For quite a while, it was a virtual tie between it and xkcd's Flash Games, but in the end Penny Arcade's homage to Mega Man 9 A Trick of Retrospective took top honors in this week's webcomic wrapup. As one commenter quipped, the fourth panel -- the one with all the screaming and angry swearing at the TV -- is conspicuously absent.

Second place went to xkcd, while third went to the other homage to Mega Man 9, Digital Unrest's Return to Form. Thanks to everyone who voted and be sure to let us know of any game-related webcomics you stumble upon this week.

My friends, I appreciate your support, but it is now, after much deliberation and discussion, that this Weekly Webcomic Wrapup pick its running mate. With the Japanese Hardware Sales, I have with me a popular public figure with experience and foreign policy credentials. Should it accept the nomination, together, we will win this election ... for Supreme King and Queen of the Internets.

I've already picked my cabinet. Since I like playing favorites, please vote for the best after the break.

Flash Games (xkcd)
A Trick of Retrospective (Penny Arcade)
A Braid Knot (Dueling Analogs)
geek sign lesson (Sidescroller)
Dear Cousin (Castle Vidcons)
Runway Wreck (2P Start)
Return to Form (Digital Unrest)
The Hype Machine (Monday Night Crew)

It was a landslide victory for wecomic wrapup newcomer Cross Platform, whose comic A New Creative Outlet took almost 40% of the vote. (Be sure to also check out the previous comic, Not-So-Secret Identities.) The site is still being prettified, so here's hoping we'll get permalink pages for each comic (hint, hint).

Second and third place go to usual suspects Penny Arcade (The Origin of the CD Keys, Part One) and Digital Unrest (No Avoiding It). Thanks to everyone who voted, and be sure to let us know of any game-related webcomics you stumble upon this week!

We're still enjoying our beta status at the moment, and so is LittleBigPlanet. Some intrepid gamers have already recreated Tetris in-game, as seen above (via PS3 Fanboy). We showed you Super Mario World earlier this week and we're sure there are dozens more mind-boggling creations propagated around the internet. The best we've tried our hands mittens at making is a pendulum. Anyway, here are our picks for the week's best game-related webcomic. Polling after the break; be sure to vote for your favorite!

The Origin of the CD Keys, Part One (Penny Arcade)
No Avoiding It (Digital Unrest)
Easily Unlocked (Dueling Analogs)
A New Creative Outlet (Cross Platform)
The System 62 (Rosscott, Inc.)
Mega Man Upgrade (Pilli-Adventure)
You'd Never Guess (Sidescroller)

It was a photo finish for the top three webcomics this week, with only 16 votes separating first from third. 2P Start's Great Debate earns the much-coveted (hey, let us dream) crown of best game-related webcomic.

Second and third place, and only by a teensy bit, go to Penny Arcade's Thinking Small and Super Effective's SQUIR-. Thanks to everyone who voted, and be sure to let us know of any game-related webcomics you stumble upon this week!

We should've been doing this all along. Now realizing the error in our ways, the Weekly Webcomic Wrapup is reverting itself to a perpetual state of beta. All of our faults can now be explainedly, simply, as "we are still in beta and will work out the kinks for final launch at a later date." Brilliant! Here are our picks for the week's best game-related webcomic. Polling after the break; be sure to vote for your favorite!

Spartantenial (Fanboys Online)
In Due Time (Castle Vidcons)
In Tow (Awkward Zombie)
Thinking Small (Penny Arcade)
SQUIR- (Super Effective)
Great Debate (2P Start)
A Ring is a Ring (Digital Unrest)
Kung Fu Yeti (MNC)

In you don't understand the painfulness of the situation detailed in Penny Arcade's "The Diplomatic Route," our friends at WoW Insider recently wrote about a guild who gave an ultra-rare bow -- a 6% of dropping from the hardest boss in the game that binds to a player once picked up and cannot be given to another -- to a character that doesn't use bows. Enough of you must have understand, or enjoy any instance of the onomatopoeia "pew pew," since the comic won best of the week.

Second and third place goes to Digital Unrest's Same Scenario, Different Year and 2P Start's Just Say No, respectively. Thanks to everyone who voted, and be sure to let us know of any game-related webcomics you stumble upon this week.

Last week we asked you, dear reader, to tell us what precisely you liked did not like about Will Wright's "SimEverything" Spore (now also known as a beacon of DRM debate). The results are in, and overwhelmingly Space and Creature phases were voted as favorites, while conversely, the Tribal phase was voted least favorite.

We also took the average score, from 1 to 5, as voted on each individual phase and the editors, and the editors were by and large ranked highest (4.37 out of 5), with Creature phase and Cell phase following behind it (3.72 and 3.51, respectively). The Civilization phase had 3.08, while the Tribal phase earned low marks at 2.26 out of 5.

As for the editors themselves, the Creature / Outfitter mode ranked much higher than the others, with 68.6% of respondents reporting it as their favorite. Conversely, the building editor was voted "least favorite" by almost identical margins (67.75%). Read on for the full semi-statistical breakdown.

We'd type more, but it turns out we took some bad advice and are now a bit nonplussed. (Via Digg) Here are our picks for the week's best game-related webcomic. Polling after the break; be sure to vote for your favorite!

If Scott Johnson can do this then so can I (Dueling Analogs)
Same Scenario, Different Year (Digital Unrest)
Rose Colored Glasses (Robot Martini)
The Diplomatic Route (Penny Arcade)
Just Say No (2P Start)
Forgotten Prince (Castle Vidcons)
Bees (Fanboys Online)

It's been almost one week since Spore came out. For those that have contributed to the exponential rise in Sporepedia entries (over 14 million at the time of this writing), we want to know your thoughts on the game. If you would be so kind, please answer a few questions regarding the game, the phases and the editors.

This week's winner in the webcomic wrapup doesn't even have a true name: we just made one up. (In retrospect, we wonder if our original name "Popsicle Sunshine" would have fared as well.) Dork Tower's entry is actually a bit unfair, as it dates back to 2001. It's just sad that (a) we didn't originally notice and (b) after 7 years, it is still very relevant.

Second place (technically first since it's more recent) goes to Dueling Analogs, followed by Digital Unrest and Monday Night Crew. Thanks to everyone who voted and be sure to let us know of any (more recent) game-related webcomics you stumble upon this week!

"Huh, what time is it?" asked the webcomic wrapup as it crawled out of bed, reaching for its Pip Boy alarm clock that did not yet exist.

"It's 5 o'clock," said the omniscient narrator.

"Why is there so much sunlight, then?"

"It's 5 o'clock P.M."

"Oh no, I was supposed to get this up earlier today!"

"Correction, it's Sunday."

"Oh no, I'm a day late!"

"Correction, it's Sunday, September 7. You're over a week late."

"... @!#?@!"

Here are our picks for the week's best game-related webcomic. Polling after the break; be sure to vote for your favorite!

The JoConjugal Visit (Penny Arcade)
"I bought a video game ..." (Dork Tower)
Quiet Time (Robot Martini)
A New Power-Up (2P Start) [Note: If broken, use this link]
Service with a Smile (Dueling Analogs)
Darth Cynic (Digital Unrest)
My Sanity is in Jeopardy! (MNC)
Heretic (Castle Vidcons)

Of the 100 or so cosplayers we saw (and snapped pictures of) at PAX 2008, we've whittled down the gallery to our favorite 15 costumes. Now we want to know who you thought was the best cosplayer:

Maybe it's the upcoming expo, or that we made the focus of this week's wrapup on the comic series, or maybe (just maybe) it was the favored gaming comic. Whatever the reasons, Penny Arcade's "A Life of Service" took top honors in the webcomic wrapup.

Second place was taken by 2P Start's Level Up!, while Hijinks Ensue's Scared Straight claimed a distant third. A special mention goes to Robot Martini's two great tastes, which came in last place, even though we actually quite enjoyed it. Thanks to everyone who voted, and be sure to let us know of any game-related webcomics you stumble upon this week!

Next week at the Penny Arcade Expo, we've been given a chance to sit down for an interview with PA creators Jerry Holkins and Mike Krahulik (i.e. Tycho and Gabe). While we'd love to brainstorm hard-hitting questions for the two, we suddenly realize we're very lazy people. So please tell us what you would ask the Dynamic Duo and we'll pick out the best quesitons and use them in our interview.

Here are our (admittedly too numerous) picks for the week's best game-related webcomic. Polling after the break; be sure to vote for your favorite!

Level Up! (2P Start)
The Latest Score (Castle Vidcons)
two great tastes (Robot Martini)
A Life of Service (Penny Arcade)
For Aiur (MNC)
That Famous Equation (Digital Unrest)
The Force Unleashed (Extra Life)
Karting Sickness (Horribleville)
Cool Webcomics for Attractive People (Dueling Analogs)
Force Powers (CAD)
Do-Over (Burn the Internet)
Scared Straight (Hijinks Ensue)