Too Human preview on the 1up Show
Saturday, October 20th, 2007 - 11:36am
The final segment of this week's 1up Show is all about Too Human (download link). There's some good footage in there, including some tantalizing shots of the character customization interface. The most surprising thing, however, is that apparantly they haven't really been marketing the game right so far.
Everything I've seen so far has billed the game as Devil May Cry or God of War with co-op. However, the way the game is presented in this video is as being much more along the lines of a Diablo or PSO game with an action based combat system. With this one shift, my interest and desire for the game has returned from being nearly non-existant to being a burning hot white flame of desire. After all, I am a sucker for an RPG, particulary when it has an interesting setting and does something new with the usual gameplay formulas.
The one major negative thing in the video, however, was that the animations still look kind of crappy. The interview in the video included Denis Dyack saying that they are now just working on tweaking and balancing the combat, but hopefully they'll spend a bit more time smoothing out the animations before the release the game. (Although now that I'm seeing the game more as an RPG, I'm much more willing to forgive a bit of awkwardness in that regard.)
You know, I don't know what sort of game it is either. All I've heard about it is the bad press and a nice trailer that they had.
I had the idea that it was sort of an adventure or something... Crap marketing on this one, I guess.
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Honestly, I can't understand why people want to play a game with a mix of norse mythology and science fiction. Fans of fantasy (like myself) don't want the swords and sandals experience ruined by robots and guns, and I don't expect sci-fi fans wanting to fight with swords either (note: I don't know much about Too Human, so correct me if I'm wrong).
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The marketing for this hasn't really ramped up yet. The trailers look interesting but the gameplay ones I've seen recently show an interface that isn't done yet which I don't think is a good idea. Unfortunately, a lot of people are now dismissing this game because Denis Dyack went on EGM Live and said what they needed to hear. It was a stupid thing for him to do and I think it's going to cost him more goodwill than he may think. Microsoft needs to turn on the marketing machine pretty soon. What I've seen though makes this look kind of Diablo-ish which could be cool.
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The trailer turned me off. Characters sliding around, bad writing, bad pacing.
Probably had little to do with the gameplay, but where the best trailers (can you say Blizzard?) jazz you up for the game, this killed any interest at the outset, being my first exposure to the game. When you combine that with lots of negative buzz about Dyack and (if this is the one), his threatening a lawsuit over the 3D engine being unusable (right about the time that BioShock was released on that engine), the whole thing comes across as possibly an entertaining train wreck, but unlikely as an interesting game.
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That's the least of this game's worries. While it may not appease sword and sorcery crowd, science fiction nabs direction from wherever it can, often ancient myth. In that regard it's hardly untested waters.
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And science fiction is no stranger to swords...
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I become less and less excited about this game as each day goes by. It could be cool, but the sort of gameplay they're going for I don't care for, the aesthetic seems odd and unappealing, and the writing (amazingly,) seems cheesy and overwrought, undercut further by blah acting.
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My theory is that if Microsoft still wants to release the game, there's something there we haven't seen yet. The whole lawsuit with Epic is a different thing altogether and something I'm going to take a wait-and-see approach on because while BioShock was released on the engine (heavily modified), other developers have said they had issues with UE3. I think SK's major issue is with the PS3 version of the engine for another title they're doing for Sega which wouldn't be a factor for BioShock. This still looks interesting to me but I think they started showing it way too early.
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Personally, I've been hyped for the game since they first announced it for Xbox 360 and still have faith that the game will turn out to be awesome. So far, it seems on track...
Well.... why not? Personally, I'm glad to see another sci-fi game... that is not FPS or MMO.
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I haven't watched it yet, but are we allowed to criticize it this time? Or is this another do-over demo?
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Sure... as far as I know, what you see is what you get. Perhaps more polish since they got like 5 month before the game release.
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For me, the preview got me psyched for this game. I always liked the idea of PSO, but the way the game felt was somehow offputting, the controls and the world left me unhappy. This looks so much better to me, how they implement multiplayer will make or break this game.
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Bettenhausen also spoke at length about the game in the 1up Yours podcast, and he was very positive about the game, in a measured, atypically unfanboyish fashion. His reports of huge weapon variety, robust character customization, and a great story definitely got my attention. The rationale for the combat mechanics also made since, for the first time. He did note that there were some camera issues, and he also said he had hoped to see some more enemy variety. But overall, I'm encouraged by the coverage. I'm certainly not writing it off.
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Well, to note on the enemy, D. Dyack mentioned that not all enemies are robots. In-fact in one of the videos there was a huge Serpent... which I figure is some sort of a boss.
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I didn't think that was possible.
My interest level started very low but the more I hear, the more I'm getting exited about this one. The action / rpg nature and co-op could give this some legs. If they allow co-op on the same console this will go up another notch on my radar.
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If Shane was talking positive about something that's both exclusive to Xbox 360 and published by Microsoft, it must be very good. Something being on 360 usually automatically gets a couple of points knocked off with him.
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I think it's the Phantasy Star Online influence that's swinging him over. I'm definately curious to see how Too Human turns out now, where before I thought it was just another hack & slash derivative.
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Yeah it seems he was hugely into PSO in the DC days, and the parallels he was seeing in the Too Human demo he played were extremely appealing for him I gather. Sounds like a game to follow if that kind of game interests you.
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Spore
I guess you not going to be happy until SK will make a sequel to ED!
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No. No, I won't.
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Spore
I'm definitely willing to give the demo that they mentioned would come out a try.
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I'm curious to see how well the automated cinematic camera system will work. Can it balance optimal gameplay perspective with optimal cinematic perspective? From 1UP's coverage so far, it sounds as if they Silicon Knights still have a ways to go.
It intrigues me all the same, as I don't think games have yet reached their potential as a storytelling medium. Adding another layer of meaning to the narrative through judicious camera work seems like a step in the right direction.
I think the opposite. The ability for the player to see what they want to see when they want to see it is a part of what distinguishes games from traditional mediums. It is a strength, and not one to be thrown away lightly. There are plently other aspects of storytelling that can be integrated or perfected within games that won't degrade the experience by taking control away from the player.
If it is a decision to free up an analog stick for some game related purpose, so be it. If it is a decision that the storyteller can better decide where the player should be looking then it is one of pride.
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I agree with this, to a point. The player must be able to see what they're doing during gameplay. To that effect, the automatic camera should always prioritize gameplay over cinematography. It's no fun to be blindsided by enemies or barrel over a cliff because the camera decided to whip around to a reverse angle without warning. I also like to be able to explore my environment and look around at will, and would be disappointed if Too Human didn't offer me this ability in some form or another.
If the the automatic camera is good however (and that's a big if), I'd just as soon not have to worry about camera work in addition to other gameplay elements. Since I don't know the story being told ahead of time, I won't necessarily know where to be looking, or how to best frame the scene that's unfolding. In some sense, being freed of cinematography responsibilities allows me to be more immersed in the narrative. It's one fewer distraction. I don't think automatic cameras belong in every game, but in narrative-driven titles I think it's something to consider.
On a separate but related note, making manual camera control optional would help some casual players get into 3D games. Many friends and relatives of mine who don't play games avidly are put off by that right thumbstick. They wind up looking at the sky or spinning wildly, unable to hold their bearing steady.
Based off of interviews and gameplay movies, I'm pretty sure you will be disappointed.
Danjo Olivaw Lives
Well the meat of Too Human appeals to me. Let's hope that the camera doesn't botch it. For that reason alone, I'm glad that the demo is coming out first.
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You find the "meat" in a game about muscly, rippling bald men named "Thor" to be appealing?
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Spore
You know, I actually thought about using the word "substance" in place of "meat", but decided against in the name of appearing less stuffy and academic. Looks like I was damned either way.
Bald-faced homo-eroticism aside, I still want to play Too Human.