South Park: The Stick of Truth

Zero-Cool

Few previews out of the 1st 2 and a half hours. sounds very positive.

I was thinking this might be short and linear but the guy says in 2 and a half hours he didn't even finish the first main quest. He spent his time wondering around talking to SP characters and exploring houses that are full of fanfare.

http://m.ie.ign.com/articles/2014/02/14/could-south-park-the-stick-of-truth-be-the-best-licensed-game-ever

snausages

Ok, the first few previews have me tumescent with anticipation in spite of my earlier gripes. It's like Earthbound, but with poo (not the character).

Grimebox

I'm gonna step away from all this until I play it. I don't want to ruin it with misguided expectation

Kirby

Grimebox wrote: »

I'm gonna step away from all this until I play it. I don't want to ruin it with misguided expectation

Exactly. I watched 3 minutes of that clip and I had seen enough. I'm getting it, and I don't want to be spoiled.

It really does look like an episode. It looks so fake! Like one of those parodies people do to make tv shows look like games....except this is real!

Reekwind

pixelburp wrote: »

Well if it weren't for the UI prompts that could easily have passed for a TV episode of South Park

That's what still concerns me. Interactive movies are so 1990s

pixelburp

Reekwind wrote: »

That's what still concerns me. Interactive movies are so 1990s

Ah now, we're a long way from Night Trap There's still clearly a game behind it all, just looks like they integrated with the show really well. Equally, we're a long way from South Park 64

WarZoneBrother

After watching the first 13 minutes of gameplay I think this game is going to be awesome... I for 1 can not wait for it to be released...

Oafley Jones

pixelburp wrote: »

Ah now, we're a long way from Night Trap There's still clearly a game behind it all, just looks like they integrated with the show really well. Equally, we're a long way from South Park 64

Has there ever been a decent South Park game? Still, my optimism for this is rising all the time. Could be the last game I buy for the ol' 360.

snausages

The problem I see though is like a lot of the recent episodes the humour is bound to become really old after a while.

RobbingBandit

Cartman doing the commentary will get annoying very fast imo, game looks great though.

Gbear

If they can make a stellar game as well as brilliant TV shows, hugely successful comedy films and bloody amazing musicals as well... **** those guys.

It's not fair that that much talent is concentrated in such a small space.

irishmover

Still trying to decide whether to get this on PC or PS3.

Buying in Australia so would be $80 AUD for CE on PS3 or $61 for the CE on PC via Steam.

I'd probably prefer it on PC but can't resist the bigger screen/comfort of the couch..

dreamers75

irishmover wrote: »

I'd probably prefer it on PC but can't resist the bigger screen/comfort of the couch..

No hdmi cables in Aus?

irishmover

dreamers75 wrote: »

No hdmi cables in Aus?

Yeh but I only have my laptop over here with me.. Would have to go out and buy a keyboard.. I don't like cheap keyboards either. Left my keysonic one back in Ireland

Shiminay

Now that I've seen that intro, I'm really interested again, but the combat is going to annoy me so much :S Decisions decisions...

Xenji

South Park: The Stick of Truth reportedly has seven censored scenes in Europe, The Middle East and Africa.

UPDATE: our local Ubisoft rep has been in touch to say that the censorship is purely a marketing decision and that the scenes are also censored in the UK.

ORIGINAL STORY: BT.com reports that the scenes in question have been replaced with on-screen text that describes what’s happening behind the censorship.

The site adds that documentation sent with its review copy confirms that a mini-game involving a doctor performing an abortion on the player and again with the player performing the same procedure on Randy Marsh, as well as five anal probe scenes have been censored.

The accompanying literature adds, “Seven scenes of about 20 seconds each are censored in the EMEA console versions of South Park: The Stick of Truth. The decision to cut this content from the game was made by Ubisoft EMEA.”

AGB has scanned the document in full here.

South Park: The Stick of Truth appeared to remain intact in the UK, where it bears a PEGI 18 rating. We’re waiting to hear from Ubisoft on the matter.

Meanwhile; the Australian edition also has anal probe scenes edited out.

http://www.vg247.com/2014/02/25/south-park-the-stick-of-truth-has-7-censored-scenes-in-europe-report/

Retr0gamer

Well that's a complete load of arse.

I'll be getting mine from the US so.

2Mad2BeMad

Retr0gamer wrote: »

Well that's a complete load of arse.

I'll be getting mine from the US so.

agreed
nothing like seeing a big lovely mans arse on my 52inch screen
yummm :pac:

Kiith

You know there's something seriously wrong when the American version is less censored than the European version...

Grimebox

I thought we left this censorship rubbish behind us

Mickeroo

Retr0gamer wrote: »

Well that's a complete load of arse.

Or a lack of arse even.

It's going to be so much effort to get someone to pick it up for me 12 miles away for 20 quid less than I'd pay here.

RobbingBandit

2Mad2BeMad wrote: »

agreed
nothing like seeing a big lovely mans arse on my 52inch screen
yummm :pac:

Spear

The review guide, which Kotaku has screenshot from, says it's only the console versions that got censored.

ancapailldorcha

Spear wrote: »

The review guide, which Kotaku has screenshot from, says it's only the console versions that got censored.

I'm hoping some modder can find a way round this. They did it with GTA: San Andreas.
I might be hoping for too much but I was wondering if anyone here knows how resource intensive this is as I'd be using my laptop if I bought it. It handled Mass Effect 3 so I've my fingers crossed.

Big Knox

Spear wrote: »

The review guide, which Kotaku has screenshot from, says it's only the console versions that got censored.

Yep the PC version will be uncensored which is good news.

snausages

It's a terrible world we live in when grown adults can't even freely choose to watch a cartoon man's anus get aggressively violated by alien dildos. For shame.

VinLieger

Big Knox wrote: »

Yep the PC version will be uncensored which is good news.

Phew was worried there for a second, PC gaming master race!

Retr0gamer

Grimebox wrote: »

I thought we left this censorship rubbish behind us

Germany didn't. Blame them.

Would everyone not be ordering from a UK retailer anyway?

Xenji

Deleted User wrote: »

Would everyone not be ordering from a UK retailer anyway?

Ubisoft confirmed that the UK console version would be censored as well.

Creamy Goodness

Retr0gamer wrote: »

Germany didn't. Blame them.

Shouldn't we be blaming Canada?

Xenji

Xenji wrote: »

Ubisoft confirmed that the UK console version would be censored as well.

Ah you're ****ting me. VGP it is then.

Xenji

Deleted User wrote: »

Ah you're ****ting me. VGP it is then.

You will get it cheaper with them anyway, but with a 7 day wait.

Zapp Brannigan

Just cancelled my pre-order. Shame.

Varik

It's Germany's fault that some games are censored in Germany, it's Ubisoft fault that it's altered in Ireland.

Not buying it any more, and not getting the PC version either. I hope it's sell so poorly that they really regret ****ing over potential customers to reduced their localization costs.

Think people are over reacting slightly. Sure the censoring is annoying but it's not like it'll be hard to get your hands on an unrated copy and incredibly easy to do so if you've a PC. The cost of distributing different versions of the game in different regions was obviously factored in by Ubisoft and the hassle wasn't worth it. The whole lets boycott it thing is stupid. We never see similar campaigns when a film is cut here because the UK demanded cuts and as such they were forced upon us.

Pac1Man

Anal probing and abortions. Hardly gaming nirvana we're missing out on.

heebusjeebus

I cancelled my Amazon order and put one through VGP.ca. Don't mind waiting the extra week.

johnny_ultimate

Not playing a game you want to play at all because around two minutes of content has been censored seems a bit excessive? It's a shame it has been censored (although there are times when I've kind of wished the ever adolescent Parker and Stone would censor themselves - this content sounds like it could well fit in that category), but especially since there's no shortage of ways to play the full thing anyway (region free huzzah!) it all seems like an overreaction. Buying it from the US or on PC makes as much of a statement as not buying it at all, and you're not denying yourself something you want to play.

And scenes of abortion are quite a contentious area, so I'm not surprised that's been cut for EMEA territories. In fact, Ireland would have outlawed anything that used the 'a' word more recently than we'd care to admit.

Big Knox

The reactions to this have been quite funny I have to say. It's probably 2 minutes of censorship in a 30+ hour game and people are getting worked up and cancelling pre-orders. If it's that much of an issue just order it from the U.S. or pick it up on PC.

RobbingBandit

All the cut scenes will be on youtube a day after this is released, blah blah blah not the point, tbh it's South Park the innuendos/jokes are always smart enough to pass under the censors radar, who cares if they cut the obvious stuff we have already seen a thousand times on tv. Prime example below.

ancapailldorcha

I don't see why cancelling pre-orders is an over-reaction. I don't see why the government should be censoring a product aimed at over 18s. If I'd pre-ordered the game, then I'm pre-ordering the whole thing, not just the bits that the Irish Censorship Board decide are ok for consumption.

johnny_ultimate

No government is censoring anything, at least according to what has been reported so far. Ubiosoft EMEA have already said it was their own 'marketing' decision.

ancapailldorcha

ancapailldorcha wrote: »

I don't see why cancelling pre-orders is an over-reaction. I don't see why the government should be censoring a product aimed at over 18s. If I'd pre-ordered the game, then I'm pre-ordering the whole thing, not just the bits that the Irish Censorship Board decide are ok for consumption.

The government isn't censoring any of it. Ubisoft made a decision to remove certain content as they knew that it would cause hassle in certain countries and didn't wa t the cost if manufacturing multiple versions. Honestly, knowing how low brow the show can get this decision could be a positive as I can't see many people exactly bring excited by the prospect of a mini game about abortion. It just seems incredibly poor taste and while it could be hilarious it could also be a step too far.

Reekwind

ancapailldorcha wrote: »

I don't see why the government should be censoring a product aimed at over 18s. If I'd pre-ordered the game, then I'm pre-ordering the whole thing, not just the bits that the Irish Censorship Board decide are ok for consumption.

South Park abortion scenes are not the strongest argument for the abolition of the Film Classification Office. Particularly not when (in theory at least) it is the FCO that determines just what is and isn't rated as "over 18s".

Far more worrying is the idea of corporate self-censorship: blunting their own product in the pursuit of sales

ancapailldorcha

ancapailldorcha wrote: »

I don't see why cancelling pre-orders is an over-reaction. I don't see why the government should be censoring a product aimed at over 18s. If I'd pre-ordered the game, then I'm pre-ordering the whole thing, not just the bits that the Irish Censorship Board decide are ok for consumption.

Don't punish the game creators because of 2 mins of censorship block, Ubisoft are the publishers. The game looks quality and people are being excessive in this case.

ancapailldorcha

Reekwind wrote: »

blunting their own product in the pursuit of sales

Some of the material may well be tasteless but I'd rather have the developers original vision as opposed to a product that's been watered down in an attempt to boost sales and I see no reason to support that kind of practice.
It's a catch 22 for the developer which is a shame and I see where you're coming from. It does appear to be a very minor set of cuts in this case but if other publishers start following suit, I can see this getting a bit out of hand.

ancapailldorcha

ancapailldorcha wrote: »

Some of the material may well be tasteless but I'd rather have the developers original vision as opposed to a product that's been watered down in an attempt to boost sales and I see no reason to support that kind of practice.
It's a catch 22 for the developer which is a shame and I see where you're coming from. It does appear to be a very minor set of cuts in this case but if other publishers start following suit, I can see this getting a bit out of hand.

It hasn't been watered down to boost sales, the games raring is the same now as it was when the offending material was present. While we have no idea why the decision was made it seems to be a practical one to save money and bit have multiple different versions produced.

Cookie_Monster

Reekwind wrote: »

Far more worrying is the idea of corporate self-censorship: blunting their own product in the pursuit of sales

hardly a new thing, look at all the horrible Hollywood remakes of epic 80ies films, all are much tamer to get them intot he PG13 band rather than 18+