A few weeks ago, developer Silicon Knights offered the first playable taste of their upcoming action RPG, Too Human. It's been a long time in coming - originally conceived back in 2000, the game has come down a very bumpy road, riddled with multiple platform changes, to finally reach the XBox 360 this month. Since its release for download on XBox live, nearly one million people have experienced the demo; making it one of the most popular XBox live downloads of all time.
Whether or not the demo's popularity is a result of hype, the dearth of other high-profile demos available, or Too Human's actual gameplay is debatable. The roughly 30-minute demo is action packed, but unsatisfying for a number of reasons.
Too Human Graphics
The Too Human demo kicks off by having you choose one of the 2 classes available in the demo (there will be 5 in retail). You can choose between the well-balanced Champion, a jack-of-all trades equally suited to melee or ranged combat, or the Berserker, who is at his best when up-close and personal with his enemies. The classes play remarkably similarly - both wield akimbo pistols, and while the Berserker dual-wields his swords, his attacks don't seem very different from the Champion's moveset.
The graphics in the cutscenes, and in the game itself, are serviceable but unexciting. Compared to last year's Mass Effect, for instance, the character's faces look blocky and unrefined. Once you enter the third-person mode, where the action happens, you're treated to some well-rendered backdrops. The areas you'll explore are impressively vast and look nice, but the level design seems uninspired, making the environments seem monotonous.
Too Human Gameplay
The game doesn't wait too long before it plunges you into your first combat. Waves of rogue machines attack, and with the help of an AI controlled squad that's mostly there for decoration, you'll have to shoot and slash your way through. The trigger buttons control your ranged weapons. The auto-aim works well enough, but you can also choose your targets using the right stick while holding the triggers.
Unfortunately, this is counter-intuitive, as your right stick also controls your melee attacks. Too Human's melee strikes are context sensitive - you simply press the stick towards an enemy and you'll perform an attack on said foe. While this makes short work of most foes, it's also not a lot of fun. It's difficult to really control how your character attacks, and sometimes you'll find yourself charging several yards to attack a faraway foe when you meant to attack one right next to you. It matters little, though, as your character seems nigh invincible, shrugging off even painful-looking grenade attacks that knock you over but barely cause any damage.
Too Human, Too Bland
True to action RPG form, killing enemies rewards experience and random loot. You'll gain levels and spend skill points to customize your character, a la Diablo or just about any other button-mashing RPG. Armor and weapon upgrades are reflected on your avatar, which is always a nice touch, but your upgrades through skill points seem mostly passive and largely boring.
Too Human sadly bears too much resemblance to the recent Hellgate: London and not enough to its most well respected forebear, Diablo. Bland character classes and combat options, and a poor control scheme mean you're probably better off just waiting for Diablo III... for as many years as that may take.
Michael Smith - I first started writing at the age of 10, when I'd stay inside during recess on some days to write stories about action heroes and ...
