South Park: The Stick of Truth Previews
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NZGamer:
This 2D environment does present its challenges, and its hard making combat sexy. within a 2D mechanic but it can be done. So far it doesn't look like South Park is going to be reinventing the wheel. Enemy encounters appear to follow the tried and true turn based style we've seen in classic RPGs such as Final Fantasy. Apart from one battle between Cartman and your new character (more on him in a second) and two very short side scrolling segments - that simply progressed the story - we didnt see much more than that. But its early days
But it does look like there will be a reasonable degree of sophistication in the titles weapon loadout and customisation. We did see evidence of serious thought being put into how the RPG mechanic works. There are a range of armours and weapons to choose from - and all of them come with Parker and Stone's unique twist. For example, in lieu of a sword, your character can equip himself with Cartman's mum's dildo. Apparently its quite ferocious.
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We also don't know much about specific character customisation, but we do know that in true RPG style there are 5 classes to choose from; the mage, fighter, ranger, thief and cleric. Again, Obsidian are covering all the bases and sticking to whats worked before. But thats to be expected. Fans will be playing this title not because it is a standard turnbased RPG, but because it hums with the South Park vibe - and on that point there are promising signs. Parker and Stone are writing and voicing all the dialog, and it is reflected in the game's idiosyncracies. You level from Douchebag to Butthole, for example and Cartman abuses and taunts enemies during battle as only he can. In one particularly scandalous moment, your character is able to select a power attack. From nowhere saunters Mr. Slave who then sits on the enemy, swallowing them in his cavernous bottom. The producer described it as "South Park's version of the banishment spell" - a rather polite understatement.
The Escapist:
Before you can even make it out of the play area, Cartman's kingdom is attacked by "asshole elves" who end up urinating into the (wading) Pool of Vision and beating the crap out of nearly everyone. Trey, Obsidian explains, really wanted this game to be about kids beating the crap out of each other, and it absolutely doesn't disappoint. The combat is turn-based with some real time triggered elements, much like the active reload in Gears of War, so players will have a bit of time to think about what they want to do in combat but will also be challenged with certain reflex focused interactions. In attacking or blocking with the sword for instance, a powerful fighter can sometimes score extra attacks. Defeating enemies nets you XP, cash, and even some cool items like the Revive Taco or, my personal favorite, F@*%ing Ninja Stars. Earn enough XP and you can even level up from Douchebag to Butthole.
Combat gets more intense later in the game. We fast forwarded to a level where the Goth kids have recruited your adventuring party to battle the Vampire kids in the South Park cemetery. New kid's armed with a Vibroblade, stolen from Cartman's mother, while Cartman himself is poised to send a flaming fart at anyone who dares get close enough.
The vampire fight is much more complicated than simply beating up a couple of elves. Here, they've got a mini boss, a healer and one of the least protected people in the whole game. The mini-boss can even adjust his or her strategies on the fly or call in reinforcements. That doesn't mean our team doesn't have their own tricks. With sufficient power, you can summon Mr. Slave to drop into the fight and stick the other kid...well, you know.
