Video Game Review: South Park: The Stick of Truth

South Park: The Stick of Truth

PlayStation 3

It seems like South Park has been around for a really long time. I've never been a huge fan of the show, per se. I haven't seen an episode in years, actually. But I remember how big it was when it first came out. How different it was, in that the sense that the humor was really outrageous and offensive; something that people had never seen the likes of before. My first encounter with the show was an interesting one. It was back in my high school years. I was playing Tomb Raider 2 in my bedroom at my mom's house when I heard this show playing in the other room. It caught my attention, and I turned the volume down on the game and listened in on the show while I played. After the fact, I made it a point to seek out the show and watch it all (I think only one season had been released at this point).

The novelty of the show quickly wore off. I don't think I ever did make it past season 2. But I enjoyed the movie. If I am channel flipping and come across this show I'll usually stop and check it out. Like I said, I am not a HUGE fan, but that doesn't mean I don't like the show. I don't go out of my way to watch it, but if it is on I tend to find myself having a good time with it.

I've played two video game versions of South Park, but they were both pretty old. There was a trivia game featuring Chef and a really weird first person shooter for the Nintendo 64. If I recall correctly, the shooter got terrible reviews. It could have been a lot better, but I didn't mind it. A few years back, when I saw that Stick of Truth was in production, I remember getting a little excited. I thought that South Park's sense of humor would blend well with a turn based RPG system. Forget the first person shooter. Forget the Chef game. This could finally be a South Park game done right.

The graphics looked solid from what I could tell; like they were ripped directly from the television show. I could just imagine the voices and the story line being vintage South Park. I'm a huge turn based RPG fan, so that was another major plus. If this title could combine the play style of something like Paper Mario with the humor and look of South Park, it could be truly winning combination.

It took me a few years to finally get around to playing this title, however. But now that I have I find it was worth the wait. It is basically exactly what I pictured it would be. Take Paper Mario and smash it together with South Park, and you get Stick of Truth.

This game spares no expense. It is a very authentic South Park experience. Don't expect it to hold back one bit whatsoever. It is just as offensive and outrageous as the show its based on. Expect to see things like anal probes, Nazi zombies, big heavy swinging ball sacks, minigames where you perform abortions, and much much more. You probably don't want to play this game around anyone who is easily offended by things. The story line of the game is a pretty basic one. The town has been swept up by this role playing game where all the kids are dressing up as elves and wizards. Both factions are vying for the ultimate weapon of power: the Stick of Truth. You play a newcomer to town, an unnamed character that everyone simply refers to as Douchebag.

As a newcomer, you are swept up in this role playing game. Both sides of the struggle vie for your attention and assistance in acquiring the Stick of Truth. Along the way, you uncover information that a new Taco Bell coming to the town is turning people into Nazi zombies with its contaminated green sauce. So of course you must stop that from happening. I feel as if I am selling the game's story line short though. Expect to find yourselves in all kinds of crazy situations which could very easily have been pulled right from an episode of the show. There are simply too many to name.

The world of the game is living, breathing South Park. It is very, very authentic to the source material. The town is faithfully recreated. You will see lots of familiar sights and locations. It is the characters that really bring the game to life, however. Nearly every character that has ever appeared on the show makes an appearance in this game. Your interactions with them are hilarious. Expect to see lots of jokes and references specific to the South Park universe. Terrance and Philip, Manbear Pig, Mr Hanky, Al Gore, Canada hatred, and Cheesy Poofs all make appearances in the game. I can't give the makers of this title enough credit. They really, truly created an authentic representation of the South Park world. This whole game could be a very, very long episode of the show.

As far as gameplay goes, if you have played Paper Mario you should have no problem quickly understanding the ins and outs of Stick of Truth. The game takes place mainly from a side scrolling perspective. The gameplay is not limited to two dimensions, however. You can go up, down, left right. Wherever you want, basically. Enemies appear on the map, so don't expect random encounters. As is the case with Paper Mario, you can attack your enemies while still on the map before you actually go into battle. This way, when you do go into battle, you gain an upper hand. Depending on your attack they may be stunned or grossed out. Sometimes attacking them first will simply allow you to make the first move rather than your enemy.

The battles are pretty standard turn based fair. You go, they go, you go, they go, and so on and so forth. The difficulty level of the battles range from very hard to very easy. When I first started playing the game, I found myself getting killed left and right. Once you learn the art of attacking first and using all your special powers the game becomes easy quickly. Your hit points and magic points all recharge after each fight, so there is no purpose ever holding back in battle. Also, you are allowed to use one item per turn, as long as it comes before your attack. So really, it is like getting to go twice per turn. Once you figure out the battle system completely, the game becomes very easy. Every once in a while you will encounter some challenging battles, but for the most part the game is not that difficult.

For the majority of the game, you only have two people in your party. You and Butters. The farther along you progress with the story, the more people you add to your party. Eventually the whole South Park main character crew tags along with you. You can still only go into battle with your main character and one other character of your choosing, but at least the game gives you options as to who your partner will be.

The game is filled with side quests, all of which are pretty fun to complete. I found the game quite hard to put down at some points because I kept wanting to finish "just one more task." Things can get repetitive after a while, though, and you get tired of seeing the same scenery all the damn time. But the story moves along at a pretty rapid pace, and there are a few changes in venue along the way that help to keep things fresh. Expect to see the inside of a UFO, the school, an abortion clinic, a secret government facility, and well... you will get shrunk down and travel inside someone's anus. It is South Park. You can't be surprised by this.

Also, in one of my favorite moments in the game, you travel to Canada where all of a sudden the game's graphics and sound effects take on an 8 bit style, like you are playing an old Final Fantasy game or something. It is super cool.

All in all, I found this to be a very enjoyable game. It's fast paced, but there is a lot to see and a lot to explore. The story line isn't anything to get too excited about. It is South Park, after all. Don't expect the Last of Us or Mass Effect or anything like that. But it is funny. I have to give it that. I am not a big laugher, but the game did have me in stitches on more than a few occasions.

I liked being able to explore the town, meet all the characters. I liked the plot twists and the changes in venue along the way. It is just a really fun game. It is fun to look at. The characters all look and sound as they should. My only knocks are that is not terribly deep, nor is it terribly long. It is just a fun, quick RPG experience.

The closest thing I can compare it to is Paper Mario. It is an adult version of Paper Mario with South Park characters. There really is no other way to describe the game. If you liked that game, you'll love this. Especially if you are a South Park fan.

I only kind of like Paper Mario, and I only kind of like South Park. But I did really enjoy the game. So that should tell you that it is worth checking out. The only thing keeping the grade down for me is the length (the game can be beaten in the 15 hour range) plus the fact that the game doesn't really stick with you when you are done beating it. I had no urge to go back and play again, no urge to wander around and collect anything I missed picking up. And I probably won't play this game again. Maybe if I was a big South Park nut my thoughts on the game would be different.

If you are a South Park nut, I can imagine that this game would be a must own for you. If you are not, it is a well worth it borrow from a friend/rental.

Overall:

B+