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TOO HUMAN XBOX 360 REVIEW |
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It’s been a
while since a good action-RPG came out for a
console, but Silicon Knight’s Too Human is like
an oasis in a desert. It crams together some of
the best characteristics of action adventure and
the imaginative cultures of RPG and wrapped them
up in a neat package. As the story goes, Too
Human follows Norse mythology with a cybernetic
science fiction twist. You are part of a
cybernetically enhanced human race, considered
by many as gods, protecting ordinary folks like
us from the onslaught of advancing army of
machines lead by the villain Loki. The real
twist of the story is that humans are trying to
become more like machines using cybernetic
implants, while the machines are trying to
become more human by harvesting human blood and
limbs. As you can see, each side is trying to
obtain perfection of the opposite.
You take on the role of Baldur, son of Odin and
one of the Aesir, a group described in the Old
Norse as the principal gods of the pantheon.
What separates you from the other gods is that
you are the least “enhanced” being out of all of
them, hence the title ‘Too Human’. Despite your
inadequate supplements to attain status of a
respectable god, you're still capable of
annihilating hordes of gigantic cybernetic
fiends with impressive consequence. You have
more than enough god-like skills to rummage
through whatever destructive forces that get in
your way. In terms of layout, Too Human is
mostly played in a third-person view, and its
fast-paced combat is easily the most gratifying
aspect of the game. It ditches the standard
button-based control scheme in favor of the
right stick, which works beautifully. Special
abilities are triggered by hitting the right
bumper or X and Y buttons and the left bumper
realigns the camera.
Fighting is as simple as holding the left stick
towards your target to dash to them like a
raging bull, and then tear them up with a
variation of air juggles and combo strikes using
the right stick. This simplicity is carried over
to the aerial attacks as well – you can suspend
enemies in midair and plaster them with a
hailstorm composed of lead. Unfortunately,
ranged combat is less practical. More often than
not, you’ll shoot the wrong target or nothing at
all. Additionally, the camera can be problematic
at certain points in the game. Attacking an
enemy offscreen, only to have the camera switch
angles and change your target as a result can be
annoying sometimes. Granted, there are some
issues with the camera system and ranged combat,
but you can’t deny the great accessibility of a
dual-stick control scheme that the gameplay is
based on. This concept deserves major kudos for
its fluidity in both ground and air combat. |
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PRODUCT
OVERALL RATING: 8.0 OUT OF 10 |
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The game’s
slick combat system is complimented by an insane
amount of looting! Scavenging for items dropped
by enemies reminded us of a mythic strategy
title that Blizzard Entertainment made, which
was called Diablo II. Many of these items can be
customized by inserting runes into them that
change the way they look and how they carry
bonuses. As you progress through different
stages, your main character levels up, and the
points you’ve earned can be invested into two
different skill trees: his class, and one for
either cybernetic or human tree. Co-op is one of
the game’s great assets, but unfortunately it is
only possible over Xbox Live. Still, plowing
through hordes of enemies with a friend is
something that will never get old. It’s more
interactive and less monotonous when it is a
shared experience. Needless to say, Too Human
feels like it could’ve easily supported four
players instead of being limited to just two.
Graphically, Too Human looks incredibly
pleasing, although the scenery can be very
repetitive. There are many instances where
you’ll ask yourself if you’ve been to this
particular room before simply because it looks
identical to the one you passed earlier.
Cyberspace, an alternate but parallel reality
that you can alter that affects the real world,
is extremely varied in contrast, with large
forests and what not. The combat sequence looks
great, with robotic parts flying everywhere and
explosions going off left and right, reeking
with intensity. But scenery and combat aside,
the cutscenes lack a bit of visual punch. In
terms of character models, there are some great
designs. Baldur’s face contorts when he is angry
or sad, but it seems he is the only one who
could do this type of emotions as almost
everyone else seems “fixed”. Nevertheless, the
environment is full of life and vivid colors,
giving the Norse mythology a dose of reality.
In the audio department, the voice acting is so
amazing that it communicates the characters’
emotion with ease. It’s easy to tell how Baldur
and the rest of the main cast feel just by
hearing their voice. But you can't say the same
for some of the soldiers and other minor
characters. They speak as though they are trying
to force out a rough, badass voice, but end up
sounding somewhat of cheesy dud, who is going
through his first puberty. Even so, the clashing
effects of steel against steel are very
convincing, and background explosion gives
players an immersive experience. The musical
score is well traversed – it gives good
indication in cuing you for a stunning clip
after an intense battle. In addition, the game
does a good job of providing the right symphony
to the type of mood displayed on the screen.
Overall, Too Human is a solid action-RPG. You
have a good combat system here that is easy to
learn and instantly situates you into an
adventurous frame of mind. The gameplay remains
relatively smooth throughout its fast-paced
fighting scenes. However, the game could have
benefited from a more balanced camera system, a
local two-player co-op, a configurable control
scheme, and a create-a-character feature. Still
the game has plenty of memorable moments, thanks
to the incredible presentation that brings life
to the Norse mythology in an epic scale! The
fact that Too Human has some amazing RPG
elements built into the action such as item
hunting, customizable weapons, armor, and
cybernetics, as well as skill tree progression,
only add to the game’s replay value. There is no
doubt that this game will provide you hours of
entertainment but it’s not for everybody. We
urge you to check out the demo first. |
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