greenhouse posts

It's been a while since InstantAction discussed its streaming PC game service that would allow games to be embedded into web sites like videos. It looks like things have been a bit slow on that front for the company, which released The Secret of Monkey Island Special Edition earlier this summer on the service and then its own game, the music-themed Instant Jam.

So what's the hold up on more games from InstantAction? Gamesindustry.biz (free registration required) chatted with the company's CEO Louis Castle who said, "We got very close to a lot of deals with a lot of potential partners." However publishers wanted some proof that the technology would work and so InstantAction created Instant Jam. And what about that deal to offer indie games from the Greenhouse web site via streaming technology? Castle states, "We'll start with a couple of them and then we'll roll them out." So far the Greenhouse site is still "temporarily offline."

On Tuesday we reported that the PC indie-themed game download site Greenhouse would be using the embed gaming technology from InstantAction. We now have some more info about the deal from Robert Khoo, the business head of Penny Arcade which owns Greenhouse.

Khoo told Big Download that it first learned of InstantAction's gaming embed technology some time ago but that InstantAction was not yet ready to implement the tech at the time. Penny Arcade more recently assumed 100 percent ownership of the Greenhouse web site (it started as a co-venture with Hothead Games) and it was at that time that InstantAction said their game embed technology was now ready.

As far as how the developers of the games on Greenhouse feel about the InstantAction deal, Khoo tells us, "Indie devs think the same way we think about it, which is that since they have the option to embed the games into pretty much anywhere, it's a win-win for everyone involved. Yes, we'll still offer the ability to have the standard off-line version, but since indies have their own built in-audiences, being able to connect them directly via their embedded game is pretty powerful stuff."

As we mentioned Tuesday, the Greenhouse web site is currently in an offline mode until the InstantAction technology is put in place (although folks who have purchased games from the service can download them again if they need to). Khoo would not give us a concrete date for the site's relaunch but said it should happen sometime before Penny Arcade Expo starts in early September.

The site, which was co-founded by Penny Arcade some time ago, is currently offline. While details are few Penny Arcade's business head Robert Khoo has confirmed to Big Download that InstantAction will be using its streaming game embed tech to deliver games from the Greenhouse library of titles when the site comes back online. At the moment there's no word on when the new Greenhouse web site will come back online.

We know that Black Friday is the most important shopping day of the year. Excellent discount prices on all sorts of merchandise intended as Christmas gifts is the tradition of the day. We also know that it can be a little intimidating for new or inexperienced PC users to decide between the different digital distribution (and community) platforms. We certainly were when we first heard about all the different services available. However, we've evaluated these services, from those that can barely be called such a thing to the juggernauts that dominate the industry, and all of our research has been compiled it all into this comprehensive, handy-dandy guide. You may not know what game to get your friend for Christmas, but you'll definitely know where to buy it!

Those looking for a quick guide to the services covered and what we thought of important features, check out our downloadable chart!

It's been over half a year since the Xbox 360 received one of the most hotly anticipated independent games in recent memory. Now that it is April, PC users have been given this incredible boon as well. Jonathon Blow's Braid was released not too long ago, and I'm glad to say that it is still as good as it was last August. In fact, in some ways, it's a little better. But no worries, as it is still the time-bending platformer that was released to such rave reviews. In fact, if you've played the Xbox 360 version, you have pretty much played this one as well.

It looks like we don't have to wait for the weekend to get some good PC game sales. The indie-themed game download site Greenhouse has just put three of their titles on sale this week. You can get the just released And Yet It Moves along with Penny Arcade Adventures Episode 1 and Defense Grid: The Awakening for just $9.99 each. That's a 33 percent savings off the first two games and a 50 percent sale for the third. The sale ends on Sunday.

Meanwhile, Steam has given permanent price cuts to two of Dreamcatcher Games' titles. You can now down download and purchase the FPS Painkiller Overdose and the space-based RTS game Genesis Rising for just $4.99 each. Also GamersGate has put the space combat games Tarr Chronicles and Dark Horizon together as a bundle for just $2.99 this week.

The indie game World of Goo is one of the best games of this year, independent or otherwise. This game by 2D Boy has managed to gain a following on both platforms it has been released on. Critics and consumers alike love the combination of surreal humor, stylized graphics, and physics puzzles. According to Metacritic, World of Goo is only beat by Mario Galaxy in terms of critical acclaim. But which one is better? Are PC owners missing out by ignoring the WiiWare version, or are Wii owners being shafted in favor of the PC version? Welcome to Big Versus: World of Goo edition.

Comparing the two versions of World of Goo is not so much a "what is left out" list, but rather a "who can use this best" list. Both versions are very similar to each other to the point of retaining the same basic experience that their counterpart has. This lack of many major differences make choosing the version you want rather difficult. Therefore, choosing your version to play doesn't rely on which one has better features, but rather which type of person you are as well as what kind of screen you want to experience World of Goo on.

Longtime fans of the Penny Arcade webcomic most likely already know what I'm about to say here. You probably know that On The Rain-Slick Precipice of Darkness: Episode One is an adventure-RPG set in the steampunk/gothic horror world of New Arcadia where similar-yet-different versions of Gabe and Tycho run their own paranormal investigation firm -- of sorts. But did you know that in this game you'll get to battle robotic juicing machines that copulate with fruits, men, women and sometimes small animals? Oh, you did. Well fine, but don't say we didn't warn you when their little metal protrusions puncture your tibia.

For those of you who don't know every little detail about the game, let us make you au courant on the subject of OTRSPoD:EO. Yes, we just went acronymical on your ass.