Interview The South Park RPG Video Interview

[torpid]

Or horror of horrors, what if this shit actually sells?

They will make more money, and other publisher will give them more work, or they will fund their own IP. Oh the horror...

And what work will the publishers give them? South Park 2, Dungeon Siege 4? Or are you still hoping that after enough SLAM DUNKS Obsidian will finally make that great RPG they've been dying to make? How has that been working out for them? Alpha Protocol was their IP and it bombed. I don't see them going "hey we made enough cheap, crappy SLAM DUNKS so now we can take the risk of making a more expensive game that probably won't sell, yeaaahhhh" any time soon. And that's assuming that they actually want to make super deep RPGs and are only being stymied by the market, which to me is wishful thinking. AP was a popamole action RPG. Don't want to break your hearts, but MCA might just not be into you guys anymore.

Do you really think that Obsidian will suddenly leave the RPG genre and start making South Park, Simpsons and My Little Pony games just because they made ONE SP game? Seriously? And what work will publishers give them, you ask. Maybe South Park 2. Maybe Dungeon Siege 4, sure it is possible.

Maybe they will raise money and make AP2, which is OK in my book. Or maybe they let them make ...I don't know...an RPG that Obsidian is pitching them with. Publishers know that Obsidian is an RPG focused developer. They won't look at Obsidian and say: hey these guy made a good SP game, don't give them any other work other than SP.

Where did I say they'll leave the RPG genre? The SP game is being called an RPG, and DS3 was a hack-n- slash. This isn't about them not making RPGs, it's about them making bad RPGs. Alpha Popamole, DS3, this South Park game... And you're again assuming that whatever game Obsidian gets to make on their own initiative won't be another crappy action RPG. That strikes me as wishful thinking, especially for any game that Obsidian would be making from the ground up. They improved a few existing series (F:NV), failed to improve a few others (KOTOR2) and made their Biowarian crossover game that flopped. Whether or not deep down in their hearts they still want to make RPGs with interesting mechanics is almost irrelevant, though that's what seems to be at the crux of all the wishful thinking. Maybe Gaider & co. would love to make a decent game once in a while but their personal feelings on the matter won't trump publisher demands and that doesn't lead to posters making excuses for them, as we see with Obsidian.

 

[Marobug]

Never thought I'd say this, but now that I watched the video I'm actually curious about the game.

 

[Tuco Benedicto Pacifico]

The fact that Obsidian took this project at all should speak volumes; if they were true rpg fans they would have laughed those South Park motherfuckers out of the office when they made their offer.

That's the stupidest shit in this thread, and I don't even like Obsidian's previous games.

 

[Tigranes]

How has that been working out for them? Alpha Protocol was their IP and it bombed. I don't see them going "hey we made enough cheap, crappy SLAM DUNKS so now we can take the risk of making a more expensive game that probably won't sell, yeaaahhhh" any time soon.

Actually, from what Feargus has been saying over the last ~3 years, that's exactly what their company strategy is. The whole point is that they don't get locked down to destructive, money-destroying, destabilizing Troika cycles where they're relying on projects without publishers or projects that might bomb financially. You can argue that's a shit plan, but it is quite clearly what they're going for. According to Plan A, Alpha Protocol would have sold enough to warrant a sequel or at least to satisfy Sega, and Aliens RPG would have showcased both Onyx and an original Obsid RPG (even if not original IP). Dungeon Siege 3 was clearly a way of ensuring that they got an Onyx title out the door, kept the cashflow and workflow going, a way of resetting the cycle.

Between FNV's success, DS3 apparently doing the job it needed to do business-wise and now SP RPG which will be out soon, Obsidian is very clearly planning to use that to launch or get a publisher for an Onyx game with an original IP. I think we will see that in the next 2-3 years unless things go terribly wrong.

Of course, the question is whether that RPG will be anything like what the Codex wants.

 

[Excidium]

The fact that Obsidian took this project at all should speak volumes; if they were true rpg fans they would have laughed those South Park motherfuckers out of the office when they made their offer.

That's the stupidest shit in this thread, and I don't even like Obsidian's previous games.

Yeah...Developing games is their job, not their hobby. Nobody in their sane mind would reject an IP like this.

 

[torpid]

How has that been working out for them? Alpha Protocol was their IP and it bombed. I don't see them going "hey we made enough cheap, crappy SLAM DUNKS so now we can take the risk of making a more expensive game that probably won't sell, yeaaahhhh" any time soon.

Actually, from what Feargus has been saying over the last ~3 years, that's exactly what their company strategy is. The whole point is that they don't get locked down to destructive, money-destroying, destabilizing Troika cycles where they're relying on projects without publishers or projects that might bomb financially. You can argue that's a shit plan, but it is quite clearly what they're going for. According to Plan A, Alpha Protocol would have sold enough to warrant a sequel or at least to satisfy Sega, and Aliens RPG would have showcased both Onyx and an original Obsid RPG (even if not original IP). Dungeon Siege 3 was clearly a way of ensuring that they got an Onyx title out the door, kept the cashflow and workflow going, a way of resetting the cycle.

But as you said yourself, Plan A failed. Are they going to try it again or just line up more SLAM DUNKS? And even if they do start a new IP the chances are it'll be another mainstream action RPG, which is where the money is, after all. Maybe the failure of Alpha Prosperlol will make them change their tack and try something different, but how likely is that in the current climate?

 

[St. Toxic]

It would be more fun if Beth was doing it. They've stuck to the same formula for so long that they make stale bread look fresh. Suddenly doing a Bethesda style rpg based on SP, whether in tiresome fpv or something else entirely, combining their unmatched ability in staying true to canon and their business oriented approach to game design, with reviewers calling it majestic and brainless morons lapping it up like chocolate diarrhea out of a toilet acting as a slurpee machine. It might even be good for what it is!

 

[Metro]

Obsidian defenders have gotten so desperate that they're actually praising this Paper Mario RPG thing.

 

[Shannow]

It would be more fun if Beth was doing it. They've stuck to the same formula for so long that they make stale bread look fresh. Suddenly doing a Bethesda style rpg based on SP, whether in tiresome fpv or something else entirely, combining their unmatched ability in staying true to canon and their business oriented approach to game design, with reviewers calling it majestic and brainless morons lapping it up like chocolate diarrhea out of a toilet acting as a slurpee machine. It might even be good for what it is!

If you're going to troll, don't put the obvious bits in the first sentence.

pretty obvious bait, but still

3/5
The idea of Bethesda and humor - any kind of humor, even toilett humor - is just too preposterous...
A really good troll has to be taken serious, even if just for an instant.

It'd be more fun if Bioware were doing it. Their games are already GLT dating sims and the colour of the blood spatter can be changed to brown. They're also great at making jokes out of people's suffering. Perfect fit. (Just kidding, they have enough on their plate with the to be announced, classic, epic, dark, grim, sci-fi, majestic South Park: The Anal Probe Effect)

 

[IronicNeurotic]

Obsidian defenders have gotten so desperate that they're actually praising this Paper Mario RPG thing.

I don't really see what I have to defend here.

It was known for a while that Obsidian does an Animation IP. I never excpected that to be anywhere near a "hardcore" RPG even before the reveal. I'm still looking forward to the SP RPG as a fun, well done "rpg" with some good jokes.

My main interest regarding more serious rpging has always been the Original IP by Sawyer. We'll see how that turns out.

 

[HanoverF]

A lot of thought is going into the challenge of creating a light-hearted experience that's enjoyable for fans of the show but also appeals to fans of Obsidian's derp RPG heritage.

 

[villain of the story]

From the Obsidian Forums the screenshot I mentioned

Looks unimpressive. It would need great mechanics to function well.

I don't know how it could look impressive to you. It looks South Park to the bone, like the real deal.

Look on the bright side: why would the need to hire Tim Cain i SP RPG were to be a super simple dumbed down piece of shit?

 

[Sannom]

Look on the bright side: why would the need to hire Tim Cain i SP RPG were to be a super simple dumbed down piece of shit?

Because the Tim Cain thing seems to be (partly) a favor made by Feargus to an old and respected colleague who was searching for something to do between two jobs?

 

[villain of the story]

Maybe. Then again, it's strange to do favours like that when you're laying off own long-time employees. Contradictory.

 

[WalmartJesus]

If Feargus Urquhart shaved his head,he'd look like Frank Black from the Pixies.

He even kinda sounds like him when talking.

 

[St. Toxic]

The idea of Bethesda and humor - any kind of humor, even toilett humor - is just too preposterous...

So what, it's not like humor is one of SP's selling points anyway.

 

[SCO]

fanboys. fanboys never change

 

[Forest Dweller]

The interesting thing is that they were directly approached. Wonder why.

Because they're the biggest mercenary RPG developer I would assume.

Chris Avellone: "We'll develop anything. And I mean LITERALLY anything. Please give us money. I'll even throw in a cock sucking for free. Please let me suck your cock."

This was funnier than it should have been.

 

[Mozgoëbstvo]

I come back to the Codex after days of computer crashing and unusability and people still discuss Obsidian's last plunge into the shitpit of intellectual whoredom.

I cannot into the Codex sometimes.

 

[villain of the story]

They are doing good work and they are in demand and somehow, Codexers are butthurt.

And only because of one man and one title in his past. Get over it, bitches.

While at it, could anyone at least try to provide a dissection of South Park and why it sucks so we all know why doing a South Park RPG is so bad? No? Thought so. Go back to your sheltered lives, now.

 

[jiduthie]

lol @ Feargus as Black Francis.

Here comes your mang.

 

[malko_sundervere]

If Feargus Urquhart shaved his head,he'd look like Frank Black from the Pixies.

He even kinda sounds like him when talking.

Got hips like Deionarra...

Anyway, looks pretty good, I guess. I'll probably play it, why not. It's stupid to rage about video games that don't exist yet, and doubly stupid to rage on the ridiculous assumption that a game set in South Park cannot possibly be good.