Asses on Fire

I’ve been a South Park fan for quite some time now, and whilst I haven’t been watching the show like I used to I still sit down every now and then and throw on an episode and have a laugh. The South Park game has been in development for a long time and has faced many delays – but it’s finally just about here – and I had the opportunity to play a 60 minute demo of it before its release this week. Let me tell you, if those 60 minutes are a curtain raiser for what the rest of the game entails, the wait was worth it.

South Park has always been known to be a laugh out loud, crude, no-holds-barred TV Show and that is absolutely apparent in the game. It doesn’t hold back at all, and it’s great for not doing so. The fart jokes, the cursing and the tone all of the characters emit brings an element that not many games have ever been able to portray. This game is funny, and you’d have to have the humor of a stone to not at least giggle once. While I only played an hour of the game, the fact that Matt and Trey are behind it gives me a lot of hope. This is a game for fans of the series and the subtle references thrown about will no doubt put a smile on your face.

“The fart jokes, the cursing and the tone all of the characters emit brings an element that not many games have ever been able to portray.”

The combat system in South Park: The Stick of Truth is another thing that impressed me. I’m not a huge fan of turn-based RPG games but it nails it. It’s somewhat dumbed down a bit but not enough to deter fans of that specific genre and enough to have gamers (like myself) be able to understand it and start whipping out awesome attacks in no time. You have your HP bar, PP bar and Mana bar that you have to watch throughout the battles. HP is for health, PP is for your abilities (for example, a Jew-Jitsu attack) and the Mana bar is well, for farts. Yes, seriously. Managing these is vital to beating your foes as the difficulty of the game is quite apparent from the get go. I did find myself on the receiving end of some incredibly vicious curb stomps at times – but a little thought and tactical approach guided me on my way to be the one, truly awesome ‘new kid’.

I came across some awesome areas in South Park whilst going about my business recruiting certain characters. These areas will no doubt resonate with fans and you can actually enter a lot of the places and receive side quests. I didn’t have the chance to go about and do the side quests as I was on a mission of my own but they sounded hilarious and I can’t wait to jump into them when the full game releases.

I was down right impressed with South Park: The Stick Of Truth. If you’re a fan of the TV Show and still have an Xbox 360, PS3 or PC this might just be your cup of tea. It looks like the wait has been worth it, and I am incredibly excited to start my March with some South Park shenanigans.

South Park: The Stick of Truth is coming out on Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and PC on March 6th 2014.