South Park Snow Day is a DISASTER!
Summary
TLDRThis video script details a passionate and personal journey through the South Park video game series, focusing on the anticipation and excitement for 'The Stick of Truth' and its sequel, 'The Fractured But Whole.' The narrator reflects on their childhood love for South Park, collecting merchandise, and their initial foray into Let's Plays with these games. Despite their love for the series, they express disappointment with the latest installment, 'South Park Snow Day,' criticizing its execution, lack of originality, and the shift towards a live service model. The video combines nostalgia, detailed game analysis, and a critical perspective on the franchise's direction, leaving viewers with a nuanced view of South Park's gaming legacy.
Takeaways
- ๐ The excitement and anticipation for the release of 'South Park: The Stick of Truth' was unparalleled, especially as a young fan at the height of South Park mania.
- ๐ 'The Stick of Truth' and its sequel 'The Fractured But Whole' were seen as high-quality games that paid homage to the South Park series, with significant involvement from creators Matt Stone and Trey Parker.
- ๐ฅ The announcement of a 3D South Park game brought mixed feelings, given previous games' emphasis on replicating the show's unique 2D art style.
- ๐ซ Concerns were raised about 'South Park: Snow Day's focus on a snow-themed environment, fearing repetitive visuals and gameplay.
- ๐ค The game's live service model and seasonal pass system sparked skepticism about its long-term value and engagement.
- ๐ Disappointments included technical issues, lack of engaging content, repetitive enemy encounters, and underwhelming humor compared to the series' high standards.
- ๐ญ 'Snow Day' seemed to lack the depth and creativity of its predecessors, with the creators' enthusiasm and involvement noticeably lesser.
- ๐คจ The narrative eventually ties back to the series with a twist involving Mr. Hanky, but this wasn't enough to salvage the overall experience.
- ๐ฎ Despite some improvement in gameplay and mechanics towards the latter part of the game, it was deemed not enough to recommend 'Snow Day'.
- ๐๐ป Hopes remain for future South Park gaming projects, with a desire for improvement and a return to the engagement and quality of earlier titles.
Q & A
What was the narrator's anticipation level for the release of South Park: The Stick of Truth?
-The narrator had an unbridled excitement for the release of South Park: The Stick of Truth, being a huge fan of the South Park series at that time.
What previous South Park game did the narrator play and struggle with?
-The narrator played the original PlayStation shooter South Park game and struggled with it, unable to get past level two.
How did the narrator react to the announcement of South Park: The Stick of Truth?
-Upon hearing about The Stick of Truth, the narrator was immediately on board, expressing willingness to wait through any game delays.
What were the narrator's views on the sequel, South Park: The Fractured But Whole?
-The narrator enjoyed The Fractured But Whole but felt it lost some of the simplicity of its predecessor and dragged out towards the end.
How involved were Matt Stone and Trey Parker in the South Park games?
-Matt Stone and Trey Parker put a lot of work into ensuring the games were amazing, as seen in The Stick of Truth and The Fractured But Whole.
What was the anticipated direction for a new South Park game, according to the narrator and their friend?
-The narrator and their friend speculated that if a new South Park game were made, it should focus on superheroes.
What was the reaction to South Park: Snow Day being 3D?
-The shift to 3D in South Park: Snow Day was unexpected, as earlier games emphasized replicating the show's unique 2D art style.
What disappointed the narrator about South Park: Snow Day's level design?
-The narrator was disappointed with the repetitive and similar-looking snowy environments in South Park: Snow Day, which lacked variety.
How did the narrator describe the enemy variety in South Park: Snow Day?
-The narrator found the enemy variety in South Park: Snow Day to be lacking, with similar kids copied throughout and limited dialogue.
What was the narrator's overall recommendation about South Park: Snow Day?
-The narrator did not recommend South Park: Snow Day due to its lack of content, repetitive gameplay, and not living up to its potential.
Outlines
๐ฎ Anticipation for 'South Park: The Stick of Truth'
The narrator expresses their childhood excitement for the release of 'South Park: The Stick of Truth,' reflecting on their deep fandom for the South Park series during their early high school years. Despite initially struggling with an earlier South Park game, their anticipation remained undeterred by the game's delays. Upon its release, coinciding with their birthday, the game exceeded their expectations, leading to numerous playthroughs. The sequel, 'The Fractured But Whole,' although enjoyed, was noted for its departure from the simplicity of its predecessor. The narrator appreciated the evident effort by creators Matt Stone and Trey Parker to elevate the franchise's gaming legacy, leading to speculation about future directions for South Park games.
๐ Reflecting on 'The Fractured But Whole' and Speculation on Future Games
The narrator reminisces about the sequel 'The Fractured But Whole,' appreciating it despite noting its differences from the original. They recall discussing potential sequel ideas, focusing on superheroes, before transitioning into skepticism about the series' future direction. Initial reactions to a 3D South Park game are mixed, reflecting on the creators' previous insistence on maintaining the show's unique 2D style in gaming. The narrator expresses concerns over the franchise's direction, fearing a departure from the love and care previously characteristic of South Park games.
๐น๏ธ Initial Gameplay Impressions of 'South Park: Snow Day'
The narrator dives into their first impressions of 'South Park: Snow Day,' noting its departure into a 3D format and expressing disappointment with its execution and lack of enthusiasm from the creators. Initial gameplay is criticized for its repetitiveness, poor design choices, and lack of engaging content. Despite this, the narrator finds moments of enjoyment in the game's attempts at innovation, such as the card system and encounters with various characters. However, these elements are overshadowed by the game's overall lack of depth and engaging mechanics.
๐๏ธ Disappointments and Lack of Content in 'South Park: Snow Day'
Critiquing 'South Park: Snow Day' further, the narrator highlights its shallow enemy variety, uninspiring combat system, and tedious level design. They lament the lost potential in the game's thematic elements and the excessive repetitiveness that dulls the gameplay experience. The narrator also points out technical issues, such as audio desynchronization and poor sound design, adding to the game's overall lack of polish. Additionally, the forced co-op mode is criticized for its ineffective AI companions, contributing to a frustrating gameplay experience.
๐พ Gameplay Challenges and Frustrations
Detailing further gameplay experiences, the narrator describes significant challenges and frustrations encountered in 'South Park: Snow Day,' particularly with its lengthy levels and lack of checkpoints. The lack of content and the forced repetition of game sections after failure are major points of criticism. Despite attempting to give the game another chance, the narrator struggles with the game's fundamental design flaws and lack of engaging content, leading to a questioning of the game's development decisions and the creators' involvement.
๐ก A Glimmer of Hope and Potential Improvements
Despite initial criticisms, the narrator finds aspects of 'South Park: Snow Day' more enjoyable upon further exploration, noting improvements in weapon variety and the strategic use of game mechanics. The game's latter stages reveal more engaging gameplay and hints of the classic South Park humor. However, these improvements come too late, with the game's earlier sections lacking in compelling content. The narrator suggests potential directions for future South Park games, emphasizing a single-player focus and a deeper integration of the series' characters and themes.
๐ฌ Concluding Thoughts and Future of South Park Games
In concluding their review of 'South Park: Snow Day,' the narrator reflects on the game's shortcomings, particularly its live-service model and limited content. Despite recognizing the game's late improvements and unique elements, they cannot recommend it due to its overall lack of depth and engagement. The review ends with speculation on the future of South Park games, expressing hope that the creators will learn from this experience and develop more ambitious and polished titles in the future.
Mindmap
Keywords
๐กSouth Park: The Stick of Truth
๐กLet's Play
๐กSouth Park: The Fractured But Whole
๐กMatt Stone and Trey Parker
๐กLive Service Game
๐กSeason Pass
๐กGame Mechanics
๐กRepetitiveness
๐กFan Expectations
๐กContent Creation
Highlights
The anticipation and excitement for the release of South Park: The Stick of Truth during the user's youth.
The Stick of Truth was highly awaited despite multiple delays, coinciding with the user's birthday.
The user's profound admiration for The Stick of Truth, leading to hundreds of hours of gameplay.
Early engagement with South Park games and the disappointment with the initial PlayStation shooter.
Speculation and excitement about the possibility of a sequel to The Stick of Truth.
The sequel, The Fractured But Whole, received mixed reactions for its changes from the original.
Appreciation for the dedication Matt Stone and Trey Parker put into making their video game projects successful.
Speculation about future South Park games, including potential themes like ninjas or Imaginationland.
Concerns over the move to a 3D format for the next South Park game, diverging from the show's unique 2D art style.
Initial skepticism about South Park: Snow Day due to its $30 price point and perceived lack of content.
The lack of enthusiasm from Matt Stone and Trey Parker for South Park: Snow Day compared to previous projects.
The repetitive and uninspiring gameplay of South Park: Snow Day.
The challenges of adapting South Park's iconic characters and settings into a 3D video game environment.
The realization that Snow Day's gameplay and design fell short of expectations.
A call for improvement and innovation in future South Park video game projects.
Transcripts
nothing will ever compare to the
unbridled excitement I had waiting for
the release of South Park this stick of
truth I was 12 years old at the time in
my first year of high school and
probably at the height of my South Park
fandom I was collecting the old plushies
I would rewatch The Movie on DVD
constantly and just wanted to consume as
much of the franchise as humanly
possible and with that it led me wanting
something a good South Park game to play
I got the original Play Station shooter
for my birthday one year along with
sonico six happy birthday me but I could
not comprehend that thing I could not
get past level two so as soon as the
Stick of Truth was an on I was
immediately on board I don't care how
many delays I got to wait through well
wait okay I didn't mean it and boy was I
lucky to have it released the same month
as my birthday means I got to wait a
whole four weeks before I could play it
wowe I adored that game I had hundreds
of hours in it which is really
surprising considering how relatively
short it is for an RPG but I would
replay it constantly running through the
over and over again as all the different
classes loved it so much that it was
even one of the first Let's Plays I'd
ever uploaded to this channel this is uh
this is where I'd show it but I think I
got so embarrassed by them that I wiped
them off the face of the Earth so enjoy
this review of its sequel the fractured
butth hole instead me and my friend were
talking during class one day about what
a sequel to the game would be like and
we both agreed that if the game were to
ever get a sequel it should be a about
super right that's enough of that
speaking of the sequel also really
enjoyed that one too wasn't a fan of of
all the changes I think it lost a bit of
its Simplicity and it drags out a ton by
the end but for what it was I saw it as
nothing more but a worthy followup you
could just tell that Matt Stone and trap
Parker put so much work into these
projects making sure they were as
amazing as they came out to ensure the
franchise's gaming history could work
itself out of the shovelware bins and so
with that the question on everyone's
mind was what's next ninjas imagination
land something entirely new I can't we
it it feels like it's been forever since
the last South Park GM then we heard it
was going to be
3D all right seems like they made a big
deal during the Stick of truths
promotional speeches that a game
replicating the show's unique art style
would be the way to go moving forward
but okay we thought that they were
finally capable of doing a game that
looked just like the show that was sort
of the thing that excited us is you
could sit there and play the game and be
walking around the classroom or walking
around Cartman's backyard and if someone
was to walk in the room and watch you
play the game they would think you're
watching episode of South Park whatever
though maybe they just want to tackle a
gameplay style that wouldn't be possible
in merely two Dimensions I'm sure that
isn't an indicator of the quality here
I'm positive they're approaching this
with the same level of love and care
that they Pride themselves on I hope we
don't get a [ย __ย ] four on Game Spot
that's what I hope that'll piss me
off well you didn't get a four it was
Apparent from the very first trailer
that South Park snow day would be a
budget title it was no surprise to see
them adverti the fact that it was $30 so
heavily because if it were a full 60 I
think there would be riots on the street
because this [ย __ย ] isn't worth it I was
cautiously optimistic for snow day
admittedly not because I saw any glimmer
of hope in what they showed off but
instead because I didn't care that much
seemed to be an open-ish World hacking
slash the visuals looked uninteresting
and they never really did much to ConEd
potential players why they needed to get
this game what made it stand apart from
others and ultimately why it was a
worthy successor to the Stick of Truth
and fractured butthole why it was worth
changing genres I will say however the
biggest thing that got me worried about
snow day was the lack of enthusiasm on
Matt and tre's part for the other games
despite feeling as if they each took
forever to come out you could always
kind on the creators being there to talk
about it where they made it evident that
they were given these things they all as
much work as they would any other of
their projects but with snow we didn't
really get that there was the occasional
promotional video on the South Park
YouTube Channel where Trey looked as if
he were on a completely different planet
and for the IGN preview he was somewhere
else altogether I'm not trying to get
conspiratorial and say that they just
weren't all that invested in this
project but at the same time it's
undeniable that the hyper on the gem was
next to non-existent now Titan well
people don't like it to put it simple I
honestly wasn't going to get this scheme
I didn't get sent no dang free code and
that didn't really give me any reason to
think it was worth checking out but then
I got bored at 2 a.m. and thought [ย __ย ]
it and so now here I am is that really
what the start screen looks like anyways
I suppose with that it's time to delve
into South Park snow day to see if it's
a passionate per uh H is it a
disastrous is it good or bad also I got
a little announcement to make for years
now I've been fighting back against
uploading compilation videos on my main
Channel just because I don't like
muddying things with what's new and
what's old but I've really been
interested recently in doing bigger
compilations that compile all these
different videos about the same topic
because a lot of folks out there tell me
that they like to listen to my videos
when they asleep or when they're working
or studying and so I finally settled on
what I wanted to do and that's create
midnight Mark these are going to be
re-edited and touched up versions of
some of my older videos compiling them
together so you can listen to them in
the background doing whatever you do I
don't know I've edited out a majority of
the LI noises and find ways to connect
them all together so they're basically
just Mega videos for example on there
right now I have a 5 hour Five Nights at
Freddy's video which compiles my
original retrospective of all the games
along with the books and the movie to
try and make it one big seamless video
so if that sounds like something that
might interest you I plan on uploading
every week but let me know if there's
any specific compilations you'd want to
see on there and be sure to subscribe I
got a bunch of really highquality stuff
made for it like a whole new softer look
along with a new intro that I think
looks fantastic so subscribe to midnight
Mark and thanks for the
support one thing I appreciate about the
opening here is that they bothered
getting South Park Studios to actually
animated in high really for the duration
of this quite lengthy opening you could
completely treat it like another episode
of the show where we see a massive
blizzard head towards t with Cartman
praying to God to please let the T get
covered in the most snow it's ever had
just so he doesn't have to go to school
it's an incredibly endearing idea for a
South Park game on the surface Matt and
Trey always wanted to invoke a similar
feeling to Earth bind with these where
you would play as a blank kid traversing
this time by yourself things seeming so
much grander than they actually are in
reality and this concept lends itself
perfectly towards that with all apparent
snowed in and unable to go anywhere it
makes the entire you're twing the kids
play grind able to do whatever they want
with little to no interference I'm not
really into them going right back to the
wizard stuff with no explanation
fractured but Hol had a nice precedent
where you would assume each new game
would tackle a different genre from the
last but I have to assume they just went
with this for marketing reasons which is
a little sad everyone's designs are
simply one toone copied from The Stick
of Truth kind of Eed in the feeling that
this game didn't know what it wanted to
do to stand apart I'm also not too clear
on why they thought doing a Co parody
would be the way to go for their brand
new gum from the way everyone in
Universe talks about the snowstorm it's
pretty evident this is meant to be a
take on Co you know which they already
did but not everyone is stuck in their
houses and toilet paper has become the
new form of currency biting but really
all of that is kind of relevant again
it's just an excuse to have all the kids
and time playing with each other again
after the new kid ruined the previous
two by getting way too op yeah despite
the change in genre and well di menion
snow day is still following the events
of the RPGs you're once again put right
back at square one with everybody being
incredibly pissed off at you and so now
it's time to join the grand wizard
Cartman's
faction again as Clyde has informed Eric
that the Elven Army led by Kyle is
planning an attack on their Kingdom
they're not really after anything this
time but uh and with that we're dropped
into a short tutorial and by short of
course I mean 15 minutes long I guess
it's to teach us how to deal with this
new fangled dimension I like the idea
for it though you go on a short journey
to school where you have to walk through
the destroyed building Mr Macky locked
inside in the game slowly telling you
more and more about what you can do in
this new adventure I'm a little sad that
you don't get to explore it all here but
whatever I get it's something new more
linear overall the tutorial is a decent
time but I think it really has the
potential to make people have a super
negative first
impression hey what the [ย __ย ] return fire
return fire what who is that that can't
be matter Trey it sounds like someone
doing a bad Eric Cartman impression I
think I think this literally might just
be one of the developers inserting their
own
impression okay there's something I'm
going to talk about way more later but
this is definitely one of those games
where you start incredibly underpowered
painfully so and so having to control
the new kid with only two measy weak
weapons with little to no difference in
how you approach each fight kind of
shows how quickly it takes for this game
to become repetitive it's not a good
sign when I start getting bored of the
mean cycle during the tutorial but on
the more positive side your character
controls all right seeing high they
running 3D will never not be jarring but
turning jumping all feels fine except
for running running [ย __ย ] sucks I
think I was Elite to realizing this game
was most likely intended to be played
with a keyboard and mice honestly what
it reminded me of while playing was
fornite of all
things damn damn I'm kind of nasty but
it does this annoying ass thing where
your character's walking speed is
incredibly slow with you having a run
button and stamina meter really like
that you have infinite stamina when not
in battle too that's a great feature
however you can only run while pressing
directly in front of you meaning if you
want to run to the left or right to
dodge [ย __ย ] you're [ย __ย ] you're going to
go right back to walking again this
wouldn't be a big deal playing with a
keyboard and mice since you can more
easily move the camera while
multitasking but on a controller where
the run is attached to the circle button
it makes it really obnoxious to have to
use one finger to hold that darn while
using your thumb to move the camera all
always disrupted me [ย __ย ] pissed me
off but whatever controls still are fine
for the most part combat feels all right
even if the bow takes forever to use and
does a little to no damage but things
seem to be at the very least decent so
far and with that we're dropped into the
Hub world you can customize your new kid
here although there's not much variety
when you start I went with fantesia at
Mickey mice you can also choose your
weapons with tolken again one option but
what you're supposed to do here is talk
to Eric who will give you a list of uh
five missions to to conquer and upon
choosing you walk to this little snowb
which will loow you in this is not what
I did though I ran around this Hub world
for each just seeing what I could find
anwers nothing for some reason they let
you walk around this giant ass Hub World
outside of carman's backyard and want
nowhere near on the level of what the
others had to offer I still appreciate
having the ability to walk around Derek
Street if there were something to
actually find I understand that of
course we're not going to have the
amount of Freedom that's expected from
an RPG but at the same time it's South
Park in 3D of course I'd want to run
around this place they've had a long
almost 30-year history to pull from it
was cool getting to explore the kids
bedrooms and see all the props they've
accumulated over the past 25 Seasons
listening to the different tracks Tre
has produced on the radio again it's
something very pedantic to get over but
sadly this only comes from the two of
them having set the bar so high so when
it's not here it ends up feeling as if
something is missing from everything
I've seen thus far it appears that the
best phrase I can use to describe their
riding and setup a snow day is s Park on
autopilot there's no real effort here to
break new Grind to do something that
will blow people's minds not that it
needs to but if their goal here is to do
something at a much smaller scope then
the last thing I would want to do is
make any references to their previous
material that actually tried to do
something grind breaking and succeeded
mind you I know I'm complaining a lot
which doesn't seem fair considering I
haven't even you know started level one
and stuff but I really think I was
mostly disappointed to see that snow
dead just kind of starts s throws you in
with little to no Fanfare spectacle
apart from that janky but admittedly
neat transition from 2D to 3D I don't
know stick of truth and fractured but
hole just had incredibly strong openings
in my opinion so this one starting out
with a drawn art BB tutorial and not
even being all that funny to make up for
it seems like a sign of things to come
all right level one
end okay I've avoided the white elephant
in the room for long enough don't know
what I'm talking about well I I want to
show you something here is what the
tutorial of snow day looks like here's
the Hub world we just saw no here's
level one notice anything I get it's
called snow day and all but this really
seems like an idea that was better in
concept than execution because all these
[ย __ย ] places look the same want to
know why I know this every stage I just
showed you completely random this is
level one this is the tutorial and this
is the Hub World fantastic and as we'll
get into later this game's being sold
with a season pass with the promise of
future DLC stuff D the line so it sucks
to know that they're all going to have
to adhere to this snow dead gimmick when
it would be way cooler to actually visit
more places from the show or at least a
couple areas that aren't just completely
white you were almost never inside
buildings in snowa it is primarily an
outdoor adventure and so after a while
your mind grows bored of looking at the
same theme over and over again with hold
to nothing breaking up the monotony of a
screen that's 95% just [ย __ย ] white
South park has snow I get that but it's