The odds were stacked heavily against South Park: The Stick of Truth. First of all it’s a South Park game, meaning it has a long pedigree of mediocre licensed games that came before it. South Park Studios, however, was determined to make The Stick of Truth the first really good South Park game.

Next, of course, came the bankruptcy of the game’s publisher, THQ. The Stick of Truth was caught up in the piecemeal auction of the failed publisher one year ago, leading to an acquisition of the project by Ubisoft (one of the best outcomes South Park Studios could have hoped for, really).

Despite the numerous delays caused by the THQ situation and the exacting nature of South Park Studios, developer Obsidian managed to finish the project and deliver a JRPG-like game with the unmistakable look and humor of South Park. The Stick of Truth is now out in North America and the censored version of the game (minus some abortions and anal probings) will be released in Europe on Friday.

Reviews of the game have been mostly positive despite some complaints about bugginess and missing polish, which is nothing new for Obsidian titles at launch. The new launch trailer released today should help everyone else decide if the game will be for them. It shows just how faithful The Stick of Truth is to the South Park series – for better or worse, depending on your perspective.