The New Kid on the Block


There have been a couple of South Park games to hit the consoles over the past few years, but it seems like none have been as ambitious or involved as South Park: The Stick of Truth aims for.

THQ and Obsidian Entertainment are working closely with the show's creators, Trey Parker and Matt Stone, in order to not only get the visual and audio feel of the game right, but also the script. The show's creators explained at the Microsoft Press Conference that they wanted the game to feel like a really big episode of the show, and from what we've seen so far, they are succeeding.

The Stick of Truth puts you, yes you, not you controlling Cartman or Kyle, but you the player, in the middle of a new fantasy-rich adventure. The game has the player creating themselves in South Park style as the new kid to move into town, and as unlikly as it may seem, you end up being the fifth kid in the main four characters' group. The question is, why are you so important? How are you able to stop the evil forces that are invading the town?

Unfortunately, we don't really know. From what Cartman says, many of the show's old enemies like goblins, underpants gnomes, vampire kids, crab people and hippies have invaded and are wreaking havok. Kyle, Kenny, Stan and Cartman are all dressed in fantasy regalia (I especially like Cartman once again donning his outfit from "The Return of the Fellowship of the Ring to the Two Towers") and you are somehow the key to ending a massive battle against all odds. The gameplay we saw showed enemies that ranged from Beary, the Christmas critter, to pitchfork-wielding gingers and even a giant car-throwing Shelly. But apparently you can even gain allies like Professor Chaos and a machine-gun wielding Jesus.

South Park: The Stick of Truth will be available on Xbox 360, PS3 and PC on March 5th, 2013 and it will feature both Kinect voice-recognition and extra DLC for the 360 version. Based on what we've seen already, this promises to be a fun game for anyone who likes South Park fanservice.