Too Human Catch-All

Because I'm tired of reviews docking the game when their "journalists" have apparently never taken any English Lit or Mythology classes or even read any comic books, I did a little research on Too Human's story, the (clichéed?) quote at the beginning of the demo, and source of the quote, although it's from a different work than Human All Too Human (Beyond Good and Evil). Then I wrote up this little educational blurb.

Most of the reviews have never even opened Nietzsche's "Human, All Too Human,". While I don't pretend to have ever sat down and tried to finish it myself, I did read the introduction, which nicely sums up the premise of the book and why it fits nicely with this game. I think that the title is actually an excellent nod to the allegory that the entire story aspires to be, and the book which came about due to the same themes which are present in the game:

IMAGE(http://img411.imageshack.us/img411/8928/toohumanuv2.gif)
IMAGE(http://img411.imageshack.us/img411/8928/toohumanuv2.cd1e4c2f78.jpg)

Baldur seeing the flaws in his fellow gods' outlook and lifestyle and doing whatever he does in the game (most likely ultimately leading to Ragnarok and the end of the old Gods' reign just like in the true myth, probably in relation to his weapon Fenrir breaking free in the second or third game) , would seem to be an excellent premise for a game story, and a particularly adept dovetailing of two vastly different mediums.

I don't want to White Knight Dyack, but seriously, there are more important things to do than rage against another pudgy balding nerd who likes to use big words to make up for his (fairly commonly known) self esteem issues.

souldaddy wrote:
Nei wrote:
souldaddy wrote:

HAHA. Dyack has big plans for the town he lives in.

ok...? :?

I didn't want to bash Dyack (and I certainly don't want to see a thread devoted to dyack bashing, not on GWJ) but the article makes him sound like "buy our game or our town will die"

I guess you missed the article in his local paper where the town's mayor and a big crew of journalists came by the SK offices and talked about how important the company was to their local economy. You see where he's from, he actually is "kind of a big deal" regardless of what people on the internet want to believe and make fun of.

um... whatever.

.

Microsoft is coy about the 2rd and 3rd installments of the trilogy.

Microsoft Game Studios and Silicon Knights are committed to finishing the first installment, but Too Human is an overarching epic with a rich and vast game universe that cannot be told in one installment.

This game will begin the saga of the god Baldur in the narrative tradition of classic trilogies, such as Star Wars and Lord Of The Rings. We will talk about the full trilogy and we are very excited about its potential.

Too Human.net took this to mean Microsoft is committed to the entire trilogy, but I don't think so. Sounds like executive-speak for "only if it sells."

Also, Dyack says the haters just don't get it.

The Ars Technica review prevented this game from going into the "do not buy" box, but only barely. I think I will get this game, but mostly for what I enjoy about most of my games - multiplayer time with other goodjers.

souldaddy wrote:

TooHuman.net took this to mean Microsoft is committed to the entire trilogy, but I don't think so. Sounds like executive-speak for "only if it sells."

Microsoft, just like like any company, will make a call based on sales. So I don't see how this is any news. If companies green lit a project based on Review Scores than we might have seen a lot more sequels to games that were awesome but sold very poorly! That said, Microsoft has proven time and time again that they are willing to X a game even in mid development if they feel they will not make anything on it. Even if they use PR speak, I think everyone at this point knows pretty much how it works.
That said, even a bad game could sell millions... good example 50cent: something... we even ...almost... saw a sequel!

souldaddy wrote:

Also, Dyack says the haters just don't get it.

I seem to recall hearing this rationale from someone else before...

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So... has anyone purchased and played this game heavily (say at least 5 hours) yet? If so, what are your impressions and please specify what you thought of the demo to help to compare the final impression of the full game. Thanks.

inspiringsn wrote:

So... has anyone purchased and played this game heavily (say at least 5 hours) yet? If so, what are your impressions and please specify what you thought of the demo to help to compare the final impression of the full game. Thanks.

It shipped yesterday so most folks won't have it until today. I'll certainly let you know what I think tomorrow, but I don't really expect it to be much other than what I got from the demo: a fun diversion to pass the time for the next few weeks until the fall rush starts.

I decided to get it, and I'll eventually post about the character customization options, something I haven't seen discussed in detail in any review.

Weirdly, Gamefly keeps moving it back. It's currently listed as 'Coming Soon', with a release date of Thursday, the 21st.

Gee, sure glad I sent a game back early and cleared out my queue to make sure I'd get it.

My Amazon copy isn't supposed to be here until tomorrow, but I might cancel it and pick it up locally to get it today.

With the force unleased demo tomorrow I think I'm definately going to wait on this one. Too bad Too Human, you were beat by the force (I mean, had their been no TFU tomorrow I might have grabbed it anyway just to play something).

My copy is ready for pickup so I'll be playing the hell out of it tonight.

I was on the edge of picking it up yesterday but I've been playing braid and a few other games like that to pass the time since I don't have to drop $60 on games I already own. So I'm waiting to hear from other GWJers and some close friends whose opinions I trust.

Kevin Pereiera's (sp?) take on the game:

http://api.seesmic.com/#/video/bC3G2bh7jy/watch

I'll be picking up my pre-order today and will hopefully be on it tonight too. I've managed to be able to keep the pre-order that I previously thought I'd have to drop.

coyo7e wrote:

Kevin Pereiera's (sp?) take on the game:

At 1:30 he says "at the end of the day [the game is fun]" so obviously his opinion is the most valid.

LiquidMantis wrote:
coyo7e wrote:

Kevin Pereiera's (sp?) take on the game:

At 1:30 he says "at the end of the day [the game is fun]" so obviously his opinion is the most valid.

I guess that's the problem. Most reviewers have been playing mid-day and early afternoon. They should wait until evening.

KillerTomato wrote:
coyo7e wrote:

Kevin Pereiera's (sp?) take on the game:

http://api.seesmic.com/#/video/bC3G2bh7jy/watch

Good stuff. Too Human was destined to end up more a fun fan favorite than a critical darling, as most of them just don't seem to like hack-n-slash games very much.

I'm realizing more and more that professional reviewers' opinions have very little connection to my experiences.

Ugh, the taint thing is gross. That review is NSFW.

coyo7e wrote:

Kevin Pereiera's (sp?) take on the game:

http://api.seesmic.com/#/video/bC3G2bh7jy/watch

Good stuff. Too Human was destined to end up more a fun fan favorite than a critical darling regardless of its quality. Most critics just don't seem to like hack-n-slash games very much.

I'm realizing more and more that professional reviewers' opinions, whether they regard games, movies or books, have very little connection to my experiences.

KillerTomato wrote:

I'm realizing more and more that professional reviewers' opinions have very little connection to my experiences.

All this has happened before (with Shadowrun) and all this will happen again.

Game shows poorly at trade show.
Enthusiast media rips on game.
Developer screams bloody murder and points fingers at media.
Media backtracks and gives game extra coverage.
Lots of talk of "innovation" is thrown around.
Game is released to scathing reviews. The "circus" is reviewed as much as the game itself, the media has its revenge.
Game either lives or dies based on its audience.

If Too Human is a really fun game (as many of us hope), goodjers will soon find out and be screaming praises to the high heavens.

KillerTomato wrote:

I'm realizing more and more that professional reviewers' opinions, whether they regard games, movies or books, have very little connection to my experiences.

It's all about finding a reviewer with similar tastes.

coyo7e wrote:

Kevin Pereiera's (sp?) take on the game:

http://api.seesmic.com/#/video/bC3G2bh7jy/watch

To paraphrase what he said:
- Storytelling bad
- SK can't do character models "all that great" - "deal with it"
- The UI is "deplorable" - It makes items management and repairing items unbearable
- Game is buggy and glitchy - barely works in coop - 1 out of 4 he fell through the earth - 3 out of 4 he had no SFX

+ "The game is f*cking fun"
+ "Makes you feel like a badass"
+ loot (lots of loot)
+ Satisfying
+ Coop is a blast
+ "Graphics are more than serviceable"

KP obviously likes the game (he went out of his way to say so). What I noticed is his objective observations are all bad and his subjective observations are all positive.

EDIT

Well, I can no longer believe the entire gaming review community hates Too Human for no reason. The reviews all say the same stuff and they are very clear about it. This game is just an Epic fail - I will pass.

souldaddy wrote:

If Too Human is a really fun game (as many of us hope), goodjers will soon find out and be screaming praises to the high heavens.

And if we don't like it then at least we'll all finally know we're idiots who fear innovation. That's been bugging me for a long time.

I don't really understand why this is so hard and why it keeps getting rehashed. Unless the demo was a prank and the actual game is something else entirely I think the demo does a really good job covering exactly what you'll be getting with the released game. It's really simple: if you enjoyed the demo and could see yourself playing it for 10 hours with some background variety and loot variations then you'll most likely enjoy the game. If the demo didn't do it for you then the game probably won't either.

Personally, I enjoyed the demo enough to get the full version for an enjoyable time filler. Reviews are merely the opinions of random strangers and ultimately the only opinion that affects my enjoyment is mine.

Shoal07 wrote:

Well, I can no longer believe the entire gaming review community hates Too Human for no reason.

...nope, there are reviews that score the game in 8 and 9. So its not like the game is getting 5, 6 and 7 only.
Besides, it's not like entire gaming review community would salivate about a hyped game, praise it like as if it was the best thing since sliced bread, give it a perfect score and omit the fact that the game does have issues... oh, wait...

My take: played about two hours worth with my wife watching, and we both really got into it. From what I've seen of the story so far: it's pretty good! It's presented differently from what I'm used to, and in a way reminds me of Mass Effect since there's very little hand holding in regards to establishing what's going on. It's not convoluted or anything, just... different in its presentation.

We've all heard that NOT being able to control the camera is an issue, but I was surprised to find that there are a few different settings for the actual camera that alleviate problem somewhat depending on what type of view your prefer: from near to far out / isometric. That said, there were more than a few times that I instinctively tried to use the right stick to swing out the camera, but honestly I think it's just because that type of control is so hardwired in me.

I hadn't played the demo so when it came to actual gameplay, I wasn't really sure what to expect. Simply said: I really like the control scheme, and it manages to capture some of the Diablo feel without becoming a clickfest. The 'sliding' from enemy to enemy while kicking the crap out of them is really enjoyable, and seeing the combo meter go higher and higher really works well in motivating you to keep those combos going. I haven't really had a chance to do much juggling, but I'm playing a Defender class and, from what I understand, they're not exactly an aerial type of class. Still, taking out a group of 50-60 enemies in under ten seconds is really satisfying. It's fun, and before I knew it two hours had gone by! I turned to my wife and remarked that it could be really easy to loose a few hours in this game and she could completely see why.

So, from what I've seen so far, Too Human is pretty much exactly what I expected: a fun dungeon hack with an interesting story and setting. I wasn't expecting it to be the be all and end all of gaming and maybe that's why I'm enjoying it so far.

I picked it up. Maybe we can roll some Coop if you're up late again Souldaddy.

I promised a few people on Live some impressions, so here you go!

I haven't read any reviews or late-preview articles for Too Human. I was already too intrigued not to pick it up and I feel like the professional criticism wells are too poisoned by Dyack's bombast to be relevant for my purposes.

After just over two hours of single player and an hour of coop with Elysium, it's safe to say I'm having fun so far. There are faults, but the fundamentals are all there for people looking to scratch the Diablo/Hellgate London style of itch. I'm still learning how to be really effective has a Berserker when dealing with enemies that don't go down in a couple shots and the Commando (I think ... the ranged dude) feels totally different in practice. The skill tress are definitely limiting, but I've personally never been big on sweating those kind of details anyway. At least there are a few more to choose once you've settled on a path after defeating Grendel.

The game looks great and most of my concerns about animations in combat haven't been impeding the immersiveness at all. I'm having too much fun slapping enemies up in the air and dropping bombs on them to really notice.

Even the story, which is definitely dense and assumes too much knowledge in the beginning, begins to come clear a couple hours in. A quick narrative about the world you're in and what you're about would have made a huge difference here, but I can appreicate what they were trying for. I don't agree with the approach, but I understand.

I also like that I can take my level 10 dude and hop online with him. The transference of experience and equipment is nice and the scaling seems to be working really well between the two modes so far. Elysium and I definitely had plenty to deal with compared to the single player version of the level. I must say though, I could take or leave the "cyber world" mechanic in multiplayer. It's a decent rest from the frantic action in single player, but it's downright tedious with two people.

The question really just comes down to whether or not Too Human can transcend the flaws that make for such easy review-complaints fodder and come out with a fun game for a regular player. So far, I think it can.

Thanks, Certis. I think you gave me just the nudge I needed to look past the poor reviews. Loved the demo, but man the word on the net has been mixed.

Giant Bomb weighed in on all the review-related noise surrounding the game with a pretty hilarious video. Be sure to watch the Kevin Pereira video first.

Sounds like I definitely need to bump the game to the top of my GameFly queue. The reviews, and impressions from folks here, definitely convinced me to not run out and buy it.

I'm kinda glad this one doesnt hit stores here till next week. Plenty of time to soak up peoples reactions!