50 Best Games of 2017: #40 – South Park: The Fractured But Whole

South Park Fractured But Whole
South Park Fractured But Whole

Developer: Ubisoft
Publisher: Ubisoft
Platform(s): PS4, Xbox One, PC

Our 50 best games of the year countdown isn’t in any order, we’re just going through fifty of the finest the year has given us. Find out more here.

South Park: The Stick of Truth was one of my favourite games on the last generation of consoles. Featuring a fantastic storyline, easy to use combat system and more laugh out loud moments than most comedy films, The Stick of Truth was a game that I have returned to time and time again. The Fractured But Whole is no different.

This time, we are again thrust into the shoes of the New Kid as we take on a superhero persona to try and track down a missing cat named Scrambles in the hopes to claim the $100 reward and become the number one superhero franchise in South Park. The main plot of the game borrows heavily from the Marvel Universe, with the characters discussing the order of TV series and movies, as well as fighting rival super heroes. Once again, the developers have also included a focus on social media, with the player now taking selfies with members of the South Park Universe and gaining followers on Coonstagram.

Although some of the gameplay may be slightly confusing, and I did find there was an element of grinding involved, which should not take away just how many twists and turns the main plot of this game throws at you. With numerous superhero powers available as well, this game does offer a certain amount of replayability, much like its predecessor.

The developers have also expanded on their simple, yet effective combat system. The battlefield has been divided into squares and you can now move your whole team across the combat area in order to perform attacks. As a result, each fight, no matter how small, has become more tactical, forcing you to rely on the whole team, and not just your main character. They have also introduced a crafting mechanic so you are now able to craft healing items and power ups which increase your overall ability. Although it can be a grind to really find the items that you need to craft anything worthwhile, I did find it was extremely rewarding when I was able to craft an artefact that really increased my abilities.

As with anything that is linked to South Park, Fractured But Whole is as funny as it is offensive, with some truly memorable and hilarious moments. The gaming world has also been expanded with new places for you to visit, as well as new characters for you to meet, integrating this game with their newer TV episodes.

But what Fractured But Whole gives you is thirty plus gaming hours of pure story and action that very few games manage to deliver these days. There are no micro transactions that “enhance” the gameplay, they are all purely cosmetic, and although the story does take awhile to really find its feet, this game is still worthy of being played.

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