South Park: The Stick of Truth

What a tremendous piece of work. [Issue#146, p.100]

Obsidian has nailed that signature crappiness that the team at South Park Studios has perfected over the years. Fans of South Park will be thrilled with almost everything here.

For those who do like South Park, good news: This game is a fantastically faithful romp through the show’s long-running catalog of satire, parody, envelope-pushing and plain old obscenity. It isn’t just an homage to one of the most offensive – and often bitingly hilarious – TV series in history, it’s also the best effort to date at bringing it to life in the form of an interactive story.

In Stick of Truth, Obsidian has created what’s essentially an incredibly well-paced, extended playable episode of the TV show, cramming in a tightly constructed “greatest hits”–style, kitchen-sink gag reel of everything that can make the show such a riot. For fans, it’s hard to imagine a better way to wind down the Xbox 360 console generation than with this gloriously gassy, burrito-fueled send-off.

Don’t be a conformist, grab this one and indulge in the stupid toilet humour and dick jokes that it possesses. One of the best games of 2014 so far.

The definitive South Park video game. Obsidian built an extremely solid gameplay foundation on which they could erect Trey and Parker's game vision. The result is a surprising story, full of the series' irreverent comic sense and very satisfying to play: if you love South Park, you can't miss this.

With a controller in your hand, you are almost literally – gloriously – playing a 14-hour episode of South Park. There’s much, much more here for series fans than the uninitiated, but it’s a light but good quality role-playing game in its own right.

I had heard that Stephen King's Misery was a love letter written to his fans. South Park: The Stick of Truth is a similar love note from Matt Stone and Trey Parker.

Obsidian with Matt and Trey have created a little bit of magic here. Shame about the censorship issues in Europe and Australia, so if it’s possible, you’d be advised to import it. Otherwise, it’s an excellent South Park extravaganza.

It looks fantastic, bold and bright, just like the television show. The voice acting is perfect.

The game is full of laugh-out-loud moments, the same addictive gameplay and countless throwback jokes, in-jokes and meta jokes built from the series’ rich and successful history.

Even the background music piped into places like Tweak's Coffee Shop or an office waiting room is drawn from the series' extensive library of original songs. If you've been watching the series as long as I have (forever), then you'll be in absolute South Park trivia heaven.

The mechanics would work well in a different setting without the license attached. But add to that the ridiculously well captured look, sound & feel of the tv show and you get a nasty, provocative and thoroughly enjoyable roleplaying romp.

A highly enjoyable and unique RPG.

Finally, fans of South Park have a game worthy of the TV show. The writing, animation, and little details are all outstanding, and while a few balance issues surface during combat and the main quest is a little short at around 10 hours, those aren’t dealbreakers. No South Park game has captured the sleepy Colorado mountain town like quite this.

In a Venn diagram of South Park fans and adventure RPG fans this game exists in the overlap. If you find yourself there too then this game is an absolute no-brainer.

The game winds up feeling like the best RPG in years by ignoring everything its contemporaries have been doing for the last decade. The lesson to be learned from it is for anyone making this kind of game to find the beauty in simplicity.

South Park: The Stick of Truth is the first time that a South Park game truly feels like an addition to or extension of the show, while giving fans a hilariously good time to boot.

Not only does The Stick of Truth capture the show's wicked sense of politically incorrect humor, but it wraps it up in what is actually a pretty fun turn-based role-playing game, making it a must for fans of the series and the fantasy genre.

This game isn’t for the uninitiated. It’s clearly created for fans who think the idea of a pot bellied pig named Fluffy is funny, who can’t look at Barbara Streisand and not think about Mecha-Streisand, and who randomly yell “BEEEEFCAKE!” to their friends every now and then for no reason.

The definitive virtual South Park experience, pulled off with passion and aplomb. Unfortunately, there just isn’t enough of it, either in terms of depth or longevity. A must for fans, though.

So, that's it. The wordiest way ever of saying "if you like the TV show, you'll like this game". I'm sorry to have taken up your time.

The humor is consistent with some of the show’s best episodes, the visuals are wholly original for a game and the gameplay is surprisingly challenging and rewarding. As much of its humor is dependent on character references, those who aren’t avid viewers of the show probably won’t enjoy it, but you should remedy that if you fall into that category.

In the eight hours or so it will take to complete the main campaign (there are plenty of side quests that will extend your play time significantly), there is enough variety to South Park: The Stick of Truth to ensure that the game is always fun and engaging.

A good, solid action role-player and a fantastic South Park tie-in, with the same caustic wit and an unashamed embrace of video game and role-playing obsessions.

So, yes, their irreverent take on the medium may have a few technical shortcomings, but you’ll usually be grinning far too much to care.

The RPG elements are very serviceable but they're not going to satiate most of the hardcore genre fans out there. It's a good thing then that the rest of the package is filled with so much care from the show's creators, that it makes it something truly special.

A finicky combat system, a lack of challenge and few reasons to remain in South Park once the story is done - these minor disappointments hold The Stick of Truth back from greatness, but they don't detract from the sheer audacious hilarity it delivers. In gameplay terms it may be soon forgotten, but there's unlikely to be a funnier - or filthier - game any time soon.

It's far from flawless, but The Stick Of Truth is indeed one of the best tie-ins ever. Great screenplay from Parker and Stone and a surprising amount of care in game design from Obsidian make this an experience that, while might not offering a challenge, surely achieves its primary goal. Makes you laugh, and entertains for all of its considerable duration.

What’s odd about The Stick of Truth is that for all its irreverent humour, it’s a strangely conventional role-playing game, with combat styled after the turn-based battles that have been around since the original Final Fantasy days. Once the novelty of the South Park wrapping wears off, it spends more time obeying gaming clichés than parodying them.

South Park: The Stick of Truth is not the second coming of role-playing games, so if you come seeking Jesus, you'll be disappointed by the veritable second-rate televangelist you find in His place. But it's as funny as the merry tune of Stratford, and more enjoyable than Butters' favorite game, Hello Kitty: Island Adventure.