IGN: 9/10
Giant Bomb: 5/5 (hour long quick look: http://www.giantbomb.com/videos/quick-look-south-park-the-stick-of-truth/2300-8580/)
Escapist: 4/5
Gamespot: 7/10
Kotaku: Not Yet (the only review I've seen that had any technical issues at all, and also the only one based on the 360 version)
Eurogamer: 8/10



~~~~~~~~~
"This is the streets, and I am the trap." © Jay Bilas
http://www.popmatters.com/pm/archive/contributor/517
Hip Hop Handbook: http://tinyurl.com/ll4kzz

Are you playing it?

>IGN: 9/10
>Giant Bomb: 5/5 (hour long quick look:
>http://www.giantbomb.com/videos/quick-look-south-park-the-stick-of-truth/2300-8580/)
>Escapist: 4/5
>Gamespot: 7/10
>Kotaku: Not Yet (the only review I've seen that had any
>technical issues at all, and also the only one based on the
>360 version)
>Eurogamer: 8/10
>
>
>
>~~~~~~~~~
>"This is the streets, and I am the trap." © Jay Bilas
>http://www.popmatters.com/pm/archive/contributor/517
>Hip Hop Handbook: http://tinyurl.com/ll4kzz


______________________________
http://i.imgur.com/81XSukd.jpg

Cartman's house is spectacular.


~~~~~~~~~
"This is the streets, and I am the trap." © Jay Bilas
http://www.popmatters.com/pm/archive/contributor/517
Hip Hop Handbook: http://tinyurl.com/ll4kzz

I love how most of the shops have AM-radio style classic South Park tracks playing over their radios/PAs, too. Even heard some Chef songs. And when you idle your party whips out their phones, Butters will say stuff like "if you're texting your friends tell them this game is good" and all kinds of 4th wall stuff. I've just been running around the town doing side quests and discovering locations, I haven't even finished the tutorial quest technically but they open the city up pretty early and it's off to the races from there.


Combat is pretty challenging too, though I'm not sure if that's because the timing window on button presses is too tight or just right yet.


~~~~~~~~~
"This is the streets, and I am the trap." © Jay Bilas
http://www.popmatters.com/pm/archive/contributor/517
Hip Hop Handbook: http://tinyurl.com/ll4kzz

>I love how most of the shops have AM-radio style classic
>South Park tracks playing over their radios/PAs, too. Even
>heard some Chef songs. And when you idle your party whips out
>their phones, Butters will say stuff like "if you're texting
>your friends tell them this game is good" and all kinds of 4th
>wall stuff. I've just been running around the town doing side
>quests and discovering locations, I haven't even finished the
>tutorial quest technically but they open the city up pretty
>early and it's off to the races from there.
>
>
>Combat is pretty challenging too, though I'm not sure if
>that's because the timing window on button presses is too
>tight or just right yet.
>
>
>~~~~~~~~~
>"This is the streets, and I am the trap." © Jay Bilas
>http://www.popmatters.com/pm/archive/contributor/517
>Hip Hop Handbook: http://tinyurl.com/ll4kzz


______________________________
http://i.imgur.com/81XSukd.jpg

I am SO addicted to rifling for loot and reading the descriptions in this game. The summons are GREAT. I've definitely noticed framerate stuff but nothing else bad so far. Characters and weird stuff are always getting thrown at you, there are whole rooms dedicated to early-2000s South Park nostalgia and just like the show they don't give two fucks about namedropping things like Sportscenter, Facebook and iPad 2s.


Some of the references make no sense in the context of the show but it's almost better for it, adds to the weird fantasy vibe (the weapons - the weapons are so clever). And Butters as your tour guide is a hilarious way to open the game, almost every building you pass he has some story about getting bullied there lifted right out of the show.


This is just a super smart game, though I'm sure at least half of what makes it great is being a fan of golden era South Park.

~~~~~~~~~
"This is the streets, and I am the trap." © Jay Bilas
http://www.popmatters.com/pm/archive/contributor/517
Hip Hop Handbook: http://tinyurl.com/ll4kzz

but for 30 or 40 i'll jump all over it.

I played this for five hours earlier today and only just finished my first day in town and hit level 6 (no idea what the level cap is) before Walking Dead S02E02 dropped and I had to get my priorities in order. Given that, I'm betting there's a good 12-18 hours of content in here and all of it is just as quality as anything the show has to offer, if not better because it's constantly poking fun at what these video games are while doing a lot of things with a lot more originality than most fantasy RPGs are willing to shoot for. I'm playing as a mage and your basic lightning attack is taking a bucket of water, throwing it at your enemies, pulling out a car battery and sparking the wires as you throw them onto the water.


There's one particular gag during the first day's final section that will tickle anyone who's been a fan of epic sci-fi games like Mass Effect and Bioshock this past generation. This is easily one of the funniest games to come along in a long time and not just because of the South Park stuff. It's got a rogue, Saints Row kind of agenda to it also. And the random things people say around town rival most of the incidental stuff from a Grand Theft Auto game; the cops and Tweek's dad in particular are hilarious.


~~~~~~~~~
"This is the streets, and I am the trap." © Jay Bilas
http://www.popmatters.com/pm/archive/contributor/517
Hip Hop Handbook: http://tinyurl.com/ll4kzz

was afraid it wouldn't activate on Steam, but i was able to download and start it. gonna hop on this one tonight.

the 90s?

I've seen the big talking point episodes and there's definitely some jokes in there you won't get without having seen when South Park caught a full head of steam and got super-weird and topical from 2000-2005, but a lot of the game's ACTUAL humor comes from being a fan of RPGs and real-life roleplaying.


EDIT: if you don't think you still jive with their humor though I'd definitely watch for a price drop first. The combat is challenging but it isn't...hard if you know what I mean. There's pretty good depth to the gear and loot but overall it's a South Park game first, RPG second.


~~~~~~~~~
"This is the streets, and I am the trap." © Jay Bilas
http://www.popmatters.com/pm/archive/contributor/517
Hip Hop Handbook: http://tinyurl.com/ll4kzz

interactive abortion.

Nah man I'm good.

having just done that part.

if abortions are a big stance of yours, there's definitely a level/dungeon inside a Planned Parenthood. that's important to recognize.

if you don't trust South Park to handle it in a way that makes you laugh, it'd likely be a real sour moment.

but you don't perform an abortion. and it happens late enough in the game, involving enough of its tropes and weirdness, you'd likely have gone all-in or tapped out by the time it comes up anyway.

~~~~~~~~~
"This is the streets, and I am the trap." © Jay Bilas
http://www.popmatters.com/pm/archive/contributor/517
Hip Hop Handbook: http://tinyurl.com/ll4kzz

it's a serviceable RPG. it's not difficult especially once you start taking advantage of the status ailments.

but the game gets great mileage out of the IP. this shit have me dying constantly.

if you were ever a fan of the show you owe it to yourself to play this. it leans on the older stuff a lot and it feels like an early 2000s episode.

edit: if they ever make a sequel i hope they let you have more than 2 active party members. i really wanted to roll w/ The New Kid, Jimmy and Kyle or Cartman.