Penny Arcade's first game appears on PC, Mac, Linux, and XBLA.

Coded up by newcomers Hothead Games, this first of a planned four part RPG adventure has hit the downloadable street, available over Xbox Live or Penny A's and Hothead's own Greenhouse digital distribution platform (www.playgreenhouse.com) for the Windows, Mac, and Linux versions.  All versions have a demo you can snag for free, and discover if this colorful steampunk adventure is worth your $20.  Expect the full game to run you 6-10 hours of enjoyment if you're a fan of Penny Arcade or ATB style combat, a la Final Fantasy 7.  The official word runs like this:

"Penny Arcade Adventures: On the Rain-Slick Precipice of Darkness, Episode One is an RPG-Adventure game set in the deranged 1920s universe of New Arcadia, delivered togamers via accessible episodic releases. Players join Gabe and Tycho, the crime-solving team of the Startling Developments Detective Agency, to combat savage enemies and solve mysteries hidden deep in the sinister heart of New Arcadia. The game is the result of close collaboration between Hothead Games and Penny Arcade, featuring distinct artwork and characters designedexclusively by Mike "Gabe" Krahulik, story and dialogue by Jerry "Tycho" Holkins, both brought to life by the Hothead team."

I've tried the demo on both XBLA and PC, and I have to say it's hard choosing which to go with the final buy.  The production values in everything from the visuals to the sound was beyond my expectations, especially how my own customized character shows up right as I made him in the 2D cut-scenes.  Yet when it came to playability, I felt that combat was really designed for the mouse and got adapted to the 360 controller in a way that's just a little awkward, especially with three people to control in real time.  The comedy comes through loud and clear on either device, complete with clever narration and jovial item descriptions.  So if you're a fan of the comic, I can't see how you can go wrong.