Let’s face it: licensed video games tend to be bad. Basically, the idea is that lazy developers expect people to buy their games because it’s based on a franchise that’s familiar to people. As a result, said games usually are mediocre at best. However, this idea is not all true with the release of “South Park: The Stick of Truth”. For those who don’t know what South Park is, it’s a popular animated TV show on Comedy Central, starring a strange, diverse cast of fourth graders living in the titular mountain town in Colorado, dealing with all sorts of weird stuff.

The game’s story centers on the player character called The New Kid moving to South Park and suggested (more like forced) to make some friends. From there, he gets involved with the boys playing a LARP-ing game involving a war between humans and elves over an ordinary stick called “The Stick of Truth”, which is said to let anyone control the universe. Once The New Kid starts playing the game, however, things get complicated and soon a plot is underway to destroy the mountain town, along with aliens, underpants gnomes, secret government guys, canadians, and Nazi zombies (the last one is no joke). Now, it’s up to The New Kid and the rest of the main cast (plus Jimmy, our favorite stuttering cripple) to restore balance to the town.

South Park creators, Trey Parker and Matt Stone, commented in an interview that “we really hope that this game would become something that lives up to the South Park name, mostly because this is something we are personally involved with and giving it as much work as the show.”  This is probably why the game is so good. The RPG feels like you’re in an interactive South Park episode, playing along with the cast and having fun with them as all sort of unusual humor goes around you. Said humor involves the first ever interactive abortion mini game, a boss battle with your parents having sex in the background, visiting Canada which looks like one of those classic RPG games, and farting being your most powerful weapon. There are also all kinds of stuff long time fans will appreciate being included in the game, like Cartman hating all kinds of gingers, Randy being clueless as ever, Butters as the sweet innocent boy he is, and of course, Kenny dying yet again.

What makes South Park such a long runner is how it manages to parody at least everything relevant in today’s culture. The creators’ show far has issued it’s own kind of comedy on boy bands, Youtube Users, religion, Disney, Apple, the Console Wars, Game of Thrones, World of Warcraft,  freemium games, terrorists, Lord of the Rings, musicals, Pokemon, and of course, video games. In Stick of Truth, pretty much every modern mechanics in popular video games is made fun of. This list includes silent protagonists, character naming, class choice, battle systems, long cut scenes, audio logs, mini games, special attacks, rpg battles, shopping, and even character backstories. All in all, “South Park: The Stick of Truth” has basically blown the idea licensed games suck out of the water. And promptly fart on its balls.