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Too Human (56k, no)
s3rial one
Registered User regular
Registered User regular
What is Too Human?
Too Human is an action RPG coming out for the Xbox 360, supposedly some time this summer. Rumor is that it will have a downloadable demo on Xbox Live. It’s being developed by Silicon Knights – the people responsible for Metal Gear Solid: The Twin Snakes and Eternal Darkness: Sanity’s Reqiuem.
To say it’s an action RPG may be a bit misleading. It is not a click-fest type game. The combat system is far more fleshed out than most action RPGs (e.g. Diablo 2, Phantasy Star Universe), but doesn’t quite match the likes of Devil May Cry, Ninja Gaiden, and God of War. On the other hand, it has rather involved RPG aspects, including a class system, stats, skill trees, as well as tons of gear and customization options. More on those below.
To say it’s an action RPG may be a bit misleading. It is not a click-fest type game. The combat system is far more fleshed out than most action RPGs (e.g. Diablo 2, Phantasy Star Universe), but doesn’t quite match the likes of Devil May Cry, Ninja Gaiden, and God of War. On the other hand, it has rather involved RPG aspects, including a class system, stats, skill trees, as well as tons of gear and customization options. More on those below.
Hasn’t it been in development since the N64?
Sort of.
The original PSX game was rather inspired by Bladerunner, and placed players in the role of a cop from the future. It played differently and aside from some of the high-tech setting elements, has approximately nothing to do with the modern incarnation of the game. I want to emphasize that this isn’t a case of Duke Nukem-style development, but more a case of falling prey to contractual demands.
It's interesting to note that from 1999 until April of 2004, Silicon Knights was under their exclusivity deal with Nintendo. Yet Too Human was originally given a 2006 release date on the 360. Odd, isn't it? An ambitious new property, heavily touted by Microsoft, seemingly from-scratch, being developed and brought to market by a smallish studio on a platform like the 360 in 2 years (or less)? The whole arrangement smacked of absurdity, or more likely, some Microsoft PR goon holding the reigns.
Needless to say, the original showings of the Xbox 360 version of Too Human were… lacking. Even Tycho and Gabe took a jab at them after E3 2006:
…and later seemed to have some measure of compassion:
Too Human has made a virtual about-face, though. The game these days is looking better in every regard, and listening to the developer inteviews, you can tell that Silicon Knights is very passionate about making a great game.
Wikipedia wrote:Too Human was originally in development for the PlayStation as a 5-disc action-adventure game. It was shown at E3 1999, but shortly before its completion Nintendo announced an exclusive partnership with Silicon Knights, and the game was moved to the Nintendo GameCube in 2000. A teaser trailer was shown at SpaceWorld 2000 showing what appeared to be a re-building of the PlayStation game. The game never surfaced though, and the partnership between the two companies was ended. After this, the title was still thought to be in development for the GameCube, but those plans have since been canceled.
The original PSX game was rather inspired by Bladerunner, and placed players in the role of a cop from the future. It played differently and aside from some of the high-tech setting elements, has approximately nothing to do with the modern incarnation of the game. I want to emphasize that this isn’t a case of Duke Nukem-style development, but more a case of falling prey to contractual demands.
It's interesting to note that from 1999 until April of 2004, Silicon Knights was under their exclusivity deal with Nintendo. Yet Too Human was originally given a 2006 release date on the 360. Odd, isn't it? An ambitious new property, heavily touted by Microsoft, seemingly from-scratch, being developed and brought to market by a smallish studio on a platform like the 360 in 2 years (or less)? The whole arrangement smacked of absurdity, or more likely, some Microsoft PR goon holding the reigns.
Needless to say, the original showings of the Xbox 360 version of Too Human were… lacking. Even Tycho and Gabe took a jab at them after E3 2006:
Tycho wrote:I haven't discovered a way to tell this story that is not highly uncomfortable, which is why I haven't told it. But when I saw that Too Human wasn't just my greatest disappointment of this year's E3 but actually a direct obstacle to new Eternal Darkness games like some kind of intestinal blockage I managed to find the strength.
…and later seemed to have some measure of compassion:
Too Human has made a virtual about-face, though. The game these days is looking better in every regard, and listening to the developer inteviews, you can tell that Silicon Knights is very passionate about making a great game.
RELEASE DATE
It hasn't been officially confirmed, but the released date is looking like August 1st. Expect me to make a big deal out of the release date when it gets an official one.
What’s the story?
Wikipedia wrote:The player takes on the role of Baldur, one of the Aesir. In the ancient past, the Norse Gods truly existed, although only in the form of cybernetically enhanced humans. Baldur, son of Odin, is one of these gods and it is his duty to protect the human race from an onslaught of an advancing machine presence determined to eradicate all human life.
In Too Human, the story chronicles the ongoing struggle between cybernetic Norse gods, the invading machine presence and mortal men through an epic story. The story features many Norse gods and characters from Norse mythology including Thor, Loki, Odin, Heimdall, Freyja, and Mimir. Norse mythology is entirely rooted and integral to every element in the storyline. The story features Yggdrasil, the tree of life, as a gateway to an alternate world known as Cyberspace that is accessed through the advanced technology of the Norse gods.
The machine presence in Too Human has a sinister purpose that is ironic when considered against the actions of the Norse gods. The human gods are using cybernetic implants to supplement their own abilities, thus becoming more machine. Conversely, the advancing machine army is harvesting human blood and limbs in an attempt to become more human.
Silicon Knights is reluctant to reveal the story details due to the game's high budget and story driven gameplay. Despite this, a message is contained in the runes on the officially released box art for the game, reading 'Machine Of God Of Man Of Machine'.
One of the major themes of Too Human is the extent of cybernetic upgrades that the gods use. In their battles against the approaching mechanical armies, the gods must continually enhance themselves through upgrading their cybernetics to keep up with their opponents, thus they become increasingly similar to their machine adversaries. Baldur, the title character is viewed by the other Norse gods as being insufficiently enhanced, thus "too human".
On an interesting note, Baldur is literally a "Silicon Knight".
In a (compound) word: cyber-vikings.
Cyber-vikings.
...and for you visual learners out there:
+ 
= 
How is the Gameplay
The combat system is a bit… different. Baldur, regardless of which class he plays as (more on that below) will be equipped with both melee weapons and ranged weapons. The left stick moves, and the right stick attacks. In effect, you can just hold the right stick in one direction and it will auto attack. However, stick movements will cause special attacks and combos. Additionally, Baldur will have a variety of special abilities accessible via the face buttons. Guns will supposedly control the same as melee attacks, but while holding down one of the triggers.
It sounds dry, I know. Especially when you see boring-ass gameplay like this. However, as I understand it, that’s the game played by some shlub reviewer. This is the game as played by a developer. I love the bit about being able to track multiple targets with dual pistols. And you’re probably wondering how on earth you’ll control the camera, then. The short of it is that you won’t. Much has been made of Too Human’s camera design, but it’s supposed to be entirely automatic, providing a cinematic feel that’s free of the problems of typical cameras. The claims sound like crap, but the footage looks like awesome. You can see more of the camera and how it works here.
It sounds dry, I know. Especially when you see boring-ass gameplay like this. However, as I understand it, that’s the game played by some shlub reviewer. This is the game as played by a developer. I love the bit about being able to track multiple targets with dual pistols. And you’re probably wondering how on earth you’ll control the camera, then. The short of it is that you won’t. Much has been made of Too Human’s camera design, but it’s supposed to be entirely automatic, providing a cinematic feel that’s free of the problems of typical cameras. The claims sound like crap, but the footage looks like awesome. You can see more of the camera and how it works here.
What sorts of roleplaying aspects are in the game?
Not a whole lot of specifics have been revealed so far. We do know that there is a class system. And you can view the brief class intro video right here.
As far as class customization goes, I can’t provide details, either (noticing a trend yet?), but it’s said that there will be skill trees within each class that provide a substantial amount of customization. You can get a peak at their structure in many of the videos I’ve linked. Furthermore, there are respecs. I’m not sure how, but they are in the game.
Additionally, and this is sort of random, but the loot system they have implimented sounds incredibly badass. For instance, when looting a good piece of gear with a full inventory, the game will automatically drop some piece of crap you’re carrying to make room. No dealing with the inventory shuffle.
The biggest down side that I see so far: if the music in the trailers is any indication, it sucks.
- Berserker: The melee class. Huge offense, not a lot of survivability.
- Bioengineer: A support-oriented class. Their mana (as every other class), though, is based on how many things they kill. This is not a holy priest.
- Champion: A balanced class that combines gunplay and melee fluidly. Adept at aerial combat and has critical strike ability.
- Commando: A ranged fighter that uses traps and high-powered rifles.
- Defender: It’s been called a tank class, but I’m hesitant to say that because it makes it sound like WoW and its ilk got their disgusting MMO cooties all over Too Human. It’s a tank probably a bit more in the conventional, real-world sense: not too fast, not too nimble, but lots of durability and having a really big stick. Except in this case, that stick is actual some sort of future-cyborg-flaming-nano-axe.
As far as class customization goes, I can’t provide details, either (noticing a trend yet?), but it’s said that there will be skill trees within each class that provide a substantial amount of customization. You can get a peak at their structure in many of the videos I’ve linked. Furthermore, there are respecs. I’m not sure how, but they are in the game.
Additionally, and this is sort of random, but the loot system they have implimented sounds incredibly badass. For instance, when looting a good piece of gear with a full inventory, the game will automatically drop some piece of crap you’re carrying to make room. No dealing with the inventory shuffle.
The biggest down side that I see so far: if the music in the trailers is any indication, it sucks.
MOER SCREENZ PLX!!1
Videos!
GameTrailers has a huge repository of Too Human footage. Just be aware that a fair amount of it is cam footage. It’s good cam footage, but it’s cam footage nonetheless.
Here are a few notable videos, though (in no particular order):
Developer Diary: RPG Elements
Runes, Equipment & Runic Charms
GDC 2008 Gameplay Footage part 1 and part 2
A music video by Roger Sanchez
An interview with Denis Dyack, the lead designer
A really interesting and frank discussion about the game’s goals
Here are a few notable videos, though (in no particular order):
Developer Diary: RPG Elements
Runes, Equipment & Runic Charms
GDC 2008 Gameplay Footage part 1 and part 2
A music video by Roger Sanchez
An interview with Denis Dyack, the lead designer
A really interesting and frank discussion about the game’s goals
Podcasts!
Sites!
Too Human Contest
Details can be found here.
(Thanks to Devoir for his help with the post)
s3rial one on
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I'll have to have a demo before I can decide one way or the other on this one.
From what it looks like, I'm hoping the combat will basically be DMC-lite, with RPG-esque leveling and stats aplenty. Plus, moer gunz pls. And hammers.
And you are right, the music sucks.
Too true. This game as been in development through 2 console generations. That's just not a good sign.
Here's hoping that it'll be good when it does get released.
Xbox : gunst4r
Sure, it's been in development a long time, but there certainly hasn't been any grandstanding by the developer. And Fable may have over-promised, but it was still a pretty good game.
Not that it should aspire to be like Fable, but there are far worse things it could be.
It doesn't aspire to be like Fable. They're nothing alike. I haven't heard much, or any, over-promising of features from Silicon Knights about Too Human. And since when was Fable a bad game? :P
Anyways, the game is looking good, aside from a few animation hiccups. But I don't think we have to worry too much about that, as someone implied. The earlier gameplay footage and demos of it were absolute ass. Movement and combat were really jerky and disjointed, and the graphics even looked bizarre. Fast forward to GDC and it's looking incredible in comparison.
I thought the game was awful when I first saw it and I had no desire for it, and now I'm eagerly awaiting it. If they could fix it that much, I'm sure they can iron out some of the animations issues by release. It still has some time in the oven before we can play it.
Oh how I wish it were true that this game was really coming out.
Like it's just sort of gotten to be reflex now whenever anyone mentions it.
I just assume there's some fun story of why it was delayed again.
... except it is coming out. How is it in any way vaporware? Media coverage has been flooding out, and it has dramatically improved since it was last shown. It was even at GDC. It went from looking like absolute crap to looking really fun.
You should feel bad :x
I'm personally looking forward to this game, although I feel it's finely balanced. Could be awesome, could be complete ass. I'm thinking it'll be awesome.
Yeah, they also had a release date and everything for the N64. Care me to tell you how that turned out?
Really? Care to back that up?
... it sounds to me like except for name and possibly concept, the 360 "Too Human" has nothing to do with the PS/GC "Too Human". Anyone know anything to the contrary? Just curious. If so, that means that this game has only been in development for 3 years. Still a while but nothing crazy in game land.
Apparently, the game was practically ready to be released on the PSX when Nintendo acquired Silicon Knights, and scrapped the PSX game. Nintendo wanted it on the Gamecube, so development started, but when Silicon Knights managed to break away from Nintendo, they axed that project and started what is essentially a whole new game for the 360.
And the first showing of the 360 version wasn't pretty. It wasn't long ago that we were looking at and discussing the terrible cutscene and gameplay footage. Fast forward to now and there's an incredible amount of new footage, demonstrations, interviews, hands on previews, etc. And it looks so much better than it did before. I don't see how anyone can say it's vaporware anymore. The media floodgate is opening up, and the release date is currently set for May 6th, 2008.
I get this and STILL have no idea the hell you're talking about. Maybe I missed it, but I've never encountered anything vaguely reminiscent of Fable levels of hype surrounding Too Human. It's been sold as Diablo 2 with combos, Norse mythology, and robots, and it looks like that's what it is.
Fable was touted as the Second Coming of Jesus Harold Christ.
White FC: 0819 3350 1787
I don't believe the comparison on hype is justified. Molyneux promised ridiculous features which were then cut out. Dyack, from what I've read and heard, is merely promising a very polished feature set that has been demonstrated multiple times. Very polished camera, action/fight-esque combat layered on RPG character depth, good loot systems.
Fable being good or bad is a matter of opinion, but most people believe that with hype removed it was quite a good game. Too Human as it stands appears to be copping flack primarily for Dyack's statements unrelated to the game and more about the industry in general.
Hell, even Dyack admits that his game is seriously derivative in terms of its game systems and whatnot, and that he's essentially going for the WoW-isation of action RPGs in terms of polish and overall cohesiveness.
*crickets*
Seriously, almost finished games dont qualify as vaporware.
skate, halo 3
Even if they did have one, that isn't even remotely the same thing.
If the current version of Too Human can be construed as vaporware, there isn't a single unreleased game out there that the same thing can't be said of.
Amazon still shows May 6th, but Gamestop just pushed back the pre-release date to August 1st, and Best Buy shows October 15th.
The word from GDC was July, but nothing official. Some people were of the opinion that there was maybe two months polish left in the game.
(I mean, dual pistols against cyber-evil-lizard-dogs from hell? Thats no good).
On the bright side its not Too Brown like alot of games out there
Tumblr
This. Quoted. For some much fucking truth.
And the bloom doesn't make my eyes bleed. (LOOKING AT YOU LOST ODYSSEY)
I seriously don't know if I can wait all the way until August, that is depressing