The moment has arrived, finally. South Park: The Stick Of Truth has finally launched and I have had the chance to give the turn-based-RPG a good play. Matt and Trey were hoping that they wouldn't be getting a 4/10 on Gamespot or any other crappy reviews for the game. How do you think they fared? Let me break it down for you and let you know what I think and if it is worth your time and money.
Story:
You are the new kid in the town of South Park. The native kids are playing a role playing game where the ruler of the game is in control of The Stick Of Truth. In normal South Park fashion the shit hits the fan and everything goes crazy. In this case there is the world's largest Taco Bell being built and part of the town needs to be destroyed for this. At least that is how the natives of South Park are seeing things so I don't spoil what is actually going on in the game. You just have to wonder about all of the backstabbing and walks in the garden of betrayal.
Hated:
If there is one thing that drove me crazy in The Stick Of Truth it was the load times. They weren't long at all but there were so many of them that their lengths made it feel like they were. Every time you moved to a new section of town, or entered a house, or even loaded the menu screen was a long wait to keep moving along. It was downright ridiculous at times and it wasn't like it was the CryEngine or anything graphically intensive that needed to load. I really wish I could understand what caused the insane number of load times outside of maybe the dialog and sound bites but nothing else really seemed like it would necessitate that amount of loading.
Outside of all the load time the only really gripe I have is that the game was just so damn short. I took my time playing all the main and side quests, grind leveling and item collecting, and making sure I covered every corner of South Park: The Stick Of Truth but I still wrapped in about eight hours of total game play. I could have sworn that I say a much larger script in all of the behind the scenes videos so I expected more. Yea, there is a bit of replay value as you have to choose a specific character class at the beginning but it doesn't change much of the game outside of a few lines of dialog. I just hate how I began to really get into the game and it was over.
Loved:
It shouldn't take a perceptive person to understand that one of the things I loved about The Stick Of Truth was the humor and story of the game. It is exactly like you would imagine it being a remote fan of the TV show or any of the other collective works from South Park Studios. It's the perfect mix of raunch, potty humor, and shock value that keeps me laughing every time I see/hear it. Not to sound like all the other cliché but it is like playing a new episode of South Park that changes as I make the choices or non-choices of the game. It is something I have been wanting for years and now I have it and it honestly kept me laughing out loud the entire time I was playing.
The next on my list to get my love was actually something I originally was going to place on my hated list. This of course is the contextual combat structure. This is the actions you need to take after selecting your attack or when blocking. It was a huge annoyance in the beginning as I am use to standard turn-base RPGs of selecting and letting the animation play out. Then once I got the hang of it I was drawn into The Stick Of Truth more so than ever. In fact I found it more enjoyable than the Super Mario RPG version I have compared it to in the past. It was a perfect game mechanic to bring me into the world of South Park.
Lastly so I don't get too wordy, because it is hard to explain in short words, South Park: The Stick Of Truth is just a damn fun game. There's just something I can exactly pin point but it has been the most fun I have had with a game in a while. That is what games are supposed to be all about. It is perfectly captured here and words really can't explain it. Once I began playing I couldn't put it down, even with the above annoyances. Something made me fall in love with The Stick Of Truth and I really wish I could explain it out side of it being just straight up fun. From mechanics to story. It's just plain fun.
Overall:
Now for the final verdict. Is South Park: The Stick Of Truth worth a purchase or worth a pass? Is it a 4.5 on Gamespot? To me it is world better than that. In fact, outside of the short run time for the main quest line you should be buying and playing this game. The only other reason not to purchase is if you are not a fan of South Park and the humor that they have. South Park: The Stick Of Truth is full of it and it takes a real open person to fully appreciate it all. Outside of that, why are you not buying South Park: The Stick Of Truth yet? Huh? Get out there and enjoy the game multiple times over just like the film and TV episodes.
South Park: The Stick of Truth was developed by South Park Studios/Obsidian Entertainment and published by Ubisoft for the PS3, Xbox 360, and PC on March 4th, 2014. A copy of the game was provided by the publisher for reviewing purposes.
