This is my first review for a video game here on this blog, and it feels fitting that it should be South Park: The Fractured But Whole. I've always wanted a decent South Park game for as long as I can remember and The Stick of Truth was a massively great accomplishment that the follow up had a lot to live up to. Using the superhero storyline that has always been a big part of South Park since 2009 (wow) I was hyped to see how the game would take their spin on the whole 'DC vs Marvel' escapade and the idea of 'Civil War' where the kids become so headstrong in creating superhero franchises that they end up fighting on two sides. And the story only gets more ridiculous than that. As does the game itself.

So you play as the New Kid once again, after being the King in the last game you guys are done playing fantasy and are ready to play superhero. Carmen gives you an option of many classes and you are allowed up to four of these classes, each with their own unique abilities and attacks that can be used in combat. I picked Blaster, Cyborg, Assassin and Plantmancer, which was a great combination where I was allowed to switch up my roster of attacks with a lot of options. Each character also gets an ultimate, which can be used when the ultimate bar has charged up during battle. The Cyborg's ultimate was one of my favourites, as were the Coon's which allowed him to unleash deadly swipes on each of the enemies and make them bleed.

With that the combat is great, it's the same turn based combat as in the first game but you are now given the freedom to enter squares on the field to strategies against your enemies with your different barrage of attacks. This makes combat so much less of a chore that they may seem because choice is rife. There's a massive amount of characters to choose from as well to add to your roster, I found myself going with the Coon, Super Craig and Captain Diabetes who all got me through some of the toughest charades. You can find and unlock special call ins for other characters from the show to help you, such as Jimbo and Ned who come into battle guns blazing or Moses who will heal your team up in an instant. Your special timefarts are so helpful as well in battle which allows you to pause time or speed it up so enemies turns can be missed, meaning a lot less damage for you.

And of course, this is South Park, so you can expect laughs, a lot of laughs. The game is hilarious, and with it's unique look it feels like an actual episode of the show. Cutscenes are acted and written brilliantly and the overall look is Trey Parker and Matt Stone greatness. Side quests are all so bizarre in their own way, like trying to help Tweak and Craig get back together or helping a Gay Fish's mother get into heaven (probably the funniest.) It's bizarre and so funny that you'll see them all through just to see how insane they get. Characters from the last few seasons of the show such as PC Principal make awesome appearances and the easter eggs you'll find will take you back to some of the show's classic moments. 

There are a couple of glitches here and there admittedly, and the map is practically the same as from the first game but with some new locations plotted around, but it's not enough to distract you from this being a really good game. It's rare to find a game that acts as a comedy aswell, and you can tell that Parker and Stone really wanted to create something truly special for the fans. You'll have a blast for sure, and now I've finished it I'm going back to play the first game again and I have to say, this could just be a little bit better than it.

8/10