First Details For ‘South Park: The Game’

Last week we were treated to the surprise news that a new South Park game was in development and that unlike games of late, this one isn’t an arcade title, but a full-fledged RPG. Developed by Obsidian Entertainment, this is going to be a pretty serious endeavor for the development house and South Park creators, Trey Parker and Matt Stone.

The news stemmed from Game Informer who are featuring South Park: The Game as the next cover issue. The mag’s feature on South Park reveals answers to the many questions fans may have of the game and so far, it sounds like fans of the animated series and of role playing games will be pleased.

When South Park: The Game was announced only a few days ago as an all-out RPG and unlike anything previously seen in the franchise, it may have seemed like an unusual choice of game for the satire cartoon. However, creators Parker and Stone felt the RPG genre would be the best fit for their property. Considering the mediocrity of the previous South Park-based games, it’s hard to argue. There’s also something so official to having a “The Game” in the title that adds a certain gravitas to it all.

A NeoGAF user has a copy of the Game Informer mag and shared some of the details that have been confirmed so far for South Park: The Game.

• Trey Parker and Matt Stone will be writing the script and providing the voice acting for the denizens of the illustrious Colorado city.
• Playing as the new kid in town, the silent protagonist will be doing what he/she can to become accepted and fit into the town. He/She starts the adventure participating in a live-action role playing game session that turns into a real adventure.
• The Dungeon Siege III engine will be utilized.
• There will be a total of 5 classes available to choose from: Paladin, Wizard, Adventurer (kind of generic sounding), Rogue, and an unannounced class that Cartman makes up.
• Combat takes inspiration from Paper Mario and Mario & Luigi games. Players will also be able to successfully time melee attacks for more hits or time inputs for reduced damage. The camera angles are dynamic and incorporating elements like a Ro Sham Bo mini-game that can stun enemies if successful. Players will also be able to choose from melee or ranged weapons. Combat will be turn-based.
• A Final Fantasy VII style material system is present that allows players to augment weapons with new properties like fire, shock, and poison.
• The art style will be maintained in a simple 2D fashion.

What’s described sounds like a simple RPG, at least when compared with the kinds of RPGs that have released in the past few years. Although, something can be said about not over-complicating a property like South Park and it is very much to the advantage of Obsidian to keep it that way.

Quite simply, South Park: The Game sounds fun, an attribute that is core to any game at all. It shall be interesting to see what kind of story Parker and Stone cook up, considering they both have tackled a wide variety of subjects, RPGs notwithstanding. An example quest given was getting some Kung Pao Chicken from City Wok, something that can be imagined or seen on the show and not something made up exclusively for the game.

What’s also interesting about this title is that the people behind South Park contacted Obsidian directly in seeking out a developer. They then met with Matt Stone and Trey Parker where they discussed the games they play and what they picture South Park: The Game to look like. First and foremost, from their meeting they came out agreeing that if they can’t make the game look like South Park, the show, then they shouldn’t make the game – hence, the 2D cartoon graphics design choice, even down to the construction paper textures.

For more details like it featuring “crazy crap in it, a lot of swearing and a lot of children dying” on South Park: The Game and to see the cool interview with Obsidian CEO Feargus Urquhart, head over to Game Informer. They’re designing the game with no restraints to make it authentic then, like the show, they’ll worry about the ESRB’s reaction later.

What are you looking forward to the most in a South Park RPG?

South Park: The Game will be releasing in 2012 for Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and PC.

-

Follow me on Twitter @TrungleFever

Source: NeoGAF, Game Informer