With Acclaim in control of
the South Park license, they'll milk the license as long as they can. Their
latest attempt is a parody of TV game shows, but it only comes off as a poor parody of
itself. It's doesn't flow well at all, and it's a crippling problem. The game starts off with a hilarious intro featuring Chef, and you're then brought to the menu to set up your preferences. Going solo will be fun the first few times around, but it will soon lose it's appeal after the initial luster has worn off. Four-player parties will last for an hour or two before no one seems to care anymore.
The main complaint with the game stems from it's constant loading, which makes the game seem like it has a stuttering problem. Every question requires loading, some times cutting off Chef's comments after the question has been answered. This causes what should otherwise be a fast paced game show into a methodical game playing chore. It doesn't matter how funny it all is if your patience is tested like this.
The graphics stay true to the shows simplistic style of crudely drawn characters. This is not a problem, but the animation is. Chef is always seen tapping his microphone every time he is on the screen, never doing anything else. The South Park kids are also limited to a basic four frames of animation. More variety would've brought the TV show alive in game form, and possibly added some more humor.
The sound also suffers
from the same problem. Chef reads off every question but your character has a meager three
or four quotes that he'll sputter out. Variety would've been exactly what this game is
searching for, but Acclaim obviously felt the license was enough to carry the game.
The mini games are mostly blatant rip-offs of arcade classics such as Asteroids, Super Sprint, and Space Invaders. All of them do add some challenging moments in the four-player mode, but it's still not enough to carry the game. There are some highlights to mention and these all come from the games twisted sense of humor. Cracks on every aspect of pop culture, society, and Canada can be found within the games limited questions library.
If you're planning a short party, this game may be worthwhile. Otherwise, the single player game is beyond boring and the constant repetition will do nothing but make a person go mad after a short period of play. South Park, we wish you well and hope Acclaim's contract with you is brief. Please come see us anytime after that.
