South Park RPG

[Zoraptor]

South Park is all about comedy, and spesifically comedy about current events.

 

I'd tend to think the better point of comparison would be the movie(s, if you include ImaginationLand/ TA:WP) which had context in current events but whose overall 'message' was not directly tied to those events.

 

RPG's are about a freedom of choice and delivering compelling story. To make comedy work you need to have control over timing and delivery, funny lines are not funny if they're out of place. To make RPG work the player needs to be able to (at some degree) chooce the way the story unfolds. Putting those two together does not compute.

 

I really can't agree- you can say much the same about 'story' too and it works well in an RPG setting. In order to have a compelling story you 'need' it to be a tightly controlled progression where characters and plot points are introduced and fleshed out which runs counter to being able to choose how the story unfolds- this is how books, movies, TV series and even traditional oral storytelling work, the experience is wholly linear and (theoretically at least) repeatably identical. It doesn't have to be that way in games and you can- and should, really- adapt to the strengths of the medium. One of those strengths is more flexibility than traditional methods. I can't think of a good reason why that flexibility can be a strength for storytelling but not made to work with humour as well, and certainly not in the more facile storytelling sense (Bioware style basically, choose branch A: Cartman abuses Kyle hahaha; choose branch B: Cartman abuses Kanadians hahaha; choose branch C: Cartman abuses poor people/ Cenny hahaha).

 

Obviously I can't say that it will work, but I think writing it off is certainly premature, and there's no inherent reason it can't work.

[C2B]

http://www.linkedin.com/in/dini800

http://twitter.com/#!/johnjoeyperez/st...766418675085312

http://www.facebook.com/jonaburke?sk=info

http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=151...380&sk=info

 

I really wonder if Obsidian's new concept artist Patrick Raines is working on SP:TG.

 

Adding to that

 

http://www.linkedin.com/in/chrismlang

[WorstUsernameEver]

http://www.linkedin.com/in/dini800

http://twitter.com/#!/johnjoeyperez/st...766418675085312

http://www.facebook.com/jonaburke?sk=info

http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=151...380&sk=info

 

I really wonder if Obsidian's new concept artist Patrick Raines is working on SP:TG.

 

Adding to that

 

http://www.linkedin.com/in/chrismlang

 

I love how the guys resume goes from teaching volleyball to production intern just like that.

[Hassat Hunter]

@ Zorapter;

 

Yeah, I get the "SP is only funny if it's about current events" is about. Especially seeing we get it like 2 years after the US, so so current it isn't, yet it's still popular and funny. And while I don't watch often (no TV) the few times I see it at other people's places I pretty much never see anything resembling actuality in the show. Unless gay people, Disney or teenage sex are suddenly no longer in this world...

[WDeranged]

http://gamingeverything.com/12549/first-im...south-park-rpg/

 

First images from the game.

 

Edit: Since it appears the site has actual scans of the GI magazine, I'm not sure if I'm even allowed to post that link. Please delete this post if it's not allowed.

 

It appears that the Onyx engine can look exactly like the show, which is an impressive start, not so sure about the look of the combat, it seems more like a JRPG, not my cup of tea but I understand a huge amount of people go for it.

Edited December 8, 2011 by WDeranged

[kirottu]

They nailed the south park look.

[Lexx]

Looks pretty good. Like the show.

[C2B]

I like that Trey and Matt wanted to go for interactions between the kids. Thats probably also where the decision for the faction mechanic comes from.

[Calax]

@ Zorapter;

 

Yeah, I get the "SP is only funny if it's about current events" is about. Especially seeing we get it like 2 years after the US, so so current it isn't, yet it's still popular and funny. And while I don't watch often (no TV) the few times I see it at other people's places I pretty much never see anything resembling actuality in the show. Unless gay people, Disney or teenage sex are suddenly no longer in this world...

I think he's referring more to the fact that sometimes southpark has the "pop culture" episodes that go after strange pop phenomina (the "You got served" episode, and more recently the one about musicals), and then the ones that do more political/moral commentary about how ridiculous our society can be. The former can be "Meh" to "Oh jesus that hurts" and the latter is usually pretty damn hilarious.

[Nightshape]

Haven't read anything, haven't done anything but look at sceenies but I am thinking castle crashes.... How far off am I?

[Pope]

http://gamingeverything.com/12549/first-im...south-park-rpg/

 

First images from the game.

 

Edit: Since it appears the site has actual scans of the GI magazine, I'm not sure if I'm even allowed to post that link. Please delete this post if it's not allowed.

Crab people spotted! (image 7)

 

This game has win written all over already.

[C2B]

In related news THQ isn't doing well.

http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php...4761&page=4

Edited December 8, 2011 by C2B

[Gorth]

In related news THQ isn't doing well.

http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php...4761&page=4

I'm ambivalent about that. I would like to see Obsidian get paid for their work on South Park, on the other hand I always resented them for clinging on to the Games Worshop rights, never (and likely not intending to) making a game that would interest me. Selfish? Sure

[Volourn]

In this case it won't matter as long as the SP IP holders want the game mad eit will be made.

[Bos_hybrid]

In related news THQ isn't doing well.

http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php...4761&page=4

 

Would be a shame to lose THQ, Relic and Volition are great devs. Also enjoyed Metro and Darksiders.

 

I'm ambivalent about that. I would like to see Obsidian get paid for their work on South Park, on the other hand I always resented them for clinging on to the Games Worshop rights, never (and likely not intending to) making a game that would interest me.

 

The only company that might make a 40k RPG is EA. You want a Bio 40k RPG?

[Gorth]

The only company that might make a 40k RPG is EA. You want a Bio 40k RPG?

Now I can't unsee this

[Amentep]

I've never watched an episode of South Park, so I'm not totally committed, but some of the stuff I've read about how they're handling the game sounds like it could be fun.

[Amentep]

It appears that the Onyx engine can look exactly like the show, which is an impressive start, not so sure about the look of the combat, it seems more like a JRPG, not my cup of tea but I understand a huge amount of people go for it.

 

Based on what I read the combat is fairly similar to what is generally referred to as jRPG combat - the description makes it actually sound like ChronoTrigger a little bit ("monsters" on the field, you can choose to fight or not, combat is TB)

 

Of course the jRPG style combat is really similar to early US RPG game combat (like SSI's Phantasie) so...

[Labadal]

I wonder if the trouble THQ are having will have any effect on this game. Things don't look very good for them. They have been laying off people as far as I know. Stock fell 35%...

[Flouride]

I wonder if the trouble THQ are having will have any effect on this game. Things don't look very good for them. They have been laying off people as far as I know. Stock fell 35%...

 

Hard to say, some article I read said that they would run out of cash in early 2013. But if their 2012 releases fail badly, who knows. South Park itself has the potential to be a huge success for THQ (depending on the deal with South Park Studios & Obsidian ofc).

[THUORN]

Has it been reported whether its a full release or a download?

[Tale]

Has it been reported whether its a full release or a download?

I thought the article mentioned it being a full title. And South Park is set to have a completely different game as a downloadable in the future.

 

I could try double checking. It does seem strange that we're looking at a sidescrolling game that uses turn-based combat as retail.

[Alvin Nelson]

Full release.

[THUORN]

Has it been reported whether its a full release or a download?

I thought the article mentioned it being a full title. And South Park is set to have a completely different game as a downloadable in the future.

 

I could try double checking. It does seem strange that we're looking at a sidescrolling game that uses turn-based combat as retail.

 

 

Full release.

 

Cool thanks guys.

[Zoraptor]

Hard to say, some article I read said that they would run out of cash in early 2013. But if their 2012 releases fail badly, who knows. South Park itself has the potential to be a huge success for THQ (depending on the deal with South Park Studios & Obsidian ofc).

I doubt they would fail outright anyway, their market capitalisation is very low so they'd make a nice target for a competitor to buy- it would be less than 10%* what EA paid for Bioware/ Pandemic for example, and given that they could then rationalise the distribution side of things plenty of savings could be made.

 

*They'd have to take over the debt/ liabilities as well, presumably, which would up that.