Tag: South Park

2014: A Year Of Surprises. Erich’s Game Of The Year

Surprise, your game does not work. Surprise, this game is awesome. Surprise, you bought the rights to a game without faces.

Game Of The Year

Dragon Age: Inquisition

No one who knows me will be surprised by a Bioware game being my GOTY, but this is more than that.

Inquisition checked off almost all of the things I have wanted from the franchise, Epic fights check, Deep conversations with characters who feel like old friends check, Morale ambiguous character missions that leave you feeling cold inside, double check. I will say that the overall story is a little weak, (Aside from philysophical musings on the nature of Life, the Universe, and Everthing) but the character moments are the strongest of the franchise.

Runner-Up

Sleeping Dogs Definitive Edition

Yes, this is the second time I beat Sleeping Dogs, and yes it remains the best example of a serious take on the open world GTA style game (The Saints Row franchise being a less than serious take) It is no small thing to say that I enjoy punching people in the face in this game more then I enjoy it in the Arkham franchise. On top of rock solid gameplay, this newer version is simply gorgeous.

Surprise Of The Year

South Park The Stick of Truth

I have a confession to make, I only started watching South Park last year. In that year however I watched the first 16 seasons in a mad dash, of laughter, queasiness, and a vague level of not being sure if I should be offended. All of those things continued to greatness in SoT. Confession number 2, up until SoT I had never really enjoyed turn based RPG’s. Holy $#!+ balls what a way to get into one. I only wish we could get another.

Surprise Runner-Up

Wolfenstein: The New Order

When I watched the first WtNO trailer I was not impressed, and almost immediately wrote it off as a game doomed to fail. Boy, was I wrong. Wolfenstein brought me back to a time when fighting Nazis was cool, and FPS’ were not cursed by short campaigns, and sequalities. Back to the days of Halo: Combat Evolved, and Half Life 2. In short Wolfenstein made me feel young again, and can you ask more from anything?

Biggest Disappointment

Watch Dogs

We all criticize Blizzard for the shiny lies that are their game trailers, but with Watch Dogs I feel that Ubisoft is equally guilty. For a game that promised me freedom, and the ability to hack anything, the number of things I could hack was surprisingly limited. For instance, some police departments are issued guns that can only be fired by the officer the gun is assigned to, why couldn’t I hack guns? I could hack cars to start them, why couldn’t I turn off cars that were chasing me? The year before Ubi gave me Jason Brody and Vas, before that Ezio Auditore De firenzi, and Altiar. For this game they give me Aiden, and boring mob boss number 3 (Irish Pallette). Now I will give them credit for creating the single best Johnny Gat knockoff ever (Jordi) but why was he not in more of the game? In a story that is supposed to make me question the security of my data the only real question I am left with is; was that maybe French chick hot? I am still not sure.

Disappointment Runner-Up

Destiny

The only reason these two are not switched is that Ubisoft lied to me about Watch Dogs, I lied to myself about Destiny. I knew that I had not seen enough content from the trailers, I knew that the beta had looked boring as hell. I knew (breaks into sobbing) I knew…

Honorable Mention

Minecraft (Xbox One)

There is too much. For someone who loved the infinite possibilities of Minecraft, the upgraded version scares me on the inside.

January 7, 2015
That’s So 2014: Scott’s Game Of The Year (And More) Extravaganza

Game of the Year

South Park: The Stick of Truth

Look at some of the achievements for this game and you know what to expect: shit your pants during a boss battle, find Jesus while playing as a Jew, fart on 100 animals, join the KKK.

South Park fans would not be surprised by this. The surprising thing is that The Stick of Truth is a great turned-based RPG (where did all of those go?) with a script written by Matt Stone and Trey Parker that rivals the best stuff they have done in 18 years on the show. Great time was taken by Obsidian to ensure that this would look and feel like you were playing an actual episode of South Park including every character imaginable from Al Gore to Scott Malkinson (he has diabetes).

I laughed plenty at The Stick of Truth and then I made my way to the abortion clinic and was attacked by Nazi zombie fetuses who squealed “sieg heil” at me. I had to pause the game while I laughed so hard tears streamed down my face. It was one of those laughs that you only have a certain number of times in your life.

Then, I went to Canada.

South Park: The Stick of Truth is the funniest game ever created. In a world of sci-fi/military super-serious, apocalyptic games, it is a breath of fart-filled, shit-throwing air. I loved every bit of it.

Runners-Up

Middle-Earth: Shadow of Mordor

While some were disappointed with Peter Jackson’s handling of The Hobbit, few had anything negative to say about Middle-Earth: Shadow of Mordor. Creating a new franchise in a world beloved by millions was a bold move that paid off big. From the believable inclusions of Gollum and Sauron to the “nemesis system” that redefines how you approach your enemies, Shadow of Mordor made me want to continue after the story was over if only to play the puppet master of orcs. It is the best representation of Tolkien in the medium. It is also the best Assassin’s Creed game of the year.

Skyrim

Skyrim is three years old. I know this. Why is it in contention for Game of the Year? Because this year, after putting over 100 hours into my first character I decided to start fresh from the start with a new race, new abilities and go to places I either never traversed or went to late in my first playthrough. What I got was a wonderful trip down memory lane while having a new feeling of discovery at the same time. Not many things can give you that. Skyrim did.

Biggest Disappointment

WWE 2K15

It would be easier to just let you read my review of this to show you why this was a move back for the franchise in a year fans were expecting new ideas and forward thinking.

This One Time At Wrestling Camp. Scott’s WWE 2K15 Review

Biggest Surprise

Broken Games

Maybe Battlefield 4 was the herald of things to come. With today’s consoles married to the magical online world more and more, developers have taken the opportunity to release games that are not ready to play. Why finish a title when you have a release date to meet and can just patch it until it is fixed? It is a regular slice of gaming life to open your game, put it in your console and have a “day one” patch. Funny how a few years ago, no one (in the console gaming world anyway) hardly knew what a “day one” patch was.

It is simply this: developers (trying to meet publishers release date) could not get everything done during crunch and decided, instead of delaying their game, they would release it and fix it after buyers had already bought it.

No. Bad dog. If you are charging $60 for something, I want a finished product.

Patches do not bother me. If they are for bug fixes and to shore up stability, that is a necessity. But the fact Halo: The Master Chief Collection had to have a 20GB patch containing almost all of the multiplayer when you first put the game in the system is lunacy.

Here is the real enima of it all: even after installing the patch, THE GAME DIDN’T FUCKING WORK! IT IS BARELY WORKING NOW. TWO MONTHS LATER!

This isn’t even getting into detail of missing faces or falling into the world in Assassins Creed: Unity or the fact that DriveClub is just now working. DriveClub was released in October, by the way.

Now there are some who have done the right thing. Batman: Arkham Knight delayed their release eight months. The Witcher 3 was running full-speed into its February release when CD Projekt RED moved the title to May after seeing the carnage of this fall and not wanting their premiere title tarnished by the same thing. Even Battlefield learned its lesson, delaying Hardline to March.

We deserve better as gamers. Most of us have limited resources and have to be careful what we throw our money at. To get home with a game that is not finished is a big “fuck you” to the people who are the lifeblood of the industry. Gamers are the ones who decide what is popular and what is not. We have the ultimate power to say “enough is enough”. Let’s remember that.

January 5, 2015
Review Roundup: South Park: The Stick Of Truth

It is finally time to head on down to South Park.

Today sees the release of South Park: The Stick of Truth and it looks like the gods of comedy have shone down on the game. Despite some technical issues (resulting in the “not yet” score by Kotaku), the first reviews of South Park are saying it is a true representation of the show and one of the funniest games made.

Sweet.

IGN– 9/10

“Speaking of the quiet Colorado mountain town, it is itself one of the stars of The Stick of Truth. For the first time in the series’ history, it has been fully mapped out and given official geographical context. As a superfan who’s seen every episode of the show, I spent the first two to three hours of Stick of Truth exploring every kid’s house and each recognizable location, and from Stan’s bedroom closet (be sure to check it!) to Stark’s Pond and South Park Elementary, they’re all packed incredibly densely with in-jokes. Even every piece of inventory junk loot I collected is a show reference with a funny description attached to it.”

Polygon– 8.5/10

“But as well constructed as the mechanics are, Stick of Truth work so well as a South Park vessel because it puts the story first. Without spoiling anything, the boys’ game soon triggers a crisis that threatens not only the town of South Park but the planet itself.”

Game Informer– 8.5/10

“I can’t think of a better way to bring this franchise to gaming consoles. The RPG format allows for a ton of funny items and sidequests, the objectives are unlike anything else in the genre, everything moves along at a solid pace, and the overall feel is distinctly South Park. It’s one of the most faithful adaptations of a license I’ve seen, and it ranks among the best comedic games ever released.”

Kotaku– NOT YET

“In general, wandering through South Park is a ton of fun—which, for me, just made those stuttering issues even more annoying. I wanted to take my time, saunter around the city, and soak in every moment of the game, but it’s tough to really get into a game like Stick of Truth when things don’t run smoothly.”

EGM– 8.5/10

“The Stick of Truth is finally the game Parker and Stone have wanted to represent their beloved comedy series. Not only does it pay tribute to some of the show’s best moments, but it also builds new lore on top of that. As a game—and not just a story—it certainly could be better, but South Park fans will still feel immensely satisfied with the effort.”

Joystiq– 3.5/5

“How you’ll feel about South Park: The Stick of Truth comes down to how you prefer the peanut butter to chocolate ratio in this weird little flavor mash-up. To get the most out of it, you have to buy into its world; you have to play pretend. More than that, you’re going to want to know the kids you’re playing with. If you’re well-versed in South Park history and can imagine cookies as a “health potion,” you’re off to a good start. If you can also forgive the repetitive nature of combat and some uninspired quests, it’s worth taking up arms – or dildos – for The Stick of Truth‘s hilarious, disgusting adventure.“

March 4, 2014
South Park: The Stick Of Truth Offers 13 Minutes Of Gameplay. This Is Why Games Are Made

Is it weird that if you miss turn-based RPG games that your best bet may be South Park: The Stick of Truth?

See what awaits you with 13 minutes of gameplay that shows how your character is introduced to Cartman, Butters and others. You also get to see how the game’s controls work with a battle wheel that is used for attacks and specials. It feels like the most fu**ed up game of Mario RPG ever.

South Park: The Stick of Truth will (finally) release on March 4th.

February 14, 2014
One-Hour Loop of the Game of Thrones Theme…

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ylod6Ij32c8

…as performed by the “Wiener Chorus” from the recent trilogy of South Park episodes. I dare you to watch the entire thing. More than that, though, you should definitely watch these three episodes: Black Friday, A Song of Ass and Fire, Titties and Dragons. The episodes are phenomenal, but are best experienced if you’re already familiar with Game of Thrones. They’re on Hulu Plus, and available for &*#^ing free on www.southparkstudios.com, along with the nearly every episode of the show.

I made it to the seven minute mark myself. I was subconciously grinding my teeth by that point.

January 23, 2014
South Park: The Stick Of Truth Delayed Again To March 2014

Photo courtesy gamespot.com

More bad news for South Park fans as Ubisoft has delayed South Park: The Stick of Truth again. The game will now release on March 4, 2014.

Trey Stone and Matt Parker have been closely involved with the project to ensure that it is like playing an actual episode of South Park.

Ubisoft North America president Laurent Detoc was surprisingly honest about the delay:

“Within three weeks after acquiring the game, we sadly realized we had to turn this thing upside down if we hoped to deliver the experience everybody wanted. It’s been such a major overhaul to get to the point where we are that we couldn’t let it go, even if that meant missing December.”

While this certainly does suck worse than a bowl of chili made of Scott Tenorman’s parents, if it means the game will be a more polished and quality game I am all for it.

Ubisoft also released this seven minute gameplay trailer today as the boys hunt down The Bard on their quest for The Stick of Truth.

October 31, 2013
South Park: The Stick Of Truth Releasing December 10th, New Trailer And Collector’s Edition Unveiled

Photo courtesy egmnow.com

At last we now know when we can help Cartman, Kyle, Stan, Kenny, Butters, Timmy, Jimmy and the rest of the South Park crew find The Stick of Truth. Ubisoft has announced that the game developed by Obsidian will be released on December 10th.

Also a collector’s edition has been shown which will cost $79.99 and come with a 6″ Cartman grand wizard figure, a “hand drawn” map of the South Park Kingdom and the Ultimate Fellowship Pack which has four costumes with special abilities.

Photo courtesy ign.com

Take a look at the new hilarious trailer below. It is your deeee…your deess…your deeee
http://youtu.be/NjWSoREKHs8

September 25, 2013
South Park: The Stick Of Truth At Last Has A Release Date

Photo courtesy airingnews.com

And at last, the heavens open up and the Lord has seen fit to bestow upon us a definitive release date for [amazon_link id=”B006IOAHPK” target=”_blank” container=”” container_class=”” ]South Park: The Stick of Truth[/amazon_link]. Parker and Stone be praised.

The long awaited game was caught up in all of the THQ drama of late last year and finally found a home at Ubisoft. The game is now scheduled to release on November 19th. Check out the trailer in which Stan Marsh bestows upon you the long, lost art of destructive farts.

July 30, 2013
Metal Gear Rising Trailer Trifecta

Metal Gear Rising is hoping you like trailers because you are getting three of them today. One focuses on all the locations you will be encountering in the game like open city streets and…..open city streets. Next the “Zandatsu” video shows how Raiden has become the best Sub-Zero he can by ripping the spines out of every enemy to restore vitality (didn’t Christopher Reeve do that in a South Park episode?) and finally we are given a suit overview which has Raiden using his augmented reality when his visor is down. Its detective mode from Arkham Asylum/City, just detective mode.

Even with all the sarcasm, I do want to give this game a try. Devil May Metal Gear, I mean [amazon_link id=”B002I0J8FI” target=”_blank” container=”” container_class=”” ]Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance[/amazon_link] releases on February 19th.

January 29, 2013
Reserve A Game On The Microsoft Store And Get 1600 Points
There are a lot of big name titles coming out in the first half of this year and Microsoft is giving you an incentive to reserve the ones you want on their store site. The The Microsoft Store is offering a free 1600 MS Point card ($20) when you reserve any of the games they have listed on their site from the promotion. Big games like [amazon_link id=”B0050SXKU4″ target=”_blank” container=”” container_class=”” ]Grand Theft Auto 5[/amazon_link] and [amazon_link id=”B0050SWVIQ” target=”_blank” container=”” container_class=”” ]Dead Space 3[/amazon_link] are on the list. All in all it’s not a bad deal when you are essentially paying $39.99 for a game when you get your card.

Take a look at the list of game available for this offer.
- Grand Theft Auto 5
- Tomb Raider
- Bioshock Infinite
- Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance
- Lost Planet 3
- Tiger Woods PGA Tour ’14
- Crysis 3
- Dead Space 3
- South Park: The Stick of Truth
- Army of Two: The Devil’s Cartel
January 18, 2013