Hey Duders,

Here is the latest Deep Look! Deep Looks are largely gameplay and commentary like a Giantbomb quicklook; however, I try to cover games that have been out for a while and I intend to use the videos to highlight moments and mechanics that I found particularly worthy of highlighting and exploring. Also I aim to keep the videos under 20 minutes.

In this Deep Look I show off the many ways that South Park: The Stick of Truth allows you to skip the simple JRPG combat that potentially takes up much of the game's run time. By allowing you to win battles in ways that circumvent the turn-based battle system, South Park is able to keep its combat system fresh for much longer than its design would suggest. South Park is a great example of how much more enjoyable a game can be by cutting out, rather than adding, padding.

Best game of last year.

@spraynardtatum: It certainly was up there for me. It was a nice to play a game that had funny mechanics and comedy built into the actual gameplay on top of having well written jokes.

I felt overpowered for a good portion of the game, but in a good way. If I screwed up I could still die, but if I follow some basic strategies it just felt great.

It wasn't Valkyrie Profile 2, but not everything has to be. The less-is-more approach worked for the combat as well as the whole game. I'd like to see more of these RPG's. JRPG's can keep being sprawling, but an RPG like this gives licensed material such a good canvas to tell a captivating story with a low barrier to entry.

Yes, I was captivated.

I just wish this game wasn't South Park. I'd be lying if I said I've never liked South Park but it's been close to a decade since.

@corevi: I thought the South Park part of the game really added a lot of comedy to the actual combat and traversal elements. Some of the fan-service was a bit much, but the hammer throw never got old for me in the way an ordinary attack might have.

@csl316: On my first playthrough I was never really challenged in any battles because I did like 90% of the side-quests. I had a bunch of over-powered weapons and badges and they let me just rip through the game. But, my second time through I mainlined the game and had a few close calls where I needed my summons to bail me out. I honestly think that fighting the bare minimum amount of battles in TSOT is the better way to go. That playstyle really forces you to take advantage of most of the game's systems, rather than just spamming your favorite strategy over and over again.

It's only gotten better. South Park has been sharper and more insightful than ever. It's consistently the best written show on television. The game is up there with some of the best.

@spraynardtatum: I would say that South Park is definitely keeping up with current events in a way that most cartoon shows can't. I do really love how few people seem to understand that South Park is more than foul language and gross stuff. It is consistently one of the most socially conscious and subversive shows on TV.

That being said, I would still take Bob's Burgers slice of life comedy and subtle weirdness over South Park's didactic structure. I have loved Loren Bouchard's work since Home Movies and Bob's Burgers might be even better.

Bob's Burgers is hilarious. Tina is my favorite character. I am a South Park guy all the way though. There's just nothing else that even compares. It always makes me think and it maintains such a positive outlook. It really is a sweet and uplifting show.

I actually started replaying Stick of Truth last night because of this thread haha.

@spraynardtatum: I found the second playthrough to be much faster and more fun than the first playthrough because I was actively trying to speedrun the game. Playing the game that way made the combat much more challenging and it made me appreciate some of the systems, like character speed, a lot more. Also if you didn't do it the first time I recommend getting the Hastlehoff special at Tom's Rhinopasy as quickly as possible.

@thatpinguino: I absolutely did that the first time. Hilarious. There's something about RPG's...I can't not check every single drawer. There might be money in there!

@spraynardtatum: Yeah if you actually search all of the drawers and treasures in TSOT you end up with so much extra money that there is no reason to even worry about it. Even after buying the most expensive vanity item in the game I still had hundreds left over by the time I reached the final boss. I bet that you could beat the game without looting any chests or drawers that are off the critical path and still not have any money issues.

You have a deal. I think I'm just going to loot the enemies I beat up and start training myself to ignore the superfluous stuff. I can't avoid pooping in every toilet though...that's where I draw the line...I have to.

Are there chinpokomon hiding in that stuff though? I want to collect them all and see what happens if you do...sigh...video game dilemmas are so lame.

Great video by the way.

@spraynardtatum: To my knowledge there are no Chinpokomon in any drawers or treasure chests; however, there are a few off the main path that you need to do sidequests to find. Like there are some in storage lockers and houses that you need keys to enter.

Thanks on the video compliment! I've finally grown up to the point where I edit!