Here's cause for celebration - After a few delays, South Park: The Stick of Truth is out today for PC, PlayStation 3, and Xbox 360, and by most accounts, it's a damn solid game. We've gathered together a nice cross section of what the critics who had an early hands on with the game have been saying. Check it out below. If the words bore you, just skip to pretty moving pictures and audio goodness that is the launch trailer.
* IGN, 9/10 - "Aesthetically, The Stick of Truth might be the most beautiful crappy-looking-on-purpose game I’ve ever seen. While it may seem trivial to make a role-playing game resemble the crude, construction-paper cutout style of the show, it’s executed so well here that the two mediums are almost indistinguishable...The roughly 14 hours of absurdity and satire feels just right, from beginning to end. That being said, despite featuring over 100 characters and countless references, I wanted more...There’s much, much more here for series fans than the uninitiated, but it’s a light but good quality role-playing game in its own right. It is, in a way, Season 18 all by itself."
* CVG, 9/10 - "The Stick of Truth is more than just wang-waving controversy - quite simply, it's the most accurate video game adaptation of anything, ever...Stick of Truth compels you to explore and socialise in ways that echo classis RPGs - think Neverwinter Nights with poo jokes. "
* Polygon, 8.5/10 - "South Park, like all episodic comedies, is an engine built to generate laughs. And developer Obsidian has built a 10-12 hour game that is perfectly crafted to house that engine...In much the same way that South Park uses the youthful naivete of its leads to undercut its often serious messages and very adult content, Stick of Truth clings to this idea of playing make-believe in a way that keeps the proceedings weirdly grounded no matter how outlandish they get later in the story. Careful inspection of most of the game's scenery, weapons, items and armor will reveal their kid-made, heavily-masking-taped origins. This is not only adorable but also provides the game with a consistent aesthetic that feels true to the series and completely fresh."
* Destructoid, 8/10 - "The Stick of Truth is basically one giant episode of the show, and the details are astounding...Now I see why creators Matt Stone and Trey Parker took so long to write the game, as the staggering amount of dialog and animation could fill an entire season. Pretty much every facet of the game is true to the source material, from the soundtrack, to the voices, to the signature chime that plays when every episode starts and the kids are waiting for the bus to arrive...If you don't watch South Park that often, you most likely won't enjoy The Stick of Truth as much as someone who does. The RPG elements are very serviceable but they're not going to satiate most of the hardcore genre fans out there. It's a good thing then that the rest of the package is filled with so much care from the show's creators, that it makes it something truly special."
* Joystiq, 3.5/5 - "This mismatch of childish innocence and adult depravity is what the South Park television show has always been about, and Stick of Truth conveys it wonderfully. It's childish and playful, yet wholly inappropriate and vulgar. This is an RPG where "Jew" exists alongside the usual Fighter, Thief and Mage classes. At one point, underwear-stealing gnomes magically shrink you down and battle you underneath your parents as they have raucous sex. Every so often, you have to dodge your father's swinging scrotum. Some of the humor will be lost, however, if you're not an avid fan of South Park. And I mean avid fan. If you happened to miss the episode "Woodland Critter Christmas," the joke of Christmas music playing during abortion scenes will leave you scratching your head. If you've never heard of ManBearPig, Al Gore's entire quest line becomes nonsensical gibberish...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."
* Shacknews, 6/10 - "...this is an authentic South Park experience that will delight show devotees...In fact, the game goes well beyond what the show attempted. While cable TV has standards to adhere to, there are no such restraints in a video game. And without those restrictions, show creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone don't hesitate to take the gloves off and earn every bit of The Stick of Truth's M rating. This game gets very raunchy, right down to a sequence near the end that might make sensitive players a bit squeamish. These scenes definitely felt like the creators trying way too hard to get a laugh, yet paradoxically, they're very much "South Park" and fit the show's atmosphere well...As an RPG, it's hard to recommend South Park: The Stick of Truth, given that there are a number of more polished titles that offer deeper battle systems and much larger worlds. As a South Park game, however, this is easily at the head of the class, nailing the show's humor at just about every turn. Even with its shortcomings, South Park fans owe it to themselves to play through The Stick of Truth's story, as it's paced and structured very much like the show's classic three-part episodes. This is very much a game for fans of the show only."
