Too Human Progress Report
We attempt to fill the shoes of a god.
June 30, 2008 - We in the games industry use the term "long-awaited" far too readily, but it's an apt descriptor for Too Human. Silicon Knights' RPG epic has been in development for so long, some wondered if it would slip to the release of the next Xbox system. After years of waiting Too Human is just about done. In fact, I played through the entire game. Barring some unforeseen disaster, there's no reason Too Human should miss its launch date in August. Of course, the real concern is how the game plays.
Too Human is an RPG through and through, though it has far more in common with Diablo than games like Mass Effect. While there is a story, you won't be running around talking to 200 individual people. You don't learn the stories of dozens of NPCs or receive sidequests. There are no morality paths to choose. You're the good guy and it's your job to take down the Norse gods that have gone rotten. The RPG elements come in the form of considerable character customization and an unhealthy number of l00t drops. Building up Baldur is the guilty pleasure of Too human.
You begin your journey by selecting from five different classes. Each come with different starting ratings for hit points, melee, ballistic and armor, along with two unique skills. Your class is a reflection of your play style. If you want to charge in and go ape-spit on your enemy, then you will fall in love with the Berserker. If you prefer to chill in the background and lay waste to enemies with a rifle, then pick the Commando.
There are no attributes to distribute. Instead, each level gained earns you points to distribute across two separate skill trees. The class tree is, of course, specific to each of the five classes. You can increase your proficiency in class-based weapons, add to your hit points or give a boost to some of your powers. The alignment skill tree is based on whether you choose to go the route of cybernetics or you decide to be a naturalist.
While assigning skill points is fun, the real joy of Too Human is sorting through all that loot. There are three melee weapon types (swords, staves, hammers) and three gun types (pistols, rifles, cannons) and within those loads of diversity. Many weapons you find will come with runes attached adding combat bonuses and special effects. The Klobb, for example, comes with +4% laser damager and +1% experience bonus. Sometimes you'll even get empty rune slots, which you call use to better personalize your weapons.
Armor works similarly to weapons, though it also plays a large role in altering your appearance. Wear the Silver Raven's Eyes of Reinforcement and you will get a 9% armor bonus, but you also have dorky-looking goggles on your head.
If the loot dropping and upgrading stuff sounds good to you -- and you like dungeon crawling -- then Too Human is right up your alley. If, however, your particularl alley is more focused on a deep storyline, divergent paths or the new trend of "choice," then you should lower your expectations a little. This is a dungeon crawler first and in that area, I can assure you, Too Human is going to be a success.
There are still some concerns for Too Human. While there's still some time to squash bugs and optimize, there are moments when the framerate is a real issue. And unfortunately that is often when Too Human is at its most thrilling. The more the screen fills with enemies, the better the simplistic dual-analogue combat becomes. But when the framerate starts to dip, the excitement for chaotic action begins to bleed out. Hopefully this is something Silicon Knights can tighten up in the final month.
Less likely to be fixed is the regular loot drops of items that can't be used by your class. These can be sold for some cold hard cash, but there's nothing worse than hearing the chime of a rare item being acquired only to discover you can't wield the Dual Swords of Ass-Kicking because you're a Bio Engineer.
Too Human has been a long time coming and while it may not live up to the epic expectations it is going to be a good game. And who can argue against having another good game in the 360 library?
We attempt to fill the shoes of a god.
June 30, 2008 - We in the games industry use the term "long-awaited" far too readily, but it's an apt descriptor for Too Human. Silicon Knights' RPG epic has been in development for so long, some wondered if it would slip to the release of the next Xbox system. After years of waiting Too Human is just about done. In fact, I played through the entire game. Barring some unforeseen disaster, there's no reason Too Human should miss its launch date in August. Of course, the real concern is how the game plays.
Too Human is an RPG through and through, though it has far more in common with Diablo than games like Mass Effect. While there is a story, you won't be running around talking to 200 individual people. You don't learn the stories of dozens of NPCs or receive sidequests. There are no morality paths to choose. You're the good guy and it's your job to take down the Norse gods that have gone rotten. The RPG elements come in the form of considerable character customization and an unhealthy number of l00t drops. Building up Baldur is the guilty pleasure of Too human.
You begin your journey by selecting from five different classes. Each come with different starting ratings for hit points, melee, ballistic and armor, along with two unique skills. Your class is a reflection of your play style. If you want to charge in and go ape-spit on your enemy, then you will fall in love with the Berserker. If you prefer to chill in the background and lay waste to enemies with a rifle, then pick the Commando.
There are no attributes to distribute. Instead, each level gained earns you points to distribute across two separate skill trees. The class tree is, of course, specific to each of the five classes. You can increase your proficiency in class-based weapons, add to your hit points or give a boost to some of your powers. The alignment skill tree is based on whether you choose to go the route of cybernetics or you decide to be a naturalist.
While assigning skill points is fun, the real joy of Too Human is sorting through all that loot. There are three melee weapon types (swords, staves, hammers) and three gun types (pistols, rifles, cannons) and within those loads of diversity. Many weapons you find will come with runes attached adding combat bonuses and special effects. The Klobb, for example, comes with +4% laser damager and +1% experience bonus. Sometimes you'll even get empty rune slots, which you call use to better personalize your weapons.
Armor works similarly to weapons, though it also plays a large role in altering your appearance. Wear the Silver Raven's Eyes of Reinforcement and you will get a 9% armor bonus, but you also have dorky-looking goggles on your head.
If the loot dropping and upgrading stuff sounds good to you -- and you like dungeon crawling -- then Too Human is right up your alley. If, however, your particularl alley is more focused on a deep storyline, divergent paths or the new trend of "choice," then you should lower your expectations a little. This is a dungeon crawler first and in that area, I can assure you, Too Human is going to be a success.
There are still some concerns for Too Human. While there's still some time to squash bugs and optimize, there are moments when the framerate is a real issue. And unfortunately that is often when Too Human is at its most thrilling. The more the screen fills with enemies, the better the simplistic dual-analogue combat becomes. But when the framerate starts to dip, the excitement for chaotic action begins to bleed out. Hopefully this is something Silicon Knights can tighten up in the final month.
Less likely to be fixed is the regular loot drops of items that can't be used by your class. These can be sold for some cold hard cash, but there's nothing worse than hearing the chime of a rare item being acquired only to discover you can't wield the Dual Swords of Ass-Kicking because you're a Bio Engineer.
Too Human has been a long time coming and while it may not live up to the epic expectations it is going to be a good game. And who can argue against having another good game in the 360 library?
