhere along the way.

Perhaps the most interesting part of the whole game though is the character creation, which allows the player to make their own avatar, for use not only in the 3d sections of the game, but in the 2d cutscenes as well.

Aesthetic innovations aside, it remains to be seen whether an episodic RPG, with a scatological sense of humour and a pretty specific target audience will be able to cut the mustard in a world dominated by large brand names and mega publishers. Early reviews haven't been promising, but if you want to find out for yourself, Penny-Arcade Adventures: On the Rain Slick Precipice of Darkness, Episode One, will set you back 1600 Microsoft points.

Labels: JRPG, Penny-Arcade, Xbox Live