Hollowman
08-28-2008, 12:06 AM
Alright this is my review of Too Human. I would like to begin with stating a few simple things. I never played any Silicon Knights games prior to this. I began following the game about three months before it was released and played the demo about twice per class, so 10 times. I got the game on the 20th and have amassed, well lets say plenty of playtime. I currently have a level 50 champion (solo play only) with a red sword, 2 red charms (one almost complete other not even close) and red pistols (replaced within a few hours). I also have a level 41 bio-engineer (co-op only, with a berserker) with a red helm and red mace. My only other leveled character is a 15 defender. I have invested many hours and have created an informed opinion. To start this game recieves a thumbs-up from me. I'll give a number rating later in this post. Lets start with an overview -
Gameplay - 9/10
A bit tricky to nail down, but would a purely straightforward game be very fun? Going in with a mentality I used in many other games and in the demo, I attempted to keep my combo meter maxed. I was "tricked" into this by the experience bonus, but quickly found that to be a very poor choice. If you don't use your ruiners, spiders, and battle cries you'll become quite acquainted with your local Valkyrie. Thats what I love about it, it requires you to skillfully conserve and unleash your abilities to stay alive. I was originally less than optimistic about the control set-up but after a few seconds of thought I realised that it was by far the best for fast-paced action fighting. Learning to roll, jump, clear certain enemies, take out dark polarties with weapons and fling charged ones into the air takes a lot of time but give the game a very enjoyable depth. The skill system allows great customization of each class and the ability to respec without going to a designated "trainer" or place is great. I also love that you start out getting 3 skill points but it slowly lowers. Its a nice mechanic that lets you invest down the trees and get the core abilities quickly, then begin to power them up as you see fit. The human and cybernetic paths are great and allow for further customization which is always great. Unfortunately there are a few things that hold this back from a 10 and they will be addressed specifically later on.
Sound - 8/10
Pretty good, combat sounds nice, secret room music is always fun. Two complaints though, if the last enemy you kill happens to apply a damage over time effect, you hear continuous annoying grunts until they run out or are muffled by the sounds of intense combat. The second is the dialogue. The wolves are interesting enough but Thor and Hel are pretty annoying. They are way to repetitive, either make them speak less or add more lines.
Graphics - 9/10
Lovely, the actual game graphics are pretty great but nothing groundbreaking. However, the armor is beautifully designed, can have their color changed, and is very diverse. Along with this the low level gear is still awesome looking, making you look like a futuristic god. In games such as WoW you don't start looking good until a decently high level and don't start looking amazing until 55-70. Too Human provides beautiful armor early on, yet it still generally grows in awesomeness.
Story - 9/10
I've seen unrelenting bad remarks about the story. It's pretty complicated and it took me a bit after the end of the campaign to nail down what the story exactly was. But to be honest, I loved it. I knew very, very little about Norse Mythology coming into this game. I knew Thor, had heard Baldurs name (didn't know he was a norse god) and had heard Valhalla and knew it was a hall. So people saying this game is hard to understand with no foreknowledge of Norse Mythology need to get those brains working and try to think a small amount before posting a review. If you don't understand the story, you probably didn't watch cutscenes or don't care and get confused easily. Again, I loved the story and really can't wait to see the rest.
Replayability - 10/10
The games deep rpg themes and their wonderful implication and integration into a fast-paced, loot-oriented action game makes for wonderfully enticing replays. Co-op is awesome and the changing enemy fights keep me continuously enticed. The farming for my red gear and completing endless charm quests have me addicted.
Overall - 9/10
Theres a few specific things below that I will address individually. A few of them are rather big, but by no means drag this game lower than a 9.
Alright specifics.
Death Scenes - Death is an undeniable part of the game. So why make the cutscene 15-30 seconds(never actually counted)? Its a bit too long and can lead to rage. It can lead to "first i get "BS" killed by endless missles and slowing troll and now I have to sit through this!?!" Ok maybe its not THAT serious but it's very annoying.
Bosses - I hate to say this but the boss fights are terrible. They become so boring that I debate actually finishing levels. If you wish to keep the boss fights this long make them more interesting! Make the fights more unique! Or better yet shorten it and throw in a ton more adds. One that is mainly addressed is Garm. He is considered a mini-boss and he is insanely annoying. When playing him with my friend in co-op the only reason we died is because I went to go to the bathroom, and he went to grab a cup of coffee. Nothing exciting was going on so why not do what we gotta do? Now some things were done nicely. Ruiners stunning bosses was an awesome idea, along with having sizeable amounts of adds to fuel combo meters. Thats enough ranting over boss fights, moving on.
Trolls - I'll start by saying I do like trolls. Mounting is awesome and they do require skill and timing when they come in numbers. My one complaint is that its next to impossible to specifically target the arms and such with weapon attacks. Every once in awhile I can't mount due to other enemies I can't reach and have to start using my ranged weapon because I can't hone in on the arms with melee. Not THAT big but still noticeable.
Thats about it. I love the game and am waiting eagerly for the next installments. Luckily the replayability of this grand achievement of a mix of action and rpg will keep me VERY occupied.
Thank you to those who read my analysis of the game and I would love to hear your opinions on my opinions. This game is truly great and I can't wait until the sequels come out.
Gameplay - 9/10
A bit tricky to nail down, but would a purely straightforward game be very fun? Going in with a mentality I used in many other games and in the demo, I attempted to keep my combo meter maxed. I was "tricked" into this by the experience bonus, but quickly found that to be a very poor choice. If you don't use your ruiners, spiders, and battle cries you'll become quite acquainted with your local Valkyrie. Thats what I love about it, it requires you to skillfully conserve and unleash your abilities to stay alive. I was originally less than optimistic about the control set-up but after a few seconds of thought I realised that it was by far the best for fast-paced action fighting. Learning to roll, jump, clear certain enemies, take out dark polarties with weapons and fling charged ones into the air takes a lot of time but give the game a very enjoyable depth. The skill system allows great customization of each class and the ability to respec without going to a designated "trainer" or place is great. I also love that you start out getting 3 skill points but it slowly lowers. Its a nice mechanic that lets you invest down the trees and get the core abilities quickly, then begin to power them up as you see fit. The human and cybernetic paths are great and allow for further customization which is always great. Unfortunately there are a few things that hold this back from a 10 and they will be addressed specifically later on.
Sound - 8/10
Pretty good, combat sounds nice, secret room music is always fun. Two complaints though, if the last enemy you kill happens to apply a damage over time effect, you hear continuous annoying grunts until they run out or are muffled by the sounds of intense combat. The second is the dialogue. The wolves are interesting enough but Thor and Hel are pretty annoying. They are way to repetitive, either make them speak less or add more lines.
Graphics - 9/10
Lovely, the actual game graphics are pretty great but nothing groundbreaking. However, the armor is beautifully designed, can have their color changed, and is very diverse. Along with this the low level gear is still awesome looking, making you look like a futuristic god. In games such as WoW you don't start looking good until a decently high level and don't start looking amazing until 55-70. Too Human provides beautiful armor early on, yet it still generally grows in awesomeness.
Story - 9/10
I've seen unrelenting bad remarks about the story. It's pretty complicated and it took me a bit after the end of the campaign to nail down what the story exactly was. But to be honest, I loved it. I knew very, very little about Norse Mythology coming into this game. I knew Thor, had heard Baldurs name (didn't know he was a norse god) and had heard Valhalla and knew it was a hall. So people saying this game is hard to understand with no foreknowledge of Norse Mythology need to get those brains working and try to think a small amount before posting a review. If you don't understand the story, you probably didn't watch cutscenes or don't care and get confused easily. Again, I loved the story and really can't wait to see the rest.
Replayability - 10/10
The games deep rpg themes and their wonderful implication and integration into a fast-paced, loot-oriented action game makes for wonderfully enticing replays. Co-op is awesome and the changing enemy fights keep me continuously enticed. The farming for my red gear and completing endless charm quests have me addicted.
Overall - 9/10
Theres a few specific things below that I will address individually. A few of them are rather big, but by no means drag this game lower than a 9.
Alright specifics.
Death Scenes - Death is an undeniable part of the game. So why make the cutscene 15-30 seconds(never actually counted)? Its a bit too long and can lead to rage. It can lead to "first i get "BS" killed by endless missles and slowing troll and now I have to sit through this!?!" Ok maybe its not THAT serious but it's very annoying.
Bosses - I hate to say this but the boss fights are terrible. They become so boring that I debate actually finishing levels. If you wish to keep the boss fights this long make them more interesting! Make the fights more unique! Or better yet shorten it and throw in a ton more adds. One that is mainly addressed is Garm. He is considered a mini-boss and he is insanely annoying. When playing him with my friend in co-op the only reason we died is because I went to go to the bathroom, and he went to grab a cup of coffee. Nothing exciting was going on so why not do what we gotta do? Now some things were done nicely. Ruiners stunning bosses was an awesome idea, along with having sizeable amounts of adds to fuel combo meters. Thats enough ranting over boss fights, moving on.
Trolls - I'll start by saying I do like trolls. Mounting is awesome and they do require skill and timing when they come in numbers. My one complaint is that its next to impossible to specifically target the arms and such with weapon attacks. Every once in awhile I can't mount due to other enemies I can't reach and have to start using my ranged weapon because I can't hone in on the arms with melee. Not THAT big but still noticeable.
Thats about it. I love the game and am waiting eagerly for the next installments. Luckily the replayability of this grand achievement of a mix of action and rpg will keep me VERY occupied.
Thank you to those who read my analysis of the game and I would love to hear your opinions on my opinions. This game is truly great and I can't wait until the sequels come out.