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by Jerry Whorebach 11/09/2008, 7:48am PST |
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 One of the major concerns about episodic content is whether playing the first episode is absolutely necessary. The answer here is "no"; while Episode 2 has plenty of references to its forebear's storyline, you'll just miss a few of the jokes (like the main character's ongoing house hunt) and the backgrounds of a few returning characters (such as "urinologist" Ernest P. Whimple, a man consumed with urinating on objects in the name of science) by skipping the first game. The game's best jokes, however, require no knowledge of Episode 1. |
 In fact, it's pretty much essential that you've played the first chapter because without it, very little will make sense. This clearly isn't going to be a series you can casually dip in and out of, since story elements are carried over from the previous adventure with little or no explanation, while there are items collected here which won't come into play until Episode Three. |
| To be frank, Penny Arcade Adventures: Episode 2 scarcely needed to do more than provide a new laugh-yourself-incontinent story. After all, its raucous humor, classic fetch-and-solve puzzles, and on-your-toes combat make for a solid game that'll engage Penny Arcade fans and nonfans alike. But with a few refinements and over seven hours of new gameplay (far more if you choose to tackle the game's unlockable and aptly named Insane Mode difficulty), its $5 price drop from the original won't leave you feeling like an orange on the business end of...well...an old friend. |
| Overall, the second episode of Penny Arcade is a marked improvement, but it's still not a game to rush home and try. For all the changes, the core combat gameplay still has a wonky balance, providing very little challenge once you've mastered the timing needed to block the various enemies. The adventure elements are similarly skewed, with only a few puzzles that will slow you down, and even then it's generally because the solution is a little too esoteric. |
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