South Park: Chef's Luv Shack

"Chef's Luv Shack is fun for a couple of rounds, but that's it. It's just average."

South Park: Chef's Luv Shack was released on the N64 in 1999 by Acclaim. This is the second in the trilogy of South Park games released. This is nothing like the first game in the series, it's actually just a game show. It has no storyline whatsoever, and was made mainly to waste a little bit of time. It's sort of like a twisted spoof of Mario Party. You answer questions, and then at the end of the round, you play a mini game. It's more focused on multiplayer, but you can play solo.

Gameplay: 6/10

You start out by selecting the number of players, 1-4, and then you choose your character. There are only 4 characters to play as: Cartman, Stan, Kyle, and Kenny. There are no advantages by selecting a certain character, however, if you choose Cartman, you can sometimes play his “Beefcake” minigame, which is pretty funny, because Cartman gets fat as a pig. When Chef, who plays the host, asks a questions, you must buzz in to answer it in typical gameshow fashion. Most of the questions he asked made no sense to me, and I ended up guessing most of the time. Sometimes, you can bet points on a question, so you can win big or lose big, it depends on you! At the end of the round, you get to play one of around 15 minigames, and this is the best part of the game. You'll probably find yourself rushing through the questions just to get to the minigames, as I did myself. Most of the minigames are spoofs of classic games. For instance, “Asses in Space” has you controlling Terrance or Phillip while you shoot down big ass-teroids. That's one of the best minigames there is. It's just a big ole spoof of Asteroids. There are others which feature characters from the show, too. In one of the games you bobsled down an avalanche, avoiding obstacles so you don't get snowed over. Another is where you merely stuff your face with pie. Some of the games are fun, but others just plain suck, like the “Frog Toss” game. The game literally has no difficulty whatsoever on single player, because you aren't playing against anyone. The game can get competitive when you play with your friends, though.

Graphics/Sound: 8/10

The graphics in this game are 2-D, like the show, and they look great. Like many other reviews say, the intro video is awesome. I never saw any slowdown while playing, but why should I? There's not much going on. The game has a pretty good amount of sound bits, and they sound great. Usually N64 games don't feature this much talking, with a few exceptions. The music is pretty bland and boring, but it only plays during minigames, which are short, by the way.

Play Time/Replayability: 3/10

Not much to do here. There is nothing to unlock, so the only thing to do is just play a couple of rounds with your friends. You can pick from 2, 4, 6, or 8 round games, and they all don't last long. It's mainly just one of those games you play when you want a few cheap laughs, because it's got some pretty good humor in it.

Rent/Buy: Buy

Even though I own this game, I suggest you rent it. It just doesn't have much to offer. However, since you can't rent N64 games anymore, I guess you should just buy it. It's only around $5 used. I would most certainly say it's worth $5.

Final Score: 5/10

Reviewer's Score: 5/10, Originally Posted: 06/28/05