One Strong Bad Demo!

So, if you're familiar with the Internet Flash-based comic, "Homestar Runner," then you know who Strong Bad is. I used to frequent the HomestarRunner website and watch the various cartoons. I would even go so far as to view the source of the page to see what the flash file was and then go to that directly, as this allowed me to watch it full screen and see outside of the intended "viewable" area.

Even back then, there would be little interactive surprises, if you could determine where to click. Little bonus content, if you will... extra jokes, simple games, that sort of thing.

Well, Strong Bad is now being featured in his own game that is coming out for the PC and Wii, and the demo (called, "Homestar Ruiner Demo") is available for download. I wrote a quick news article about the Strong Bad Demo on GameVortex.com yesterday, but I wanted to test it out to make sure it wasn't virus-infected, that it actually launched and to see how it played before posting the news story.

It was pretty cool to see Strong Bad and friends in a game, which basically felt like a less-linear version of the old Homestar Runner content. The only thing that irked me about the demo was that when you are talking to another character, you will say some different things based on whether you are trying to be nice or mean, but you won't know how many different things you can say until you've cycled through them... and then you end up hearing the same conversation again, without being able to break out of it... which can be annoying, since some of the conversations are lengthy exchanges.

Much like the original Homestar Runner comics, the videogame is intended to be served up in periodic installments. Homestar Runner makes a perfect license for episodic content, as it was originally done in an episodic manner. The first episode is around nine dollars, but you can buy the first season for thirty-something, I believe. there are links to purchasing the game or the series inside of the demo, so that's probably the best way to check-ity check it out.

- Robert "Geck0" Perkins