Video Games Interactive: T is for Too Human: A Gaming Masterpiece

Too human to be a god. Too human to be man.

One of my hobbies involves saying what other sites don't have the balls to. Speaking the truth is something that the games industry is severely lacking in. So when I feel a game doesn't warrant the recommended retail price, I'll tear it to shreds so that others can have a well-informed view from someone who isn't being paid to like it.

So what do I have to say regarding Silicon Knights' 2008 title Too Human??

It's a fantastic gaming masterpiece!

Much like Skyrim, Too Human does more things right than it does wrong.

What's so great about it, I hear you cry? Well, combat is some of the best the industry has seen. It's so fluid once you've gotten to grips, allowing the player to zoom from one enemy to another with the most grace I've ever been witness to.

The story, despite what your friend on Xbox LIVE tells you, is up there with the likes of Dragon Age and Uncharted, which follows the events of the Ragnar?k (Ragnar?kkr), which loosely translated means (Ragna) Reign (R?k) Fate, which alludes to the final days of the Norse gods.

This is no ordinary battle of Viking vs Viking. The futuristic tech lends itself perfectly to Norse mythology. The main character Baulder, son of Odin, is so diverse and conflicted that by the end of the game and ?the big reveal? you'll be glued to the edge of seat screaming ?OH MY GODS!?

Each of the four classes offer up something completely different. My favourites are the dual wielder, who drops health in favour of blinding damage-per-second, dancing around his foes as if combat is child?s play, and the gunner class, who has such an exciting array of weaponry that when he's at the max level, you almost feel like you're cheating ? Or that you're a god, which is kind of the point.

The point of Too Human wasn't to finish the game as soon as possible. The point was to level out a character and replay each level, which are massive and hold many, many secrets, with or without a friend while hunting for better loot. Something that reviewers have seemingly skimmed over.

With more good than bad, why is it that Too Human is now such a dirty word?

Preconceptions!

Gamers judged Too Human based on the demo, which I'll admit was horrible! These same gamers then went onto the big sites to read a review in which the reviewers, who are also gamers, attacked Too Human with preconceived impressions based from demo.

It's not some big conspiracy like I've seen some folks claim, but what it is, is people deciding how it plays without giving it a chance.

Ahead of this piece, I spoke to a selection of my contacts about Too Human. The majority launched into a tirade about how sh**** it is and how it was ten years of development wasted. That's fine by the way, people are allowed to hold different opinions to my own, but what annoys me is how question two is answered:

Q: Have you actually played Too Human?

A: No! Why would I want to subject myself to that cr**?

This is the response I got from almost everyone, that they haven't played it, but seem fit to pass judgement. This baffles me. I hate Modern Warfare 2 and 3. How do I know I hate it? Because each year I buy it, so that I can make a decision on if it's good or if it's awful. Which changes from year-to-year. For all the slagging off of COD I do, have you ever seen me slag of Black Ops? Nope. I love it!

My point here is that I judge games as they come. I will never rip a game apart based on hearsay or conjecture. If I'm going to moan about a title, I'll make sure I've damn-well played it to death before I start running my mouth, and by play it, I don't mean rent it, or for ten minutes round a friend?s house, I mean play it, as it was intended.

So let me finish with a few questions. Have you given Too Human a fair trial? Have you maxed out a character? Have you really seen everything it has to offer? Did you approach Too Human with preconceptions?

Did you pass sentence before the disk even made it into your drive?

Too Human is innovation and gameplay in its purest form, so if you are interested in giving Too Human a fair crack of the whip, or if you're after an exciting 1000 Gamerscore, there's still a huge action-RPG for you to explore, via Xbox LIVE's Games on Demand service.

My disk may be scratched beyond repair, meaning it's been played to death, but if you want to try it out, by all means go for it! Just please wipe the slate clean and start afresh and form your own opinions on this gaming classic.

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