Review: South Park: The Stick of Truth

South Park: The Stick of Truth is probably the funniest game made this year and a textbook example of how a game based on an existing franchise can appeal to fans as well as newcomers alike. I’m super cereal about this. 

The plot is simple to start out; you’re the new kid in South Park simply trying to make friends by joining in the South Parks boys’ fantasy roleplaying game and it all goes increasingly crazy from that moment onwards. The gameplay itself is fairly simple once you get use to the controls and the combat system, which for someone who doesn’t play many turn based fighting games was a little confusing at the start but you soon get the hang of it. What you notice clearly is the crisp visuals which work extremely well with the plot. During some of the longer cut scenes I did actually feel as if I was in an episode of the TV show.

The Stick of Truth’s combat system is simple, yet rewarding (pic:http://bit.ly/1gCYxVt)

If you are a fan of South Park you will definitely be laughing not only at the writing but the references to previous episodes, from crab people to underpants gnomes. The writing isn’t just simple references but an attack on modern society whether that’s changing interactions with people (e.g. the most popular person is one with the most Facebook friends) or the games industry in general (‘not Nazi Zombies again, it’s too cliché’). You can even have fun simply by exploring the town of South Park as it’s seems to be bustling with these sorts of references and characters you have seen before.

The success of this game has to go to Obsidian but also creators Matt Stone and Trey Parker who have been deeply invested in the project to try and keep it up to their standards, which explains in part some of delays the game has suffered in previous years. It’s very true to its genre whether it’s the useful side-quests or simply the hoarding of weapons and potions that may come in handy in a tricky battle. Although the game will begin to get repetitive towards the end it’s still worth completing and going somewhat overboard depending on your class (Warrior, Mage, Thief or Jew).

I must also talk about the controversy surrounding the game. In Europe the console versions of the Stick of Truth have censored several scenes (involving such things as alien probing and abortions). In the USA there are no censors and the UK PC edition (the edition I played) has had nothing cut from it. I think that for a brand such as South Park there’s always going to be controversy and it all seems to be a storm in a teacup, particularly as this sort of material is what fans were looking for and much of this censorship seems to have been self-embossed rather than from some external body. If the creators felt it necessary for these things to be in the game why should they be removed? It’s like any other piece of art or media, there has to be adequate reason to do so, fear of complaint shouldn’t be one.

There are some notable issues which do detract from the gameplay, including some bugs within cut scenes towards the end and some of the controls could have been improved. I also feel there isn’t much replay value (planned DLC could change this) and if you’re not a fan of RPGs or South Park you may be somewhat less interested in The Stick of Truth than others.

Overall though, South Park: The Stick of Truth is a game that deserves praise as it’s done what many others fall at the first hurdle in attempting to do, which is to capture the spirit of media it’s based upon. When you first create your character you feel as if you are part of the South Park universe which every fan of the show will love. This is a game for any fans of South Park or RPGs in general, for others maybe less so. Plus its the only game where you can fight Al Gore. So screw you guys, I’m heading home to play South Park: The Stick of Truth. [divider]

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