Tag Archives: South Park

South Park: The Stick of Truth (Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 & PC)

South Park The Stick of Truth

Developer(s) – Obsidian Entertainment & South Park Digital Studios

Publisher(s) – Ubisoft

Director(s) – Chris Brion, Chris Parker & Zane Lyon

Producer(s) – Todd Benson & Matthew Singh

PEGI – 18

Hyped up for quite some time and having suffered from a fair few delays, South Park: The Stick of Truth had been a game that I was looking forward to a fair bit. When I saw that was going to be a turn-based RPG, I was thinking to myself about the possibilities of factors such as variety in gameplay. And how long it could possibly last. One of these concerns of mine was adequately met, whilst the other was not.

Graphics – 9.5/10

The developers were aiming to capture the feel of the show in the game’s visuals. And they did just that. Playing the game feels very much like playing an actual episode of South Park. So whilst the graphics aren’t cutting edge, there’s no call for them to be cutting edge. The visuals are as good as could possibly be desired. One bad thing I would say about the game in terms of this axiom of judgment is that all the houses in the neighborhood area of South Park look exactly like one another, but are in different colors. But the thing is, that’s the way they are in the show as well.

And there are plenty of other unique-looking buildings and locations to compensate for that. In particular, I like how the developers designed Canada as an 8-bit environment. That was a very nice touch, and it did provide some diversity in visual style. But I think the worst instance of visual presentation in the game was the cutscene whereby a UFO crash-lands in South Park. That part is rendered in 3D. And to me, it’s quite sloppy. It actually had the feel of the South Park first-person shooter that was released on the Nintendo 64 and PlayStation back in 1998.

Gameplay – 8/10

The game itself was also very enjoyable to play. It was a very nice throwback to old-style turn-based RPGs such as early Final Fantasy games or Dragon Quest. With learnable abilities, magic, and even summons to collect along the way. Although the game could have done with more, there are also a few side quests as well. Exploration is encouraged, but only to a certain extent. I think the gameplay aspect I can praise the most is the amount of variety it has. Like Final Fantasy, there are multiple party members at the player’s disposal. And they all have their own unique abilities and special moves. The combat system also presents the necessity to strategize, which is always a plus. The medium mode doesn’t present a lot of challenges. But for more intrepid players, the difficulty can be adjusted.

Controls – 10/10

As a 2D open-world turn-based RPG, the control scheme for games like this has been long since perfect. And consequently, there should never have been any issues with the controls; and nor are there, I’m happy to say. Many developers have tried to add different aspects of controls in turn-based RPGs in recent years to compensate for the characters simply standing still. Such as in Lost Odyssey, where bonus damage could be dealt with by pressing buttons at the correct times. But how the developers of this game have managed to do that is actually pretty impressive.

Lifespan – 3.5/10

Frustratingly, I’d finished this game in less than 14 hours. I’d say that at most, it would take players still less than 20 hours to complete the game to 100%. And for a turn-based RPG, that’s nothing. Games like this can normally be made to last 80, maybe even 100 hours. Over five times longer than South Park: The Stick of Truth. Unfortunately, reminiscent of some games from the previous generation.

Such as Batman: Arkham Asylum, Dead Space, and Deus Ex: Human Revolution, This is one of those games that simply left me wanting more. If Trey Parker and Matt Stone ever wanted to release a sequel, I really wouldn’t mind more of the same in terms of gameplay. Just as long as it’s made to last far longer. My only hope now is that the planned DLC for the game can significantly increase its lifespan. Because, in its current state, it is far too short-lived.

Storyline – 7.5/10

Whilst the game’s story is extremely funny and very well thought out, I can’t help but think that it’s mostly open to one specific demographic. Fans of the series. Newcomers who may never have watched South Park before won’t be able to get laughs out of all the references to previous South Park episodes. And consequently won’t get the most of what is to be had out of the game overall. But having said that, the main plot of the game is pretty appealing. The player takes control of a new kid who has just moved to South Park with his family. And whilst out looking to make friends, he inevitably finds Kyle, Stan, Cartman, and Kenny, who are all playing a huge kids game. Cartman and Kenny are the leaders of the Kupa Keep faction. And Kyle and Stan are the leaders of the Elven faction.

Cont…

The new kid is caught in the middle of the two groups waging war over an item called the Stick of Truth. According to the rules of their game, whoever controls the stick controls the universe. But it all turns into something much bigger than their little game, and the new kid must work to stop a threat looming over the entire town of South Park. Aside from the plot of the game being very good, in lieu of South Park tradition, the vulgarity dial is cranked up to 11.

For any readers who may be looking to try the game, but who may be easily offended. There is everything in this game ranging from explicit violence, adult themes, foul language, toilet humor, full-frontal nudity, strong sexual content, political incorrectness, and disturbing imagery. Seven scenes of this game were even censored in not only the Middle East and Africa but in Europe too. Along with the PC version of the game also being censored in several other countries. So any players with children are strongly advised to make sure their kids don’t walk in on them playing this game.

Originality – 8.5/10

In terms of gameplay, whilst hearkening back to old-style Final Fantasy, South Park: The Stick of Truth is a unique take on the turn-based RPG genre as it has a unique story, unique level designs, and a unique enemy roster, ranging from elves and wolves to aliens and cows. The game can also be noted for its exceptional level of crudity. I have played many games that have caused a lot of controversy over the years, but it will be interesting to see how people react to this one.

Happii

Overall, South Park: The Stick of Truth was a very decent game to play through, but it did ultimately leave me wanting so much more out of it than what I got; and by that token, I felt pretty jaded by it. But it is worth playing once, and hopefully, it will be worth holding out for the planned DLC to come along and increase the game’s lifespan by at least some margin.

Score

47/60

7.5/10 (Good)

South Park (Nintendo 64)

South Park

Developer(s) – Iguana Entertainment & Appaloosa Interactive

Publisher(s) – Acclaim Studios

Designer(s) – Jeff Everett & Niell Glancy

Producer(s) – David Dienstbier

ESRB – M

Developed amidst the immense success the animated series garnished throughout the late 90s, the South Park video game followed many of the same principles as Iguana Entertainment’s successful first-person shooting title, Turok: Dinosaur Hunter. Unfortunately, however, the game received mixed to negative reviews upon release with critics remarking upon it as being decent in the way of merely license and graphics, and nothing more. Something which I agree with for the most part. Since I believe it offers hardly anything in the way of gameplay compared to the original Turok. As well as most other FPS games.

Graphics – 6.5/10

Conceptually, the game makes use of many of the different settings and concepts that had been perpetrated within the TV show at that time. And the developers did a fairly decent job of not only celebrating what source material there was, but also expanding upon it to a certain extent. It takes place in a wide range of locations. Such as UFO the streets of South Park, forests, caves, factories, and toy stores. Problems arise on a graphical level. Since whilst this game could be considered a precursor to the idea of incorporating cel-shaded visuals in games, it’s also heavily glitched.

Gameplay – 6.5/10

Though I do need to say as a prerequisite I spent a lot of time playing this game. And therefore won’t be giving it as harsh a review as many other critics have, I have since gained a better understanding of where many of them are coming from. For me, the biggest problem is that it seems too much like a step down from Turok. Since where that game was much more open-ended.

And players had the option to come and go as they pleased, this game is stage-based, and consequently follows a much more linear path than the former. Marring down the overall experience. That being said, however, what there is in the way of gameplay also presents players with a pretty decent amount of variety. There are quite a few weapons to unlock, as well as a plethora of different characters from the series to play in multiplayer mode.

Controls – 7/10

Since this game also incorporates the same control scheme as Turok: Dinosaur Hunter, I found myself having problems in this respect as well. Using the C-buttons on the Nintendo 64 controller to move is a lot more awkward than how future FPS games would be handled on the system. Such as Perfect Dark. And, therefore, controlling the game felt much more like a chore than an enjoyment.

Lifespan – 4/10

The South Park FPS also lasts around the same time as Turok: Dinosaur Hunter. Whilst it doesn’t make it seem as much of a downside as it does in the former, since Turok is more of an open-world game and therefore a longer lifespan would have possibly been expected, four to five hours still felt like a very underwhelming amount of time for a game to last. Even back then. The average lifespan of a first-person shooter would go on to increase as time went on. But there was no way this game would have been able to compete with the seemingly never-ending adventure games available on the console at that time.

Storyline – 6/10

The story of the time follows the exploits of the show’s four main characters, Kyle, Stan, Cartman, and Kenny. They battle their way through a multitude of different enemies, such as cows, turkeys, aliens, robots, and toys, in order to save their hometown of South Park amidst the approach of a comet from outer space. As expected, it’s as outlandish as most plots of episodes of the series were at that time. But in my opinion, it just isn’t anywhere near as funny as the show was. The creators would most certainly put more effort into the later game based on the License, South Park: The Stick of Truth. But the comedy portrayed in this game is much more of a case of hit-and-miss.

Originality – 6/10

As well as every other problem I encountered with this title, there also isn’t much in the way of uniqueness either. Many of the weapons used in the game have a fair bit of imagination to them. Such as the cow launcher, the alien device, dodge balls, and the Terrence and Philip dolls. Again alluding to how much the developers chose to respect the source material. But in terms of basic gameplay structure, it is, for the most part, a watered-down version of Turok: Dinosaur Hunter.

Niiutral

In summation, whilst there is some entertainment value to be had in playing this game, South Park is largely an average gaming experience overall. And one that has trouble holding up to this day. The control scheme will just seem frustrating at best to anyone who picks it up now. And it has nowhere as much of a comedic element to it as the show did.

Score

36/60

6/10 (Above Average)