Too Human Preview
Silicon Knights
Action/Adventure/RPG, Release Date: Q3 2007
Posted April 18th 2007

If you needed yet another reason to pick up an Xbox 360 this year with Mass Effect and Halo 3 coming out, I've got a damn good one for ya; three in fact. Later on this year (Q3) Silicon Knights, the company that brought us Eternal Darkness (Cube) and the Legacy of Kain series, is dropping the first game of its upcoming sci-fi trilogy, "Too Human". You probably recognize the name, at least if you've been around video games for a few years. Too Human was originally planned for the N64, then pushed back to the GameCube only to have it pushed back yet again to the system it finally calls home today, the Xbox 360. In short, let's just say it's been on release date lists for years now, and it finally has a system with the processing power that can handle what Silicon Knights has dreamt up. So what the hell is Too Human about, and what can you expect? From what we've been told and seen with our own eyes, Too Human looks to be a delicious blend of God of War and Diablo, making it an action/adventure game at heart with epic roleplaying mechanics built in. I bolded "epic" for a reason, not only because this game is the first title of a trilogy, but because this game is that big, that immense, and insanely in-depth.

In Too Human you'll take the role as the God Baldur, which is no relation to the popular Bioware RPG series. As Baldur you have the task of saving all of mankind from the imminent destruction by massing machines. You've probably saved the world in millions of other games, so you should be up for the challenge, right? Of course you are. According to Silicon Knights, Greek mythology serves as the backbone to the Too Human story. If you happen to be a Greek history major or have studied the Greek gods, you're in for a treat because you'll recognize just about everything from names to places and even environments. When you start off you'll see the first glimpse of the intense RPG backend when you choose your character from one of five different classes: Defender, Champion, Bioengineer, Commando and Beserker. For a quick overview, the Defender class is essentially your fighter/tank, the Bioengineer is your typical healer, the Commando specializes in demolitions and long range attacks, the Champion will pit you as a lite version of the Defender, while the Beserker dual-wields and is an all out offensive machine. Each character class features a ginormous experience tree a la World of Warcraft and Everquest that allows for a gazillion different ways to specialize your toon. Also every class has it's strengths and weaknesses, so choose the path that interests you most.



Speaking of choosing your path, you also have the option of venturing alone or with friends online via Xbox Live. Silicon Knights is about to revolutionize online console play with Too Human in that you'll be able to co-operatively play the entire single player campaign by yourself, with some of your friends, or a group of random people you found "LFG" on Xbox Live. If your character is a Defender, it's probably wise to look for players that fill other roles such as a Commando, Bioengineer, Champion, etc to maximize the group's success. Pretty cool idea eh? The developers have told us that regardless if you play through TH alone or with friends you'll get the maximum return, so don't feel like you have to play online. You also have the option to turn off little RPG aspects like experience points (the actual numbers) that float above dead enemies heads after you kill them; this gives the game a much more action type feel to it that many people will prefer. As I've mentioned before and you'll see in the videos below Too Human is an action/adventure game with an RPG backend. Combat may feel like a hardcore action game, but all three genres really get their airtime throughout the game, making this one of the most anticipated games in a long time.



So where do "epic" and the adventure genre fit into all of this? Silicon Knights is downright adamant that Too Human be deemed epic, because in all actuality it is. The camera system is a big reason for this adjective because it's a somewhat fixed camera; in other words you have no control over it. You know what, I shouldn't have said "somewhat fixed"; I should've called it a "cinematic camera", because that describes it better. As you move Baldur say over a bridge, the intelligent camera will swing around to show you the "epic" view of the entire environment. Silicon Knights installed this to make gameplay more fluid, and to envelop the player almost like Lord of the Rings did when you saw it in the theaters. Not having to worry about the camera makes us action fans happy, especially when it looks as gorgeous as it does in the videos below. Impressed isn't a strong enough word to use here; you have to see it for yourself to understand what I'm saying.

Too Human is expected to hit store shelves in 360 form later on this year during the third quarter, and when it does I expect nothing but stellar review scores all the way around. While Too Human may take gameplay elements and similarities from other successful games, it truly looks to be carving out its own path; one that is lined with success. Don't forget that Too Human is the start to a trilogy, so once you finish this epic beast you'll have the pleasure of knowing that two more sequels are coming your way shortly thereafter. Screenshots and videos are below, and breaking news will be posted whenever we feel like it. We're really looking forward to Too Human this year, and you should too.



Too Human Videos:
Too Human Gameplay Video 1!Too Human Gameplay Video 2!

Too Human Screenshots:





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