Dits
09-04-2008, 03:00 AM
The controversial Too Human is with us. After 10 years of development and a whole lot of craziness from its creator we can now finally try it for ourselves. Reviews are coming in at a very mixed range, a metacritic score of 67 ranging from 88% to 40% tells a very strange story.
Too human is a classic top down PC style RPG, much like Diablo or Phantasy Star. These types of games haven’t been around in a long time and were done to death around 10 years ago. So what does this game bring to the table?
Story
The story borrows heavily from Norse mythology. The gods of the era (Thor, Odin, Baldur etc) known as the Aesir are the protectors of the humans in a sci-fi future. You have the ability to travel through cyberspace and speak to other gods and by doing this you can manipulate the world, e.g. open a door in cyberspace and it unlocks a door in the real world.
You play as Baldur trying to protect the humans from a war with the machines, which are threatening the world. Many nice themes are touched on throughout the story, such as treachery and love. It may sound confusing but it’s really the same old story of enemies coming to kick your butt and you needing to kick theirs first. It’s presented in cheesy army marines ‘Hoo-Ra!’ style but it does fit in quite well in the universe.
Graphics
Graphically this game is a mixed bag. At some points it looks amazing and at others it looks like an original Xbox game. The levels are beautifully designed with each of the 4 zones having their own distinct feel. Ice statues and mechanical constructions give a grand feeling to the overall levels but the textures can be either very plain or highly detailed. This can make you feel a little less immersed in the game.
Human character models are a little poor with facial animation and overall movement animation looking dated. Pretty much all of the marines in the game have the same face, which again seems a little lazy from the developers. The design team seems to be able to make the mechanical enemy models look much better, but you are limited to the number of different types you see. There are around 10 different types of enemies but all have different classes and abilities which spices things up a bit.
The menu and user interface screen is clunky and it takes a few seconds before you can select the next screen, but you will be in there so much that you will soon learn to adapt to its bad design. The games main highlight is the loot system. With thousands of different weapons and armour sets to be found, ranging from Grey (Basic) to Red (Elite). Each gives a real nice look to your character as each item is very different aesthetically to the next. This adds a lot of replayability to the game by encouraging you to collect the best items you can.
Controls
The designers have gone for a very different style of control which seems to be the gamebreaker for a lot of people. Melee attacks are handled with the right thumbstick, you basically point it in the direction of the enemy and your character slides over and whacks them. Double tab of the stick sends the enemy into the air and tapping of the left and right stick executes a finisher. The left and right triggers are used for your guns, if you have 2 pistols each trigger is the corresponding gun, other two handed guns have alternative fire modes triggered the same way.
I really enjoyed this system. It felt fluid and easy to pull off, and after a few tries you can easily master knocking enemies into the air, juggling them in spot ala Devil May Cry and racking up hundreds of hit combos.
The camera is not controllable; you can only make it closer or further away by using the D-Pad up or down. This does throw up a few issues as the camera does not seem to want to follow you correctly for a few seconds but you can center the view with a simple press of the left bumper, but you rarely need to do so as you rely on memory to where enemies are.
Special moves can be invested in with experience points gained when leveling up, these can be mapped to the X, Y or Right bumper. Movement is handled normally with the left stick, A to jump and B to roll.
Playability
There are only 4 levels in the game which make it a little short. I was able to complete the single player campaign in just over 8 hours. The game would certainly have benefited from double that length as it hardly gets going before it finishes.
Within the game you have the choice of 5 different classes, Champion (all rounder), Defender (tank), Berserker (warrior), Bio Engineer (healer) and Commando (ranged specialist). You have a pretty detailed skill tree for each class which you can spec into, giving you new abilities and bonuses according to your class.
You can progress to level 50 and the enemies also level up with you. This is a perfect fit for this type of game as the higher level enemies drop more rare loot. Any self respecting RPG follows this model and Too Human does just that. The longevity of the game comes from wanting to collect all the items and see Baldur reach his full potential.
Co-op play adds a whole different aspect to the game. Having played through a few levels online in co-op you soon realize that online the whole game changes. 1 level can take over 5 hours to complete with new areas and enemies appearing where they previously were not before. Different classes can work together in great ways to bring death to the machines, which in single player just isn’t possible.
The game was originally penciled down to have 4 player co-op, but was sadly scaled down to 2. This is a feature I would have loved to have in the game. The amount of carnage what would have been on screen would have elevated this game to AAA status but still even with just 2 it does a good job.
Loot can be handled in different ways (free for all, round robin) as to not allow one player to get all the rewards. You do have the ability to trade with your partner if they’re nice enough to let you.
Closing comments
For all its flaws, for all its bugs and glitches and for the absurd amount of time we have had to wait for it, I forgive it, and you know why? Because it makes you feel like a ‘God’. The body count is off the hook, enemies fly through the air in the most satisfying way, 100+ hit combos are a cinch to pull off and it’s topped with a loot system that begs you….no demands you to find everything, every secret, weapon and armor just so you can go and kill hundreds more enemies. This game has replayability in the bucket load and in co-op it’s even sweeter.
Despite this I understand now why it’s getting such a mixed reception. The game was conceived 10 years ago, a time before Gears and Halo, a time in my opinion that was better. Gamers didn’t have the attention span of a gnat, we pressed every button, and we exploded every barrel and wanted to find the secrets buried within the game. If you’re not one of the many who spent hours pressing every wall in Doom just hoping to find that extra armor then step away this isn’t for you, this is for the old school hardcore.
Too human is a classic top down PC style RPG, much like Diablo or Phantasy Star. These types of games haven’t been around in a long time and were done to death around 10 years ago. So what does this game bring to the table?
Story
The story borrows heavily from Norse mythology. The gods of the era (Thor, Odin, Baldur etc) known as the Aesir are the protectors of the humans in a sci-fi future. You have the ability to travel through cyberspace and speak to other gods and by doing this you can manipulate the world, e.g. open a door in cyberspace and it unlocks a door in the real world.
You play as Baldur trying to protect the humans from a war with the machines, which are threatening the world. Many nice themes are touched on throughout the story, such as treachery and love. It may sound confusing but it’s really the same old story of enemies coming to kick your butt and you needing to kick theirs first. It’s presented in cheesy army marines ‘Hoo-Ra!’ style but it does fit in quite well in the universe.
Graphics
Graphically this game is a mixed bag. At some points it looks amazing and at others it looks like an original Xbox game. The levels are beautifully designed with each of the 4 zones having their own distinct feel. Ice statues and mechanical constructions give a grand feeling to the overall levels but the textures can be either very plain or highly detailed. This can make you feel a little less immersed in the game.
Human character models are a little poor with facial animation and overall movement animation looking dated. Pretty much all of the marines in the game have the same face, which again seems a little lazy from the developers. The design team seems to be able to make the mechanical enemy models look much better, but you are limited to the number of different types you see. There are around 10 different types of enemies but all have different classes and abilities which spices things up a bit.
The menu and user interface screen is clunky and it takes a few seconds before you can select the next screen, but you will be in there so much that you will soon learn to adapt to its bad design. The games main highlight is the loot system. With thousands of different weapons and armour sets to be found, ranging from Grey (Basic) to Red (Elite). Each gives a real nice look to your character as each item is very different aesthetically to the next. This adds a lot of replayability to the game by encouraging you to collect the best items you can.
Controls
The designers have gone for a very different style of control which seems to be the gamebreaker for a lot of people. Melee attacks are handled with the right thumbstick, you basically point it in the direction of the enemy and your character slides over and whacks them. Double tab of the stick sends the enemy into the air and tapping of the left and right stick executes a finisher. The left and right triggers are used for your guns, if you have 2 pistols each trigger is the corresponding gun, other two handed guns have alternative fire modes triggered the same way.
I really enjoyed this system. It felt fluid and easy to pull off, and after a few tries you can easily master knocking enemies into the air, juggling them in spot ala Devil May Cry and racking up hundreds of hit combos.
The camera is not controllable; you can only make it closer or further away by using the D-Pad up or down. This does throw up a few issues as the camera does not seem to want to follow you correctly for a few seconds but you can center the view with a simple press of the left bumper, but you rarely need to do so as you rely on memory to where enemies are.
Special moves can be invested in with experience points gained when leveling up, these can be mapped to the X, Y or Right bumper. Movement is handled normally with the left stick, A to jump and B to roll.
Playability
There are only 4 levels in the game which make it a little short. I was able to complete the single player campaign in just over 8 hours. The game would certainly have benefited from double that length as it hardly gets going before it finishes.
Within the game you have the choice of 5 different classes, Champion (all rounder), Defender (tank), Berserker (warrior), Bio Engineer (healer) and Commando (ranged specialist). You have a pretty detailed skill tree for each class which you can spec into, giving you new abilities and bonuses according to your class.
You can progress to level 50 and the enemies also level up with you. This is a perfect fit for this type of game as the higher level enemies drop more rare loot. Any self respecting RPG follows this model and Too Human does just that. The longevity of the game comes from wanting to collect all the items and see Baldur reach his full potential.
Co-op play adds a whole different aspect to the game. Having played through a few levels online in co-op you soon realize that online the whole game changes. 1 level can take over 5 hours to complete with new areas and enemies appearing where they previously were not before. Different classes can work together in great ways to bring death to the machines, which in single player just isn’t possible.
The game was originally penciled down to have 4 player co-op, but was sadly scaled down to 2. This is a feature I would have loved to have in the game. The amount of carnage what would have been on screen would have elevated this game to AAA status but still even with just 2 it does a good job.
Loot can be handled in different ways (free for all, round robin) as to not allow one player to get all the rewards. You do have the ability to trade with your partner if they’re nice enough to let you.
Closing comments
For all its flaws, for all its bugs and glitches and for the absurd amount of time we have had to wait for it, I forgive it, and you know why? Because it makes you feel like a ‘God’. The body count is off the hook, enemies fly through the air in the most satisfying way, 100+ hit combos are a cinch to pull off and it’s topped with a loot system that begs you….no demands you to find everything, every secret, weapon and armor just so you can go and kill hundreds more enemies. This game has replayability in the bucket load and in co-op it’s even sweeter.
Despite this I understand now why it’s getting such a mixed reception. The game was conceived 10 years ago, a time before Gears and Halo, a time in my opinion that was better. Gamers didn’t have the attention span of a gnat, we pressed every button, and we exploded every barrel and wanted to find the secrets buried within the game. If you’re not one of the many who spent hours pressing every wall in Doom just hoping to find that extra armor then step away this isn’t for you, this is for the old school hardcore.