Deschain
09-06-2008, 12:48 PM
Let me say up front this game is a solid "B" for me and most of the time a "B+" game. There are a few places where the game was frustrating control wise. This may just be me. I'm not the most skilled player, particularly with a console controller, so others may not have the same level of problem. But even for me the frustration was rare and as I've played more, I've figured out the controls and frustation has decreased dramatically. Other problems that some reviewers have made a big deal over, like the graphical glitch causing the Valkyrie's feet to often sink into the floor, are minor and really don't affect the gameplay.
It helps when playing Too Human to have a basic understanding (something beyond Thor in Marvel Comics) of Norse mythology, particularly around Ragnarok and the major figures involved. While taking some fairly obvious liberties, the story of Too Human is rooted in this mythology. Odin is heard but not seen, but most other prominent Norse gods make an appearance including a level where you fight along side with Thor.
The game's controls are not standard, particularly for a shooter player like me, but once you get the hang of using the right analog stick to attack, it works really well. Baldur can wade into a group of enemies and lay waste. He can also stand back and use guns. The guns seemed less effective generally, especially for a Beserker, but are useful against larger enemies.
Once you get the hang of the controls, the game really is fun. If you downloaded the demo and did not like the control scheme, play through the demo a couple of times until you start to get the hang of the controls. Then play one more time. If you don't like the game on that last play through, then maybe you should just skip it. But I suspect once you get the hang of the controls, you're going to enjoy this game.
There are five classes to choose from at the start of the game and a fair amount of customization that you can do. The choices are not as clear to me as they were for a game like Knights of the Old Republic, but having played with a Defender and a Beserker I'm starting to understand the differences. The classes become one of the big benefits of the game providing a lot of replay value. Add to that the ability to go back and replay levels with enemies in different locations to continue leveling up your character, and Too Human will offer a lot of playing time.
So why did 1up and Gamespot rate the game so low? I'm really stumped on that question. I can see that some people may not like the game. The time spent at Aesir and in cyberspace may be slow for the typical shooter fan. However, I did not find the time to get around to be as bad as has been stated. Definitely the time to travel from city to city in Assassin's Creed was longer and in KotOR there are much larger spaces devoid of action. The only reason I can see for the low scores are the controls. They are not standard and some people may not have adapted - translated: They did not spend enough time with the game.
So, if you like action games, it's worth downloading the demo and playing through that a few times. If you get the controls, I think you will find Too Human to be a great gaming experience. (Slightly updated from my user review at Talking about Games (http://talkingaboutgames.com/component/option,com_fireboard/Itemid,26/func,view/id,43248/catid,16/).)
It helps when playing Too Human to have a basic understanding (something beyond Thor in Marvel Comics) of Norse mythology, particularly around Ragnarok and the major figures involved. While taking some fairly obvious liberties, the story of Too Human is rooted in this mythology. Odin is heard but not seen, but most other prominent Norse gods make an appearance including a level where you fight along side with Thor.
The game's controls are not standard, particularly for a shooter player like me, but once you get the hang of using the right analog stick to attack, it works really well. Baldur can wade into a group of enemies and lay waste. He can also stand back and use guns. The guns seemed less effective generally, especially for a Beserker, but are useful against larger enemies.
Once you get the hang of the controls, the game really is fun. If you downloaded the demo and did not like the control scheme, play through the demo a couple of times until you start to get the hang of the controls. Then play one more time. If you don't like the game on that last play through, then maybe you should just skip it. But I suspect once you get the hang of the controls, you're going to enjoy this game.
There are five classes to choose from at the start of the game and a fair amount of customization that you can do. The choices are not as clear to me as they were for a game like Knights of the Old Republic, but having played with a Defender and a Beserker I'm starting to understand the differences. The classes become one of the big benefits of the game providing a lot of replay value. Add to that the ability to go back and replay levels with enemies in different locations to continue leveling up your character, and Too Human will offer a lot of playing time.
So why did 1up and Gamespot rate the game so low? I'm really stumped on that question. I can see that some people may not like the game. The time spent at Aesir and in cyberspace may be slow for the typical shooter fan. However, I did not find the time to get around to be as bad as has been stated. Definitely the time to travel from city to city in Assassin's Creed was longer and in KotOR there are much larger spaces devoid of action. The only reason I can see for the low scores are the controls. They are not standard and some people may not have adapted - translated: They did not spend enough time with the game.
So, if you like action games, it's worth downloading the demo and playing through that a few times. If you get the controls, I think you will find Too Human to be a great gaming experience. (Slightly updated from my user review at Talking about Games (http://talkingaboutgames.com/component/option,com_fireboard/Itemid,26/func,view/id,43248/catid,16/).)