An odd cross of RPG and adventure game, Penny Arcade is a great game for the price.

User Rating: 8.5 | Penny Arcade Adventures: On the Rain-Slick Precipice of Darkness Episode One X360
By Swoosie | Review Date:
Penny Arcade Adventures is the best kind of game we've been seeing on XBox Live Arcade -- quick, fun, and very well-produced games that are also cheap. I'd much rather play XBLA games like this (or Braid, or Castle Crashers) than spend $60 on a gigantic, over-produced, buggy, and usually one-trick-pony games. At $15, I can forgive a pretty short story (about 8-10 hours, if you're thorough), provided it's all done with style and quick to pick up, fun gameplay -- and Penny Arcade delivers.

The good:
+ Great cel-shaded "hand drawn" visuals with excellent in-game animation.
+ Equally good, though minimal, sounds and music throughout.
+ Light, fun storyline with some good characters.
+ Straightforward gameplay allows you to pick it up and play it once in a while without worrying about remembering a story or puzzle nuances.

The bad:
- Combat can be a bit frenetic, as you have to manage three characters in almost real-time.
- Short -- hopefully the follow-on chapters will be closer to $10?
- Very linear -- I'd like to see future stories allow a little more free adventuring.
- "Level up" RPG elements are all automatic, making those elements almost meaningless to the player, particularly given the linear nature of the story.

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