As soon as it came out that I was enjoying RPG’s I was literally bombarded with email from gamers offering to guide me through this strange new world of hit points and random battles. When I talked about how I was really enjoying Final Fantasy Tactics Advance I got mail from at least a hojillion people telling me I needed to play the original on the Playstation. One of my favorite things to do is find awesome games buried in discount bins at obscure locations. So when I was at my local Fred Meyer (a store known for its fresh groceries, not its electronics) I decided I’d spend some time digging through their old Playstation one games. As I pushed aside copies of You Don’t Know Jack and Bubbsy 3D I saw it sitting right there. The game everyone had been telling me I “simply had to play” and for ten bucks even. Right next to it was a copy of FF:VII for the same price, what luck!

I don't know what the hell is happening with him, though it does look like the turn-based strategy RPG thing is now a permanent element of his construction. He came back from EB with copies of Final Fantasy VII and Tactics, and other than a slight altercation at the store he doesn't seem any worse for wear.

Someone, or someones I suppose, managed to get their mitts on the source code for not only Half Life 2 but apparently Steam and Team Fortress 2, which looks as though it might make up the multiplayer portion. Then Gabe wanted to discuss it on some rational level, which was, you know, embarrassing for him. I'm thinking about just releasing him into the wild, maybe putting out one of those feeders so he doesn't eat one of the neighborhood cats.

So who really is the sexiest gamer?

So Scott made another jab at us. Too bad we already did that joke two years ago.

I tell secrets to people in order to make them like me. I also create fabulous Penny Arcade wallpapers for them to use on their computers.

My email is broken which means I didn’t get any new mail today. It was sort of cool actually. It also means I had time to go back through some of the mail that has been piling up. That is when I saw an email from the guys running Extra Life for Kids. I am an absolute jackass for letting this slip by and not mentioning it sooner. These guys are holding a 48 hour gaming marathon to raise money for the Children’s Miracle Network.

The creators of both Lobster Doctor and Gamer Hotties are at it again after two months of downtime, revealing their all-new project Wrench Farm.

When we saw Scott's Tuesday strip over at PvP, I must tell you - we were overjoyed. A couple months ago, I told Scott that we were waiting with much enthusiasm for the day he would act against us, and he has not disappointed in the slightest. We've always felt that Scott is at his best when he is at his most aggressive, and we relish this opportunity to return fire in what we hope will be a long-lived feud. Scott is the only one we ever let draw Penny Arcade, so having a foe we can actually respect is a real thrill. Also, we hope he enjoys the traffic. Helping out the little guy just feels good.

I think commas are a tool of oppression.

So today I got a phone call and when I picked it up it was a recording. It said, “This is not a solicitation. This is an automated call. Please call us back at 1-800-something, something, something.” I would have actually called them back but I could not write the number down fast enough and I have no short term memory. Is this how companies are getting around the do not call list? Is it not considered a solicitation if they simply call and ask me to call them back? Interesting.

So I am a bona fide Final Fantsy Freak now. I am watching Kara play through FF: X again. We are playing FF: IX together and once that is done we plan to go back through the rest of them in order. I play FF: Tactics on my GBA for at least three hours every night before I go to sleep. My Ninja Army is truly a fearsome sight. I am eagerly anticipating the release of FF: X2 even though I know full well that it sports a pop star Yuna and an all girl cast. I look at the teaser sight for FF: XII at least five times a day trying to get some new bit of information from the image there. I downloaded the new tech demo for FF: XI the other day and I like to press keys on my keyboard while it’s running and pretend I’m really playing it. I used to make fun of my friend Robert for being such a Final Fantasy fanboy and now I think of ways to break into his house and steal his collection of Squaresoft T-Shirts. Then I saw the new pictures of the direct to DVD FF: VII “movie” and I got so excited I actually went blind for about twenty minutes.

And, we would be criminal to forget, the limitless patience and prodigious bandwidth of HomeLan. I don't even know what sort of bandwidth we pull down anymore, they don't bring it up and I'm afraid to ask.

Since Tycho announced that we will be closing down Club PA I thought this would be a good time to thank everyone who helped us out. I remember a couple years back when the advertising market went to shit and websites were folding left and right. Tycho and I had a very long discussion about closing the site down. We decided to give the donation system a try which at that point was essentially untested. The generosity of our readers pulled us through some lean years and I really can’t thank you guys enough for that. The advertising system we have in place now is working well though and I think it’s time to put club PA on hold. I know lots of you would still like the ability to contribute money for the opportunity to get access to special stuff each month and I can appreciate that. A more structured PA fan club sort of thing may get put together after a few months or so if the demand is there.

I may have been rude. The only thing that will improve my mood, though, is Etherlords II, so as far as retail employees are concerned it's kind of a Catch-22.

The Bard's Tale! It's back!