South Park: The Stick of Truth Review Roundup

South Park: The Stick of Truth is out today for consoles and PC, but should you buy the new role-playing game from Fallout: New Vegas developer Obsidian Entertainment? To help you with your decision, we've rounded up what the critics are saying. The game is available today for Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and PC and is published by Ubisoft, which acquired the game from THQ for $3.26 million during the company's bankruptcy auction in January 2013.

Right now on GameSpot sister site Metacritic, the PC and PlayStation 3 versions of South Park: The Stick of Truth have a metascore of 84, while the Xbox 360 version yields an 82.

IGN -- 9/10

"The Stick of Truth makes one thing abundantly clear: I never want to play another South Park video game made without Trey Parker and Matt Stone's direct, intimate involvement. With a controller in your hand, you are almost literally--gloriously--playing a 14-hour episode of South Park. There’s much, much more here for series fans than the uninitiated, but it’s a light but good quality role-playing game in its own right. It is, in a way, Season 18 all by itself. It is funny, shocking, self-effacing, and pretty much everything I could ask for from a South Park game -- even if it’s mostly a one-and-done experience." [Full review]

Game Informer -- 8.5/10

"In the 17 years that South Park has been on the air, it’s never received a video game treatment that felt like more than a quick cash-in on the name. With The Stick of Truth, the residents of the sleepy mountain town have finally arrived on the gaming scene with the franchise’s humor intact. This is made possible thanks to the heavy involvement of creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone, and the result is a highly enjoyable and unique RPG." [Full review]

Official Xbox Magazine -- 9/10

"In Stick of Truth, Obsidian has created what’s essentially an incredibly well-paced, extended playable episode of the TV show, cramming in a tightly constructed “greatest hits”–style, kitchen-sink gag reel of everything that can make the show such a riot. For fans, it’s hard to imagine a better way to wind down the Xbox 360 console generation than with this gloriously gassy, burrito-fueled send-off." [Full review]

Destructoid -- 8/10

"If you don't watch South Park that often, you most likely won't enjoy The Stick of Truth as much as someone who does. The RPG elements are very serviceable but they're not going to satiate most of the hardcore genre fans out there. It's a good thing then that the rest of the package is filled with so much care from the show's creators, that it makes it something truly special." [Full review]

GameSpot -- 7/10

"Let's get super cereal, shall we? South Park: The Stick of Truth is the closest there is to an interactive South Park film. It nails the animated television show's look, its humor, and its obsession with the human anus. If you come to The Stick of Truth for the South Park-ness of it all--for Cartman's aggressive profanity, for Butters' good intentions, for Randy Marsh's masturbation addiction--then you'll enjoy 10 or so hours of hysterical, offensive, gross buffoonery. Does the phrase "anal beads" make you giggle? Have you daydreamed of tossing poop at the people you hate? Then you know where you can shove The Stick of Truth: right into your console's disc drive." [Full review]

Joystiq -- 3.5/5

"How you'll feel about South Park: The Stick of Truth comes down to how you prefer the peanut butter to chocolate ratio in this weird little flavor mash-up. To get the most out of it, you have to buy into its world; you have to play pretend. More than that, you're going to want to know the kids you're playing with. If you're well-versed in South Park history and can imagine cookies as a "health potion," you're off to a good start. If you can also forgive the repetitive nature of combat and some uninspired quests, it's worth taking up arms--or dildos--for The Stick of Truth's hilarious, disgusting adventure." [Full review]

Polygon -- 8.5/10

"It's a testament to The Stick of Truth that my enthusiasm for the game didn't dim in the face of those hiccups. Despite them--and the jokes that occasionally run out of steam--this is an experience that even the most casual fan of South Park is going to get something out of, and one of the truest translations from screen to game I can recall. At the risk of belaboring the metaphor I started with, other developers have painted Cartman's face on a stock car. Obsidian has ripped out the pistons and swapped in the still-beating heart of South Park. Other games treated the world Matt Stone and Trey Parker have crystallized over the past two decades as a prison they have to escape from. The Stick of Truth happily confines itself to that world, and manages to build a comfortable, hilarious home of its own." [Full review]

For more on the critical reception for South Park: The Stick of Truth, be sure to read Metacritic's full coverage of the game.