If the above image brings a smile to your face, chances are you are a fan of Ron Gilbert's work.  Creator of the popular Monkey Island series, Maniac Mansion game, as well as the original Sam and Max;  Ron Gilbert is credited in over 25 popular video game titles.  He's even credited in the very co-op friendly Diablo II.  

Ron is currently a creative director at Hothead Games, but is taking a bit of a vacation this fall to deliver the keynote address at the Penny-Arcade Expo.

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Even though the Penny-Arcade Expo is over four months away, it's hard NOT to get excited for it already.  To make things even more difficult, the show organizers have revealed some details on the event set to take place on September 4th through the 6th.

The show is currently set to showcase over 60 exhibitors including:  The Behemoth, Bethesda, Bioware, Blizzard, Capcom, CCP Games, EA, Foundation 9, Microsoft, Mythic, Nintendo, NC Soft, Rockstar, Telltale, Turbine, Ubisoft, Valve, and WB Games.  And don't worry, we'll have plenty of Co-Optimus staff there to cover the event this year. 

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We don't normally announce the weekly Rock Band DLC, but this week is an exception.  Up for download is the PAX Pack, featuring artists from the Penny Arcade Exposition.  The first cool thing?  The pack is a mere 240 points, or $3.  $1 per song is pretty much the sweet spot for downloading it automatically, for me.  The best part though, is that all the money from the songs goes to Child's Play, a charity that provides games and systems to kids in Children's Hospitals around the globe.  So, you get a few new tracks to try out, and the great feeling of helping others, all for less than the cost of a Happy Meal.  Let's hope the charity makes a bundle off this!  Here's the song list:

PAX Pack 1 (240 / $3)

• "Skullcrusher Mountain" - Jonathan Coulton
• "Livin' on the Corner of Dude and Catastrophe" - MC Frontalot
• "Shhh…." - Darkest of the Hillside Thickets