Title Which Is Of A Necessity Less Entertaining Than This Game's Title

I meant to write a post for Friday, I really did. I had it open and going this afternoon.
Then this
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happened

First of all I love online distribution. I'm loathe to buy a video game at all if it can't be downloaded these days. The kind of instant gratification this offers is on par with a working replicator. I used to go to the store to get video games. The wait, that is to say the car ride home, was unbearable. Later I found out that the internet had a better selection and better prices. Waiting for games in the mail was horrible. I usually had to wait forever and a day and save up to buy it in the first place so the additional week or two was hell. I'll try to make myself sound less petty now. I'm an incredibly impatient person. It's a character flaw and I have to work at it really hard. So just, shut up. Sorry, back to my point. Finally I had steam and access to plastique. I buy the game, download the game, play the game, in that order and in less than an hour. When I bought the Orange Box I had all the games downloaded in about forty-five minutes. It was an intoxicating new sensation. Luckily for me, and a lot of other people really, tons of developers are hopping on the steam band wagon. All my favorite PC games are now on steam: Valve's little diamonds, the Civilization franchise, and any number of World War 2 themed games.

Last night I bought the new video game made by none other than the men behind Penny Arcade. It seems to me that if two men who make their entire living by playing and critiquing games actually make a video game it should completely rock your socks off. And honestly, this game did just that.

I do have some gripes but overall I loved the game. If you like RPG's (not the blowey-uppy kind) at all, that is to say if you have a gamer's bone in your body, you'll like this game. Want some proof? Demo, bitches. Go ahead it's not very big. The demo proved to me that the game was not complete fan service as everyone says. I'm not a Penny Arcade fan, I think the guys are a great artist and a great writer, they definitely have my respect. The game is a well thought out RPG with an amusing and strangely riveting story line. The characters may be more fun to someone familiar with the comic but the writing and art is so good that they're fantastic by themselves. I'm absolutely in love with the artwork. I think it's evocative, polished eye candy that just keeps coming. The best part is the mix of 2-D and 3-D artwork. You get to create a custom character that the game renders well in three dimensions but superbly in two. It's a thrill to see your character's expressions and reactions throughout the game. While the game has lots of inside jokes to delight the fans it's also funny in its own right. I expected to be slightly amused throughout this game, I was very amused very consistently. The number of times I laughed out loud, and quite heartily at that, chocks up big points for the game in my book. It was sincerely funny. The plot does not revolve around anything from the comic and the ubiquitous robots are the most truly in joke. Otherwise almost all of it, including about 90% of the enemies and 100% of the NPC's are unique to the game. The weapons, attacks, items; all new. The excellent quest and plot development and rich environment detail keep you from ever noticing that you're essentially running around in circles, re-hashing the same small set of maps. It turns the size of the game world into a strength instead of a weakness.

My gripes mainly revolve around the options. I wanted more, especially mouse sensitivity. I set mine to the max on every game I play and I personally found the RSPD mouse sluggish. I wanted a "reset" button on the character creation page so that I could get a clean palette when my new character was simply FUBAR. There were a couple mini games that were maddeningly difficult due primarily to poor design. The almost added to the enjoyment in a way though, hearkening back to classic games with awful mini games. Maybe it's just me.

The game was so engrossing that I played through the entire length with the hungry enjoyment with which I've played countless games before. Games made by the world's largest developers. It lasted longer than some of those too. I finished Half-life 2's Episodes One and Two in less time each. I played through portal in less than half the time. The fact that I could play The Rain Slick Precipice Of Darkness for pretty much ever more does leave me wanting though.

In the end it really is worth the twenty bucks, something I didn't believe before the demo opened my eyes. This is really my first review of a video game and I'd love some feedback. Drop a comment to tell me your thoughts about the review or the game!