Too Human Hands-on Preview

We’ve seen the screenshots, we’ve seen the video, we’ve followed the game’s progress for what seems like an eternity, but finally, after waiting in line for about 25 seconds, I was able to get some hands-on time with Silicon Knights’ latest, Too Human.

The game, which has been in some stage of development for as long as I can remember, is the first of a trilogy of games set to be released throughout the life of the Xbox 360. The demo takes place in a level known as Hall of Heroes, an environment filled with metallic corridors, mechanical structures, some gorgeous backdrops and subtle features – such as snow that cascades through openings in the walls littered throughout the complex.

Players guide Baldur through the various corridors, annihilating anything that dares to cross his path, using an assortment of guns and swords in what I can only describe as an incredibly awkward combat system – at first that is. Too Human doesn’t give players control over camera movement, instead using predetermined angles that are usually quite far away from the action, only zooming in for a closer look when entering a new area.

By using both analogue sticks, players can not only move Baldur around the environment, but also target foes by pushing the right analogue stick in the direction of the enemy. Since Baldur carries dual pistols, you can fire both by pressing the trigger buttons, while the game’s flick targeting system allows you to target enemies in all directions (think Advent Rising, but it actually works). To add to the mix, Baldur has an energy blade, which, by using the right stick without pressing any of the trigger buttons, can be used to propel enemies into the air and perform a series of gravity defying kills, with Baldur switching from one target to the next, not unlike Nightshade.

In fact, in one scenario, I managed to lift a few enemies up with my pistols, jump up and slash them with my blade, then soar through the air from one target to the next until I was the only one left standing. It felt like I was airborne for an eternity, and needless to say, it left a pretty satisfying grin on my face. And that grin only grew wider as I dispatched foes using three different special attacks, each signified by the glowing colour of Baldur’s blade, which corresponds to the colour of the button needed to be pressed on the 360’s controller.

While my first experience with Too Human was enjoyable, the demo was filled with frame rate issues and glitches galore. On more than one occasion, the Microsoft rep had to restart my game, while at other times enemies would freeze in mid-air, or as in one odd scenario, all of the creatures turned into giant black pixelated boxes, inevitably crashing the game for the third time in a row.

With a release scheduled for Holiday 2006, Silicon Knights still has plenty of work to do, and based on what I played, a delay wouldn’t be a huge surprise. With the promise of more enemies on screen at once (I counted only five or six at any given time) and dozens of upgradeable weapons, both for melee and ranged combat, Too Human could be a great 360 title. Come this December, we’ll hopefully find out if the game lives up to its potential.