Too Human Xbox 360 Review

Too Human

Xbox 360 Review
Developer: Silicon Knights
Publisher: Microsoft
Released: August 19, 2008

Too Human marks the first release in what will end up being a trilogy of games from developer Silicon Knights, and was released with extremely high-expectations from gamers. To be quite honest, the expectations were too high, as it would have been impossible for this game to deliver what gamers were hoping for. With that said, that does not take away from the fact that this is still a very good game throughout.

Too Human has you taking on the role of Baldur, who is one of the Aesir gods, whose goal is to protect mankind, fighting off all walks of evil. Things are not all going well for the gods either though, as there is plenty of controversy within the gods themselves. The whole game focuses a great deal on how we are dependent on machines and other forms of technology, and this is clear from Silicon Knights’ presentation of all of it.

The way the story of Too Human is presented of very high-quality, as you will experience many flashbacks, among other things that allow you to experience the entire thing, without ever feeling like you are just watching the movie.

There are no load screens to be found, as you have the ability to take part in interactive cut-scenes, and more. I found this to be a great way to actually tell the story of Too Human, as too often the gamers are forgotten at these moments.

The way in which the gameplay works is rather unique, as you take control of Baldur, and from there launch his attacks against these enemy machines.

When creating your character, I was impressed right from the start as you can choose from five different classes, ranging from a Bioengineer to a Berserker. They all vary, and will suit any player.

You use the left analog stick to do all of your movements, which is not really much of a surprise there. The unique aspect to the controls is that all of your attacks are launched with the right analog stick. Do not be mistaken though, as this is not a shooter. Instead it is a third-person action-RPG.

Once you take about 30-minutes or so to get used to the controls and how it is all set-up, you will feel right at home aiming at enemies and launching attacks towards them. Special attacks can be mapped to the face buttons.

The biggest issue I had with the control scheme of Too Human was the fact that you have no analog control over the camera, making you basically have whatever camera the game provides you with. The camera can be put behind you with the push of a button, but it is still not perfect.

Beyond that issue though, the game plays out great for fans of these types of games, as there is plenty of loot to gather after you kill enemies, allowing you to build up your character, outfit him to the limit, etc.

When looking at the actual visuals, you are going to be impressed with the amount of style that went into the art of Too Human. There is a great level of detail in just about everything, with the biggest issue I found was that the level designs, and animations are not what you would call perfect. Beyond that though, the visuals are really detailed throughout, with nice lighting and such.

The audio is also rather impressive, with fantastic voice acting throughout, and a great musical score to go along with it. All of this combines to really set a great atmosphere for the whole game.

The game is all about leveling up your character, picking up loot, and improving your guy with all of the equipment and such he can handle. If you get thrills out of this type of stuff, then I can say right now you are going to absolutely have a blast with Too Human. The only downside to all of this, is that even despite all of the leveling and such, the enemies are always right on the same level as you, at least they seem to be. This can take a lot of fun out of the actual push to try to create the best character possiblie.

Once Too Human is beat, the reply value comes in where you can go back and play any section of the game, and continue to build up your character. On top of that, a two-player online cooperative mode is also included, which allows you to play the action aspects of the game, without any of the story included. Too Human, to be honest, was a blast in the two-player co-op mode, even more than the single player.

Too Human is a very enjoyable experience, and one which action-RPG fans should surely check out on the Xbox 360. It is not perfect, as there are clear issues with the difficulty of the game, the camera, and a few other things. Overall though, this is an enjoyable game which is worth checking out, especially if you love to loot!

Graphics: 7.5 A good looking-game with plenty of detail, and great cut-scenes.

Audio: 8.0 The voice acting and musical score are well-done, providing a great atmosphere overall!

Gameplay: 8.0 The controls work well, with a nice system for attacks, leveling, etc. Difficulty should be changed a bit though so enemies do not level up to your character automatically.

Replay Value: 7.5 There is tons here if you get into the game, with two-player co-op, plenty of leveling, and more.

Final Score: 7.5

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