Destiny developer Bungie has finally confirmed the previously leaked launch date for Marathon, which is indeed March 5, 2026, and followed up the news with a rundown of who we can expect to hear in the English voice cast.
The bumper cast includes many, many familiar voices, such as Jennifer English (who won Best Performance at 2025’s The Game Awards for Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, and has had notable roles in Elden Ring and Baldur’s Gate 3, in which she plays Shadowheart), Ben Starr (Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, Hades II, Final Fantasy 14), Roger Clark (Red Dead Redemption 2), and Neil Newbon (Baldur’s Gate 3’s Astarion, Resident Evil 3 Remake). As one commenter responded: “That’s… stacked lol.”
Here’s the full list, along with an idea of where you may have heard their voices before:
Jennifer English (Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, Elden Ring, Baldur’s Gate 3)
Ben Starr (Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, Hades II, Final Fantasy 14)
Krizia Bajos (The Outer Worlds 2, Mafia: The Old Country)
Samantha Beart (Baldur’s Gate 3, Demon’s Souls)
Beau Bridgland (Exoprimal)
Ry Chase (Destiny: Rising, Marvel’s Spider-Man 2)
Keston John (Call of Duty: Black Ops 7, The Outer Worlds 2)
Sohm Kapila (Dune: Awakening, Hogwarts Legacy)
Rich Keeble (Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, Total War: Warhammer III)
Piotr Michael (Star Trek: Resurgence, Black Ops Cold War, Doom Eternal)
Brent Mukai (Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart, Ghost of Yotei)
Neil Newbon (Baldur’s Gate 3, Resident Evil 3 Remake)
Ariana Nicole George (Genshin Impact, Dynasty Warriors: Origins)
Emily O’Brien (League of Legends, Final Fantasy 14: A Realm Reborn, Starfield)
Jason Spisak (Doom Eternal, Fortnite, Anthem)
Craig Lee Thomas (Octopath Traveler 0, DC: Dark Legion)
Oliver Vaquer (Dune: Awakening, Death Stranding)
Erin Yvette (Oxenfree, The Wolf Among Us, Firewatch)
Scott Whyte (Marvel Rivals, Halo Infinite, Avowed).
What we don’t know yet is what characters the actors will portray, of course, but with the list essentially in alphabetical order besides front-runners English, Starr, Clark, Toufexis, Futterman, Lindbeck, Guthrie, Knight, Tadena, Gorrondona, Hughes, De Paul, Shorten, Fennoy, Wiles, and Tatasciore, that may suggest those particular actors will be portraying the characters we’ll get to know best when playing Marathon.
Vikki Blake is a reporter for IGN, as well as a critic, columnist, and consultant with 15+ years experience working with some of the world’s biggest gaming sites and publications. She’s also a Guardian, Spartan, Silent Hillian, Legend, and perpetually High Chaos. Find her at BlueSky.
CD Projekt has confirmed it issued a DMCA strike on a paid Cyberpunk 2077 VR mod, after its creator refused to make it free for everyone upon the studio’s request.
The R.E.A.L. VR mod for Cyberpunk 2077 was created by Luke Ross, who, according to a 2022 report by The Verge, makes $20,000 a month modding PC games to run in VR headsets. His mods are locked behind a Patreon, which sparked CD Projekt’s concern.
In a tweet, Jan Rosner, VP, Business Development at CD Projekt Red, said the company issued the DMCA strike because Cyberpunk VR was a paid mod, which violates its fan content guidelines.
“We never allow monetization of our IP without our direct permission and/or an agreement in place,” Rosner said. “We were in touch with Luke last week and informed him that he needs to make it free for everyone (with optional donations) or remove it.
“We are big fans of mods to our games — some of the work out there has been nothing short of amazing, including Luke’s mod for Cyberpunk 2077. We’d be happy to see it return as a free release. However, making a profit from our IP, in any form, always requires permission from CD Projekt Red.”
Ross responded to Rosner’s tweet to take issue with his work being characterized as fan content. Rather, Ross insisted, it is independent software and thus does not infringe on CD Projekt’s IP rights.
“I’m sorry but I don’t believe you are within your rights in demanding that my software needs to be free,” Ross said. “It is not ‘derivative work’ or ‘fan content’: it supports a large number of games which were built upon different engines, and it contains absolutely zero code or assets from your IP. Saying that it infringes your IP rights is equivalent to maintaining for example that RivaTuner violates game publishers’ copyrights because it intercepts the images the game is drawing on screen and it processes them in order to overlay its statistics.”
Ross went on to say he wants to find a “win-win solution,” and suggested CD Projekt make his Cyberpunk VR mod official, “or at least sanctioned by your company.” He added: “I think the current state of affairs is not the best way to resolve this misunderstanding.”
As it stands, Ross has left his Cyberpunk VR mod behind (in a post on Patreon, Ross said, “So long, and thanks for all the fish,”), and he has pulled support for the game. Ross’ tweet here has sparked a debate about the legal implications of his mod, a point he expanded on in a post on Patreon:
“As usual they stretch the concept of ‘derivative work’ until it’s paper-thin, as though a system that allows visualizing 40+ games in fully immersive 3D VR was somehow built making use of their intellectual property,” he said. “And as usual they give absolutely zero f***s about how playing their game in VR made people happy, and they cannot just be grateful about the extra copies of the title they sold because of that — without ever having to pour money into producing an official conversion (no, they’re not planning to release their own VR port, in case you were wondering).
“The bottom line is all that matters, and gamers be damned.
“Am I a little bitter about all of this? Yeah, you bet I am. Especially in the same week when Meta pulls the plug on three major VR studios. Especially after four years during which I (together with other modders) spent so much time keeping our mods alive in spite of CDPR’s constant breaking updates. Especially when they never even knew or cared during all this time that the VR conversion was there, and are only knee-jerk reacting now because somebody reported to them that it existed and it was not free.”
This is not the first time Ross has been hit by a DMCA strike. In July 2022, Rockstar Games parent company Take-Two issued a DMCA notice against Ross for his GTA 5 and Red Dead Redemption 2 VR mods, among others. He made a similar argument against the decision back then, insisting “none of my modifications are built using software belonging to Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc, and the modifications are not intended to replace their games, nor are they a means of exploiting Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc’s proprietary IP or assets.”
Cyberpunk is just one of a number of games for which Ross has released VR mods, and he sounds undeterred by CD Projekt’s action here. Ross already has VR mods for the likes of Sony’s Days Gone, FromSoftware’s Elden Ring, and Ubisoft’s Far Cry 5 games. Now he’s turning his attention to Larian’s Baldur’s Gate 3.
Wesley is Director, News at IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.
Free-to-play dark fantasy action RPG Dark December from developer Needs Games has officially launched on PC, Android, and iOS with crossplay and cross-progression. It marks a return to the world of Undecember, this time with more streamlined gameplay built around three core character classes.
If you’re not already familiar with the series or need a little refresher, Undecember was a quarter-view hack-and-slash game with no classes. It introduced a world created by 12 beings who shared their powers and brought peace and prosperity to the land. In time, they came to be worshipped as gods. But then a 13th being arose, who introduced evil to the world and corrupted mankind.
Dark December brings you back to that world, but many years before the events of Undecember and in an alternate timeline. The camera can now be moved freely, and it also marks a departure from the complex progression systems of its predecessor, instead focusing on timing, skill use, and streamlined growth in three character classes: Berserker, Raven, and Morgana. The system is designed to be more approachable, so players new to the series can feel comfortable jumping into this prequel without missing anything.
Berserker is your classic melee-based physical attacker that uses a two-handed greatsword to unleash powerful strikes. It has very high HP and defense, so it’s meant to rush headlong into enemy hordes and take out large groups with its heavy strikes. Their unique ability sends them into a berserk state, which speeds up their attacks and makes them capable of dishing out big damage very quickly.
Raven is an archer class that can use multiple different arrow types to take advantage of enemy weaknesses. It’s quick and agile, so it’s designed to constantly stay on the move while keeping enemies at arms’ length and picking them off with precise strikes. Where Berserker is meant to soak up damage, Raven is meant to avoid it altogether.
That leaves Morgana, a spellcasting class that wields a staff and can summon spirits. It uses the staff to unleash poison and fire spells, while summons are infused with elemental energy and can be used for a variety of things. Some deal damage matching its elemental type, while others apply debuffs. So Morgana is all about strategy and versatility, combining their abilities to deliver steady, continuous damage.
As you’d expect, each of these classes unlock unique skills as they level up, and these can be further powered up through skill upgrades and the Support Rune system. Each skill has two Support Rune slots, where you can equip Support Runes that provide all kinds of different bonuses. Each skill also has its own type and attribute, and Support Runes can only be equipped in slots that are compatible with that type and attribute.
Offensive runes provide bonuses like increasing damage, crit rate, or expanding AoE range. Defensive runes can do things like shielding you or reducing damage. And utility runes can enhance status effects, reduce cooldowns, or increase skill usage count. These are just a few examples of each type, there are plenty more options to choose from. And you can freely swap out Support Runes at any time, giving you the chance to test out lots of different builds or change things up strategically for particular fights or situations.
While progression has been simplified and combat has been streamlined, that doesn’t mean it’s easy. It’s not about memorizing one ability loop you can simply use over and over to decimate everything. You need to learn what works in what situations, adapt to new things being thrown at you, and use your abilities at the right time.
The central narrative of Dark December will take you through several different locations, and a waypoint system allows you to teleport between those areas quickly as well as return to a central hub area. There are also other gameplay modes you can play if you want to take a break from the main story.
The Abyss of Chaos is a dungeon that allows you to choose what region it’s based on, which alters its level and the rewards you can get from it. It also houses a randomly occurring event called the Realm of Chaos, which spawns powerful bosses that drop rare materials and resources.
The Hall of Oblivion is a challenge mode where you can choose the difficulty level and fight bosses from around the world. And Dimensional Rift: Veles is a defense mode where you and up to three other players can team up to see how long you can survive against neverending waves of enemies.
The monetization system is mostly focused on cosmetic items such as costumes and wings, and the game is designed so players who choose not to spend money are not at a disadvantage. Some stat-increasing items are also available through alternative routes, such as crafting or obtaining them directly through gameplay. This approach is intended to let players who prefer not to spend still enjoy the game without feeling pressured to pay.
Dark December is available to download now on PC, Android, and iOS. To keep up with the latest news and info, you can follow the game on Discord, YouTube, or TikTok.
Rockstar Games has reportedly granted the wish of a terminally-ill fan whose family member asked if they could play Grand Theft Auto 6 ahead of its November launch date.
The unnamed fan was contacted by Rockstar after a LinkedIn post from a relation blew up and apparently caught the attention of Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick (thanks, Insider Gaming).
Anthony Armstrong, a developer at Ubisoft Toronto, originally made the plea on behalf of his family member last month, calling for help from any connections or games industry colleagues in getting the message out.
“A member of my family who has been battling cancer for years just recently got the worst possible news, he was given 6-12 months to live,” Armstrong wrote. “The reason I’m reaching out is that they are a huge GTA fan and, with this latest updates [sic], he may not be around long enough to actually get to see GTA6 launch, best case scenario he will be leaving us the same month it does.
“He currently lives only a stones throw from [Rockstar’s] Oakville studio, so its my hope that one of you may be able to set up an exclusive playtest, so he can have a chance to experience the game, before passing.”
Armstrong later updated his post several times — firstly to confirm it had caught Zelnick’s attention, and then lastly to state that Rockstar Games had been in contact with “great news.”
“That’s all I can really say,” Armstrong concluded, “but thank you from the bottom of my heart.”
“No, there is NOT a Resident Evil 5 Remake that’s going to be announced this year,” Dusk Golem wrote in a post on social media. “Instead, later this year a RE Remake that starts with “(C)” & ends “(ode Veronica)” is going to be announced, I promise you.”
Resident Evil: Code Veronica originally launched in 2000 for the Sega Dreamcast, and while not a mainline numbered entry like Resident Evil 2, 3 or 4, it remains beloved by fans and considered a core part of the franchise’s story. Its narrative takes place around the same time as Resident Evil 3, but instead features Claire and Chris Redfield on a remote prison island and then in Antarctica.
As for Resident Evil 5, speculation around a remake has bubbled up following a teasing comment by Eva La Dare, the voice actress behind that game’s character Sheva Alomar. However, as of yet, Capcom is not believed to have greenlit any new version of the game — which garnered strong sales and a mostly positive reaction from fans back at its original launch in 2009. Whatever Alomar is referring to, it’s likely not worth getting your hopes up.
Instead, Capcom will reportedly finish remaking its early Resident Evil entries with a fresh version of Resident Evil Zero, due in 2028 after this year’s Requiem and next year’s new version of Code Veronica. (And after all that? Well, it would seem time for an all-new Resident Evil entry once again.)
Last year, Capcom’s under-wraps Resident Evil Zero remake appeared to pop up on the resume of Far Cry 5 and Guardians of the Galaxy video game actor Jon McLaren, with the suggestion that he will now be playing escaped convict Billy Coen.
Before all of that, of course, Resident Evil Requiem will arrive on February 27. Set to feature new character Grace Ashcroft and returning hero Leon S. Kennedy, the game’s mix of survival horror and action looks hugely promising — even if we’re all a bit concerned by that nasty-looking bite on Leon’s neck.
Tom Phillips is IGN’s News Editor. You can reach Tom at tom_phillips@ign.com or find him on Bluesky @tomphillipseg.bsky.social
Nintendo allegedly expressed dissatisfaction at Sega during the development of Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games, after seeing Sonic’s foot placed ahead of Mario’s.
The incident has come to light in an Arcade Attack Retro Gaming Network interview with Sega veteran Ryoichi Hasegawa, who worked on the Wii and Nintendo DS sports minigame classic ahead of its release back in 2007.
According to Hasegawa, Nintendo insisted that Sega change artwork set to be used for the game’s cover that depicted Mario’s foot placed behind that of Sonic’s.
“There was one funny story,” Hasegawa recalled of the game’s development. “There was artwork of Mario and Sonic, and you know, other characters standing on the field. And those artworks were used for the package, the instruction manual cover, and the cartridge label, and things like that…
“There was one small error and Sonic’s foot was in front of Mario’s foot, ” he continued, “and Nintendo demanded us to change the priority.”
Asked if Sega agreed to the change, Hasegawa said the game’s developers “of course” made the change for Nintendo. “We were like ‘oh my god’ we have to change it,” he concluded, “or there will be no deal.”
Nintendo has frequently been reported to be a stickler for its characters appearing exactly as it wants — another infamous example is the company sending notes to Disney to describe how Bowser should hold his teacup during a brief cameo in Wreck-It Ralph.
As it was, Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games was a smash hit for Sega, selling 10 million copies and spawning a string of sequels. Alas, the franchise ended after its final game in 2020, when the International Olympic Committee chose not to renew its licensing deal with Sega and Nintendo, and instead pursue partnerships based around mobile gaming and NFTs.
“Basically the IOC wanted to bring [it] back to themselves internally and look at other partners so they would get more money,” producer Lee Cocker, who worked on the series while at marketing company ISM Ltd, previously confirmed.
Tom Phillips is IGN’s News Editor. You can reach Tom at tom_phillips@ign.com or find him on Bluesky @tomphillipseg.bsky.social
Ex-Assassin’s Creed boss Marc-Alexis Côté is suing Ubisoft for $1.3 million in lost severance pay and damages following his shock exit from the company last year.
Radio Canada broke word of the lawsuit, which Coté has filed against his former employer due to the manner in which he left the company — an “unacceptable demotion” that constituted a “disguised dismissal.”
Ubisoft told staff of Côté’s departure via an internal email that discussed the need for Vantage Studios’ leadership team to be “aligned” with its core goals. At the time, IGN reported that Côté had been offered a role as part of Vantage Studios’ leadership, but declined.
Côté’s lawsuit claims that he was essentially replaced in his role early in 2025 by Vantage Studios’ newly-installed leadership, Christophe Derennes and Charlie Guillemot — the cousin and son of Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot. With this layer of management now above him, Côté claims he then learned over the summer of 2025 that Vantage was now seeking to hire a new Assassin’s Creed franchise boss, too.
Radio Canada’s report suggests that Côté enquired about the role but was told he was not suitable and would not be supported by Yves Guillemot, as the position was to be based in Ubisoft’s base in France, rather than in Canada, where Côté is based and every major Assassin’s Creed title has been led.
Côté’s lawsuit allegedly claims that he was offered a “Head of Production” role, reporting into the incoming new “Head of Franchise”, and then alternatively the chance to lead another business unit, working on second-tier Ubisoft franchises.
During a two-week period of reflection on what to do next, Côté told Ubisoft his exit from the company would require severance pay. It was at this point that Ubisoft allegedly told Côté not to show up for work as expected on October 13 and await a formal response. The following day, October 14, Ubisoft announced that Côté had departed.
In an internal note to Ubisoft staff obtained by IGN at the time, Derennes said he was “disappointed” by Côté’s decision, but that the former leader “had his own expectations and priorities related to Vantage Studios’ creation and future.”
“Following the organizational restructuring announced in March 2025, Marc-Alexis Côté has chosen to pursue a new path elsewhere outside of Ubisoft,” a Ubisoft spokesperson said in a comment to IGN at the time. “While we are saddened to see him go, we’re confident that our talented teams will carry forward the strong foundation he helped build.”
Now, Côté’s lawsuit alleges his exit from Ubisoft constituted an abuse of power and resulted in damage to his reputation. The amount he is seeking — $1.3 million — is the sum of two years’ salary and a further $75,000 in damages. Côté is also seeking for Ubisoft to lift his non-compete agreement, which currently limits his ability to work elsewhere.
Representatives for Côté have confirmed the lawsuit. IGN has contacted Ubisoft for comment.
Côté, known to colleagues by his initials as “Mac”, joined Ubisoft in 2005 as a software engineer, before working as a lead engine programmer on Prince of Persia: The Forgotten Sands. From there, he joined the Assassin’s Creed series in time for Brotherhood, working as a lead level designer, before serving as a game director on Assassin’s Creed 3.
As creative director, Côté led development on a string of projects built at Ubisoft Quebec, the talented team which made Assassin’s Creed: Black Flag DLC Freedom Cry, Assassin’s Creed Syndicate, and then Assassin’s Creed Odyssey, for which he served as senior producer.
In March 2022, as Quebec worked on Assassin’s Creed Shadows and Ubisoft sought to relaunch the series with a more consistent story focus via the Animus Hub (a project then envisioned under the title of Assassin’s Creed Infinity), it was Côté that took the reigns on the entire franchise, laying out a Marvel-style slate of upcoming projects that included the forthcoming Assassin’s Creed Hexe, which still lacks a release date. The next release in the franchise is widely-expected to be an Assassin’s Creed: Black Flag remaster, meanwhile.
Image credit: Andrej Ivanov/AFP via Getty Images.
Tom Phillips is IGN’s News Editor. You can reach Tom at tom_phillips@ign.com or find him on Bluesky @tomphillipseg.bsky.social
We’ve rounded up the best deals for Sunday, January 18, below. Don’t miss your chance to save on these deals!
Borderlands 4 for $39.99
Borderlands 4 is on sale this weekend for $39.99. This weekend is the perfect time to pick up a copy in case you missed the latest Borderlands adventure. In our 8/10 review, we wrote, “Borderlands 4 gives the series the massive kick in the pants it has needed, with a fantastic open world and greatly improved combat, even if bugs and invisible walls can sometimes throw off that groove.”
Mafia: The Old Country for $34.99
Mafia: The Old Country is on sale for $34.99 this weekend at Best Buy, and this is the lowest we’ve seen this game yet! Set in Sicily during the 1900s, The Old Country follows Enzo Favara on a journey of proving his worth. In our 8/10 review, we wrote, “Mafia: The Old Country is a conventional but effective return to the linear and tightly story-driven format of the original Mafia and Mafia II, and it boasts a wonderful eye and ear for detail.”
Metroid Prime 4: Beyond – Nintendo Switch 2 Edition for $64.99
Metroid Prime 4: Beyond was only released in December, and today, you can save $5 off a physical copy of the Switch 2 Edition at Amazon. The latest adventure of Samus Aran takes place on the planet Viewros, and you’re given new psychic abilities to utilize in navigating the secrets of the planet. In our 8/10 review, we wrote, “Metroid Prime 4: Beyond is an excellent, if relatively uneven, revival that reaches heights worthy of the Metroid name in its best moments.”
Pre-Order the LEGO Zelda Ocarina of Time – Final Battle Set
Launching March 1, you can secure this newly announced Ocarina of Time LEGO set today. This set depicts the ultimate final battle at the end of OoT, featuring Zelda, Link, Ganon, and the legendary Triforce. If you’re a fan of The Legend of Zelda, this LEGO set is the perfect addition to any shelf, room, or collection.
Super Mario Galaxy + Super Mario Galaxy 2 for $58.99
Super Mario Galaxy + Super Mario Galaxy 2 released for Nintendo Switch last Fall, and today, you can score this double pack for $58.99 at Woot! These two adventures are some of Mario’s greatest, making this a must-own game for any Switch owner. Plus, there’s a free update for Nintendo Switch 2 that enables 4K support.
New Nintendo Switch 2 Joy-Con 2 Up for Pre-Order
Last week, Nintendo revealed the first new set of Joy-Con 2, which feature purple and green colors. These are set to launch on February 12 alongside Mario Tennis Fever, so now’s the time to secure a new pair if you’re planning on heading to the courts together with friends next month.
Little Nightmares III for $29.83
Little Nightmares III is on sale today at Amazon for $29.83. If you’ve yet to pick up the latest entry on Nintendo Switch 2, this weekend is a great time to score this co-op adventure on sale.
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom for $46.99
Tears of the Kingdom is one of the best games of the decade, maybe even ever. The expansive world and formula that Breath of the Wild introduced was perfected on, with Sky Islands and The Depths adding to an already gigantic world. Right now, you can take home a physical copy for $46.99, which is 33% off the usual price.
The Art of Final Fantasy XVI for $19.79
The Art of Final Fantasy XVI is a 320 page collection of the stylish game’s concept, character, weapon, and location art. Each piece by Kazuya Takahashi is included in this book, in addition to concept art from the whole team of artists. With the LOGOS lore book set to release soon in English, this is the perfect companion piece to complete your FFXVI collection.
Digimon Story Time Stranger for $47.59
This one keeps dropping lower! Digimon Story Time Stranger was the long-awaited next entry in the Digimon Story franchise, and it turned out to be a major hit. In our 8/10 review, we wrote, “Digimon Story: Time Stranger builds on its predecessors to deliver one of the best Digimon RPGs to date. It has a much more engaging story this time around thanks to its clever time travel setup and a charismatic and lively cast of Digimon characters.”
Despite being on TV for nearly 30 years, with 28 seasons and over 330 episodes so far, there have been shockingly few video games based on the hit animated television series, South Park. That could be down to the fact that video games take years to make and the average South Park episode only takes a few days, meaning the usual topical pop culture references that fuel the show might feel positively ancient by the time a video game hits shelves. Regardless, a dozen South Park games have managed to buck that trend and actually get released since the show debuted in 1997. Some of them great and some of them..not so great. Here are the best, worst, and weirdest South Park games.
South Park
The first South Park video game ever made was an ambitious one, even if a first-person snowball fighting simulator didn’t exactly make a ton of sense for the brand. But since local multiplayer FPS games like Goldeneye were all the rage on the N64 in 1998, it’s no surprise that South Park got a similar treatment, even if the end result was much sillier. Developer Iguana Entertainment (known mostly for the Turok game series at the time) and publisher Acclaim Entertainment came together to create a solid FPS game packed with South Park references, including a recreation of the show’s theme song, multiple playable characters, and Kenny dying brutally before the title screen even appears. It’s not a great game by any stretch, and seeing the traditionally flat and hand drawn South Park characters as low poly 3D models was an odd fit, but it had enough South Park fan service to make it worth checking out at the time.
South Park: Chef’s Luv Shack
A year later South Park: Chef’s Luv Shack arrived, this time with a graphical style much truer to the show’s 2D look. Developed once again by Acclaim, it moved away from first person combat, instead providing a game show-style minigame and trivia collection for Kyle, Stan, Kenny, and Cartman to compete in. Unfortunately, it’s impossible to play this game without other human players, so if you were an only child (or just a loser like Butters), you were pretty much out of luck. Additionally, the limited trivia question set led to a lot of repetition, meaning the joke got old pretty fast, and fans were once again left holding a licensed video game letdown.
South Park Rally
The third and final Acclaim Entertainment South Park video game once again delivered an experience that critics disliked and diehard fans merely tolerated, this time attempting to take on the popular kart racing genre with the South Park license slapped on. South Park Rally is a crude and ugly kart racer with unreliable controls and lackluster track design, but hey, you can drive Big Gay Al’s car and throw Mr. Hanky turds at other players, so at least there’s that.
Despite the show’s immense popularity, South Park video games ended up taking a seven year hiatus after this capped off Acclaim’s trilogy of games, which probably pleased South Park creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone, seeing as they once said during a DVD commentary for an episode of the show: “Oh God, the South Park games were so bad. We were so bummed out on those, because we love playing video games.”
South Park 10: The Game
In 2007, South Park celebrated its 10th season on the air less than spectacularly by releasing a bare bones, Europe exclusive mobile game that referenced key moments from the show. South Park 10: The Game is a short and very no-frills platformer that looks like a fan made flash game. Aside from collecting hidden Cheesy Poofs in each level, there’s not much to do or see once you roll credits in under an hour. Still, it was nice to see somebody utilizing the license again, even if the final product was totally average. But you could play as a cow nearly two decades before Mario Kart World let you, so hey, there’s that.
South Park: Let’s Go Tower Defense Play!
Two years later, Xbox Live Arcade got its own South Park tower defense game, pitting its main characters against waves of ginger kids, hippies, cows, and more as they tried to save their idyllic and weird little town. The 2D art direction, official voices and sound effects, and iconic humor elevated a pretty bog standard tower defense outing into an actually solid South Park video game.
South Park Mega Millionaire
Once again revisiting the game show setting for reasons that are unclear, 2009’s South Park Mega Millionaire – hot off the heels of 2008’s hit film, Slumdog Millionaire – was a mobile game that decided it was a good idea to strap roller skates to the South Park kids and put them in precarious platforming situations in front of a live studio audience. It’s not a great game by any stretch, but it does have one of the best South Park video game jokes of all time, as the kids survive a Japanese game show in hopes to win a ten thousand yen prize; unbeknownst to them, ten thousand yen equates to roughly sixty three dollars.
South Park: Tenorman’s Revenge
2012’s Tenorman’s Revenge is another Xbox exclusive South Park game, this time revisiting Scott Tenorman, a character from the infamous South Park episode where Cartman makes Scott eat chili made from the bodies of Scott’s own dead parents. Well, Scott Tenorman has returned to get revenge in video game form in this brief and mediocre platforming game which is only briefly improved by the occasional boss fight and its central plot device, which focuses on the kids having to recover a stolen Xbox 360 hard drive along with all of their precious game save files.
South Park: The Stick of Truth
As you can probably tell by now, the first 16 years of South Park games left a lot to be desired. Everything changed in 2014 with South Park: The Stick of Truth, a genuinely great RPG that, unlike previous South Park games, was made with direct input from the show’s creators. Known for their previous work on franchises like Fallout and Star Wars, developer Obsidian Entertainment built a fantastic and hilarious 2.5D role playing game that looked and felt almost exactly like an episode of the show. It’s not just one of the best licensed games ever made, it’s also a fantastic turn-based RPG in its own right, and definitely the only game in the genre where you have to shrink down your character small enough to explore a human anus so you can disarm a bomb. Take that, Final Fantasy.
South Park: Pinball
Zen Studios, creators of the excellent digital pinball franchise Zen Pinball, created a set of South Park pinball tables that totally understood the assignment, mixing rock solid gameplay and hilarious show references to excellent results. There’s even a dedicated Butters pinball table, as well as Mr. Hanky inspired brown pinballs, in case you ever wanted to knock a bunch of pellet-shaped turds around to compete for high scores.
South Park: The Fractured But Whole
2017’s sequel to The Stick of Truth was The Fractured But Whole, which was probably/possibly legally as close as they could get to putting the word “butthole” in a video game title. Fractured But Whole is another fantastic and funny RPG, this time satirizing the superhero movie genre more than just role playing games in general, and once again looking exactly like an episode of the show. This time around the battle system takes place on a grid complete with environmental hazards like LEGO bricks that can injure characters when stepped on, and features levels like the Peppermint Hippo, a strip club complete with a lapdance minigame sequence, just in case you were worried that South Park would lose its edge in a Ubisoft published video game.
South Park: Phone Destroyer
That same year, South Park: Phone Destroyer was – you guessed it – a mobile game, which just so happens to be the only South Park mobile game you can still download and play on your phone today. Phone Destroyer is a free-to-play card battling game that does a surprisingly good job of playing to the strengths of its platform. You’ll receive believable calls and texts from Cartman, and you can unlock multiple endings based on how much real money players spend on premium microtransactions, even shaming you and telling you to seek help with addiction if you spend too much. More mobile games should do that. The world would be a better place.
South Park: Snow Day!
The latest (but hopefully not the last) South Park video game is South Park: Snow Day, a sloppy action adventure roguelike that simultaneously attempts to complete the story established in Stick of Truth and Fractured But Whole, while also returning to the original South Park game’s snowball fighting roots. It’s a shame that Snow Day doesn’t even come close to being fun or funny, with IGN’s own review calling it “thoroughly unenjoyable,” and “uncharacteristicly toothless and unfunny.”
It’s been a weird, windy road for South Park games, but with the recent Fortnite collaboration and megadeal renewal of the show, something tells me we’re just getting started and that hopefully, more South Park games are on the way.
So what’s your favorite South Park video game ever made? What’s your dream South Park game idea that you’d love to see someday? Go on down to the comments section and leave your woes behind. And if you want more about video game tie-ins to highly successful animated sitcoms that have been on TV for decades, go check out my video about the best, worst, and weirdest Simpsons video games.
We’ve rounded up the best deals for Saturday, January 17, below. Don’t miss your chance to save on these deals!
Metroid Prime 4: Beyond – Nintendo Switch 2 Edition for $64.99
Metroid Prime 4: Beyond was only released in December, and today, you can save $5 off a physical copy of the Switch 2 Edition at Amazon. The latest adventure of Samus Aran takes place on the planet Viewros, and you’re given new psychic abilities to utilize in navigating the secrets of the planet. In our 8/10 review, we wrote, “Metroid Prime 4: Beyond is an excellent, if relatively uneven, revival that reaches heights worthy of the Metroid name in its best moments.”
Pre-Order the LEGO Zelda Ocarina of Time – Final Battle Set
Launching March 1, you can secure this newly announced Ocarina of Time LEGO set today. This set depicts the ultimate final battle at the end of OoT, featuring Zelda, Link, Ganon, and the legendary Triforce. If you’re a fan of The Legend of Zelda, this LEGO set is the perfect addition to any shelf, room, or collection.
Super Mario Galaxy + Super Mario Galaxy 2 for $58.99
Super Mario Galaxy + Super Mario Galaxy 2 released for Nintendo Switch last Fall, and today, you can score this double pack for $58.99 at Woot! These two adventures are some of Mario’s greatest, making this a must-own game for any Switch owner. Plus, there’s a free update for Nintendo Switch 2 that enables 4K support.
New Nintendo Switch 2 Joy-Con 2 Up for Pre-Order
Last week, Nintendo revealed the first new set of Joy-Con 2, which feature purple and green colors. These are set to launch on February 12 alongside Mario Tennis Fever, so now’s the time to secure a new pair if you’re planning on heading to the courts together with friends next month.
Little Nightmares III for $29.83
Little Nightmares III is on sale today at Amazon for $29.83. If you’ve yet to pick up the latest entry on Nintendo Switch 2, this weekend is a great time to score this co-op adventure on sale.
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom for $46.99
Tears of the Kingdom is one of the best games of the decade, maybe even ever. The expansive world and formula that Breath of the Wild introduced was perfected on, with Sky Islands and The Depths adding to an already gigantic world. Right now, you can take home a physical copy for $46.99, which is 33% off the usual price.
Digimon Story Time Stranger for $50.39
Digimon Story Time Stranger was the long-awaited next entry in the Digimon Story franchise, and it turned out to be a major hit. In our 8/10 review, we wrote, “Digimon Story: Time Stranger builds on its predecessors to deliver one of the best Digimon RPGs to date. It has a much more engaging story this time around thanks to its clever time travel setup and a charismatic and lively cast of Digimon characters.”
