Besides Duke Nukem Forever, perhaps no other game has been in development hell and a state of flux for so long as Too Human. The game has seemingly been rumored for every console since the Playstation, only for it to emerge briefly and then retreat back into its hole like a groundhog. The game has finally been released, and despite the many rumored rumblings of its quality and the process it has gone through, through it all it has emerged as a solid game, and one that could've been truly epic…had it just had a little more development time.

Too Human details the story of Baldur, one of the gods of Norse mythology, who have been sanctioned to be the protectors of the human race, who are currently facing a genocide by a race of mechanical monsters often referred to as Red Eyes. As Baldur, you'll lead a rag-tag group of human soldiers as you partake on one mission after another, weaving you through the hierarchy of the Aesir (made of Baldur and his fellow gods) and subsequent twists and turns that take place during the story.

Behold The Power Of Baldur

The story of Too Human is actually the game's greatest strength, as it is really is an interesting concept, and the one thing that kept me constantly plowing through the hordes of mechanical monstrosities. The story of Baldur is one of courage, deceit, betrayal, and revenge. The story is mostly told through pre-act in-game cutscenes, though there are moments throughout the action where the game will pause a minute to relay some more story elements. Beyond the actual cutscenes, there are also audio moments incorporated into the usual battle chatter, which help round the adventure out and add a few new story elements into the game without being intrusive.

Since the game is currently planned as part of a trilogy, it's inevitable that the game would end on a cliffhanger, without much being resolved, and after learning the final reveal and seeing the final cutscene, you'll wish the game was longer and had a more definitive finale. As it stands, however, it feels like the cheapened Halo 2 ending in almost every single way. If you hated playing as the Arbiter for the game's final level, you'll ultimately probably hate the final boss of Baldur's adventure. Up until the end, however, the story of Too Human is very enjoyable and hopefully just the beginning of a rich and engaging new universe.

Too Human is an action-adventure RPG, most similar in style to games like the Diablo series, where battling waves after waves of creatures is all for one purpose – loot. Having never really cared for the console version of Diablo I played a long time ago, I wasn't sure how rewarding the game would be in terms of collecting loot. Would the need to have that ultimate gear really motivate me to keep chugging through the game? Surprisingly, yes.

After completing the single-player adventure you can either choose to start a new campaign with your currently existing character or start a whole new campaign with a new character. Besides working your way through the same plot points, you can also choose to simply take your character to the Aesir base that acts as the central hub between missions, and go to whatever act and portion you want to fight in. Jumping into the action outside of the campaign is actually almost like a whole new game, not because there's a second story presented, but because the enemy placements aren't the same as in the campaign, and often it presents more enemies at once and with harder enemies earlier on.

No matter the way you decide to continue, you'll be constantly amassing new weapons, armor, charms, runes, and money (aka bounty) on par with your level range. You can sell the loot drops you don't need or can't use, and instantly change gear on the fly to jump into the newest and best stat infused goods. Much like the loot in currently existing MMOs, loot drops in term of rarity, with gray items being the most worthless and red being the most rarely and highly sought after pieces. Credit the art department for the reason the loot is handled so well, as it's the visual presentations that ultimately beckoned me to fight just a little longer in hopes of garnering something cool. Giant hammers, intricately designed staves, glowing swords, massive shoulder pads, and horned helms all help make your character cool. It seemed like some of the armor repeats itself in terms of visual style, but for the most part, the better the gear the cooler it looks, which will help make you the envy of all the Too Human fans out there. Also, by clicking the right thumbstick in, you get a nice and slow camera panning shot to showoff Baldur, and just how awesome you look in your new armor.

Another reason the loot system works is because of the ability to take the game online and go through levels with other players. You'll not only be able to collect gear, but trade it as well. The multiplayer also lets you appreciate the other character classes other than the one you chose, as they all – for the most part – handle differently. Before starting a new character, you'll pick their character class, ranging from melee attackers to tanks to long-range fighters and even healers. I played as a high-flying air combo heavy Champion my first time through the game, but started a ballistic heavy Commando my second time, and noticed many differences between the way both played and brought something new to the feel of the game. Each character class also has a branching skill tree, which helps you make the character feel unique and like your own creation.

Do You Like The Taste Of Laser?

Speaking of the right thumbstick, Too Human is quite unique in terms of controls, which both work for the game and yet hamper it too. Players control Baldur's movement with the left thumbstick, while using the right thumbstick to initiate melee attacks and the right and left triggers for ranged ballistic weapons. The player doesn't need to constantly press the right thumbstick in the direction they wish to attack, as they can continue a combo against an enemy by simply holding the thumbstick in the desired direction. The right thumbstick is more advanced than just that, however, as players can double tap in a direction to pop an enemy up into the air, circle the thumbstick in another direction to attack other enemies close to you, and even have Baldur zipping about like a pinball as he bounces quickly from one enemy to the next. Other combat moves include using a spider (the Y-button) for various attacks, the X-button for a stat increasing power, the right bumper for an area clearing attack, and being able to jump into the air with the A-button in order to combo enemies.

The problem with using the right thumbstick for combat is that it isn't always accurate, as it sometimes comes off as sluggish when multiple enemies are around, and it's pretty hard to use a finishing move (left and right thumbstick together) exactly when you want to use it in combat. The right thumbstick is also typically used for camera controls in other games, but yet in Too Human the camera is completely controlled by the game. Players can preset the camera to be as close or far away from Baldur as they want, but beyond being able to center the camera with a button click, you're at the whim of the game's camera and however it wants to present itself. The camera isn't bad at times, but it's awful at others. The camera is the single greatest issue with the game.

Enemies hit often and hard in Too Human. The game only features a handful of different enemy types, which are often only changed up by adding a different radius effect (freeze damage, fire damage, etc). It's not a huge gripe, but you do walk away wishing the game had a little more variety. The boss encounters also aren't bad, but they aren't amazing either (other than maybe one fight). The problem with the difficulty is one much like I had with Bioshock – eliminating death means there are no consequences or tension. When Baldur dies you simply have to wait for an extended cutscene to happen and plop you back in the action, with the only death penalty being the time it took to revive and run back to where the action was happening. When applied to boss fights, there really isn't any strategy needed, as you just basically have to attack until you die, revive, and then rinse and repeat until after you've beat them.

Graphically the game is a mixed bag, at times looking great, and at times a competent original Xbox game. Character designs, enemy models, and far away background scenery (which almost looks like painted concept art at times it's so beautiful and detailed) are all spectacular, but environments – especially Cyberspace – are often desolate and feature many of the same repeating textures and architectural ideas. The game also has some graphical bugs and hiccups, ranging from characters floating on the top of enemies, things popping into view, and I even fell through the world once when an elevator didn't load (I had to quit and reload my game). The audio is great, however, as the voicework, sound effects, and background music are all excellently done.

Too Human isn't necessarily a game that everyone will enjoy. It's not the most polished or graphically pleasing game you'll find on the Xbox 360, and sometimes the gameplay is annoying when the controls or camera don't work perfectly. Despite the flaws, I still found myself really enjoying the game, and I'm still playing the game even after I beat it, which took about nine hours. I'm currently working on leveling a Commando and working on getting the best loot possible for my Champion. The game is simply fun. You'll be frustrated that the game couldn't be more, but in the end it's a quality game, and one that has me hoping sequels will indeed happen, so Silicon Knights can build on the structure they already have in place and truly make an amazing follow-up.

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