I've tried to love Too Human, I really have. For a start action role playing games - think Diablo 2 etc - are rarely found on the consoles. And those that are tend to emphasise the hack and slash action over the deeper character development stuff. Too Human has skill trees, levelling, looting, big guns, co-op - heck, this should be great, right? Sadly not. Repetitive action, bland graphics, iffy controls, technical glitches - for a game that has been in development for years this is unforgivable. Or maybe the protracted birth explains the game's flaws? The clumsy inventory and general lack of interface polish are possibly symptomatic of an overly inward looking development process. Or maybe I've been spoilt by the likes of WoW? But with the amount of inventory management that Too Human requires you'll wish there was a more elegant solution.
So how does it play? If you've played the demo then you've got a good idea. Essentially enter area, take out long-range enemies before ploughing into the melee combat. Don't expect much help from your computer controlled buddies, who seem to be there to flesh out the plot as much as anything. Kill all the painfully generic monsters and you can pick up the conveniently dropped weapons, armour and money and spend five minutes rearranging your inventory. Then it's on to the next area and repeat, with occasional breaks for one off "boss" battles. Cut-scenes break up the levels - the plot mixes Norse mythology with generic sci-fi to no great effect - and there is a Phantasy Star-style hub area (sadly only with you and not the rest of the Too Human community). But otherwise that's pretty much it.
Again if you have played the demo you'll know what the controls are like. If not think spongy, imprecise - you use the right hand stick, rather than a button, to attack - and rather frustrating. Luckily you do get used to things after a while - the frequency of combat means subtlety is rarely required - but I found ranged weapons generally more satisfying. That's assuming the auto lock-on worked - often it picked up dead enemies or incoming missiles and ignored the angry robogoblin coming straight for me.
And then there was the unskippable death sequence that delays your return to the fray for around 30 seconds at a time. Mildly annoying at the start this play delay becomes excruciating later in the game. At one point I died five times in about two minutes - I was tired, it was the end of a level. On the fifth go the game seemed to take pity on me and dumped me straight back into play. Sadly it never happened again.
Too Human doesn't look great either. The art design is spectacularly bland. Some occasionally impressive vistas are let down by generic "space marine" characters and dull interiors which give the game the look of a watered down Halo or Gears of War. There is even an 80's synth sound effect on the menu screen to make Mass Effect fans feel at home .
But despite all this Too Human does have its moments. No really. There were times, especially early on, when the combat and leveling felt almost hypnotic. And you can't deny that primal gaming urge to get a better bit of kit, whether it's a weapon, some armour or a pile of cash. This is helped by a quick levelling pace which keeps the hits coming. Plus there is always that nagging desire to see what's next, even if it usually means another fairly generic sci-fi locale.
But the game really staggers into life when played online and it is here where the real long-term play will be found. Team up with a friend and there is a least a modicum of strategy involved - ie one of you stand back and shoot while the other gets stuck in. But the fact you are both playing the same character will be a killer for many. Yes, you can play as different classes - though don't expect a *huge* difference - and given the huge amount of gear in the game you are unlikely to be wearing the same armour. But you are still both playing as the main character, Baldur. And unfortunately the armour looks so similar that you soon loose the urge to chase the next drop. This may change at the really high levels but Too Human seems to lack loot variety. Bad news, as kitting out your character is a key part of the game. Not that there is any real chance to show off your Big Helm of Power or Stupidly Large Plamsa Rifle anyway. Yes, you can show and trade with one other player in the co-op mode but Too Human could really do with a lobby.
If Too Human 2 - let's hope they think of a better title - can add more variety, better graphics and deeper online play while simultaneously ditching the death sequence then it could be a contender. But as it stands Too Human feels painfully average and was hardly worth the wait.
