Too Human is a game that has been awaited nearly as long as the next installment of Duke Nukem and after its release it was dinged and pinged for how long it took. I will not use this as a crutch against Silicon Knights due to the psycho amounts of trading they went through from Sony to Nintendo where they produced Eternal Darkness: Sanity’s Requiem which is widely considered a great game. When Microsoft picked up Silicon Knights they finally, with the help of Unreal Engine 3 finished Too Human and I gotta say that it holds its own as a futuristic Norse based mythology game where you wield badass weapons and annihilate machines in the forms of mythological creatures. This is Too Human.

Story:

In Too Human you assume the role of Baldur who is one of the Aesir. The Aesir are gods (cybernetic Norse gods) among men who dwell in the city of Asgard and are heavily cybernetically enhanced. Thor is only 2% human, just to give you an idea of how enhanced they are. By the way if you notice Baldur’s voice (Crispin Freemen) then you probably like Naruto where he is the voice of Itachi Uchiha or a Hellsing fan where he voices the lovely Alucard. Anyway, back to the game, the Aesir are fighting on 2 fronts, against the machines of war that were created and against the dead realm of Helheim. The machine creatures are shaped into Norse mythology as well as they are called Goblins, Trolls, Dark Elves, Light Elves and the such. Baldur who died and was sent to Helheim as the dead always are, is taken from Helheim by the Aesir, namely Tyr and taken back to the landof the living thus breakingthe pact between the living and the underworld of Helheim overseen by Hel the daughter of Loki.

Loki is imprisoned by the Aesir after his capture by Thor who obvious just wanted to bash the hell out of him with his lovely mallet Mjolnir but the Aesir choose to keep him captive instead. As the game starts you get a beautiful cut scene cinematic with Baldur going into a bar of sorts and a mechanical beast fighting sues with who else but the mythological might Grendel…in machine form. This is a 3 part series with this beingthe first installation which leaves for an exciting 2^nd part coming. The origination of the title Too Human is from Baldur’s kin saying he is too much like the humans and not enough cybernetic compared to his brethren.

Overall Grade: B+

Gameplay:

The gameplay gives you some hit and miss style to work with. The right stick free roamingmelee style is amazing and addicting as hell. The firearms used with the right trigger and left if using duel pistols, isn’t bad but not nearly as satisfying. It has a Diablo style level system along with skill set system and skill tree that can be re-configurated accordingto what you need. The big drawback on this game is dying. Prepare to die like you never have died before. It is so bad to the point of they have an actual achievement for it (which I got with 117 deaths).The death sequence takes a good 35 seconds to get done as the valkyrieflies down to take you to Valhalla. This becomes the most aggravatingthing I have ever had to f’inggo through. I have never died 117 times in a single game until this. Beyondthe ass loads of dying and forever death sequence it was exceptional.

Overall: C+

Graphics

The graphics are decent but good when considering the importance of the gameplay over the graphics. The cutscenes are beautiful and the characters are very detailed when seen in these cutscenes. Due to the 3^rdperson gameplay style the graphics are a give and take. They are good but nowhere near Gears Of War good. They do get the job done and the is what matters.

Overall: C+

Sound:

The sound is acceptable but can become restless from hearing your bitching troops whine or boast about what is going on during the fight. The weapon sounds are wonderful and your specialty moves have great effect to back up their power. The sound does the job but does nothing to impress you.

Overall: C+

Replay:

The replay is actually very good. The online with its Lego game styled drop in drop out multiplayer system is seamless and really really fun. The game while it has some flaws and some problems is only the 1^st part in a 3 part series so calm down as they will address the problems from the1^st game and indicate them with the 2^nd and 3^rd. The game can become frustrating with of course the ungodly amounts of dying but the fighting is really very enjoyable along with the weapon and armor system along with runic upgrades. You can upgrade all of your armor and weapons. There play is fairly high due to the online play and the fun smash and bash game style it has.

Overall: B+

Overall:

Give it a damn shot! Rent it and try It out. The game has its highpoints and big falters but is solid in the end. They online helps it alot along with loads of good downloadable content such as armor, weapons and even new classes to chose from for your character. This is a good fix until you get ahold of Gears Of War 2 or Fallout 3 which I am eagerly waiting for. It has a great storyline and is a fun game to help you learn of Norse culture and mythology. The end of the game scene is a beautiful prelude to the2^ndcoming and to what Loki has in store for Baldur and the Aesir!

Overall: B

Achievements:

1. In the NORN'S Favor (10p)
   • Activate all Cyberspace Wells
2. Chosen of the Aesir (20p)
   • Achieve Adept Status
3. Elite Warrior of the Aesir (25p)
   • Achieve Skilled Status
4. Hero to the Aesir (30p)
   • Achieve Hero Status
5. Legend of the Aesir (30p)
   • Achieve Legend Status
6. True Son of Odin (40p)
   • Achieve God Status
7. Jack of all Trades (10p)
   • Achieve Adept Status or greater for all classes
8. First Step toward Destiny (5p)
   • Assign the first skill point
9. Path of Ruin (25p)
   • Defeat 100 enemies using Ruiners
10. Unrelenting Rage (10p)
    • Execute a 100 hit combo
11. Show No Mercy (10p)
    • Defeat 25 enemies using a single Battle Cry
12. Rune Lore (10p)
    • Collect 1,000 Runes
13. Relics of a Forgotten Past (5p)
    • Construct a seven-piece Elite Armor suit
14. I'm Rich... (10p)
    • Collect 1 million in bounty
15. Artisan to the Aesir (10p)
    • Construct 100 Blueprints
16. Aesir Ascendant (10p)
    • Complete a tier three Charm
17. Fenrir's Bite (10p)
    • Assign a skill point to a sentient ability
18. Display of Power (5p)
    • Execute a two-in-one: Juggle, Ruiner, Finisher, Slide or Gunfire move
19. The Final Strike (10p)
    • Eliminate 100 enemies with Finishers
20. Death from Above (10p)
    • Eliminate 100 enemies using air combat
21. A Valorous Deed (5p)
    • Defeat a polarity enemy
22. Without Equal (10p)
    • Eliminate 1000 polarity enemies
23. Relics of the Ascendance (10p)
    • Complete 20 Charm Quests
24. Archivist to the Aesir (10p)
    • Acquire 7,500 item drops
25. One God Enters, One God Leaves... (20p)
    • Complete three Secret Arena Battles
26. Serve Em Up (10p)
    • Juggle an enemy, who will then be killed by a teammate with air combat
27. Teamwork Takedown (10p)
    • One player destroys the Troll's chest armor, the other mount kills
28. Blooded of the Aesir (10p)
    • Achieve novice status - Level 5
29. Hate for the Machine... (15p)
    • Kill 20,000 enemies

Secret Achievements:

1. Through the Halls (80p)
   • Hall of Heroes has been completed (all tokens collected) in single-player or online co-op mode.
2. Frozen Vengeance (80p)
   • Ice Forest has been completed (all tokens collected) in single-player or online co-op mode.
3. The One That Got Away… (80p)
   • World Serpent has been completed (all tokens collected) in single-player or online co-op mode.
4. To Hel and Back (80p)
   • Helheim has been completed (all tokens collected) in single-player or online co-op mode.
5. Unstoppable: Hall of Heroes (10p)
   • Hall of Heroes has been completed without dying.
6. Unstoppable: Ice Forest (15p)
   • Ice Forest has been completed without dying.
7. Unstoppable: World Serpent (15p)
   • World Serpent has been completed without dying.
8. Unstoppable: Helheim (20p)
   • Helheimhas been completed without dying.
9. Force to be Reckoned With (5p)
   • 100 Elite enemies annihilated.
10. Avenger of the Slain (30p)
    • 1,000 Undead slain.
11. Bane to Goblins (30p)
    • 2,500 Goblins defeated.
12. Hunter of Elfkin (30p)
    • 500 Dark Elves defeated.
13. Slayer of Trollkind (30p)
    • 50 Trolls defeated by mounting.
14. Exultation of Steel (30p)
    • Hel has been defeated by the Cybernetic Baldur.
15. Triumph of Humanity (30p)
    • Hel has been defeated by the Human Baldur.
16. Feeder of Ravens (10p)
    • Killed 10,000 enemies.
17. The Blood of Heralds (10p)
    • 100 enemy leaders conquered.
18. NORN Novice (5p)
    • First Cyberspace Well has been activated.
19. The Call of Battle (5p)
    • First Battle Cry unlocked.
20. Trial of Ascendance (5p)
    • Complete a Level 1 Charm.
21. Valkyrie's Folly (5p)
    • Died 100 times.

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