Though I am not what you would call a die hard South Park fan, I have enjoyed the series over the years and I always thought that the characters, setting, and art style from the show could be used to make an interesting video game. I know that several games bearing the South Park license have been released over the years, but the only one that I ever spent a significant amount of time with was the original N64 first-person shooter, which I generally did not care for. While I thought that the FPS genre was an intriguing choice for a South Park themed game, the 3D graphics (which bore little resemblance to the look of the actual show) and the repetitive gameplay mechanics left me feeling that more could have been done with the license.
So now, 16 years later, we get South Park: The Stick of Truth. I had been loosely following the development of this game since its announcement in 2009, but after its original publisher THQ filed for bankruptcy in 2012 I began wondering if it would ever see the light of day. What a pleasant surprise then that this game not only got a release, but that it actually turned out pretty great! South Park: The Stick of Truth is a relatively straightforward turn-based RPG that, gameplay-wise, is somewhat in the vein of Earthbound and the Paper Mario series. Players take control of the "new kid" in town and join a host of well-known South Park children as they engage in a citywide game of medieval live-action role playing. Pick your character class (fighter, mage, thief, or jew), round up a party, and embark on a grand adventure that takes you all throughout South Park and beyond. I really, really dug this game. The gameplay is solid, the art style looks EXACTLY like the show, the original voice cast is in top form, and the story and dialog are hilarious. Honestly, it's like playing through an entire new season of the series, and even wayward fans like me will find much to enjoy.
In terms of the RPG gameplay, I would describe it as "streamlined" when compared to a Final Fantasy, Mass Effect, or most other contemporary games in the genre. Sure, there are a healthy number of quests to undertake, you can customize your characters' special abilities to a degree, and there are a fair amount of weapons and accessories to equip - yet there is nothing about it that is so obtuse as to be bewildering to even casual RPG fans. In fact, that kind of leads to my chief complaint about the game; it's a bit too easy. Most of the game's enemies and bosses can be beaten without too much trouble, and there's little need to do any kind of grinding to buff out your character. That's not to say that it's not fun or engaging, however. The battle system keeps you on your toes by offering a variety of strategy options, and timed button presses can help you defend yourself or give a little extra oomph to your attacks and spells. All I'm really saying here is, with regard to its difficulty and gameplay mechanics, the game skews a bit toward the casual side of the RPG spectrum. The only other real gripes I had with the game are relatively minor in the grand scheme of things. The menus are a little bit slow to load and the game stutters here and there when accessing the disc, but again, these things did not ultimately detract from my overall enjoyment.
Kudos to Obsidian and the South Park crew for putting together such a high quality release as this. I can't help wondering if RPGs are really the genre of choice for the average South Park fan, but whatever the case, this is a fine game that is well worth a look.
Grade: B+
Luftrausers (PSN)
Luftrausers is one of those games that starts out great but ultimately suffers under the weight of its design choices. At first blush it appears as a solid and engaging air combat game, yet in relatively short order it becomes an intensely frustrating experience. Things begin simply enough; pick a plane, take off, and soar through the skies taking out jets, planes, destroyers, and subs. It has a basic, yet fun control scheme, and a minimalist, retro-themed art style that I found quite appealing. It doesn't take long to get the hang of the controls, and once you do you immediately start to feel like a badass - twisting through the skies and cutting through waves of enemies! After surviving the first few waves, however, the game becomes exponentially more difficult. Within the span of about 90 seconds this game goes from tight, twitchy shooter to bullet-hell nightmare! The game allows you to customize your plane by choosing a weapon, body, and engine that suits your playing style, but no matter which loadout I chose the result was always the same: a relatively quick and brutal death! Now, it's worth mentioning that the game seems designed to be played this way, and I'm sure that if I were to keep practicing I might get at least a little bit better... the problem is that Luftrausers beats you down with such frequency and ferocity that it's difficult to feel any sense of progression. It's a shame really, if the difficulty were tuned down just a touch I'd be able to grade this game higher. Conceptually it's a great little title, but it's so unforgiving that the fun quickly subsides.
Grade: C+
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