The Just Win Clan

Too Human Reviewed

By T.J. Williams

So, I broke down and bought “Too Human” for the XBOX360, mostly due to lack of games to play and just wanting something new.  This was the newest game out that I have been watching and reading about before it’s release.  I should start by giving a little background about this game. “Too Human” is a game that has technically been in development for over ten years and at one point had been considered an urban legend to some.  Originally the game was to be released on the PSone (yes, the Playstation) and then on the N64 and finally on the PS2 until it finally landed on XBOX360.  During that span it was heralded to be one of the biggest, longest games ever created and once released it would be 4 discs long.  From what I have read online and in magazines there were a number of issues restricting the release and development of the game.  Finally Microsoft and Silicon Knights (Legacy of Kain series) acquired and finished development of the game.  Thus, we have a finished product.  I have also been told that this will be a three game trilogy when it is all said and done.

Graphics – 7.5

The graphics in this game are not too shabby at all, but they’re not the best either.  They are pretty standard and current with this generation of graphics.  The one thing I will say about the graphics that I do enjoy and would like see in more games is that this is an adventure/action/rpg game and as you play through the game you acquire new weapons and armor.  This game does a great job of showing items on your character.  Once you equip the new gear it shows up on your character as you play and all the items have their own style.  I know that sounds small and petty, but it is a nice graphical addition for anyone that has played these types of games before.

Sound – 7.5

Like the graphics, the sound quality is good, but not great.  Again, there is nothing mind blowing about the sound in this game that really should be mentioned.  It has the standard surround sound for anyone that has it surround capabilities and the music is there, but hardly noticeable which could be a good thing or a bad thing depending on your preference.

Playability – 5.5

Now, here is the meat of this game and where this game begins to have issues.  As far as the actual controls of the game it is a bit different then most games of this genre.  Your combat is controlled by the two analog sticks and your right and left triggers.  The left analog stick is your movement and the right analog stick is your melee with your buttons corresponding to special moves or jumping.  The right and left triggers are your guns.  The design is such that you can switch between melee and ranged on the fly for fast action.  It sounds awkward at first and I will admit I was skeptical, but after about 10-15 minutes of playing with it you will get comfortable and it will feel totally natural. 

As for the camera in this game, it can be summed up as “horrible”.  The camera design is probably one of the worst camera engines ever created.  There have been many times where I will be running straight forward and the camera will just pan around in front of me and I can’t see where I am walking and I have to re-center the camera again by pushing a button.  Or if you are fighting in small corridors the camera zooms in and puts the view behind a wall. 

With any role playing game there is always an issue of balancing of classes and “Too Human” did a pretty poor job of any type of balance.  There are 5 different types of classes to play, with each one being unique being for its job.  You have your Tank (defender), Melee DPS (berserker), Healer (bio-engineer), Range DPS, and a General Balance Class (champion).  The problem is there are so many enemies attacking you that if you don’t have the healer with you, you will die a lot.  I should also mention that when you die the resurrection animation takes probably about 45 seconds to a minute to completely resurrect.

Finally, levels and level designs are another major flaw with the game and I believe that the game has been in development for so long that the levels are stuck in the mid to late 90’s design.  I say that meaning that the levels are so long and make no sense in the flow of the game.  It feels like the developers just started adding parts to the levels to make the game longer just like many games from the 90’s that did the same thing. 

Fun Factor – 8.0

Surprisingly, the game is still pretty fun despite the flaws with the game, especially the online side of it.  You can take your character that you played with in the single player and play with him online.  That’s nice because you don’t have to worry about leveling up another character.  Currently, there are only four levels to play on that you can finish leveling your character to the current level cap of 50 and then hunt down “relic” weapons that are rare drops that have special abilities.  From, the research I have done there are plans for an expansion to add a few more levels, but no word on raising the level cap.

The one thing that makes “Too Human” a fun experience is the character customization.  Once you get a little deeper into the game you have to choose what side you want to be, cybernetic or human, for your upgrades.  After that you can find all kinds of gear to fit your character and insert “runes” into them to upgrade them even more.  The level of customization is unbelievable.

Replay Value – 7.0

With the online component of the game, it definitely gives the game some pretty good replay value.  As stated earlier you can take your character online before or after finishing the game and find more gear and level up even more until you hit level 50.  What is nice is the as you level up so do the enemies, so you can never be completely unbeatable in the game which is a good thing or bad thing depending on who you are.  The one major draw back is the fact that there are only four levels to choose from and one of the levels is insanely too long.

Overall – 7.1

Too Human is by no means a ground breaking game and it does not re-invent the wheel.  I should take a minute to mention the story line to the game.  I played through the game once and almost done with the second full class run through the game and I have to say I have no idea what the story line is.  It makes completely no sense and no explanation of anything.  If you just forget the story line (which is probably for the best) and play the game, even though there are some major flaws to the game, it is still really fun to play.  As you play the game you will realize how much potential there is or was to this game and how good it could have been.