Travis Bruno of Capsule Computers writes:
"The South Park franchise has seen various video games released for it all the way up to a year after the entire series debuted in 1998 with an N64 FPS that is collecting dust in my old collection of N64 games in the garage. Developed by Acclaim, who released a myriad of different South Park games exploring different genres over the years, this was a rough start for the franchise’s video game history that was then given additional smaller releases later on. Thankfully Ubisoft managed to salvage that history with a pair of RPGs that managed to present a South Park story the way fans would expect while delivering some wonderful turn-based gameplay at the same time. Seven years later and now with a new publisher holding the license, THQ Nordic has taken South Park‘s latest game in a new direction by focusing on roguelike fighting and co-op multiplayer. The question is, is South Park: Snow Day! a step in the right direction or has the developer stepped in some “dark matter” instead?"
WTMG's Leo Faria: "We know that negativity catches people's attention, and that there will always be a lot of bad games released in a specific year, but 2024 was a weird case. It was actually really hard to come up with a list comprised of twenty lowly-reviewed titles published over the past twelve months, and we even had to stretch the minimum requirements of what is even a "low score" in order to even be able to come up with such a list.
Maybe WayTooManyGames became too kind? Did we just avoid reviewing what was really bad, out of sheer reflex? Maybe it was just a mere case of fate, of us not being put in front of what was actually stinky in 2024. Or maybe, just maybe, and that's what we are hoping for, games are starting to come out of the convenyor belt at a decent state. There were lots of disappointing titles released in 2024, as well as purely mediocre outings, but truly bad stuff? Not a lot, to be honest.
As a result, we do not have dishonourable mentions this time around. Some of the games in this list actually have one or two redeeming factors. Some of you might even say they are not bad, and we'd understand some of the cases. Well, we'd weird the hell out if you said that about the actual bottom feeders of this list, but hey, opinions and whatnot. Without further ado, let's give these unfortunate 2024 contenders a moment to "shine" for the last time."
The Gollum Award 2024 nominations are: Starfield DLC, Dragon Age, Dragon's Dogma, Concord, and Suicide Squad.
Matthew Owen from Super Gamesite 64 says... "South Park: Snow Day is a sequel that tries to shake things up, but to mixed results."
VGChartz's Stephen LaGioia: "Snow Day is pretty thin when it comes to both style and substance, offering not quite enough of either to hold up long-term, even with decent multiplayer support and interesting Roguelike bits. While I’ve played worse South Park titles, this one stands out by following two far better games: The Stick of Truth and, to a lesser extent, The Fractured But Whole. The departure in both content and quality is apparent given that it alludes to their lore and positions itself as a spin-off or quasi-sequel to them. Yet, the experience often felt more like an obscure 2000s action romp with a South Park overlay. Glimpses of fun were had — like when wiping out several foes with my fully-charged dagger swipes, pelting Elf-kid hordes with my turret, or coordinating with other players to beat a tough boss. As a whole, though, this is a rare snow day I could have done without."
I wish they'd stick to the south park 2d art style. Stick of Truth and Fractured but Whole nailed the look.